The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting."

This is the story of the young shepherd Santiago, who is more importantly a dreamer. Santiago dreams of travel and of treasure, and instead of waiting around for what he wants he goes after it. I don't know that "profound" is the word I'd use to describe this book, but I think the message is important. People have dreams, and sacrifice their dreams for obligations deemed more important, and then one day they wake up miserable and wonder what if? What if I'd done what I wanted, what if I'd done what makes me happy? You might be a fool for following your dreams, instead of picking the responsible or respectable course, but at least you might be a happy fool.

Another recurring theme, is following the omens and listening to the universe when it tries to speak/help. I'm not sure how much I believe in a divine pre-written future, where omens guide you on your way. But if you've ever had something unusual happen, something small and unexplained that altered your path or confirmed a decision...Well, its certainly something to think about.

I don't know how helpful this story would be for most adults. People who have faith in their obligations instead of having faith in faith. But I think kids should read this. I think with the growing pressures of school systems, it wouldn't hurt for children/teens to remember to set aside some time to dream.

Rating 5

Review's original post date:

January 7, 2013