Thrive by Arianna Huffington: book review

Thrive (2014) is written by the co-founder of The Huffington Post, an American online summary of world political news, established in 2005. But this is not a book on the organization or the business of current affairs. Instead, it is a personal journey. And on this journey, Huffington offers advice to readers who “are feeling tired and fed up and wondering if there is more to life” than being a workaholic.

Hence this is a well-being book based on Huffington’s experiences, and also her research on studies related to health, exercise, sleep, meditation, technology addiction and over-use, community giving, and the indicators of success. This latter point is derived from a global move away from purely measuring success in terms of productivity, the amount of hours worked, dollars earned, and material accumulation, and moving towards other measures of success, such as personal satisfaction and lifestyle choices.

Huffington promotes the benefits of sleep, rest, recuperation, creative time, and generally looking after personal health in order to increase effective time at work and at home – balancing life to achieve more personal choices.

The book is separated into four sections: Well-Being, Wisdom, Wonder, and Giving. It’s a cross between current affairs, memoir, and a self-help book. It’s not academic or literary, but it is an easy read. For readers that want to examine the research in more detail, Huffington provides extensive references in the Notes section. Much like the summarized online news blog, The Huffington Post, that she co-founded – not original but a compilation of other news – this book is written in the same manner. Readers can take bits of advice from the book relevant to their own lives.

Comments

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...

Shindi: the Georgian Cornelian cherry

The Cornelian cherry – shindi in Georgian – is a fruit with medicinal and decorative properties. It was grown from ancient times, according to the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). It is also commonly called the European cornel. It is native to southern Europe from France to Ukraine as well as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. The Cornelian cherry tree ( Cornus mas ) can be grown in orchards, but it is often seen in the forests of Georgia where it grows up to 1,350 metres above sea level. It is a medium to large deciduous tree, growing from 5-12 metres tall. The flowers are small with four yellow petals in clusters, which flower in February and March. The Cornus mas has three botanical varieties: (1) var. typica Sanadze with cylindrical red fruits, (2) var. pyriformis Sanadze with pear-shaped red fruits, and (3) var. flava vest with yellow fruits. The fruits are oblong red drupes about 2 centimetres ...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog