I am not a non-fiction reader. I never read it (at least until last year, when I tried reading it for the first-time) and so I cannot even start to say whether I like it or not. But when Usha Narayanan approached me, asking if I’d like to review her latest book, Awaken the Durga Within, I couldn’t say no because a) I’ve loved Usha’s body of work as a writer b) 2018 was about me trying to read newer stuff (which I did, a lot, so yay to that)!

About the book
Awaken the Durga Within is a collection of stories from the lives of popular Hindu goddesses like Durga, Parvati, and Sati. Each story is followed by how and where can we, as women and as human beings, apply the learning from each story in our life.

My review
I found this pattern rather interesting, because I have an example, a story to relate to, to understand the context of why Usha suggests what she suggests.

Usha attempts to solve very everyday problems with this book. Plus one, because even though what you read is what you must have experienced quite a lot, and a lot of it is stuff we know, Usha gives you a fresher perspective. And, honestly, I am a huge fan of perspectives because they can change the way one looks at a situation.

Awaken the Durga Within You is a must-read in every sense. It is not preachy, it does not drag, and it tells you the known in a fresher way. The language and pace are sorted and the stories keep the boredom away (in my case, the chances of me getting bored were way too high, so kudos to the stories!).

One more thing that I’s like to talk about a little more in detail here would be the tone. The tone is not entirely conversational, but it isn’t totally instructional either. It is casual in a very understated way. Like somebody you know was trying to explain something to you, like you know drive a point into your head.

I enjoyed reading this book and I definitely think everyone should read it at least once.

Disclaimer
Thank you, Rupa Publications and Usha Narayanan, for giving me a chance to read and review this wonderful book. The views expressed herein are my honest opinion of the book.