TITLE: 365 Thank Yous
: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life AUTHOR: John Kralik
STARTED: January 15, 2011
FINISHED: January 20, 20111
PAGES: 228
GENRE:Memoir
FIRST SENTENCE: On December 22, 2007, I felt my life was at an irreversible personal nadir.
SUMMARY: [From Amazon.com
] One recent December, at age 53, John Kralik found his life at a terrible, frightening low: his small law firm was failing; he was struggling through a painful second divorce; he had grown distant from his two older children and was afraid he might lose contact with his young daughter; he was living in a tiny apartment where he froze in the winter and baked in the summer; he was 40 pounds overweight; his girlfriend had just broken up with him; and overall, his dearest life dreams--including hopes of upholding idealistic legal principles and of becoming a judge--seemed to have slipped beyond his reach. Then, during a desperate walk in the hills on New Year's Day, John was struck by the belief that his life might become at least tolerable if, instead of focusing on what he didn't have, he could find some way to be grateful for what he had.
Inspired by a beautiful, simple note his ex-girlfriend had sent to thank him for his Christmas gift, John imagined that he might find a way to feel grateful by writing thank-you notes. To keep himself going, he set himself a goal--come what may--of writing 365 thank-you notes in the coming year.
One by one, day after day, he began to handwrite thank yous--for gifts or kindnesses he'd received from loved ones and coworkers, from past business associates and current foes, from college friends and doctors and store clerks and handymen and neighbors, and anyone, really, absolutely anyone, who'd done him a good turn, however large or small. Immediately after he'd sent his very first notes, significant and surprising benefits began to come John's way--from financial gain to true friendship, from weight loss to inner peace. While John wrote his notes, the economy collapsed, the bank across the street from his office failed, but thank-you note by thank-you note, John's whole life turned around.
THOUGHTS: I heard an NPR interview with the author, and the concept of the book spurred me to pick it up. I love writing notecards and sending them out to friends. (Who doesn't love non-bill mail?) I was positively giddy with the idea that someone spent a whole year writing thank you cards. When the book turned up at the library, I took it home before anyone else had the chance to see it. 365 Thank Yous was enjoyable, but I've come to the conclusion that lawyers should not write memoirs.
At the start of the book, Kralik was down in the dumps and life was not on an upswing. Instead of wallowing in misery, Kralik decides to be grateful for the good things. Most people would stop there, but Kralik decides to hand write personal thank you notes to those he encounters. Brilliant. Idea. I wish I had thought of it first. 365 Thank Yous chronicles Kralik's trip out of despair and into a much happier, stable place in his personal, emotional, and professional lives.
As I mentioned, fantastic concept... but not so great execution. The book is very linear - most chapters read like follows: this happened, then this happened, then I did this, then this happened, then I thought this, the end. Boooooring. There was no magic to the writing. I was expecting more insight and lyricism, but I don't think it's possible for lawyers to not write like a lawyer. I read legal briefs, comments, and opinions for funsies (I'm a copyright nerd and The Boyfriend is an attorney). This book was more like a brief than an emotional memoir; it was dry, lacked feeling, and was far to expository.
Good idea, poor execution. Verdict? Still worth the read. In fact, in may inspire you to write more personal notes to those important people in your life.
RATING: 7/10 [Very Good]
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