The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is a charmer!

For those of you who have first-hand experience with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Asperger Syndrome, this book will be a welcome read.

Mark Haddon delves into the mind of an individual with Asperger Syndrome, and this 15-year old displays all the signs of a Savant. The story is charming in that the Savant character of Christopher narrates with such bare-boned honesty and hilarity. Haddon cleverly uses the dual perspectives inherent in journal writing as well as writing a piece of non-fiction to convey the workings of Christopher’s mind. He does so with such clarity that the reader is able to appreciate how people with Asperger and Autism are different from, but also the same as what our society might view as the “norm”.

This book is also a touching tale of family relationships and the hardships that come with dealing with stress, developmental disabilities and mental illness. The characters are painted as real people with a plethora of flaws, but also endearing qualities that allow them to redeem themselves.

What really struck me about this book was Haddon’s ability to capture the concept of emotions in Christopher. Haddon gives physical and literal descriptions of Christopher’s emotional roller coaster ride. This is a sophisticated attempt by Haddon to help his audience understand that people with Autism and Asperger Syndrome are not completely bereft of feeling emotion, even if they are unable to express their emotions in socially-recognizable ways. I also appreciated that Haddon left the interpretation of the physical descriptions to his audience’s intellectual abilities, proving that he is not only a clever writer who is able to convey complex concepts, but one who trusts his readers’ ability to understand those concepts for themselves.

For teachers who are looking for ways to bring components of inclusivity into the classroom, this book is a well-written and easy-to-follow account of what it means to have a developmental disability like Asperger Syndrome. For many students who do not understand the nature of this Syndrome, this is as close to a science class as they can get while having a lot of fun. I would recommend this for junior classes (Grades 4-6) and structure the reading of this as a Book Talk to spark critical-thinking skills and allow for student-directed informal discussions.

Further, in Christopher’s mother, Haddon uses the opportunity to touch on what it means to live with a Mental Illness. While this should not be used as the complete manual for understanding mental illnesses, it is certainly a good place to begin a conversation around this fast-growing illness that is crushing many in our society. Teachers, this book will ignite a lot of very profound conversations in your classroom! If you do decide to use this in the classroom, please get in touch and I will help with ideas for how to implement the same.

Happy Reading!

Jamie Zeppa Delights!

When I came across Jamie Zeppa’s novel, Every Time We Say Goodbye, I was intrigued. The story held promise, a tale of family, of relationships broken and lost, so I took a chance. Boy, did it delight!

A Canadian author, Zeppa weaves a narrative that unveils much depth to all the characters presented. Relationships are tested and the concept of love is fractured into an array of colours. Maternal love is poised in a precarious position, choices reveal character definitions and time spins everyone into different directions.

There are many things I enjoyed about this book, prime being the writing style. Zeppa has a flair for the poetic. She creates sentences with such nimble agility that the reader has no choice but to allow him/herself to be swept through this story. I breezed through this 342-pager in a mere 2 days and not because it was an easy read. Saying so might diminish the value and depth of the content, but it was a read that was not difficult to navigate. It was seamless, it flowed beautifully. It was heavy in emotional content, and at times I found myself having to tear away from my attachment to the characters by taking a break from the book. Zeppa creates a world where the reader, although an audience looking into the lives of the many characters, can feel a part of their lives.

The characters are well-considered and painted in rich colours, each manifesting human qualities that make them seem real. I couldn’t help but wonder if this story takes from some threads of Zeppa’s own life because she tells it with such authority on the subject of family, relationships, loss and love. This book is told from the perspective of four specific characters: Grace, Dawn, Laura and Dean. My heart was particularly wrenched by the character of Grace, a character rife with her own foibles and strengths. Grace is presented as a stoic character, the ‘acceptor’ of all action that takes place around her. At some times, the reader might even shrug Grace off as boneless and feel frustrated with her choices, but Zeppa leaves room for redemption as the ultimate test is presented to Grace’s character. The characters of Dean and Laura in many cases act as fillers for the narrative. However, Zeppa has taken much care to develop these characters and layer their lives with action, belief, thought and intense feelings. Dawn’s character is quite richly entrusted with different tiers.

