Book Review: How to be ferociously happy and other essays

Dushka Zapata wraps her life experiences in a steadfast manner in her first book, How to be ferociously happy and other essays. Through her stories, Zapata simultaneously cocoons the reader in the warmth of her words and prods them to ponder about their life.

Zapata’s writing is calming. Her sentences are concise and her stories rarely meander away from their core. Each essay leaves room for the reader to breathe, to digest and to contemplate. As a bibliophile, I also appreciate the generous references that she makes to books that have influenced her. It provides room to grow beyond the bounds of her words.

I read this book within a day. Sometimes, I was unable to give myself enough time to fully absorb an essay before moving to the next one. As a result, the reading experience was at times choppy. I wasn’t done contemplating about the previous essay and I was already trying to absorb the next. When I re-read this book, I will read one essay a day. Experience it completely, before consuming the next.

~Rishika Sudhir Dhody

The Present

Hindsight is the Past’s companion,

and the Present’s relentless stalker.

For it eschews the uninhibited for the embellished.

Chipping away at the Present,

Bit by Bit,

Until the sculptured and polished Past remains.

Strive to be audacious and embrace every bit of the Present;

For fond remembrance is the duty of the Past,

but being honest to every unfettered moment,

to build a life worthy of remembrance is the duty of the Present.

~Rishika Sudhir Dhody