Each of us students has been instructed to vote for one book to be included in the reincarnation of English 110. I am casting my vote for "The Alchemist," by Paul Coelho.
For my final presentation and essay in this class, my group chose to represent "The Alchemist." After reading this book, I can wholeheartedly say that this book would be very valuable to other students. The story provides excellent topics for discussion and the plot itself is very interesting.
In summary, the novel follows the journey of a young shepherd named Santiago. Santiago is an educated boy from Spain whose curiosity and restless personality urge him to travel and explore the world. One night, Santiago has a dream about finding buried treasure in the Egyptian Pyramids. The rest of the story consists of Santiago's journey to find his treasure, fulfill his "personal legend," understand "the soul of the world," and meet the alchemist. He meets a variety of characters along his journey, including the gypsy, the merchant, the Englishman, and of course, the alchemist. He also falls in love. Many people describe this story as a tale about "following your dreams." I think that this description is much too cliche. This novel demonstrates the true meaning of treasure, happiness, and love. It also redefines how society views self-worth and the purpose of life itself.
The book itself is very well written. It is only about 165 pages long, so the read itself is quite short. Again, the plot moves very quickly. This makes it very interesting to read. None of the characters are shallow. They all teach Santiago, and the readers, lessons about life.
This book was very hard for me to set down. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to anyone!
Again, this book captures my vote and sincere praise.
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