And if one were to think that authors are good at writing from the perspective of just one or two age groups or a specific gender, Zeppa blows that assumption to smithereens. She tells this gripping story from the perspective of a little girl, a teenage boy, a middle-aged woman and the elderly. Every character, no matter how much ‘line-time’ he/she is allotted, is developed into a complete person. Adding quirks and packing in detail in necessary places and sometimes unexpected but welcome ones, Zeppa hooks you into this world of a family struggling to connect on so many different levels.

Zeppa touches on a variety of themes with a few as her front-runners. She deals with the theme of Mental Illness quite well. Dexterously and with much sensitivity, she paints the experience of depression for the reader, instead of throwing out a label and colouring the reader’s perspective from the very beginning. In doing so, she brings much-needed awareness to depression and elicits an empathy and understanding for those who suffer from the same. As well, the theme of Motherhood really jumps off the pages in this book because Zeppa does such a phenomenal job of portraying it from so many different angles. With Mother’s Day just around the corner, mothers and their adult children everywhere will appreciate the messages of maternal bonds, sacrifice and most importantly love that Zeppa has to offer.

I would recommend this if you’re into the themes of mental illness, family, maternal bonds, relationship struggles, loss, sacrifice and love, just the everyday messiness of living. A poetic read that keeps you hooked around the suspense-filled turns until the unveiling at the end, this book is well worth the time. If you happen to read Every Time We Say Goodbye, be sure to drop a line letting me know what you thought of the same!

Happy Mother’s Day to all you lovely moms out there!

A Canada Reads Read You NEED to Read: The Hero’s Walk

Rating: 5.0/5.0
It has been a while since I have reviewed a book on here. Reading has been a bit low on the list of things to do lately, but I finally got around to reading The Hero’s Walk, a finalist on CBC’s Canada Reads list for 2016.

When I attended Canada Reads last year and watched the panel of Canadian celebrities passionately champion their respective novels, I honed in on 3 books I knew I was going to enjoy. I have already featured 2 on my blog (Bone & Bread and Birdie). The Hero’s Walk by Anita Rau Badami was last on my list and without further ado, here it is!

Badami opens her 359-pager on a hot July morning in a village in India,

“In a few hours the heat would hang over the town in long, wet sheets, puddle behind people’s knees, in their armpits and in the hollows of their necks, and drip down their foreheads. Sweaty thighs would stick to chairs and make rude sucking sounds when contact was broken.”

I am usually hooked onto a book within the first 2 pages. Once I get past that and if I am struggling to read it, I never will. Badami though is an expert at her craft. She carefully constructs her words into ropes that tug at you ever so gently and suck you right into her world of regret, guilt, anger, resentment, longing, pain, loss, misunderstanding and the tiniest flicker of hope. She is masterful in her creation of characters that are so well-developed that they could easily be people in your life. With her scintillating metaphors, she captures your imagination on so many different levels and provides you with a wholistic picture that appeals to you through a variety of senses. Badami is a snake-charmer of sorts with her poetic language subtly creeping up on you and making you marvel at the dexterity of her mind and hand in conveying a beautiful language of her own. Her metaphors and similes are exquisite delicacies waiting to be devoured! Not only is the plot of her book a field rich in fodder, her language is so beautifully carved out as well.

Badami knows how to create in her reader a sympathy for all her characters, even the most hated of them. The emotional ride is quite an intense one and there were times I had tears streaming down my face and I had to put the book down for later to keep from becoming too emotionally-overwhelmed. I was thoroughly impressed by Badami’s ability to take on perspectives of people from different cultures and ages and pull it all off.

Predominantly based in India with a few pages lightly brushing through Vancouver in Canada, this book exposes Indian culture and lifestyle bare. Badami makes no bones about the conditions that people in this village have to contend with. You are equally shocked, disgusted and in awe of how life operates.

