Readistan Book Review

 

Receiving a book as a gift is an epicurean pleasure. I received the Title book “ Readistan” from My Friend Nasir Mehmood. This book gives a summary of 50 best books ranging from Philosophy, Self Help, business management, warfare, Effective Habits and Islamic History. Luckily I have already read few books mentioned in the “ Readistan”. The book is published by Liberty Books and has 334 pages including colour diagrams. The mission of Readistan is “Let’s Read Pakistan”. Reading books is great habit and this habit is decreasing in our youth. 10 books that I liked the most in Readistan are as under:-

Ø     1. The 100; A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History is a 1978 

               book    by    Michael H. Hart

Ø    2.   Lost Islamic History; by Firas Al-Khateeb

Ø    3.  The Art of War; by Sun Tzu

Ø    4. Conquest of Happiness; by Bertrand Russell

Ø    5. The Prince; by Niccolò Machiavelli

Ø    6. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; by Stephen Covey.

Ø        7. The Secret by Ronda Byrne

Ø     8.  How to Win Friends and Influence People; by Dale Carnegie

Ø     9.  The Alchemist ; by Paulo Coelho

Ø     10.  The 5 AM Club; by Robin Sharma

In the start of the book, the writer gives brief story of his life and the efforts by his Parents in upbringing the family while facing different Issues. The book is organized in tabulated form and one does not feel boredom while reading the book.

Ø   Each book review starts with its essence mentioned on the left hand side.

Ø   Book Review starts by mentioning the name of the book, author and its general description.

Ø   Important takeaway is mentioned separately.

Ø   Space is provided after each book’s summary for writing your own comments.

The basic aim of the book is an introduction to great books , authors and the development of learning habits in our youth.

1. The 100: 

It is one of the great books I have come across and have read it more than one time. There are two interesting factors in this book. The first is that the ranking flows from top to bottom in descending order and the author gives comparative analysis of the most influential Personalities. This means Michael Hart has actually numbered people based on how influential they are and then given them ranking in a flow so the most Influential individual occupies number one rank, second and list goes on. The second most Important and critical point is that in spite of being a non-Muslim scholar  he has given first rank to Holy Prophet Muhammad( Peace be upon him).

 2.  Lost Islamic History:

This book by Firas Alkhateeb covers last 1400 years in detail from the time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) all the way till modern times. It sheds light on the undaunted struggle of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) , how he spread the message of Islam, how did Islam spread after his demise, who were our righteous Caliphs, how and why Islamic wars were fought, how the Umayyad Dynasty, the Abbasid Caliphate, the Ottomans, the Mongols and the Mughals conducted their lives , how Muslim Scientists led the world of Science and what factors contributed towards the eventual decline of the Muslim Ummah.

   3. The Art of War:

This is a classic book written by Sun Tzu some 2500 years ago.  Sun Tzu writes If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. What a meaningful statement this is, applicable to every aspect of our daily life. In order to win, it is indispensable to be self-aware and have complete knowledge of your competitors as well.

   4. The Conquest of Happiness:

The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell is a book of philosophy and the writer was a British philosopher, logician, and social reformer, founding figure in the analytic movement in Anglo-American philosophy, and recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950. According to Bertrand Russell happiness has two types: one is “Plain” and the second is “Fancy”. The simplest way to describe the difference between the two sorts of happiness is to say that one sort is open to any human being, and the other only to those who can read and write. Pleasures of achievement demand difficulties such that beforehand success seems doubtful although in the end it is usually achieved. This is perhaps the chief reason why a modest estimate of one’s own powers is a source of happiness.

   5.  The Prince:

This is  a political short book by Niccolò Machiavelli, written in 1513.

A short treatise on how to acquire power, create a state, and keep it, The book represents Machiavelli’s effort to provide a guide for political action based on the lessons of history and his own experience as a foreign secretary. His belief that politics has its own rules so shocked his readers that the adjectival form of his surname, Machiavellian, came to be used as a synonym for political maneuvers marked by cunning, duplicity, or bad faith. The Prince has often been called "a handbook for dictators”, It was said of Napoleon that he slept with a copy of The Prince beneath his pillow, and similar remarks have been made concerning Hitler and Stalin.

  6. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People:

This is yet an other great book and considered to be the premier Self-help books ever written. These habits are one: be Proactive Two: Begin with the end in mind Three: Put first things first Four: Think win win Five: Seek first to understand then to be understood. Six: Synergize Seven: Sharpen the saw. The first six habits are simple to understand.

The last habit refers to the fact that you have to spend your whole life developing your abilities, capabilities, skills and competencies. The book has helped millions of people around the globe to transform their lives for good.

   7. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne:

This is great motivational book and alludes to a famous concept in the world of self Help Literature which pertains to the “Law of Attraction”. Whatever your mind can conceive it can achieve if  you have the conviction, determination , and perseverance to pursue your dreams. The writer of Readistan has given a You tube link “ The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale”, This 35 minutes video will change your life.

   8. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie:

This  is about 100 years old book and more than 15 million copies have been sold, In nutshell the book provides Six ways to Make People Like You

1.    Become genuinely interested in other people and their problems.

2.    Keep a Smile on your face.

3.    Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language. Call him by his name.

4.    Be a good listener, some people just want to be listened.

5.    Talk in terms of the other person's interests and show affection.

6.    Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely.

You can read more about How to win Friends and Influence People book at 

blog of Ali Haider

  9. The Alchemist:

This is a novel by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho which was first published in 1988. Originally written in Portuguese, it became a widely translated international bestseller. It’s also the favorite book of Famous Urdu Columnist Javed Chaudhry. Few take away from Santiago Story are:-

•  Always dare to dream, Your life should be driven by a purpose.
•  Be steadfast and adamant.
•  Never be complacent.
•  Choose your life partner wisely.

The writer urges the readers to be Santiago of their life and see the miracles coming.

  10. The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma:

Your early morning hours tend to be the most productive time of day because you get uninterrupted time to yourself. Particularly for Muslims offering Fajar Prayers has lot of benefits both in this world and life hereafter. Sharma writes that the hour between 5am to 6am is the victory hour. In these 60 minutes, you can perform several activities that can nurture your personality spiritually, mentally, and physically.

In the end, I suggest that the writer of “Readistan” should have selected a few Books from celebrated writers like Yuval Noah Harari, Stephen Hawking, and Will Durant as well.

Happy Reading.