Friday is Book Day on the blog, when we take a look at books – old and new — that I highly recommend you not miss. This week’s recommended reading: The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho.
The book description at Amazon.com sums up this masterpiece perfectly:
“Paulo Coelho’s enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world, and this tenth anniversary edition, with a new introduction from the author, will only increase that following. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and inspiring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids.

Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasures found within.
Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.”
Everybody has a Personal Legend. What is yours? Reading this book may very well bring you closer to identifying it and to living it at the next highest level. The Alchemist is more parable than novel, and holds enormous insight and great power. It is, of course, one of the most widely read philosophical/metaphysical/spiritual books of our lifetime, and it is quite possible that it is already in your collection. If not, I would recommend that you make it part of that collection now.
Few books have inspired as many people who are on their journey and searching for themselves and the best way to express their dream of who they are in our real world environment. Coelho makes the point loud and clear that life is, in fact, about that journey, not about the destination. The magical text will present many with a new perspective, a new way to view the world.
This book lacks much in the way of character or plot…quite intentionally, obviously, because it IS, in fact, a parable, an allegory. It is not about make-believe people and situations so much as it is about real life as human beings all over the world are living it. The book may well inspire you to live the remainder of your own life in a new way. So be careful.
All of us have a purpose and a dream. Many people give up both over the course of their lifetime, settling for security, safety, and, I am afraid, mediocrity. This deeply insightful, stunning work by Paulo Coelho makes it clear what the challenge is, what the opportunity is, and what the life that we are living is all about.
You will thank yourself again and again for reading this book. I promise you.
Available immediately from Amazon.com in its Tenth Anniversary Edition, with new material from the author.