The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha (a J!-ENT Book Review)

March 10, 2010 by Dennis Amith 

“The Book of Awesome” is a delightful book of enjoying life and even those small little things that happen day-to-day.  How awesome is that?  Definitely recommended!

TITLE: The Book of Awesome

BY: Neil Pasricha

PUBLISHER: Amy Einhorn Books

PAGE COUNT: 396

Based on the award-winning 10-million-plus-hit blog 1000awesomethings.com, The Book of Awesome is a high five for humanity and a big celebration of life’s little moments:

• Popping Bubble Wrap
• Wearing underwear just out of the dryer
• Fixing electronics by smacking them
• Getting called up to the dinner buffet first at a wedding
• Watching The Price Is Right when you’re home sick
• Hitting a bunch of green lights in a row
• Waking up and realizing it’s Saturday

Sometimes it’s easy to forget the things that make us smile. With a 24/7 news cycle reporting that the polar ice caps are melting, hurricanes are swirling in the seas, wars are heating up around the world, and the job market is in a deep freeze, it’s tempting to feel that the world is falling apart. But awesome things are all around us-sometimes we just need someone to point them out.

The Book of Awesome reminds us that the best things in life are free (yes, your grandma was right). With laugh-out-loud observations from award- winning comedy writer Neil Pasricha, The Book of Awesome is filled with smile-inducing moments on every page that make you feel like a kid looking at the world for the first time. Read it and you’ll remember all the things there are to feel good about.

The Book of Awesome reminds us of all the little things that we often overlook but that make us smile. With touching, warm, and funny observations, each entry ends with the big booming feeling you’ll get when you read through them: AWESOME!

Since June 2008, blogger Neil Pasricha has attracted may viewers to his website “www.1000awesomethings.com” and now, many of those “awesome things” listed on his blog have made it onto his book “The Book of Awesome” which will be released in April 2010.

For those not familiar with Pasricha’s website, the site is an optimistic look at life and the little joys that we experience day to day.  From tripping on something and no one seeing it, wearing underwear that just came out of the dryer, the final seconds of untangling a really big knot, finding a lost remote control, the moment at a restaurant after seeing your food coming out of the kitchen, being the first person into a crowded theater, fixing electronics by smacking then, etc.  These everyday things that happen in life that make us happy.

And you ask yourself, “why do I need something like this?”.  Well, with so much out there that is negative, why not be optimistic and enjoy those small things and the book is full of that.

It’s important to note that “The Book of Awesome” consists of entries by Neil Pasricha (note: I am reviewing an advanced copy and things may changed by its final release in April) but also viewer submitted comments (ie. taking your bra off after wearing for hours), so yes…even though the book is from a male writer, their are topics included submitted by the female viewers as well.

Overall, an extension of Pasricha’s optimistic and enjoyable website, if you are looking for a positive book to add to your schedule, “The Book of Awesome” is a delightful book of enjoying life and even those small little things that happen day-to-day.  How awesome is that?

Definitely recommended!