This book by Peter McWilliams is one of his series Life 101 that deals on issues about life in general. In this particular book, the author discussed matters about the things that he wished he had learned about life in school but unfortunately did not. According to the author, school is more than just a place where students learn facts like geometry, science and language. Unfortunately, the educational system is not designed to teach students how to live and how to deal with life issues. The vital things in life are so mysterious that no textbook was written to serve as a manual on how to live it. It takes a lot of courage, perseverance and determination to discover life’s mysteries. It is good to have good education and to know things like economics, science, math and language; however, eventually, everybody will have to overcome the phase of their lives that are dedicated in school and will have to face the realities of the world. So, it will be best to be ready on what the world brings.
The book Life 101: Everything We Wish We Had Learned About Life in School–But Didn’t is for everybody. Although not every instance discussed in the book applies to everybody, the lessons that it shows are very useful to anyone who reads it. It may serve as an eye-opener on several matters about life and an inspiration to those who undergone the same situation. Undeniably, everybody comes to a point when they say “I wish I had learned that before…” So at one point or another, everybody can relate with the author. Every person is unique and every person’s life has a different combination of twists and turns. Human nature and life in general is very complex. The book simply puts into one piece the general situations that many people have in common and wished to have talked about.
For the readers, the book Life 101 is like a journal of a person who wants to share the lessons that he eventually learned in his lifetime but wished to have learned them earlier when he was in school. It is also a great example or model of a human’s perception on school. Indeed, as the author described, schools are treated in a very technical manner. It is seen as a place where students are pressured with assignments, quizzes and exams. So the essence of it being a great part of its student’s personality development is shadowed with its very technical nature. Later on, as students mature, they realize that there are a lot of things to be learned still. And these are not learned by just reading alone. It is also learned while laughing or having fun doing other things. This is one of the great concepts that book conveys and tries to make people, especially students, to realize. It’s an inspiration to make students realize that they have a lot of things to discover and it will be better if they strive to learn it while they are in school.
The book is a great read especially to those in their adolescence. It offers many things to think about, something very useful to adolescents while they are in the stage of finding their identities. Moreover, it is also best for all ages.
