★★★ ½
Don’t give up on the ideas and concepts you know are right but seem impossible to obtain.
In this book, the author provides her take on several famous and inspirational figures.
For the most part, this worked really well. I liked the bite-sized mini biographies and reading about the author’s own thoughts and feelings was rather interesting.
I do wish that the order was swapped. Each entry started with the author’s reflection and then proceeded into the biography.
While that worked for the more famous people (i.e. Ghandi or Mother Theresa), there were a few people I wasn’t as familiar with. And if I didn’t know who the person was, reading the author’s reflection was a bit confusing to me.
In addition, I would have preferred all of the people to be given the same length. This book was extremely short to begin with but all of the biographies were of different length. I think the book would have flowed better if all of the subjects had the same page-length for their sections.
Without further ado, here’s my review:
Mattie Stepanek
Matty found his voice…If you have already found it, don’t be afraid to use it.
Matty, an unusually bright child was diagnosed with a rare neuromuscular disease. He wrote several poetry books before passing and was truly an inspiration for many around the world. I didn’t know of him before reading this book, and I’m not one for enjoying poetry but overall, I was rather interested in learning about his life and what he wrote.
Martin Luther King Jr.
I can’t remember the first time that I heard the speech, but it touched the very core of my young existence.
Martin Luther King Jr. touched the lives of hundreds of thousands and continues to be an inspiration to this day. The short biography was sweet and to the point. Perfect for a young audience.
Mohandas Karamchand Ghandi
Ghandi was known to the world as a great spiritual leader and humanitarian.
We learn about what inspired Ghandi and how he acted. It was an extremely brief overview, and I wish it would have a been a bit longer – especially considering how much he accomplished over his lifetime.
The Dali Lama
…when a Dalai Lama dies, his spirit is reincarnated in a young child, who becomes the next in line.
I liked how the author explained what the Dali Lama is and how one comes to be. It was explained thoroughly and simply and was quite interesting to boot!
Mother Teresa
Much more than a humanitarian , she is akin to a saint or a martyr to many people.
This was my favorite section – I loved how the author covered her life and really wish there was more. Her life is so fascinating and has impacted so many people that I wanted more!
Terry Fox
At the time, Terry was considered a national hero, and he still is today.
I’ve head of Terry Fox before but didn’t really know who he was until read this bio. Very interesting to learn about such an inspirational being.
Craig Kielburger
In 1995, at the age of twelve, Canadian Craig Kielburger founded Free The Children…
This person is new to me but I’m happy to learn of him and everything he’s done. Truly amazing!
With thanks to the author for a free copy in exchange for and honest review.
Interested in this one from Mary Feliciani check out her website!
Miranda Reads 