My Pursuit of Happyness
Having finished George Orwell’s 1984, I recently began reading a new book. It is the story of Chris Gardner’s life, as told by the book The Pursuit of Happyness (now also a movie). Originally, I wanted to watch the movie after seeing the trailer, but since Tim didn’t seem as excited about the idea, I decided to get the book instead. I’ve found that with books like Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, sometimes it’s necessary to go through the book for a better picture, as movies can only do so much in a few hours (even though LoTR was fantastic as a movie). Besides, reading can be a much more appreciative way of spending time with someone else’s hard work. Albeit we still spend a lot less time reading than it takes an author/writer to produce a book, but at least it’s not all completely consumed in under 3 hours.
So anyways, I’m about 2/3rds through The Pursuit of Happyness. One of the first questions I had about it was, “Isn’t happyness meant to be spelt with an ‘i’?”. The answer of course, is eventually revealed about halfway through the book. It is apparently not a spelling mistake, nor the often-assumed excuse of it being “the American” way of spelling.
What really attracted me to the book in the first place was just the storyline. The thought that someone with no further education could make it through the hardships of homelessness, poverty and racial discrimination to achieve his dreams, was just what I needed to latch onto in my time of joblessness and poverty. I know, it does sound really pathetic to have to turn to the story of someone else’s life in order to find the strength to feel positive about my own, but hey, everyone needs a crutch sometime. Of course, I am still more fortunate in that I am not actually homeless, bankrupt, in debt or providing for a child. PHE..EW.
Anyhow, getting back to the book, it’s really fascinating to realise how Chris Gardner was actually quite a typical bloke in his youth. He doesn’t hold back when it comes to revealing what some of the less dignified stuff he’s gone through/done are. In fact, it’s great to find that he wasn’t always a good guy and that he had rough moments in his life like everyone else (and perhaps even more than some others). Yet, he mostly had his head and heart in the right place (though I can’t fully say the same for his dick), and that is somewhat inspirational when you take into account how far he’s come.
I’m not actually going to provide a thorough review of the book (as I’m still reading it), but I would recommend it for those of you seeking some new inspiration in life. It’s a true story of an incredible journey, which I think can be a great place to start if you would like a new perspective on your own life, and how much worse it could actually be but (luckily) isn’t..
Meanwhile, if an inspirational true life story isn’t your cup of tea, a few other books I really loved and would definitely recommend are:
1) Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife
It’s so beautiful it will make you cry. Don’t be put off by The Lake House starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, no matter what people tell you the similarities between the two are. The book is a must-read and is about a million times better than the movie.
2) Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes
Without question, one of Frank McCourt’s most amazing works. Truly heart-felt, sincere and honest. He’s admirably resilient in cracking jokes about his sad sad life. Leaves you with no proper reason to wallow in your own.
3) Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman’s Good Omens
Funny in a way that only the Brits can pull off. It will make you laugh until you cry, and if you don’t find it absolutely hilarious the first time, you seriously need to read it again.
So anyways, I’m about 2/3rds through The Pursuit of Happyness. One of the first questions I had about it was, “Isn’t happyness meant to be spelt with an ‘i’?”. The answer of course, is eventually revealed about halfway through the book. It is apparently not a spelling mistake, nor the often-assumed excuse of it being “the American” way of spelling.
What really attracted me to the book in the first place was just the storyline. The thought that someone with no further education could make it through the hardships of homelessness, poverty and racial discrimination to achieve his dreams, was just what I needed to latch onto in my time of joblessness and poverty. I know, it does sound really pathetic to have to turn to the story of someone else’s life in order to find the strength to feel positive about my own, but hey, everyone needs a crutch sometime. Of course, I am still more fortunate in that I am not actually homeless, bankrupt, in debt or providing for a child. PHE..EW.
Anyhow, getting back to the book, it’s really fascinating to realise how Chris Gardner was actually quite a typical bloke in his youth. He doesn’t hold back when it comes to revealing what some of the less dignified stuff he’s gone through/done are. In fact, it’s great to find that he wasn’t always a good guy and that he had rough moments in his life like everyone else (and perhaps even more than some others). Yet, he mostly had his head and heart in the right place (though I can’t fully say the same for his dick), and that is somewhat inspirational when you take into account how far he’s come.
I’m not actually going to provide a thorough review of the book (as I’m still reading it), but I would recommend it for those of you seeking some new inspiration in life. It’s a true story of an incredible journey, which I think can be a great place to start if you would like a new perspective on your own life, and how much worse it could actually be but (luckily) isn’t..
Meanwhile, if an inspirational true life story isn’t your cup of tea, a few other books I really loved and would definitely recommend are:
1) Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife
It’s so beautiful it will make you cry. Don’t be put off by The Lake House starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, no matter what people tell you the similarities between the two are. The book is a must-read and is about a million times better than the movie.
2) Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes
Without question, one of Frank McCourt’s most amazing works. Truly heart-felt, sincere and honest. He’s admirably resilient in cracking jokes about his sad sad life. Leaves you with no proper reason to wallow in your own.
3) Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman’s Good Omens
Funny in a way that only the Brits can pull off. It will make you laugh until you cry, and if you don’t find it absolutely hilarious the first time, you seriously need to read it again.