Canadian actor, Vinay Virmani who passionately argued for The Hero’s Walk to win last year promised that he would work on making this book into a major motion picture. I hope Mr. Virmani is hard at work on fulfilling said promise because I for one cannot wait to watch it! I don’t usually give my books a full rating, but this one deserves it.

The Good Fight is GOOD

To say I was devastated when The Good Wife ended is an understatement. I mean, rare are shows that boast strong characters, incredible dialogue, and such clever twists! And the female power – don’t even get me started! Then there was talk about a spin-off. The Good Fight they called it. No Juliana Margulies this time. Pfft, I thought. No Juliana? Really? How do you expect to spin that one off? Then, I watched it. Now, I AM HOOKED. True, The Good Fight has big shoes to fill (they don’t make them like Juliana), but it has already a strong cast of actors in Christine Baranski, Cush Jumbo (Gotta love her name!) and Rose Leslie from where I last saw her on The Game of Thrones. The creators of this show did well to go after such a string of strong female leads. However, they did not completely alienate the other half of our species, introducing easily likeable and strong characters in Delroy Lindo, Justin Bartha and a comeback from The Good Wife by our very own Canadian, Matthew Perry. A lot of other quirky characters reappear from the mother show, minus of course the Florrick family and my beloved Eli Gold.

I like that this show goes deep into the justice system often acting as a crash course in justice terminology – I mean, they get real in there with concepts like “Fair Use” and “Puffery”. I may not aspire to be a lawyer, but I enjoy that the creators Robert and Michelle King have faith in their audience to count us as smart enough to understand what is happening. The quick pace of this show, coupled with witty dialogue and politically-current material (and man do they get bold with their politics!) really make it a welcome relief in this world of almost-garbage TV. Sincerely, the pilot with [SPOILER ALERT] Baranski’s character sitting in front of a television set disgusted at the swearing in of the current president, is a strong enough statement about the direction of this show.

If you’re in Canada, The Good Fight airs on the W Network on Sundays. For all you The Good Wife fans, you have to see this. It is no Juliana Margulies, but it is GOOD.

Veggie-Eating for the Lenten-Minded

For the past few weeks, I have been on a strictly vegetarian diet to mark the period of Lent that we Catholics observe right before Easter. This can be quite a challenge when you are a full-time meat-a-tarian. So, getting creative with veggies (and don’t get me wrong, I love my veggies!) is an absolute necessity. At the outset let me state that I have come to form a very intimate bond with Pesto sauce – it knows me and I know it pretty well! 😉 In all seriousness, I can rely on Pesto sauce for its diversity of flavour that can be paired with just about any carbohydrate!

Below are a few veggie meals that I came up with on a creative budget. Please adjust the quantity of ingredients according to the number of people you wish to serve. As well, modify where necessary; these recipes are not carved in stone and what works for my taste-buds may not work for yours! =)

1. PESTO PACKERS

Serves: 5

Ingredients:

Whole wheat tortillas (1 packet with 10 tortillas)
1 jar of pesto sauce
2 zucchinis
Mozzarella cheese
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

Preparation:

Spread some Pesto sauce onto a tortilla.

Cut zucchini into thin slices, put in a bowl, add olive oil, salt and pepper and toss well.

Place enough zucchini slices to cover up half the tortilla.

Grate a slab of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle over the same half of the tortilla.

Fold the tortilla over and cut in half.

Repeat the same process for as many Pesto Packers as you would like to make.

Put on a baking tray (with parchment paper) and place in the oven at 350 degree Celsius for 20 minutes.

When done, pull out of oven and leave to cool for a few minutes. Serve as a side dish or pile on as the main dish.

