What is Bored at home book reviews?
Bored at home book reviews is a series that I felt compelled to release, keeping in mind the current market situation that has badly hit businesses and jobs across the globe. While you search for the next best opportunity, one way to keep yourself productively occupied is by indulging in reading good books. Hence, I decided to share reviews of a few books from my personal library.
Who knows how one good book recommendation could change your life in testing times, right?
As a part of this series, I have decided to limit the reviews to only the books that I like. I am not here to be a book critic, on the contrary, I am here to be that one person you would look up to for suggesting your next read!
I did not know who Amy Cuddy was before the release of this book. After knowing about this book, I felt curious about the author and wanted to know a bit more about her. Apparently, it turns out that apart from being an Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, she has under her name the fame of delivering one of the top viewed TED talks ever. On discovering this fact, I was propelled to watch her TED talk and watching it convinced me completely that this book will be an insightful read.
The very next day, I purchased the book. The fact that she is a first-time author, does not seem to be evident on any page of this book. Her conversational writing style is a winner and amplifies the presence of the author when she is talking to you about ‘Presence’.
- Book name and author:
Book name – Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges
Author – Amy Cuddy
- What is it about?
Very early in the book, she reveals one of the most challenging situations she faced as a young girl. The incident is scary in itself and its after-effects are nerve-wracking. An accident she was unfortunate to be a part of and lucky to survive. Losing yourself is not what you expect to face after turning down death, but that happens to her next. What follows is aptly scripted in the subtitle of the book, it’s all about – ‘Bringing your BOLDEST SELF to your BIGGEST CHALLENGES’.
Another gripping incident is the one she shares about making her first-ever elevator pitch. It is not as serious as the one I mentioned previously, but it is still equally engaging. After shuffling a few more pages, you will find how faking presence is equally harmful as lack of presence. - Who is it for?
According to the book, the term ‘Presence’ is multifarious. Different takes on the same word are showcased throughout, in the form of quotes the author collected from people inhabiting different parts of the world. At least one of the ideas (if not more) about ‘presence’ is ought to connect with every reader. Have a flip through the pages of this book if you are someone who is looking for ways to augment your ‘Presence’.
- My favourite quote:
Presence emerges when we feel personally powerful, which allows us to be acutely attuned to our most sincere selves.