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Book Review: "F?@K KNOWS" by Shailendra Singh

Months back, I went to this bookshop "Crossword". Usually, I go through their display, to get to know the current favorite among the readers! And guess what I stumbled on to - "F?@K Knows"! These bookshop chains usually arrange their favorites like a huge house of cards, which ideally means the book is selling like hot cakes (or) the author of the book has shelled out enough money to sell them by hook or by crook, utilizing some marketing strategy. See, some don't need money, all they need is fame!
F?@K KNOWS
Did I buy the book from the shop? Nope. The title and the foreword did not intrigue me too much to buy the book, but it intrigued me to a level that I went home and read online reviews on the book. And satisfied that, this book is gonna be a good one, I placed an order via "Flipkart". They are always on time, I got the book in just 2 days.

This book costs 195 bucks. It is a motivation-cum-self-help-cum-preachy-cum-bio-cum-weird book, yes - it clearly did not fall under any genre!

Ok, who is the author? Shailendra Singh! The ones, who follow Marketing related news in media, sports and entertainment would definitely know this guy as the Marketing Mogul of India! He is big in his own way! But mind you, he is no Chetan Bhagat! By the by, Chetan himself is no big deal of a writer, but he is a damn good story teller!

What is he talking about in this book? Hmm.. he talks about "EVERYTHING IN LIFE"!

What is with the title?
In colloquial usage of English - the word "F?@k knows" means "Who knows" or "I don't know"!!

Here is the breakdown!
Positive aspects:
  • The language flow is very simple, anybody who has been to any form of schooling can read this book.
  • Singh helps you to realize and examine what you really want to do with your life. He advises in a convincing way to follow your heart and clearly states not to follow your Dad's dream instead make your own dream come true. Cool!
  • He also talks about taking care of one's health by not indulging in unwanted stuffs in a very amicable way. Good thing is, he never advises, he only tells the readers - what he went through and if given one more chance what he would do via his writing.
  • He talks to the reader like a buddy/friend instead of a self-help Guru like say a Deepak Chopra or a Robin Sharma.
  • He uses real life examples and hence some of the chapters are very much believable and you might have come across such crossroads yourself.
  • In one of the chapters, he asks the reader to send him a mail answering the following 2 questions:
    • Who are you?
    • What do you want?
            Well, what is he gonna do with so many mails? Nothing actually. He says, 6 months from the time
            you send the mail, he is gonna resend the mail back to you asking if you ever achieved that
            goal you mentioned in the mail. Well, a nice idea!
            Do you guys think he is gonna really resend the mail after 6 months? I'm not too sure.
            But did I mail him? HaHa, you bet!!
  • Last but never the least, he clearly puts a strong case to appreciate and enjoy what you got in life rather than saving until you become too old to enjoy anything. Kudos for that!
One of my favorite lines from the book: "Worrying is like riding a tiger. If you can stay on top of it, you will enjoy the ride. If you get off, the tiger will eat you." - Yep, that is right!

Negative aspects:
  • If you are somebody, who cannot tolerate the F word used lavishly all throughout the book like Cherrapunji rain, then abstain from buying this book. Because there are at least 4 to 5 usage of F word in each page.
  • When a writer gets candid, it is a good thing, because you get to read the truth - but Singh gets it wrong in many places. He becomes too candid to a level that you cannot tolerate or digest certain lines. Unfathomable mistake!
  • There are certain things in life better left unexplained. But he delves into each and every nuances of sleaze, which really (trust me!) really makes you wanna nauseate! At least 5 chapters in the book are vulgar with details which are in-cognizable. Outright bull sh*t!
  • The book has 70+ chapters with less than 3 pages each. But there is no co-relation between 2 chapters, so you feel no connectivity at all!
  • If you are one of those who appreciates beauty of literature, then please stay away from this book, there is no good usage of grandeur in language.
  • Singh says, his target audiences are teenagers and 20 somethings(that is what he says!) - but trust me, make sure no teenager gets near this book!
  • He is a cool guy! Yes, I agree. But he is trying too hard to be super cool(or uber cool) by coming down to the level of Gen Y, which is not convincing enough! 
Verdict:
I would opine an acceptance rate of 50%.
Will I recommend this book to anybody? Well, not to my friends for sure :-)
So NOPE!

Comments

  1. Sona - quick picks/pick quicksJune 23, 2013 at 4:17 AM

    good review !!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pooja MittalJune 23, 2013 at 5:02 AM

    Nice review..
    Keep in touch
    www.beingbeautifulandpretty.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Navaneetham KrishnanJune 23, 2013 at 6:46 AM

    Some great contents in the book but I seldom read such books. I used to read but gave up because I feel that its somewhat the same but written from the point of the author. Such books are for people who cannot decide or don't know what the want, precisely as you have shared. Also, our needs and wants changes as age catches up, so we can't really nail it down.

