"Eat, Pray, Love" - Book Review

Extract from page 23

I was actually feeling kind of delighted about all the compartments of time and space that were appearing in my days, during which I could ask myself the radical new question: “What do you want to do, Liz?”

Most of the time I didn’t even dare to answer the question, but just thrilled privately to its existence. And when I finally started to answer, I did so cautiously. I would only allow myself to express little baby-step wants. Like:

‘I want to go to a Yoga class.’
‘I want to leave this party early, so I can go home and read a novel.’
‘I want to buy myself a new pencil box.’
Then there would always be that one weird answer, same every time:
‘I want to learn how to speak Italian.’

Eat Pray Love

This month I had three good friends recommend me a book, the same book, at the same time! An omen that even I could not ignore. Suddenly the four of us were calling each other as we read and found ourselves holding impromptu book club meetings that involved whiteboard markers and excel spreadsheets!

‘Eat Pray Love’ is a brilliant snap shot of Elizabeth Gilbert’s year of self discovery that every female can relate to. Gilbert shares her methods and ideas for improving one’s life. Her honesty is so contagious that I too found myself wanting to write a pledge, meditate and eat pasta! The book itself has been translated into 30 languages, has sold 5 million copies worldwide and is about to star Julia Roberts in a blockbuster movie. So, you know, it’s doing ok.

About the Author

Elizabeth Gilbert was born in Connecticut in 1969. Her older sister, Catherine Murdock is also an author (‘Dairy Queen’ and ‘The Off Season’). Gilbert’s writings have appeared in popular magazines and were the basis of Disney’s ‘Coyote Ugly’. This year she was voted by Time Magazine as one of the ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’. Wow!

Her books include:

‘Pilgrims’ - New York Times Notable Book, Pushcart Prize Winner, PEN/Hemingway Award Finalist

‘Stern Men’ - New York Times Notable book

‘The Last American Man’ - 2002 The National Book Award Finalist, The National Book Critic’s Circle Award Finalist

Frankie’s Top 5 Favorite Leanings

1. Grow four legs

One of Gilbert’s first insights is a story of meeting an Indonesian medicine man. She expresses her desire to have a ‘lasting experience with god’ and he procedures to draw a beautiful picture of a women. The woman in the picture stands with hands ready to pray and four legs. Where the head should be there are wildflowers and ferns and over the heart is a smiling face.

I love this image of a woman with her feet firmly placed on the ground but watching the world through her heart. I get excited thinking about women embracing this confident yet faithful way of living!

2. Write a petition

In amongst the humor and story telling is Gilbert’s own pain and tough times. She has a moment of clarity on a long drive with a friend. Gilbert is encouraged to ask for what she wants. Not a new idea but one that many women often don’t do.

Gilbert writes a petition to the universe asking for her husband to sign the divorce papers. She then lists everyone she thinks would agree to sign this petition.

My fellow book club members and I now have lists of petitions and found its amazing how many people want to see you happy. It’s more then you can imagine, literally.

3. Standing still

I often feel I am in a race to ‘get happy’, filling my time with hundreds of pursuits that will supposedly make me feel more deserving, more fulfilled, useful etc. but often make me tired or angry. Gilbert travels across continents to find peace and self acceptance and in India she stays in an Ashram to learn meditation.

My favorite Zen master quote she ponders during her stay is, ‘You can not see your reflection in running water, only in still water.’ I know we can’t all disappear to India but for a few minute every day we can practice being still.

4. Be Your Own Best Friend

Throughout the book Gilbert talks and writes to herself, lending to a lot of the books charm as readers are allowed to hear her personal dialogue. She begs, laments, sooks and screams at herself but also cares for herself and learns to be more loving.

My favorite line in the book is when an exasperated Gilbert tells herself to simply, ‘Go back to bed Liz’. A sensible suggestion a kind friend would advise.

5. Four Brothers

For the times you need more then one best friend the book recommends you solicit the help of your four brothers, your guardian angels of sorts. Gilbert learns that Indonesians believe that we are born with family spirits whom we can ask for help.

Whether you interpret these spirits to be real or metaphoric, I like the idea that even when you can’t see anyone around you, you’re not alone.

