Book Review: Dream More by Dolly Parton

Pages: 128
Publisher: Putnam
Released: November 1, 2012
Received: Library, Own
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Well, Dolly Parton isn't who I would normally think I should think of when I'm listing off inspirational people, but she undeniably is who I think about. Funny how that works out.

This book is super short and easy to read. I felt like I was sitting with Dolly chatting and she was sharing stories about her life and her thoughts and why she did some of the things she's done. And I drew inspiration from that. Rather than the other way around where people set out to inspire, if that makes any sense?

I liked it this way. It felt genuine. Her good works (and wow are they good!) made me think about what we could do in my school. Her chapter on learning more and what inspired her to believe in that was well told and emotional. Her humility is charming. Her simple message: Dream More, Learn More, Care More, and Be More is easy to understand and remember, and worth striving to apply.

This is a feel good book in a lot of ways and one that I read through quickly but has stayed with me long after. I bought a copy to keep in my personal library, as I think I'll revisit it again. I also recommend checking out her commencement speech on Youtube, which was adapted and fleshed out to make this book.

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