PESHAWAR: The Penguin Young Readers Group has recently brought out an interesting series of mini-biographies. The booklets contain basic information about great playwrights, artists, scientists, philanthropists, statesmen, historians and celebrities from classic to modern age.

The booklet on ‘William Shakespeare’ says that he was a visionary par excellence and a theatre owner and the greatest playwright of all-time who remained a mystery to this day.

“The exact date of his birth is unknown but it is celebrated on April 23. In England, that is also holiday, filled with playacting and parties. It seems a good day to honour England’s greatest playwright as well. William Shakespeare’s words make us laugh and cry. And perhaps most importantly, they make us dream,” the profile quotes.

Furqan Hameed, a senior teacher of English at a private college, told this scribe that today almost four hundred years after his death, Shakespeare’s work lived on. “Although we don’t know many details about his personal life, his plays and poetry tell us so much about the mind and the heart of this genius. We need to promote such good stuff among young students,” he added.

Shedding light on the life of Steve Jobs, the booklet writes: “He was the most creative pioneer of personal computer revolution. Steve Jobs loved to build and fix things. He used to show up barefoot to attend business meetings and yet he was a genius, who changed the way the world communicates,” it adds.

The biography of Steve Jobs relates that he graduated from high school in 1972 but could not pay for college, so he requested for attending classes for free. He used to sleep on the floor of his friend’s room. He collected Coke bottles for spending money and depended on local charities food.

Amjad Khan, a local expert on computer technology, said that everyone felt that Steve Jobs had changed the way they lived. He said that Jobs had not invented the computer or the mouse or the MP3 player but he had taken those things and had made them part of everyone’s daily life.

“He had done exactly what he had set out to do. Jobs had in fact realised all his dreams,” Mr Khan opined. Books, he said, were not just treasure trove of knowledge but potential change agents.

Yet another interesting read is on the achievements of Neil Armstrong. “He was the first American astronaut to set foot on the moon and surprisingly, in his teenage, he got his pilot’s licence before his car driving licence. Neil Armstrong loved to make his own model planes,” the mini-biography says.

Shazia Bilqis, a book lover and teacher at local secondary school, said that it was unfortunate that most youngsters didn’t have any penchant for reading books. “Books like this series provide great insight and motivation to readers especially young students. We can learn from it, how people from humble origin achieve great targets in their life through hard work and unflinching struggle,” she added. She said that those short biographies were written in very simple English and would inspire readers if read with full concentration. She said that she had purchased complete series for her children and would also recommend it for her school library.

They are written in easy, fluent and understandable language. It offers a fascinating and interesting reads for young school and college students, who are off from their regular studies during long summer break. Each biography spreads over 150 pages providing a brief peep into the personality’s life, services and wonderful achievements. The booklets ‘Who was’ are illustrated beautifully which carry important dates in the life of every personality in question.

Roman Ali, a university student, told this scribe that reading profiles of great people was not only a pleasure activity but also a healthy habit. He said that young people didn’t have time for reading extra books.

“Most students don’t have time to read books outside their course. They wrongly believe that reading books don’t help them achieve the targets they had set. I think, they are wrong, reading books could change our lives and could shape our outlook on life and society, books are powerful storehouses of knowledge that bring about revolutionary changes in nation’s lives,” said Mr Ali.

The series titled ‘Who was’ runs in 63 including, William Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Leonardo da Vinci , Pablo Picasso, Charles Darwin, Thomas Elva Edison, Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, Abraham Lincoln , John .F Kennedy, Christopher Columbus, Marco Polo , Neil Armstrong , Hellen Keller and Elvis Presley. Noted fictionist J.K Rowling, Bill Gates, Barack Obama and late Steve Jobs are also among the modern reads.

Each biography is a complete encyclopedia carrying brief life history, achievements and contributions of the great people, who served humanity through their sheer hard work and broad vision. The series will prove a source of inspiration for young readers.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2015

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