Author– Mahevash Shaikh
Book– Busting Clichés
Previous Works– Debut Novel
Publishers– APK Publishers
Number of Pages– 182
Format– Paperback
Blurb-
Where there’s a will, there’s a way
Blood is thicker than water
Time heals all wounds
Who hasn’t grown up with clichés?
Clichés have been around forever and everybody uses them from time to time. In fact, we learn a lot of them at English class in the form of proverbs and sayings. And that’s a good thing, because a lot of clichés are power-packed with wise advice and rules to live by.
However, trouble brews when they are generalized, taken literally or misinterpreted due to popular notion. These overused statements then become limiting beliefs that negatively influence our thoughts, choices and decisions.
This book examines 20 commonly misunderstood clichés – the ones we all learned in school. Full of cartoons, popular music references and personal experiences of famous and non-famous folks, it will help you truly live life your way.
Review-
Clichés or stereotypes are most often a phrase or expression that is overused or used outside its original context, so that its original impact and meaning are lost over time.
There are many individuals who have molded those age old sayings into half-truths that would benefit them and Busting Clichés by Mahevash Shaikh is the book that does the work of busting them.
In her book, Mahevash Shaikh has taken twenty clichés and decoded their actual meaning and the meaning that has been prevailing. She has chosen the most widely used phrases, example, “Look before you leap”, “Good things come to those who wait”, “Money makes the world go round” etc.
The book consists of twenty chapters and each chapters as the central idea of busting a cliché. Every chapter has the cliché mentioned at first, followed by the intended meaning and then the misunderstood version. There is a popular music reference for each chapter that music connoisseurs might appreciate.
The book has quirky doodles for each chapter, something that either represents the cliché or the misused meaning or a basic situation.
Followed by that is the author’s point of view regarding the entire setup, what she feels about the thing or an elaborated meaning. That follows some quote that has been said in reference to the cliché in the chapter, by some known or learned individual. There are also the experiences described by the people who have been there and done that, people whose verdict can be taken into consideration as they have seen the downs and how the right use of the situation has done the ups for them. Each chapter ends with an activity that asks the reader to give some time to ponder about some question related to that cliché and write down everything that pops up in their mind.
Being written in easy English, understanding the book would be no herculean task.
Listed under the self-help section, the book is an eye opener and a must read for children and teenagers in their growing years so that they can shape themselves up. The author goes around busting clichés but all that work also leads to some inspiring stories and revelations that can be some real time motivation.
There has been some good amount of reading and researching done in order to compile all the content. As an adult, it was fun to read a book that comes in a cute size with doodles and an activity after each chapter.
Also Read- Review Pen: Scent Of An Undiscovered Writer By Callre
Ratings-
Cover- 3.5 stars
Title- 5 stars
Blurb- 4 stars
Content- 3.5 stars
Writing and Presentation- 4 star
Overall- 4 stars out of 5
The book has a quite simple cover, which I felt, could have been improved to make as quirky as the doodles in the book.
The blurb, though informative, is a bit too much and seems like the introduction rather than a general idea of the content.
The author has tried to make the book quite simple in order to make it readable by masses, but in some chapters, the book sounds a bit preachy. Instead of decoding the meaning, it sounds like the words of a counselor at times. All of the details are somewhat a single person’s perspective and I feel there might be different understanding to it. There has been no scientific data or research details or figures.
It’s a great children’s book, but the adults who have gone a good number of self-help books, might not find it helping, it’s just fun to read.
Reviewed by- Banaja Prakashini
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About Mahevash Shaikh-
Mahevash Shaikh is a content writer and first-time author. You can find her online at www.mahevashmuses.com