    For me, I am lucky because my other half is my savior for many things in my life, not that he is perfect but we click in the essential needs for each other.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pavithra RJune 24, 2013 at 4:19 AM

      Ohh I totally understand, just like how I cannot come to understand how people have so much patience to read fiction, same applies here too!!
      HaHa, loved the line "Not that he is perfect....." - That is applicable to more or less everybody I guess, because no one is perfect! :-)

      Delete
  4. Nilu AJune 23, 2013 at 7:52 AM

    Wow! Great review Pavithra.. Thanks for sharing :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nithya NaveenJune 23, 2013 at 1:39 PM

    Wonderfully written.. Nice write up..

    ReplyDelete
  6. ReniJune 24, 2013 at 1:40 PM

    That's a real straightforward review ! I used to read books of these genre before a few years,the last I read was The power of Positive thinking and who moved my cheese...these days I read fiction :) I love the ' make sure no teenager gets near this book' bit a lot...the title of this book,I guess is meant to lure teenagers :) Any book of this genre that you enjoyed reading recently??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pavithra RJune 24, 2013 at 7:49 PM

      Hey Reni, thanks yaa!!
      I always wanted to read "The power of positive thinking", will do it soon!!
      You can check out this book "The Habit of Winning" by Prakash Iyer, such a marvel - simply written and has so many anecdotes and you will feel good reading that book, you can buy it here - http://www.flipkart.com/the-habit-of-winning/p/itmczyrpk7va2zdn

      Delete
  7. Sugar et alJune 25, 2013 at 6:10 AM

    Why do I have a feeling that your post is a lot more interesting than the book! The dissection of the positives and negatives have been done with so much care and therefore gives you a clear idea of what exactly the 70+ chapters are all about. I barely get time to read anything motivational nowadays and have to be content with self motivation:-)However, it is great to read reviews like this to assure myself that I am not missing out!Thanks for the review Pavithra.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pavithra RJune 25, 2013 at 8:44 AM

      HaHa, it is always a pleasure reading your comment Sonali.
      I'm glad you liked the writing.
      Self motivation is another trait, not many can do that- If you are doing that, respect!! :)
      Ohh, you are not missing anything by not reading this book!! :)

      Delete
  8. Kalyan PJune 29, 2013 at 5:11 AM

    nice reading the review...it is on my reading list...

    ReplyDelete
  9. ChitzJune 29, 2013 at 8:01 AM

    Ok.. So reading ur negatives, I have decided not to read this book !! Or else what will happen is, I will be abusing the author for his every ounce of vulgarity or openness beyond the limit!!

    Actually speaking, I enjoyed reading the negatives u pointed out.. Irritation vented out in a polite subtle manner.. Esp, 'Let the teenagers stay away from this book' & 'There are certain things in life better left unexplained' Loved it, coz it's true to the core..

    And I feel, rather than sending an email to this guy answering 'Who u are?' & 'What u want?', it's best to ask oneself this question.. In six months time, we would be way near the goal rather than waiting for his reply :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pavithra RJune 30, 2013 at 6:27 AM

      I'm in the mid of shifting apartment, so I was thinking of taking a break from blogging for a week or more, but looking at your lovely comment via phone...Came straight to reply back :-)
      Oh indeed I vented out on the book, HaHa --- Where else can I do other than my punching bag of a blog.
      Thanks for the lovely, ever encouraging comment and noting every nuances of the review Chitz , it is always the genuine comment like this gives me motivation to write! Thank ya!
      Ohh in the last paragraph, you hit a home run! Absolutely spot on!

      Delete
    2. ChitzJuly 1, 2013 at 9:48 AM

      I love coming back to the old posts just to read ur replies ;)

      Delete
    3. Pavithra RJuly 2, 2013 at 7:38 AM

      Thanks dear :-)

      Delete
    4. Sona - quick picks/pick quicksJuly 7, 2013 at 5:03 AM

      well just dropped by doing exactly what Chitra has mentioned...to be reading ur replies :)

      Delete
    5. Pavithra RJuly 8, 2013 at 4:08 AM

      Thanks a bunch, Sona!! :)

      Delete
  10. Swathi IyerJuly 10, 2013 at 2:43 PM

    Good review, sorry for the loss of 195 rs. Yes chetan is good story teller. I amazed by the kai pochee movie.

    ReplyDelete
  11. anita menonMarch 14, 2014 at 12:20 AM

    Hi Pavithra,

    I liked reading your review. Found it honest and refreshing. Is there a way to get in touch with you over email. You can drop me a line on dazzler29atgmaildotcom

    ReplyDelete

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