National Book Week (2nd - 7th September)

   It has been said many times before. But we are going to say it once more:

                     'READING IS AN EXCELLENT HABIT TO HAVE'

Monday(2nd September) sees the start of the National Book Week here in South Africa. In the next week (or so) the South African Book Development Council, the Department of Arts and Culture and the Department of Correctional Services urge all South Africans to promote reading in all its forms. The emphasis being on the reading of books.

   The statistics here in South Africa as far as reading is concerned are not good. We are told that only 14% of South Africans are readers. Even less people - only 1% - buy books. These low figures are of course largely influenced by the fact that a large number of South Africans are illiterate due to our past history of unequal education. But there is no excuse for those people who can read but don't.

   And in keeping with this year's theme of 'The Book of Our Lives', may I be allowed to list the top 5 books that have had the most influence on me. Books that changed my life, as they sometimes say. They are listed in no particular order.

         1. The Money Order, by Sembene Ousmane(Senegal) - This book was one of many set books we had to read for our BA degree studies. It details the battles that the protagonist goes through in trying to cash a money order. The setting is in post independent Senegal( or Africa). The ineptitude and corruption of the government officials depicted here is breathtaking. In addition to its exposure of corruption, I loved the way it gave us a glimpse of life in general in post independent Senegal in a well written tale. This book inspired me to aspire to become a writer.

        2. The Lazy Man's Way To Riches, by Joe Karbo(USA) - I saw an advert for this book in the old Scope men's magazine. I was blown away by what was promised in the ad - ' this book can show you how to get everything( not any one thing) in the world you really want'. Because I was in a mini depression at that time, after failing my first year at university, I fell for its pitch. I needed something to tell me that failing your first year is not the end of the world. When it finally arrived by post, all the way from the USA, I could not read it fast enough. Joe Karbo and his book introduced me to the whole world of self-help. I think he was one of the pioneers in the self-help field. Needless to say, this book lifted me out of my mini depression. I went on to finish my degree. And I have been a self-help junkie since then.

       3. Living Health, by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond(USA) - This book is the reason why I don't

eat breakfast. I only eat fruit in the mornings. It is also the reason why I know that meat(in all its forms) is not good for human beings. As a species we are designed to eat only plant based food - fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts etc. I have tried to stay away from meat and its end products, but have not succeeded. I discovered that this way of eating is too isolating in the meat eating culture that we live in. But I have managed to drastically reduce my meat intake. And I will keep trying to remove meat from my diet. The Diamonds in this book present a total health lifestyle package that also includes being kind to our environment. 

      4. Ask And It Is Given, by Esther and Jerry Hicks(USA) - It was the first time I had read a self-help book that did not say anything about doing affirmations, setting goals, visualizing etc. But this book somehow still managed to sound good to self-help fans like me. Most importantly, this book threw me into the Law of Attraction vortex that I am still in even today. What we put attention on we attract, the Hickses are saying here. And it is not them saying so, it is the Law of Attraction as presented by a group of entities called Abraham, who are channeled by Esther. Before there was The Secret (by Rhonda Byrne), there was Abraham. Long after The Secret flame has burnt out, there will still be Abraham.

     5. Personal History, by Katharine Graham(USA) - This has to be the best autobiography that I have ever read. Ms Graham's family owned The Washington Post newspaper, which is famed for exposing the Watergate scandal during the Nixon administration in the US. This book combines good writing and inspiration(for self-help fans) very well. It reminded me of why I fell in love with reading and writing in the first place. It pulled me back from the clutches of self-help books - most of which, I must admit, are not necessarily well written. After reading Personal History and loving it, I went back to read again my old varsity days English literature set books, most of which are considered literary classics. Books like Gullivers's Travels by Jonathan Swift, Nineteen Eighty- Four by George Orwell etc.                       

      

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THANK YOU UNIVERSE. THANK YOU FOR OUR 'FEEL GOOD MOMENTS'.

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SO, SOUTH AFRICA AND THE WORLD OUT THERE, WHAT BOOKS CHANGED

YOUR LIFE?