2. PESTO-PASTA CASSEROLE

Serves: 5

Ingredients:

Spaghetti and/or Linguine pasta
1 jar of Pesto sauce
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil
12-14 stalks of asparagus
1 packet frozen spinach (or fresh spinach)
4-5 red onions (or white/yellow)
5-8 garlic cloves (depending on your comfort level with garlic)
Grated cheese of your choice (I used a mozza-cheddar blend here)

Preparation:

Boil the pasta (I used a bunch of different kinds of Spaghetti, Spaghettini, Linguine Fini etc. that I had laying around in half-opened boxes – it doesn’t matter since this will be the base and can comprise any kind of dense pasta). Add a tablespoon of salt as the pasta cooks until Al dente. Drain the pasta and immediately add an entire jar of Pesto sauce (if you let the pasta lay there after draining, it gets sticky, so adding the Pesto sauce immediately is key here) and mix well. Put the mix into a glass baking dish and spread evenly.

Peel, wash and finely chop up the onions and garlic and add to a hot skillet with some vegetable oil. Wash and chop up the asparagus into pieces measuring about an inch and add to the sauteing onions and garlic. Add in the packet of frozen spinach and wait until spinach disintegrates into the rest of the veggies before you add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 20 minutes and take off heat.

Add this veggie mix over the pasta-pesto mix and spread evenly into the dish.

Add grated cheese over top and pop in the oven at 350 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.

When done, pull out of oven and leave to stand for about 5 minutes. Serve with garlic bread if desired.

3. OMELET CUPCAKES:

Serves: 5

Ingredients:

12 eggs
3 handfuls of fresh spinach
Salt and pepper to taste
Cheddar and/or mozzarella cheese slab (or grated)
6 – 7 green onions
6 -8 Cremini mushrooms
1 cup of 1% milk

Preparation:

Break all 12 eggs into a mixing bowl. Wash and finely chop the green onions, fresh spinach and Cremini mushrooms. Add these to the bowl and mix well. Add in as much grated cheese as desired and salt and pepper to taste. Add in the cup of milk and mix until you get a good consistency. It should not be too watery, if it is, add more eggs. If it is too thick, add more milk. Mix really well. Using a ladle, scoop a ladle-ful of omelet mixture into the cups of cupcake baking tray. Leave about a quarter-inch of room to the top of each cup so your omelet mixture does not spill over when you are moving your baking tray. Pop into the oven at 350 degree Celsius for 20 – 30 minutes. Check at the 20 minute mark using the knife test: place knife into centre of a couple of the cupcakes and if it comes out smooth, you are ready to turn off the oven. Once the oven is turned off, pull out and let stand for about 5 minutes. Using a knife, gently separate the cupcakes from the baking dish one by one, scoop out and serve. Et voila!

If you do try any of these recipes, please share in the comment section and let me know how they turned out. Happy Veggie-Eating!

Kahoot! – A FANTASTIC Teaching Tool!

Now and then I come across a fantastic teaching tool that not only works wonders for delivering my teaching material, but also resonates well with my students. Enter Kahoot! A truly phenomenal teaching tool that is both user-friendly and fun. Kahoot! offers a way to create interactive games for your class where you can conduct a survey (collect data), do an exam or test review or just test your students (for Summative review).

Here’s how Kahoot! works (I will write about the options I chose, and there are many!):

*Fellow teachers who are visual and auditory learners, don’t fret! Here’s a link to a youtube tutorial (NOT mine) that shows you how to use Kahoot! Kahoot Tutorial

Create a teacher account at https://getkahoot.com/
Create a game (choose from 4 options according to the needs of your subject – QUIZ, JUMBLE, DISCUSSION or SURVEY). I chose QUIZ.
Type in the title for your quiz. As you can see from the screenshot above, I chose “Is This a Family?” for my Grade 12 University Family Studies Class where we explored and discussed students’ perceptions around the structure of a family.
Type in a description of the quiz right below the title.
Choose for your quiz to be available to EVERYONE so that your students can seamlessly log in later (I shall get to that shortly).
Credit any sources and add a cover image or video as you see fit.
From the drop-down menu choose SCHOOL as your audience.
Click the OK, GO green button on the top right-hand side of your screen.
When on the next page you can click the “+” sign and populate your quiz with as many questions as you would like.
For each question, choose the time limit (how long that question will remain on screen while your students submit their answers).
You may choose to award points or not.
Put in the necessary answers. At least 2 are required. If it is a TRUE or FALSE question, you can leave the 3rd and 4th answer options blank. If it is a MULTIPLE CHOICE question, populate all fields. I used “YES” and “NO” as my options because my students only had to decide whether the scenario was representative of a family or not.
Credit any sources for each question and click NEXT (green button on top right-hand corner).
Add as many questions as you like.
When you are satisfied with your questions, click SAVE.
You will see a message that says “Saved and Published!”
You can then choose to PREVIEW, SHARE, PLAY or EDIT your quiz.

