There are 193 countries in the world, and Chris Guillebeau has been to every single one. It was a quest that would take him 10 years to complete but he found it well worth it. His book, The Happiness of Pursuit takes a look at the ideas behind quest-taking and life fulfillment.
Guillebeau has interviewed people around the globe who have each undertaken their own personal quests, ranging from a man who walked across the United States to a woman that cooked a meal from every country. Some of these stories will certainly intrigue you but the book’s true purpose is to motivate you.
Yep, when it comes down to motivation this book does the trick. It gets you thinking about what would happen if your pursued your own “what ifs”. Could I really do it? What would it take? When should I start?
Chris provides countless advice backed up by anecdotes from those who’ve undertaken their own what ifs. And at times it’s just the push you might be looking for. He quotes photographer Thomas Hawk’s manifesto, “As slow as time can be it is also fast, swift, furious, and mighty and then it’s over.” Which got me reaching for a pad of paper and a pen to start thinking about what I’d need to undertake my own quest.
If you’re looking for some motivation, some advice on a crazy idea you’re thinking of starting, or simply enjoy reading about the crazy things other people have done then this book is for you.
I found that at times I wanted to hear more in-depth accounts of peoples stories rather than hear tidbits that related to advice and I was disappointed when I didn’t get that. I would have loved to hear more accounts from the author’s own travel experience as well -I’m sure those stories would make for a more interesting read. But I pushed past that and realized that the purpose of the book was the inspire the reader to get up and create their own story not just to amuse them with others’.
Another thing I found perplexing was the perspective that Guillebeau seemed to portray that ‘everything you’ve ever wanted is possible for everyone’. The concepts these books portray relate to the fourth and fifth tiers of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs- which to be realistic, isn’t where everyone is in life. I found myself upset that Chris never seemed to acknowledge his own privilege.
That aside, in the end I found it deserving of a 3.5/5 stars. The book did what it set out to do and was also entertaining, leaving me with many interesting individuals to look up. Now, all that’s left to think about is: So, what if I really did take that six month road-trip to every state in the US?
Enjoy the rest of your week everyone!
Chris has published 3 other books! Learn more about him here and more about the book here!
Disclaimer: I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
That Blushing Book Girl 