Published: March 27th, 2012
Publisher: Artisan Press
Pages: 224
Copy: From Publisher for review
Summary: Goodreads
An illustrated collection of answers to the age-old question, "What do you want to do before you die? "as posed by four twenty-something guys known as "The Buried Life." In 2006, four regular guys--Ben, Dave, Duncan, and Jonnie--made a "bucket list" of 100 things they wanted to do before they died. Five years later, with an MTV platform and 1.2 million Facebook followers, they've turned their attention to crossing off their list item #19: Write a Bestselling Book. "What Do You Want to Do Before You Die? "is an illustrated collection of real people's dreams. Two hundred moving, imaginative, amusing, and thought-provoking goals are brought to life through original illustrations. Peppered throughout are stories of the boys' own journey. Readers will find something to take away--touching stories, nuggets of wisdom--on every page. This is an inspirational book for a new generation: visual and sassy, lighthearted but substantive, encouraging without being preachy.
What Do You Want To Do Before You Die is a compilation of mixed media representations of various people's aspirations, as well as their accounts of how they achieved such audacious dreams. It is not a novel, nor is it fiction. It is not a hard or long read. It IS, however, thought provoking and motivating.
Jonnie and Duncan Penn, Dave Lingwood and Ben Nemtin, are the co-authors of this book, and the creators of the original list that chronicles the 100 things they would like to achieve before they die. The list is varied, ranging from the shocking (42. Spend a night in jail) the humorous (41. Make a toast at a strangers wedding) the humbling (30. Make a big donation to charity) the motivating (62. Protest something) and the ones we had in common (3. Get a tattoo, and 19. Write a best-selling book). They named themselves "The Buried Life" in an effort to prepare themselves for adulthood, achieve the impossible - and above all, elevate others to do the same.
I read this book over the course of two hours, and loved every page of it. I am a huge fan of Frank Warren's Post Secret Project (www.postsecret.com If you haven't discovered it yet, you should take a moment to explore his blog), and this project runs along the same vein as Warren's. Except that instead of sharing secrets of the past, people are sharing secrets of their aspirations. The artists renderings of the answers to the question "What do you want to do before you die?" were my favourite part of the book. No two are the same, and each represents the sentiment in a way that words alone cannot do. The goals are similar to those of the original list, and it is obvious that each one comes from a place of hope and intention. The very last aspiration? "I want to leave a mark"
Well...You can't leave a mark if you don't step out of your comfort zone, pick up a marker, or believe that the efforts of one person can change the world...Leave a comment with a few things YOU Want to do before you die. (and thanks for letting me guest post!!)
A few items on MY list..?
1. Have a YA book in print by 2016
2. Ride an elephant across a desert in India
3. Complete 200 hour yoga teacher training in a country other than Canada
4. Own a 5 bedroom farm house with a wrap-around veranda
5. Meet someone famous
6. Get (another) tattoo
7. Be a part of a Habitat for Humanity build in another country
8. Sing in front of a crowd
9. Be internet famous :)
Many thanks to Ellie Kathryn from Wide Eyed with Wonder for her thoughts on this interesting book
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