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The title says a lot about
this book, it is indeed inspirational. Inspire tells twelve
stories about twelve remarkable British people, all of whom
have overcome great obstacles to achieve what they have to
date. What drives them? Courage, dedication, a passionate
belief in what they do, and in some cases not a small amount
of risk-taking! Oliver Chittenden gives us a glimpse into
the minds of these people through face to face interviews,
insightful background information, and wonderful portrait
photographs by Sam Pelly.
One of the things that make this book so fascinating is
the variety of inspirational people included. They range
from Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE (World’s greatest living explorer),
to Tim Smit (Co-founder of the Eden Project in Cornwall),
to Terry Waite CBE (former Beirut hostage), to Dame Tanni
Grey-Thompson DBE (eleven times Paralympic gold medallist),
to name but a few! Each chapter is both fascinating and
easy to read, giving the reader just the right amount of
information to realise just how amazing these people are.
There are plenty of words of wisdom from the individuals
concerned, and I particularly like a quote from John Simpson
CBE: “Perhaps the point of living is not to be placid and
happy and untouched by the world, but to be deeply painfully
sensitive to it, to see its cruelty and savagery for what
they are, and accept all this as readily as we accept its
beauty. To be touched by it, moved by it, hurt by it even,
but not to be indifferent to it.” Another great snippet
from Tim Smit: “The closer you get to the obstacle blocking
your dream, the longer you hold your nerve, the sooner you
will find an opening that makes your dream a reality.” The
book is full of such inspiring gems, great to write on pieces
of paper and stick on the walls around you when life is
tough.
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Another good
touch is the inclusion of charities that are dear to the
heart of the people involved in the book, and the fact that
a proportion of the income generated from the sales of this
book will go to the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust, a charity
that aims to help people suffering from depression.
In addition to the twelve stories the book includes a foreword
by Sir Richard Branson, and a tribute at the end to Jayne
Tomlinson, whose incredible fight against cancer epitomises
what the book is about. Inspire is the best kind of Coffee
Table book, it looks good but once perused has the power
to literally transform your day in a few moments. It would
make a great gift at a time when there is a lot of despondency
around, demonstrating as it does how ordinary people can
achieve extraordinary things.
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