Being able to finish a book in one sitting means my mission to do something positive has been accomplished. Considering how long it had been since I last picked up something new, I surprisingly felt so refreshed and uplifted by the sudden unfamiliarity of a poetry book. Here, let me quote something I found on page 58:
"There are many versions of you in this world;
The one your family sees, the one your friends perceive, the one you show the world;
And versions of you that everyone else chooses to think of.
However, the one who sincerely knows you, is you.
So please, be good to yourself."
The book I'm talking about is actually a collection of poems called Keep Going: A Collection of Self Love Poems by a local writer, Raissa Almira. As I'm currently looking for something positive in general either in books, movies, or poems, I felt super lucky to stumble upon something that emphasized the true beauty and importance of self-love quite well. The feeling I experienced while I was reading this book was a bit unrecognizable at first: I felt like looking out of a window to the world outside, realizing that there were so many good things in it I still had yet to discover. However, every step must be taken correctly, like loving myself more, to begin with.
Keep Going started out light and pretty. I loved the fact that the illustrations were simple but still looked pretty colorful, a great complement to such uplifting poems. I rarely play favorites, but I very much adore the ones that look like they were painted in watercolor. Especially the galaxy-related ones. I'm weak!
Like I've said in the beginning, this book is all about self-love as well as accepting ourselves despite our endless flaws. Though the poetries in it were mostly short, I found myself looking beyond each word to grasp the message of what was implied. I sincerely hope I held onto the right concepts. The poems weren't difficult to understand, so I think I'm safe.
"You are never a hero to the world, never the one who save lives,
never the one whom everyone knows of.
But remember, you are a hero for those closest to your heart.
You are a hero for yourself and that’s enough."
-page 114
If by any chance you’re currently feeling down (which I hope you're not) or in need of something powerful and uplifting, I encourage you to give this book a try. Another alternative could work too if you want to reach me instead so I can hear you out. All in all, Keep Going is a great reminder about the necessity of self-love which I myself appreciate with a smile on my face. As someone who has first devoured the author’s second work before reading this one, I’d say that she has improved a lot in her new book, both writing and illustrating-wise. You can check out my review of her latest book here.
Get this book from Gramedia’s official website here
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