THE CALL ME ISHMAEL PHONE BOOK : A RIDE DOWN THE MEMORY LANE

Book Review: The Call Me Ishmael Phone Book

In this fast moving technological world, when was the last time you stopped and admired your past? I guess never cause we always crib about it. People say living in the past is only the sign for the weak. Well, actually it isn’t when you admire the serenity of it. We today, are anxious because we are thriving so hard for the future we want to make better. We forget to appreciate the small beauties of life. The book “The Call me Ishmael Phone Book” by Stephanie Kent and Logan Smalley gives the exact screeching halt that our lives need today.

The book is a unique one which is in the form of a Phone Book. The Yellow Pages which mesmerized us as kids are now a thing of the past. The book has various ads and an un-contemporary style of appreciating books of different genres. Anonymous people have written their heart out and written about the books they loved or the ones that had changed their lives. I, being a book lover, found myself overwhelmed with each expression. I won’t lie, I sobbed at times and also smiled like an idiot. I appreciated every wok with every person and I connected so much with them. So many books that I have added in my “To be read” (TBR) list. I too want to go through some of the experiences the anonymous readers have gone through.

I closed the book multiple times and gave out sighs of relief, of joy and of some emotions I cannot even express. However, one thing I could not do was to keep the book down. I wanted to go through the lives of every reader. Till I had this book in hand, I always kept the books neat and clean and never marked a thing on them until I found this book. I have learnt the art of scribbling, to pour your heart out with the fellow readers and to connect with them. Also, books are something so very personal and should be kept that way. There’s no standard ethics to cherish the book but make it one’s own possession. This book taught me that.

I would love to quote something from the book. One of the quotes or rather a wise advice from an anonymous reader was - “it’s really just about the simple magic of leaving your kids alone with their minds and their adventures and giving them the space for that space to build a happiness machine, like they do in the book.” Amazing! Isn’t it? Being a parent myself, this line struck me at once and I could relate so much because I was brought up the same way. My parents too gave me my own space and I built my own castle. This is what some books teach you - “life lessons”.

There are endless messages from readers and the experiences they share which are worth going through. Every message, every anecdote, every book and every reader has something to offer. Usually, I recommend books but for this I would somewhat like to insist readers to go through. This book is a gem and one of a kind one would ever come across. So grab a copy for yourself and dive into a world where you will cherish every bit of it.

Happy Reading!

You can get your Phone Book Here!!