The Alchemist

Title: The Alchemist
Author: Paulo Coelho
Genres: inspirational allegory, self-help, book club selection

This was the second student-led pick for the Augusta University Book Worms. I would classify this book as an inspirational allegory; Coelho takes what would be cheesy one liners in a traditional self-help book and magically intertwines them into a story about Santiago, a young, shepherd boy who travels to the Egyptian pyramids based on a (literal) dream of buried treasure. This was the first time I have read a book by Paulo Coelho and I enjoyed it very much. After four years of heavy academic reading and writing, this simple book was a breath of fresh air. Some online book reviewers claim Coelho’s writing style as too simplistic, but that’s the point of an allegory- to be simple enough that anyone can understand it!

The themes of this allegory are pursuing your dreams and viewing the obstacles to your dream as a temporary rough patch on your journey. This journey, referred to in the book as a Personal Legend, is “the path God chose for you here on Earth” (x). While following their path, everyone encounters Four Obstacles to fulfilling their dream: 1. They are told that their dream is impossible and slowly and invisibly begin to internalize this message. 2. Love; they are afraid that pursuing our dream will hurt their loved ones but “love is just a further impetus, not something that should prevent us from going forward.” 3. Fear of the defeats they will encounter along the way (in other words, worry and anxiety over the unknown). 4. Fear of “realizing the dream for which we fought all our lives” (guilt about their success and blessings).

After saving his hard-earned money for two years, Santiago travels from Andalusia, Spain to Tangier, Morocco. He immediately learns the hard way to not trust strangers yet also learns that strangers can also be kind as a local shopkeeper helps Santiago get back on his feet and recoup his earnings. Eventually, Santiago begins his perilous journey across the Sahara to his beloved and mysterious pyramids. Of course, more adventures and life lessons wait for him in the desert…but does his treasure?

Title: My Father's House
Author: Rose Chandler Johnson
Genre: Christian fiction, inspirational, Southern fiction, Georgia author, takes place in Georgia, women's fiction


Lily Rose Cates had a mostly idyllic, small-town childhood: an older brother who was a ready playmate and with whom she was extremely close to, a loving and protective father, and a mother who suffered from unrelenting grief and depression. Lily's father unexpectedly passes away leaving Lily to emotionally flounder throughout the rest of high school and into college. Unfortunately Lily's sweet nature and sheltered childhood do not prepare her for the harsh realities of the world. She falls head over heels with the first man (Manny) who showers her with charm, attention and romance. Despite warnings from Annie Ruth, the caregiver for Lily's mother and the adopted family matriarch, Lily marries him and eventually regrets it. After suffering Manny's abuse for 2 1/2 years, Lily (with the help of a friend) escapes from Manny, and returns to Georgia, to the house she inherited from her father. With the help of her friends, neighbors, her writing, her faith, and a handsome veterinarian, Lily rebuilds her life. A nice clean read that was a nice, relaxing change of pace after a busy semester. Non-religious readers will be able to enjoy this book as well since it is not too preachy or too sappy.

Title: Positive: Surviving My Bullies, Finding Hope and Living to Change the World
Author: Paige Rawl with Ali Benjamin
Genre: non-fiction, biography, memoir, inspirational

Paige Rawl, by all appearance was your typical, American middle school girl: she loved cheerleading, soccer, was a straight-A student and loved hanging out with her friends. Paige was also HIV-positive (from birth) and disclosed her secret to her best friend one night at a school lock-in. Before an hour had passed, all the kids at the lock-in knew Paige's secret and her relationship with her best friend was destroyed.
Bullying and teasing soon followed after this. When Paige went to the school counselor for help, she was told "to stop the drama." Because of this lack of understanding, Paige withdrew even more into herself and wouldn't tell her mother what was happening at school or about the nasty notes left anonymously at her locker. The stress eventually manifested itself through self harm and pseudo seizures, and out of desperation, Paige was homeschooled for a year. After a year had passed, Paige transferred to another high school that was more accepting and had a zero tolerance policy on bullying. Her middle school years still haunted her though and after another huge health scare, Paige used her anger, frustration and public speaking skills (from years of pageants) to bring awareness for HIV/AIDS.

A quick read (it took me two days); although this is catalogued in the adult biography section at my library, a middle schooler would be able to easily read this. There is no graphic content, although there a few swear words from when Paige recalls conversations with other kids. I look forward to watching Paige's successes in the future!