Official Review: Si Ja, Say Yes to Better Life and Death

[Jesska6029]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Si Ja, Say Yes to Better Life and Death" by Annelie Holmene Pelaez.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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What makes life worth living? How do we take the fear out of life coming to an end? Annelie Holmene Pelaez tries to help readers answer these questions in Si Ja, Say Yes to Better Life and Death: An Introduction to Health Literacy & Meditation. Si Ja is a book in the self-help and mental and spiritual healing genres.

Si Ja, Say Yes to Better Life and Death takes readers through the steps to becoming better educated about health terms, our bodies and the power of meditation. Pelaez has many years as an intensive care unit nurse under her belt, and she has seen a lot of patients, with preventable ailments, enter hospitals. Pelaez believes that if some patients had been better educated about health, they never would have entered hospitals in the first place. The diseases Pelaez focuses on are cardiovascular diseases. It is Pelaez’s goal to inform readers about the importance of healthy bodies and minds and prevent cardiovascular diseases.

The book is formatted like a normal self-help book. In the beginning, there is information on cardiovascular diseases, but a lot of what is actually in the book is not reflected in the title or description of the book. There is quite a bit of information on dieting and the importance of a healthy weight, but there isn’t a lot of information on meditation until the 10th chapter, which, according to my Kindle, is 61% of the way through the book. If an aspect of the book is important enough to be in the title, readers shouldn’t have to get through over half of the book to receive important information about it.

The biggest problem I have with the book is the unnecessary length of it. The book isn’t really even that long, but it feels long, and it could be significantly shorter. Pelaez states, “we absolutely know the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables, drinking enough water, and exercising. Nobody has to tell us that smoking is a no-no.” I agree with this statement. No one has to tell us all of those things are bad for our bodies, but Pelaez does repeatedly. This book can be cut in half if the repetitive parts are taken out of it.

As I stated in a previous paragraph, meditation isn’t really talked about in detail until the 10th chapter. When it is finally touched upon, it takes two more chapters to even get to the techniques of proper meditation. It doesn’t need to take that long, and it is only that long because the chapters become muddled. The information in the chapters often strays from the topics of the chapters, and it gets a bit boring.

I did enjoy Pelaez’s conversational tone. Unlike most self-help books, Pelaez provides her own stories, which show her own mistakes. There is no holier-than-thou attitude in this book, and readers will be able to relate to Pelaez. I never felt like Pelaez was preaching at me, and I never felt ridiculed for certain choices I’ve made.

I give Si Ja, Say Yes to Better Life and Death: An Introduction to Health Literacy & Meditation by Annelie Holmene Pelaez 2 out of 4 stars. The repetition and muddled chapters do not allow me to give the book more than 2 stars. The conversational tone is why I believe the book does not deserve 1 star. I recommend this book to people concerned about their health statuses, but I know a lot of information in this book can be found for free online, so I would recommend people try that first.

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Si Ja, Say Yes to Better Life and Death
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[Tanaya]

This was a great example of how to write a negative review. You taught me a thing or two.

[bookowlie]

Nice, balanced review. It's a shame that the book drags a bit with so much repetition, since it sounds like there is some useful info there.

[Jesska6029]

This was a great example of how to write a negative review. You taught me a thing or two.

Thanks! I try not to be very negative in reviews, but I do need to be honest.

-- 14 Aug 2015, 19:33 --

Nice, balanced review. It's a shame that the book drags a bit with so much repetition, since it sounds like there is some useful info there.

Thanks for the kind words! There's definitely some useful information in the book.

[bluemel4]

Very good critique of the books strengths and weaknesses. Great job.

[Jesska6029]

Very good critique of the books strengths and weaknesses. Great job.

Thank you very much!

[PashaRu]

I agree with the above comments. Balanced, honest review. Very well written, but we've come to expect such high quality reviews from you! Great job!

[Thimble]

Great review. Like others said, it's definitely balanced. You certainly know how to write a negative review. I don't think I'll be reading the book, though.

[Jesska6029]

I agree with the above comments. Balanced, honest review. Very well written, but we've come to expect such high quality reviews from you! Great job!

You flatter me! Thank you very much!

-- 14 Aug 2015, 21:38 --

Great review. Like others said, it's definitely balanced. You certainly know how to write a negative review. I don't think I'll be reading the book, though.

I am glad you found the review to be balanced. Thanks for the kind words!

[gali]

Nice review and indeed balanced.

[Levi]

Great job @Jesska6029 I agree with all the above comments and your reviews are very insightful. I like how you added the part about the kindle percentage of the book--nice touch!! I did not find the review negative, but I understand the comments. You have shown how to properly balance criticism with praise in this review. This is very helpful to an author, as books these days are easily updated and edited.

[zeldas_lullaby]

Great review! It gave me a good sense of the layout and content of this book.

[Jesska6029]

Nice review and indeed balanced.

Thank you!

-- 15 Aug 2015, 08:30 --

Great job @Jesska6029 I agree with all the above comments and your reviews are very insightful. I like how you added the part about the kindle percentage of the book--nice touch!! I did not find the review negative, but I understand the comments. You have shown how to properly balance criticism with praise in this review. This is very helpful to an author, as books these days are easily updated and edited.

Thank you very much! I hope my comments are helpful to readers of the review and the author of the book!

-- 15 Aug 2015, 08:31 --

Great review! It gave me a good sense of the layout and content of this book.

Great! I am glad you found the review helpful

[Jefflemire90]

Nice review! I have never read books on meditation, but the subject matter seems interesting!

[Jesska6029]

Nice review! I have never read books on meditation, but the subject matter seems interesting!

This is my first book on meditation. I'm glad you enjoyed the review!