The Optimist
One Man's Search for the Brighter Side of Life

Laurence Shorter

Average Rating 8/10 (1 Review)

Collapsing stock markets, melting ice caps, floods, tornadoes, terrorism... when it comes to bad news, we've never had it so good.

Today we face a greater range of potential disasters than ever before. Laurence Shorter is feeling anxious. Every time he turns on the radio or opens a newspaper he finds another reason to be tearful. Perhaps it is time to be a little more optimistic? That's what Laurence Shorter decided. And that's why he set himself the challenge of meeting the world's most cheerful people. Surely with the help of Desmond Tutu, Richard Branson and Bill Clinton, Laurence can find the secret to inner happiness. But first things first - how on Earth is he going to get to meet them?

'Learning how Richard Branson remains eternally cheerful or how a Buddhist monk became known as 'the happiest man in the world' is pretty inspiring.'

Review by Jessica (310510) Rating (8/10)

Review by Jessica
Rating 8/10
Laurence Shorter was lying in bed one morning when he asked himself how did so many people find that energy to propel themselves out of bed each morning for work? Where did it come from? How?

Getting up Laurence realises that the media and constant bombardment of disaster story headlines leave him puzzled and willing to change and challenge the way things are.

He decides that ok, there might be a world war going on and ok there might be melting icecaps, floods, tornadoes and terrorism but someone has to find enough answers to start instilling positivity in people again. Where can he find these answers though?

This insightful book contains many interviews with names that some will recognize and names that some won’t. There are famous people willing to share their views on things and have a chat about it with Lawrence and some who refuse. Each person has different viewpoints on today’s issues and this of course will prove very fascinating to readers of The Optimist.

It also highlights areas in our own lives where many of us have millions of questions, one of them being: will I end up with the right job? Sometimes, as Laurence discovers, it is hard to believe things will get better for us. We live in a world of negativity, influenced so much by the media. We’re all stuck in a world of doubt... or are we?

Insightful, amusing and totally addictive reading. A perfect gift for those who study today’s news but who want someone to provide more positive answers.
Jessica (31st May 2010)