Hippie by Paulo Coelho

Hippie

Paulo Coelho

Translated by Eric M.B. Becker

Publishing House: Alfred A. Knopf

Release Date: September 25, 2018

About the Author:

Paulo Coelho’s life remains the primary source of inspiration for his books. He has flirted with death, escaped madness, dallied with drugs, withstood torture, experimented with magic and alchemy, studied philosophy and religion, read voraciously, lost and recovered his faith, and experienced the pain and pleasure of love. In searching for his own place in the world, he has discovered answers for the challenges that everyone faces. He believes that within ourselves we have the necessary strength to find our own destiny.

Paulo Coelho’s books have been translated into 80 languages and have sold more than 225 million copies in more than 170 countries. His 1988 novel, The Alchemist, has sold more than 65 million copies and has been cited as an inspiration by people as diverse as Malala Yousafzai and Pharrell Williams.

He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters and has received the Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur. In 2007, he was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

Publisher's Book Review:

Drawing on the rich experience of his own life, best-selling author Paulo Coelho takes us back in time to relive the dreams of a generation that longed for peace and dared to challenge the established social order. In Hippie, he tells the story of Paulo, a young, skinny Brazilian man with a goatee and long, flowing hair, who wants to become a writer and sets off on a journey in search of a deeper meaning for his life.

My Review: 

Paulo Coelho's autobiography gives the perfect 60's vibe to my themed 60's month of reading. Hippie rounds out what I considered to be a growing, adventurous era, one which I was blessed to be born in the middle of its last year. 

Author, Paulo Coelho tells a tale of travel, love and growing from experiencing other people's lifestyles. The Hippie movement as told in Hippie is not what my parents told me about Hippie's or what my husband was raised to believe about those people outside of his own little world living in Utah. It is what I knew it to be: People who wanted an existential answer to why war happens and hoping that love, freedom, and exploration can ease the stress of living in a world where we can't control everything but the life we give to ourselves. 

This story is not without its heartache, frustration, stress, and more adventure than expected as Paulo circumnavigates the world, which makes this book the perfect travel companion to those readers who want to grow AND imagine a place they have never been able to visit.

I really enjoyed reading Hippie. Paulo's life is intriguing to me. I appreciated being able to read his story as I enjoyed The Alchemist so much when it came out. 

Thank you to First To Read for the chance to read Hippie in lieu of my honest review. :)