Why read this book? If ever there was a time to consider your relationship with change, it would be now. A slightly clumsy set up doesn’t detract from the very powerful parable at the centre of this short book. If you embrace the story, you’ll take the opportunity to explore any fears you might have about change and reflect on how you might redirect that energy to help you grow and develop. A good little read. One to share. Score: 7/10
I’ve got a battered old copy of “Who Moved My Cheese” by Dr Spencer Johnson and on the back it claims they have sold 24 million copies. That number could be 30m by now. So it seems a great many people have acquired, if perhaps not read, this book. If you have an unread copy or are thinking about it, my tip would be to go for it. It’s a very slight book with very large writing. Deliberately so. It is a parable written in the style of a children’s story.
Setting aside the very clumsy class reunion pretext, the majority of this book is dedicated to a tale of four characters who live in a maze and spend their time looking for cheese. They all have slightly different approaches to finding cheese and different attitudes towards cheese. These four attitudes allow the author to explore how we ourselves deal with change and the fear of the unknown. It’s a very simple book but it is thought provoking and can be read in next to no time.
The message coalesced for me around a question posed at the end of the reunion by one of the college friends. They asked, having heard the story, who would admit that they were afraid of change. No one stepped forward. The questioner then asked the group to raise their hands if they thought other people were scared of change. And almost all the hands were raised. And there lies the truth of the matter. This unassuming little book has been a smash hit because it holds up a small mirror to help reveal a truth in most of us: that we need to embrace change if we are to be happier, healthier and more valuable to society.
I’ll be posting more book reviews up over the coming weeks. If you’d like to receive the recommendations please take a few seconds to sign up to my newsletter Rambling On.