You Too Can Live Very Long

Al Twostones is the pen name of the author of this book. And since that's pretty much all we know about him, let's just take a closer look at what he wrote.

"You too can live very long." If you focus on the promise in the book's title and leave the initial euphoria, some doubts or at least questions might arise. For example, how long? It certainly wouldn't hurt to clarify how much is very. If it turned out that very is an attractive number, it could have a significant impact in increasing the interest of potential readers. Perhaps it would even become an important factor influencing the decision to buy the book?

Of course, the matter is somewhat relative. For an inhabitant of the Central African savannah, 70 years would fully satisfy the criteria. In the case of a person residing, say, in Okinawa, this number would evoke a smirk at the mere thought. One has to give credit to the author for not burying his head in the sand and providing his own estimate. However, it only appears later in the text, which is undoubtedly an interesting marketing device. Those who limit their reading to the first few pages, usually available free of charge, will miss out on learning it.

To heat up the atmosphere a bit (apologies in advance for the blatant disregard for the global warming) let's just say the number is truly impressive. As always, though, there's a catch. You can? Which means that nothing's actually set in stone. The author tries to save his point with a somewhat overused phrase, claiming it all depends on each individuallike in the good, old and already debunked rags-to-riches story. This is particularly interesting given that this book doesn't promote the accumulation of worldly goods and wealth.

But let the author speak for himself. After all, he should be the one to know best how to entice a potential reader: "Okay, let's say the motive is to share an idea that simply answers some of the questions that have occupied people's minds since the dawn of time. Why do we live? What's the point of it all? And a few other thoughts that may be useful in everyone's lives (plural intentional). On the other hand, how do you know I'm not talking nonsense? What does it matter that I myself am convinced of something? It's easy to mess with people's heads, especially if there are no consequences. So, being aware of my responsibilities as a writer, I hereby change my motivation. From here on I write just for myself. Should you decide to continue reading, you do so at your own risk."

Enjoy the book, dear reader.

Dettagli