ABA Journal The digital English academy
Welcome reader,
Every month we review and recommend a great book for you to practice reading in English. The language in these books is not complex from a literary point of view, but it will require a certain level of understanding.
Today, the ABA Book Club will be reviewing Arianna Huffington’s book Thrive: The Third Metric to Success and Creating a Life of Well-being, Wisdom and Wonder.
Arianna Huffington is, of course, very well-known for creating the Huffington Post, as well as writing many books such as On Becoming Fearless…In Love, Work, and Life.
| Reading Level | Intermediate |
| Genre | Non-fiction; Business |
| Length (pages) | 352 |
| Original Date of Publishing | 2014 |
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In Thrive, Arianna gives us advice on how to live a healthy life. Her insight is coupled with a simple, straightforward yet poetic way of writing that makes the book both informative and enjoyable. Her sage and sane advice about getting enough sleep and meditating is truly life-changing and thought-provoking.
So what is the third metric? Well, the first two metrics of success, according to Arianna, are money and power. But these are no longer enough to be healthy and happy, so she has added a third metric, which is made up of well-being, wisdom, wonder and giving.
It is an inspiring read, full of great tips. Here are some extracts from the book:
“Have you noticed that when we die, our eulogies celebrate our lives very differently from the way society defines success?”
“The people we invite on the train are those with whom we are prepared to be vulnerable and real, with whom there is no room for masks and games. They strengthen us when we falter and remind us of the journey’s purpose when we become distracted by the scenery. And we do the same for them. Never let life’s Iagos—flatterers, dissemblers—onto your train. We always get warnings from our heart and our intuition when they appear, but we are often too busy to notice. When you realize they’ve made it on board, make sure you usher them off the train; and as soon as you can, forgive them and forget them. There is nothing more draining than holding grudges.”
Arianna’s advice to take care of ourselves before business comes at an important moment in time where burnout and stress are so prevalant.
Highly recommended!
Vocabulary
Insight – the ability to understand people and situations in a very clear way.
Sage – very wise.
Thought-provoking – causing people to think seriously about something.
Metric – a measurement.
Well-being – the state of being happy, healthy, or successful.
Wisdom – the natural ability to understand things that most other people cannot understand.
Wonder – a feeling caused by seeing something that is very surprising, beautiful, amazing, etc..
Eulogies – a speech that praises someone who has died.
Falter – to stop being strong or successful : to begin to fail or weaken.
Distracted – unable to think about or pay attention to something : unable to concentrate.
Flatterers – someone who flatters. To flatter is to praise (someone) in a way that is not sincere.
Dissemblers – someone who dissembles. To dissemble is to hide your true feelings, opinions, etc.
Usher – to lead (someone) to a place. In this case, off the train.
Draining – very tiring.
Grudges – a strong feeling of anger toward someone that lasts for a long time.
Book
To read more reviews and find out where to buy this book, if you think you’d enjoy reading it, visit Goodreads.
Do you have a special book you would recommend to your friends? Let us know!
