The Little Prince

Title: The Little Prince

Author: Antoine De Saint-Exupery

Pages: 180

Genre: Fable, Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The author tells a story about when his plane crashed in the Sahara Desert and he met a small man from another planet. The extraordinary little man shares the stories of his travels to other planets and eventually earth.

My Review: This is the first "long" book that I ever read. I remember really liking the story then, but what really stands out is that this was the first time that I was ever exposed to the word naive (but in the book, I was fascinated with the word because there are two dots over the i). I think that this is the type of book that allows every reader to draw something different from it. Each person's opinion and impressions will be unique. It's a quick read (around an hour), but quite enjoyable.

From the Book: "(p. 48) "I don't believe you! Flowers are weak creatures. They are naive (imagine two dots over the i). They reassure themselves as best they can. They believe that their thorns are terrible weapons...""

the five people you meet in heaven

Title: the five people you meet in heaven

Author: Mitch Albom

Pages: 196

Genre: Fiction, fable

Grade: A

Synopsis: This book is about death. The protagonist, Eddie, is an old man that works as a maintenance man at an amusement park in California. The book traces the story of his life and experiences and the impact that he had on other people, whether he knew them or not. Once Eddie dies, and exactly as the title suggests, he meets five people in heaven whose lives he impacted or who impacted his life.

My Review: This was a great one-day read. I left the other book that I'm reading at my parents' and picked this one up to fill the time. The book flows well and incorporates short lessons and stories into the bigger overall picture very easily. After finishing this book I took a few minutes to think about the people that have impacted my life and the people that I may have had an impact on. It was also very clear that nobody can know somebody else's entire story. The impressions that we have about other people consist of partial stories. Hopefully we will not judge others because there is so much going on that we are unaware of.

From the Book: "(p. 91) "Time," the Captain said, "is not what you think." He sat down next to Eddie. "Dying? Not the end of everything. We think it is. But what happens on earth is only the beginning.""

The Alchemist

Title: The Alchemist

Author: Paulo Coelho

Pages: 167

Genre: Fiction, Fable

Grade: B

Synopsis: The Alchemist is a fable written by the Brazilian author Paulo Coelho about following your dreams. It has been published in more than 56 languages and sold more than 56 million copies. The story is about the shepherd, Santiago, who lives in Andalusia. He dreams that a treasure awaits him near the pyramids in Egypt. He seeks help in understanding his dream before setting off on the adventure of a lifetime.

My Review: While an enjoyable read, it was also a little strange. I liked that the book got me thinking and that Melchezidek, King of Salem, appeared to the boy to tithe him 10% and also gave him a gift of a Urim and Thummim that he took from a golden breastplate. The book has the chance to be a powerful motivator for those afraid to chase after their dreams or Personal Legends. It wasn't life-changing but it was a quick, easy read.

From the Book: "(p. 30) Take these," said the old man, holding out a white stone and a black stone that had been embedded at the center of the breastplate. "They are called Urim and Thummim. The black signifies 'yes,' and the white 'no.' When you are unable to read the omens, they will help you to do so. Always ask an objective question."

"(p. 92) At that moment, it seemed to him that time stood still, and the Soul of the World surged within him. When he looked into her dark eyes, and saw that her lips were poised between a laugh and silence, he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke--the language that everyone on earth was capable of understanding in their heart. It was love. Something older than humanity, more ancient than the desert. Something that exerted the same force whenever two pairs of eyes met, as had their here at the well. She smiled, and that was certainly an omen--the omen he had been awaiting, without even knowing he was, for all his life. The omen he had sought to find with his sheep and in his books, in the crystals and in the silence of the desert."