F?@K KNOWS
Author:Shailendra
Singh
Publisher:Rupa
Price:INR 195
Pages:234
Source:Review Copy
via blogadda.com
First Published: 2013
(Shailendra
Singh,the author of ‘F?@K knows’ is the Managing Trustee of United Welfare
Trust and Joint Managing Director of Percept Ltd.This is his first book)
Don’t get deceived by it’s title,’F?@k knows’ by first time author Shailendra
Singh, is not your typical ‘boy meets girl-in I.I.T’ stuff.This book is a
self-help manual for better living.If you are a regular reader of this blog,you
might have figured out by now that I am not a great fan of these ‘Self-Help’
guides.I find them boring, unrealistic,highly impractical and simply not worth
my time and money! But,after reading this humorous new book by Shailendra
singh, I think my aversion towards this genre has got reduced considerably.
In about 74
chapters,Singh discusses
*the necessity of
self-realisation for a better life
*Why one should
listen to his heart and live life to the fullest
*the importance of
getting rid of negative,unwanted thoughts
*the vitality of
choosing a job which one loves
*why he thinks,’greed
is good’!
*the importance of
humility in life
*destiny,God,relationships,gut feelings,sex,unpredictability of life,career et al
*destiny,God,relationships,gut feelings,sex,unpredictability of life,career et al
F?@K Knows might not
be a literary marvel or something,but still i believe it's a book which is
worth reading.One sad thing which is quite common with books of this genre is
the excessive usage of metaphors which only serves the purpose of creating
confusion among it's readers.In 'F?@k Knows',the author(thankfully)
hasn't resorted to too many of them which makes the book more appealing to the
average reader.
1.Singh’s writing
style and the length of the book- the book is written in a light hearted tone
which makes it an interesting read.Even the most distressing/traumatic
incidents are written with a pinch of humour. is written in a light manner
.(Sample this-"Yeah,he's only got four months left.He's in the fourth stage of lung cancer"."Uh...fourth stage?What happened to stages one,two and three?").'F?@k knows' is basically old wine in a newer,super cool bottle.There is pretty much nothing in this book which we haven't heard or read before.But I am pretty sure that this is the most humorous take on some of the hard hitting facts about life!
2.As Singh himself
has said in the book,this book is free from the usual cliches' associated with
the self-help guides.You won't see small quotes by famous personalities
followed by painfully long blocks of prose in this book.
3.Shailendra Singh’s
'Chi f?@K' breathing exercise(believe me,it works!)
4.The author has
intelligently linked each and every message he wants to tell to one of
his personal experiences.The episode about ‘Pyar mein Kabhi Kabhi,Phir Milenge'
(two mainstream Indian feature films which delt with the theme of AIDS/HIV
awareness) is worth mentioning.I’m sure that even the most depressed minds will
relish his/her ‘breath’ for atleast a second,after reading this.
What I didn’t like-
1.Repetition of
themes-The book definitely deserved a better editor.Some of the ‘thoughts’ get
repeated multiple times.Okay,we understand the importance of celebrating our
lives.But,why tell the same thing again and again? After a point,it is boring.
2.Singh seems to
contradict himself at times.
3.At places,the book
feels a bit fake and some of the chapters didn’t even make any sense to
me either(or may be, I am too old to understand the subtle message the
writer was trying to convey!)
I must also confess that the title and the cover design of this
book had also left me a bit confused.As i had mentioned before,I was expecting
a desi campus love story, targeted at the Young Urban Indian
when I picked up this book and was pleasantly surprised when I was proved
wrong.
Verdict-Inshort,F?@K knows
is a thought-provoking read which is never dull or preachy.You wan’t regret
buying this book.Rating-3/5
This review is a part
of the biggest Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com .
Participate now to get free books!
-reviewed by nikhimenon 2013
(please don't copy)
