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A review by clss97
How to Change the World by John-Paul Flintoff
3.0
This was a book I stumbled across by accident in a small school of life shop set up in the Jordaan district of Amsterdam. There are many things I want to do in life and I guess I hadn't really thought up a way of putting it until I saw the title of this book. Reading it has been some what a mixed experience because it doesn't necessarily comply to the title and this is both what I like and dislike about it.
One thing that really struck me about this book was that it showed a lot of positive influence and it also showed the contrast of negative influence, things that have changed the world whether they be the words of someone speaking out and encouraging others to speak out for peaceful progress in civil rights as Rosa Parks did, or in a way which spurred gradual positive change such as those individuals who defied the Nazi's during the world war II in small ways such as refusing to sit next to them or posting leaflets disagreeing with their ideas. It got me thinking about the fact that small actions add together to create a bigger picture - like those impressionist paintings you see in galleries: One dot sparks a hundred other oil painted dots until suddenly you have a scene with ten boats and a light house. Life is funny that way I guess - it is what makes history such a fun filled topic because we can look back, see our error and know when to recognise the warning signs to stop it happening again in the future.
It was especially fun to read this little hand book of sorts alongside 'When to rob a bank' the new freakonomics book as I feel like they have narrators with a similar way of thinking. Both want to take a step back from the world and see how change occurs and how we ourselves can lead the world further in positive change.
One thing that really struck me about this book was that it showed a lot of positive influence and it also showed the contrast of negative influence, things that have changed the world whether they be the words of someone speaking out and encouraging others to speak out for peaceful progress in civil rights as Rosa Parks did, or in a way which spurred gradual positive change such as those individuals who defied the Nazi's during the world war II in small ways such as refusing to sit next to them or posting leaflets disagreeing with their ideas. It got me thinking about the fact that small actions add together to create a bigger picture - like those impressionist paintings you see in galleries: One dot sparks a hundred other oil painted dots until suddenly you have a scene with ten boats and a light house. Life is funny that way I guess - it is what makes history such a fun filled topic because we can look back, see our error and know when to recognise the warning signs to stop it happening again in the future.
It was especially fun to read this little hand book of sorts alongside 'When to rob a bank' the new freakonomics book as I feel like they have narrators with a similar way of thinking. Both want to take a step back from the world and see how change occurs and how we ourselves can lead the world further in positive change.