The Alchemist

I can understand the following this book has, it sells a way of looking at life that's very appealing to think about. That being said if you try your hardest to make your dreams come true, not only will they, but it will lead you to having the happy life everyone dreams of. It's reminiscent of the American Dream in my opinion, "when life slaps you in the face it's just testing you to see if you can take it." I think it's a dated way of looking at life, and a slap in the face to minority groups that don't have the opportunities of the boy in The Alchemist. Historically it's been white men that "the world conspires to help fulfill their personal legends." I think the whole book is a bit hollow for me because I don't agree with the foundation. I'm not someone of faith and faith is a LARGE part of this book, as it feels almost like a fairytale at times. I like the writing, and some nuggets of philosophy ring true for me, I think the author has an optimistic way of seeing the world, but at the end of the day this book was a large disappointment for me.

I think a society that tries to perpetrate these values ends up hurting people more than helping them.

Read primarily for: Over 1 million ratings challenge.
(ATY #16) (Prompt from 2016: 8. A classic book with less than 200 pages)