All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): A book to raise the spirits and warm the heart. Includes the famous Kindergarten essay that was read on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

MY OPINION:

This is a collection of short stories and essays. The author shares his contemplations about a wide range of life-issues, often sharing his personal experience.

The book is sometimes funny, sometimes touching, but always thought-provoking. I disagreed with some views expressed in it, but mostly found a lot of relatable material in Fulghum's writing. The individual stories/essays are very interesting, the writing is transparent and easily approachable, and the book is generally a fast read.

Everything I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten is probably best to be read as a meditation aid – one story a day, which you can think about in depth. However, I read a library copy which was due back shortly, so I read it in two sittings. I might have taken more from it had I read it more slowly, but  I liked it in spite od the rush.

RECOMMENDATION: If you are looking for something inspiring to make you think Everything I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten could be a good choice.

Manual of the Warrior of Light by Paulo Coelho

SUMMARY (by FantasticFiction): Within each of us is a warrior of light. Each of us is capable of listening to the silence of the heart, of accepting failure without letting it get us down and of holding onto hope even in the face of weariness and depression. Values like love for all things, discipline, friendship and learning to listen to our own hearts are the arms with which this warrior confronts the battles we face in the name of personal growth and in the defence of the light. On every page there is an inspirational thought, which can be read as part of Paulo Coelho's whole philosophy or used form the basis of a daily meditation. This text is a guide to the process.

MY OPINION:

I find this book a little difficult to review, because it consists of so many short fragments. It is, as the title suggests, a kind of a guide for self-improvement and personal growth. Manual of the Warrior of Light cannot be read as a book from the beginning to the end, but perhaps as a meditational aid read by sections.

The book contains a short frame story about a boy trying to be able to hear the bells of a drowned temple, which I believe is a metaphor for being able to listen to our conscience and being in touch with the Universe or with God.

Embedded in the frame story are numerous motivational quotes, thoughts, and advice about leading a life of a good person. Many of these are contradictory to one another. I guess this is because people and the world itself are full of contradictions. I believe contradictions are essential to existence: light and darkness, safety and danger, good and evil, etc. could not be distinguished for what they are without the existence of their opposites.

Therefore, despite being paradoxical, many thoughts in Manual of the Warrior of Light are truly inspiring. Some, however, seem to me as clichés. Nevertheless, I like the philosophy behind the book, and I will definitely pick it up to read a segment or two from time to time.

RECOMMENDATION: This is the book you read by sections when you need an encouraging thought to give you motivation and strength for being a good person and fighting for your beliefs.