When you are ready to PLAY with your class:

Simply log in with your information.
Click MY KAHOOTS from the black tab on the top of the screen, towards the left.
Choose the Kahoot you want to play and click PLAY.
Once your Kahoot is loaded, click the CLASSIC option which will allow all your students to participate on their mobile devices. Students simply have to download the app and you can get them to do this while you set up.
Your next screen will have a PIN# which your students will put into their phones when prompted (*Note, the PIN# will change each time you play the Kahoot). After inputting the PIN#, each student will have to create a nickname and once they do, they will show up on your screen as having entered the game. Once all your students have entered (it shows the total number of players on the screen as they enter, and you can keep track based on how many students are in your class), you can click START and begin your quiz!

If you aren’t already convinced about the GREAT APPLICATIONS of this teaching tool, let me elaborate:

This is a FANTASTIC way to begin conversations about bigger concepts that you want to share with your students.
It allows for interaction in real-time and helps you as the teacher provide immediate feedback.
Students can think on their feet and comment on peers’ responses beginning a rich and deep dialogue that can add to their bank of ideas.
Kahoot! can be used for virtually ANY subject area at the Intermediate and Senior levels, and I specify Intermediate and Senior because it is this age group that usually has their own mobile devices. Want to review for a Math test? Go to Kahoot! Want to conduct a survey on student’s perceptions of the legal system for a Law course? Go to Kahoot! Maybe you want to just do a 2 Truths and a Lie Icebreaker for the first class. Go to Kahoot! This teaching tool affords you so much flexibility, where you go with it is really dependent on how creative you want to be.
There are a lot of Public Kahoots too that are free to use if you are looking for inspiration or just something quick and easy to use for class.
And the BEST THING about this? It allows students to use their mobile phones in the classroom, thus incorporating technology in a responsible and effective way. Plus, they’ll just love you for it!

If you do use Kahoot!, drop a comment below and share your experience! Happy Kahooting!

Mustang: A Must-See That Will Touch Your Soul

To all my faithful readers, I apologize for the writing hiatus. I blame it on a new job that I have only just gotten around to balancing with blogging. All the same, I am excited to drop my two cents on a film I recently watched! =)

This was another suggestion from my close friend and up-and-coming filmmaker, and what a beauty indeed! Mustang is a Turkish film that opens in a remote village in Turkey. It focuses its lens on the youngest of 5 sisters as the opening credits come to a halt. Young Lale is saddened by the departure of her favourite teacher. Her sisters try to comfort her and together, the five of them embark on an innocent and free-spirited romp on the beach. When they return home later that day, their grandmother is furious and begins hitting them one by one. Their crime? Hanging out with boys “indecently”, credit of a no-good and snitch-of-a-neighbour. The five girls are then cloistered like nuns and in Lale’s words, put through a “wife factory”. So begins this story that will both make your heart soar and devastate you all in the same breath.

Spanning themes of family, loyalty, sisterhood, bravery, abuse, love, freedom and captivity among several others, this film is a piece of artwork on its own. A layperson on film-making, I was still able to appreciate the beautiful angles that were shot, the exquisite song choices and the phenomenal acting by each of the 5 sisters: Sonay, Selma, Ece, Nur and Lale.

Director, Denis Gamze Erguven takes the viewer on a journey that is haunting in its likeness to our lives. As a woman, but also a free spirit, several aspects of this movie resonated with me on so many levels. These sisters are brave and unapologetic of who they are as people. They walk out into the world fiercely and love tenderly and openly. They trust but trust too with reason. They are clever in their attempts to attain their freedom and unwavering in their loyalty towards one another. As someone who shares a close bond with her siblings, this movie brought me to tears and is easily a fantastic movie for sisters who might be looking for a movie to bond over.

