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

Book Review: Mother Night

Kurt Vonnegut presents an intriguing tale of Howard W. Campbell Jr. (fictional), a WWII American spy, imprisoned in Israel for being a propagandist for the Nazis in Mother Night. Mr. Campbell narrates his life as a memoir that he is writing while in prison. In the process he challenges the reader to consider some of the ethically gray areas of life.

Mr. Campbell’s story blends the heroism of a spy with the cunning of being a Nazi, the warmth of friendship with the betrayal of trust to present a messy but accurate moral state of the world. Vonnegut narrates how men who are extremist in thought consider circumstances to have only one dimension. He contrasts such characters with those who are moderate in thought and therefore, almost nonchalant towards extremism. Finally, Vonnegut displays how in the interaction of these two kinds of characters, it might look like the former kind seem to have an upper hand. Whether that is really the case, is left to the discretion of the reader. On the optimistic side, Vonnegut demonstrates how intrinsic values such as friendship, loyalty and love survive narrow mindedness and extremism.

Overall, the use of black comedy provides some light moments to the readers as they consider the heavy topics of loneliness, hatred and WWII. Anyone looking for a compelling story which presents the multi-faceted and long-lasting effect of war on humanity will not be disappointed by this book.