Hopefully these tasters have inspired you to read more of ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ and begin, complete or continue on your own journey. And if you do, it might be nice to get a girlfriend in on it to, who knows, you might need someone to sign your petition any day now.

Written by ‘Frankie’ Linda Scott

BUSINESS BOOK OF THE MONTH

‘Free Prize Inside’ By Seth Godin

All marketing students will know the prolific author Seth Godin, and probably have read his books ‘Purple Cow’ or ‘Permission Marketing’ (if you haven’t you should do so quickly before anyone realizes you haven’t!) His next read, ‘Free Prize Inside’ endeavors to offer ‘the next big marketing idea’.

Published in 2004 this bite size book is packaged in a cereal box with the book acting as the ‘free prize’. It can be read in a day or two and will get you itching to put its’ ideas into practice. Although pitched as a marketing man, Godin’s books, blogs, web presentations are interesting for anyone in business, which is everyone! He is a modern thinker and understands the modern consumer intimately, essential for us young movers and shakers in any industry.

‘Free Prize Inside’ is short and snappy in writing style, making it an easy read. It offers great practical advice in ‘cut out and carry with you’ form such as, ‘You can’t buy attention’ and ‘The harder you try to play it safe the more likely you are to fail’. He uses examples ranging from Redbull to David Letterman’s teeth to Yahoo! And demonstrates ideas in really simple graphs for visual people like myself!

In true marketing form he spends the first few chapters pumping up the book and how great it is that you’re reading it, someone bought it for you, you should buy it for other people etc. He includes a bit of business jargon some of which he has coined himself over the years such as, ‘champion’, ‘purple cow’, ‘edges’ but all in all very easy to understand.

My advice to best enjoy the Godin theology is to grab a copy of ‘Free Prize Inside’, skim over the headings, read the bits that sound interesting and sign up to his blog or watch some YouTube clips. However you do it, I hope you enjoy!

BUSINESS BOOK OF THE MONTH

“BASIC BLACK: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work (and in Life)” By Cathie Black President Hearst Magazines

A friend recently passed on the book, ‘Basic Black’ to me touting it was a great and easy read and rare to find a female business women at the top of her game actually stand up and tell people about herself. I agree, most business books are written by men and many business autobiographies are about these men. It seems that once one achieves success of any sort they rush out and print a million hardbacks. Richard Branson has done it, Donald Trump seems to do it every year. But where are the women?

Cathie Black has released her business book with female style and is not ashamed to show it. She tackles female issues head on with a matter of fact manner that is liberating. These issues include how to compete in a male dominated field, how to use your female advantage, feelings of being intimidated, and managing personal pressures at home etc.

This considered it is certainly not for a female only audience. Black draws on her astounding four decades in the media business and has been described by the Financial Times as “one of the leading figures in American publishing over the past two decades” as the head of Hearst Magazines, one of the worlds largest publishers of monthly magazines.

The book itself has been translated into twelve languages and has seen great success in book charts around the world. Black breaks the chapters into practical case studies, tips and personal anecdotes with cameos of people such as Rupert Murdoch, Oprah Winfrey, Gloria Steinem, Francis Ford Coppola, Harvey Weinstein, and Al Neuharth.

A testament to her credentials, Black is one of very few who has appeared on Fortune magazine’s “50 Most Powerful Women in American Business" list every year since its 1998 début. What more do you need? Get out and read it!

BUSINESS BOOK OF THE MONTH!

‘The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement’, by Eliyahu M. Goldratt published in 1984.
A business book that is easy to read! AND extremely useful! Goldratt writes many of his books as a piece of fiction with main characters, stories and love stories while explaining interesting business ideas.

This book delves into Goldratt’s ‘Theory of Constraints’, a model to manage business processes he developed as a business consultant.

The main protagonist, Alex Rogo, the manager of a failing metalwork plant, learns how to manage bottlenecks (constraints) in a manufacturing process, project management and the art of negotiation.

Set in America the concepts can be easily transferred into any business whether it is small, large, in manufacturing or service orientated. If you want to run your own business or get a promotion this book is a MUST READ. Other books in the series include ‘It’s not luck’ (I’m onto this one now!) and ‘The Haystack Syndrome’.