I can’t help but think of the applications this film can have to a classroom setting as well. With its strong focus on womanhood and the fight to be oneself in a world that stifles our spirits because of doctrines that are outdated and ignorant, this film poses big real-world discussion questions for courses at the high school level such as English, Family Studies, Social Sciences (particularly Psychology and Sociology), Women’s Studies, Cultural Studies and so on. It is also a fantastic eye-opener into the lives of women in remote places all across the world. An opportunity to see them as one with us, women of the West, an opportunity to feel the thirst of their spirits and the hunger in their bravery for a better life that they alone control.

I will not say more about this film (trust me I could!), mostly because I view this to be that piece of artwork in a gallery that is best viewed and not described. Therefore, whoever you are, wherever you are, this film will change you. Watch it.

A Note About Barry

As U.S. President, Barack Obama’s presidency comes to a close, Netflix drops this Toronto International Film Festival 2016 premiered eye-opener into the early life of America’s first coloured president. Directed by Vikram Gandhi and starring young Devon Terrell as Barry (Barack Obama), Barry gives the viewer an inside glimpse into who Obama was before he began his path to politics.

With the concept of identity as its main foundation, this film explores the conflicts that a person’s pscyhe endures while trying to find out who he/she is. Springing from a mixed race union, Barry spends his early college years from 1981 – 1982 finding himself through the things he studies in class, his interest in sports, the people he surrounds himself with, and the things he reads. Among many relationships that stand to help shape Barry’s sense of self is his relationship with his father and how a lack of the same impacts the way he sees himself. In trying to find a way to communicate with his father, Barry must come to terms with the portions of his father he has inherited, and the bits of himself that are his mother. He must also decide which battles he chooses to pick in a country infested with racial prejudice. Barry must learn to pick out the pieces of his country that make him who he is and build on the ones he wishes to adopt to add to his current sense of self.

Terrell gives a strong performance as Barry as he navigates romantic relationships, friendships, cliques and familial connections. Barry struggles with asserting his varied upbringing in a country so quick to label based on one’s skin colour. He must prove himself time and again as a smart and educated man of mixed heritage with a familial and cultural background he is proud of. His internal struggle is beautifully captured through silent moments and carefully executed body language. Terrell has even mastered the President’s way of speaking to a T.

And while this film might leave you wanting a neatly-tied up ending, it does exactly what it set out to do in helping young Barry find his place in the world and develop a stronger sense of who he is. For an admirable performance by Devon Terrell and a well-thought-out thematic representation of self-identity, this film gets a 4.5/5.0. If you do end up watching it, you are more than welcome to start a conversation in the comment section.

Where Do We Go Now?: A Stunning Masterpiece

When a really close friend and talented emerging filmmaker suggested we watch Where Do We Go Now?, I was intrigued by the promise of scintillating content. And I was not disappointed. Directed by and starring Nadine Labaki, this film entirely in Arabic (with a French version and with English subtitles) was shot in 2011, and is set in a small village in Lebanon.

This film begins, as pictured above, with a group of women beating their breasts in mourning. They are mourning the loss of their husbands and sons to clashes between the two religions in their village: Islam and Christianity. The movie features strong themes of female leadership, religiously-motivated conflict, community, hope, forgiveness and love. It shows how when women lead, they lead with their head and not their hearts (contrary to popular belief), favouring the greater good over personal benefit or comfort. Mothers and sisters live their lives on tenterhooks, throwing themselves between testosterone-pumped men who are quick to jump to conclusions about their neighbour and react with violence. The women in this film showcase staggering presence of mind, grace and beauty in all its forms. They go to great lengths to keep the harmony in their village and their men alive. When heartbreak knocks on their door, they answer bravely not crumbling under pressure. They rise up to sacrifice their own personal dreams to save those around them. They conquer hate with bountiful love and understanding, and at no point do they let the bond their gender has necessitated they form come under threat. They band together, Muslim and Christian alike, and show forgiveness and humility. They are the protectors of their men, their homes and their small community. The incredible lioness-like spirit of a woman is so masterfully presented in this 102 minute film

Flipping our deeply-entrenched concept of religion on its head, this film tugs at the heart of spirituality, putting forth the notion that religion is in the heart and not based on whether we hold a cross in our hands when we pray, or whether we put our foreheads to the ground in prayer. It tries to make us see that conflict over religious beliefs is entirely ridiculous because at the end of the day, we all believe in one God.

