Heartfelt and honest advice, even if not groundbreaking.
This brief debut guide aims to explain in simple terms how to achieve happiness.
Early in his book, business consultant and former CEO Dorais asks, “What is so magical about happiness that it is almost impossible to grasp and even harder to retain for any length of time?” In attempting to answer the question, the author does an admirable job of piecing together quotations and counsel from numerous individuals and adding his own pragmatic advice. Each self-contained chapter addresses a different aspect of the quest for happiness. Dorais employs anecdotes from personal experience and the occasional exercise to add relevance. There is already a proliferation of research and literature about what it takes for one to be happy, so much of the material in this work strikes a familiar chord. For example, one chapter acknowledges the commonly held belief in the power of love with this caveat: “Although love does not guarantee happiness, it does help create the right environment for each of us to create our own happiness.” Another chapter discusses the somewhat obvious notion that finding a purpose in life contributes to happiness: “The closer we are to our calling, the easier our lives get.” Other content is a bit more original; enlightening text explores the intriguing similarities between the human brain and a computer, for instance. The book, which includes uncredited illustrations, offers a lucid explanation of the key difference between objectives and expectations: “Managing expectations is the only way to ensure happiness over any sustainable period of time.” There may not be any startling revelations here, but Dorais is consistently thoughtful and observant, whether he is discussing karma (“Karma is like a bank—we store good and bad credits”) or gratitude (“Gratitude has to be the greatest quality a man can possess”). The writing is competent; the examples are useful; the cited references are pertinent; and the message is uncomplicated. This is an easy read with just enough depth to entice readers to engage in some meaningful introspection about factors and conditions that may or may not create personal happiness.
Heartfelt and honest advice, even if not groundbreaking. (appendices)Pub Date: April 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9991136-1-2
Page Count: 180
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: June 18, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
It’s not Shakespeare, not by a long shot. But at least it’s not James Franco.
A noted actor turns to verse: “Poems are a Saturday in the middle of the week.”
McConaughey, author of the gracefully written memoir Greenlights, has been writing poems since his teens, closing with one “written in an Australian bathtub” that reads just as a poem by an 18-year-old (Rimbaud excepted) should read: “Ignorant minds of the fortunate man / Blind of the fate shaping every land.” McConaughey is fearless in his commitment to the rhyme, no matter how slight the result (“Oops, took a quick peek at the sky before I got my glasses, / now I can’t see shit, sure hope this passes”). And, sad to say, the slight is what is most on display throughout, punctuated by some odd koanlike aperçus: “Eating all we can / at the all-we-can-eat buffet, / gives us a 3.8 education / and a 4.2 GPA.” “Never give up your right to do the next right thing. This is how we find our way home.” “Memory never forgets. Even though we do.” The prayer portion of the program is deeply felt, but it’s just as sentimental; only when he writes of life-changing events—a court appearance to file a restraining order against a stalker, his decision to quit smoking weed—do we catch a glimpse of the effortlessly fluent, effortlessly charming McConaughey as exemplified by the David Wooderson (“alright, alright, alright”) of Dazed and Confused. The rest is mostly a soufflé in verse. McConaughey’s heart is very clearly in the right place, but on the whole the book suggests an old saw: Don’t give up your day job.
It’s not Shakespeare, not by a long shot. But at least it’s not James Franco.Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9781984862105
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.
The late actor offers a gentle guide for living with more purpose, love, and joy.
Mixing poetry, prescriptive challenges, and elements of memoir, Heche (1969-2022) delivers a narrative that is more encouraging workbook than life story. The author wants to share what she has discovered over the course of a life filled with abuse, advocacy, and uncanny turning points. Her greatest discovery? Love. “Open yourself up to love and transform kindness from a feeling you extend to those around you to actions that you perform for them,” she writes. “Only by caring can we open ourselves up to the universe, and only by opening up to the universe can we fully experience all the wonders that it holds, the greatest of which is love.” Throughout the occasionally overwrought text, Heche is heavy on the concept of care. She wants us to experience joy as she does, and she provides a road map for how to get there. Instead of slinking away from Hollywood and the ridicule that she endured there, Heche found the good and hung on, with Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford starring as particularly shining knights in her story. Some readers may dismiss this material as vapid Hollywood stuff, but Heche’s perspective is an empathetic blend of Buddhism (minimize suffering), dialectical behavioral therapy (tolerating distress), Christianity (do unto others), and pre-Socratic philosophy (sufficient reason). “You’re not out to change the whole world, but to increase the levels of love and kindness in the world, drop by drop,” she writes. “Over time, these actions wear away the coldness, hate, and indifference around us as surely as water slowly wearing away stone.” Readers grieving her loss will take solace knowing that she lived her love-filled life on her own terms. Heche’s business and podcast partner, Heather Duffy, writes the epilogue, closing the book on a life well lived.
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9781627783316
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Viva Editions
Review Posted Online: Feb. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
