Book review: Ikigai

Ikigai by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles

Review by Laura

This book was recommended to me, and although I’d never heard of it at the time, since reading it, I’ve seen several other references both to it, and to the concept of ikigai, which the book seeks to illuminate.

Unlike other books that are part of this series, this book is explicitly about a happy life. Not success at work, or having a beautiful home, but how to be happy. By talking to the residents of a Japanese village with the longest average life span in the world, the authors hoped to find strategies and secrets that would help the rest of us.

From the start, it’s clear that this book was written by authors who are academically minded. They approached the topic as a research study, and tried to be as rigorous as possible in their method and reporting. It’s an interestingly structured approach to a topic that’s all about finding inner happiness.

For me, this book wasn’t nearly long enough. Lots of examples are given, and concepts introduced, but it flew by too fast for me. It’s a good read, and the sort of thing where you find yourself going through it in one sitting, absorbing it as much as understanding. I think it would be better read more thoughtfully, chapter by chapter, stopping to ponder the message of each chapter as you go.

I’m always a little nervous about books in English that take a word from another language, call it ‘untranslatable’ and then try to expound on it. The use and misuse of hygge springs to mind. I also thought that there were too many fuzzy lines between what helps you live a long life, and what helps you feel good.

Ultimately, I wanted more from it, which is perhaps unfair. There’s probably several research papers to be written out of the authors’ findings, and that was not the goal of this book. As a readable, inspiring set of stories, I find myself wanting to go back and dig through it again, which is always a good sign. If you’re looking into the future and feeling a little lost, I think this book could be a gentle, helpful nudge in fining your way again.