Community is at the centre of this beautifully-crafted film with this theme echoing in the plots the women devise together. In the way they run to each other’s aid to protect their own and their fellow-women’s sons and husbands. In the way they prepare food together. In the way they work toward religious celebrations together. Even while their men fight each other, these women stick together and it is their sticking together through good and rough that leads to (SPOILER ALERT) salvation.

In its totality, it could be argued that this film challenges the importance of religion over community, ultimately unifying people through love.

While carrying conceptually-heavy material, this film is careful to lighten the mood with candid moments between the strong circle of women, musical pieces that provide gorgeous melodies and profound lyrical movement, and glimpses of hope and happiness.

This film needs to be seen to open up minds closed by conflict and the various divides infringed on us by society and based on the colours of our skin, whom we choose to love or the name of the God we pray to. A stunning masterpiece, this deserves a 5.0/5.0

Joel Osteen’s Think Better Live Better: Hope in 207 Pages

Rating: 5.0/5.0

Joel Osteen is a well-known name in religious Christian circles. This man has an extensive media persona and for all the right reasons. With the pseudo-miracle workers that prey on people’s vulnerabilities, it is easy enough to lump Joel Osteen into the same category, but this man actually spreads valuable messages. I have watched him on T.V. and read his books and my deduction is simply this, he actually cares about making a positive difference in the lives of the people he hopes to touch.

I recently read his latest book, Think Better Live Better that came out this Fall (2016), and if anyone should need testament of how a book can change your life, I would call into admittance this one. The thing that strikes me most about this book is the humility inherent in Osteen’s writing. He is obviously a man of much influence, but he still writes to his readers as one of God’s humble servants, with respect, kindness and gentleness. It is this tone that will render the readers most set in their ways more than willing to let him in to change them for the better. This book brims with positivism, and it is not just the kind that throws a bunch of feel-good sayings in your face and then scampers off the page. No, Osteen goes beyond that to offer real-life examples and opportunities for you to apply his teachings. He doesn’t heap it all into a few hundred pages. He breaks it down into little lessons that will get you thinking about how you can apply them to your life with the turn of each page. He repeats his positive messages over and over again and finds clever ways to connect his teachings, weaving in powerful and often poignant real-life stories.

Bursting with words of hope, faith, charity, kindness, and truly uplifting stories, Osteen’s genuine desire to help, to reach out and enable people shines through and makes you want to take stock of your own life and rise up to meet your divine destiny. This book is not exclusive to the religious or followers of only Christianity or even fans of Osteen. No, this book is for anyone who has lost themselves, lost hope or faith or lost the will to try harder. This is for those people who need someone to believe in them so they can straighten up and forge ahead to fulfill all they were meant to. In an age where we have become more aware about how to live healthy lifestyles, tapping into meatless diets and better fitness levels, there is something to be said for nourishing your emotional and spiritual selves. There is something to be said about the necessity for hope, and this book is literally hope in 207 pages. This book helped me navigate a dark time in my own life, and with each page I read I felt my own hope beginning to grow into its former self. If you are looking to love yourself again and to live a more fulfilled life where you can then leave a positive legacy, this would be my recommended go-to. If you do get around to reading it, I would love to hear what you thought!

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1. PESTO PACKERS

Serves: 5

Ingredients:

Preparation:

2. PESTO-PASTA CASSEROLE

Serves: 5

Ingredients:

Preparation:

3. OMELET CUPCAKES:

Serves: 5

Ingredients:

Preparation:

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