The Beggar King and the Secret of
Happiness is a story about a storyteller who loses his
voice. What do writers want more than anything else? Yes, it’s to have an
original voice that readers love.
So, the metaphorical image of losing one’s
voice brings a great deal of fear to a writer, and it was the first reason this
story piqued my interest. No voice equals no storytelling and if a storyteller
can’t tell stories, then that’s a big problem.
This book makes the reader
question the concept of happiness. If we can’t do what we love most, if we lose
what we think makes us who we are, then how can we be happy? Is it possible
that we are more than what we do, more than what we project to the world?
The protagonist had to experience silence
and give up who he thought he was to really learn about himself and appreciate
his family, his teacher, and mentor, and to learn about true happiness.
Through the storyteller’s journey and the
tales from around the world that open each chapter, I felt like I was offered
small gifts of wisdom that I could unpack and apply to my life. This book truly
made me happy because I learned that the secret to happiness is much simpler
than we think.
"Wonderful!" (Grace Paley)."Heartwarming and smart and wonderfully written" (Detroit Free Press)."Provides edifying advice, intimately given, like the best-selling Tuesdays with Morrie" (the Dallas Morning News)."Altogether original" (Dr. Laura Schlessinger)."This story will speak to the humanity of the reader" (Jewish Book World).The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness is that rare, magical book-a book that tells a good story but also shows us how the tales we learned when we were children shed light on our adult lives. Joel ben Izzy had the unusual opportunity to relive those lessons when he lost his voice and reconnected with his old teacher,…
Last
year, July of 2022 my best friend Susan died of pancreatic cancer. Even though
she was undergoing chemotherapy and fighting this monster of a disease, Susan
took the time during this last year of her life to think of my birthday and
shower me with presents like she’d done since we became friends 35 years ago.
One
of the gifts she gave me was the book You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero.
This book was released in 2013 and it’s been around a long time, but I think
she gave it to me because I was in the middle of writing my novel and full of uncertainty. This was Susan’s way of telling me to put
away all my fears, to give my novel everything I had, and that I could make it
a success if I really wanted to.
I
didn’t read the book right way. I put it on my shelf, and just last month, a
year after my friend died, I decided to read it, and I loved it. Jen Sincero is
funny, sarcastic, honest, and she tells you at the end of each chapter to love
yourself. I not only felt like the author was talking to me, but that my friend
was as well.
This
is a book about a punk rocker chick who decided in her 40s to stop wasting her
life and become a success by applying the best personal development principles
to her life. It’s an inspiring book about succeeding and believing in yourself.
This book was on the NY Times Bestseller list for five years and it will be on
my bookshelf forever!
YOU ARE A BADASS IS THE self-help BOOK FOR PEOPLE WHO DESPERATELY WANT TO IMPROVE THEIR LIVES BUT DON'T WANT TO GET BUSTED DOING IT. In this refreshingly entertaining how-to guide, bestselling author and world-traveling success coach, Jen Sincero, serves up 27 bitesized chapters full of hilariously inspiring stories, sage advice, easy exercises, and the occasional swear word, helping you to: Identify and change the self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviours that stop you from getting what you want, Create a life you totally love. And create it NOW, Make some damn money already. The kind you've never made before. By the…
An American Marriage is a
story about Roy and Celestial, a recently married couple, planning for their
future after graduating from college, hoping to have children, and live the
American Dream.
But Roy is accused of raping an older woman, a crime he did not
commit, and sentenced to twelve years in prison. He returns to his marriage years
later hoping to capture what was lost but finds they are no longer the same
people and that it’s difficult to be loyal to a memory.
I read this book in February of
2023 as I was getting my novel, Let Us Begin ready for publication,
working with the cover artist, doing the last of my revisions, and I needed to
take a break. I was in South Dakota, awaiting a snowstorm that promised to drop
inches of snow, so I went to the library to get a book.
In the bookstore area, I came across An American Marriage, and the book description attracted me because it reminded me of my novel. The story is about a young couple starting their life full of promise and hope for the American Dream. That was the first similarity to my book. Another was the themes of loyalty and betrayal in marriage.
The third was that while Tayari Jones’ wrote about African American
characters and I wrote about Latino characters, both cultures face challenges
finding success in America because of historical and societal realities. And
lastly, neither book promises a happy ending, but each takes the reader on a
meaningful journey.
I had to buy it and read it! I’m
happy to say that I enjoyed the book, and it was definitely one of my favorites
for this year.
Salvador has idealistic dreams of success when he immigrates to America from
Argentina in the late 1960s. But the American Dream does not come without struggle and
sacrifice. In his quest to succeed, Salvador attempts to prosper by working hard but when his efforts fail, he takes advice and trusts people he shouldn’t, following a path that is sometimes unethical. Desperate, he risks everything, including his relationship
with his wife and children to reach his goal.
Let Us Begin is based on a true story about a young immigrant who traveled to America
after hearing John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address. When Argentina is involved in a war
in the early 1980s, a mentally unstable Salvador must decide where his allegiances lie and what he’s willing to sacrifice for the American Dream.
