The ABCs of Life
Ever thought about relearning your ABCs?
In this exotically illustrated book, Ira Gorawara takes the reader on a journey back to elementary school, back to the joy of multi-colored pens and playing on monkey bars. Each of the ABCs' twenty-six letters have a corresponding short story, representing a dimension of our lives, as perceived by 17 year-old Ira. These stories urge us to reconnect with parts of our life we have lost touch with - or, perhaps, never been in touch with.
The Launch
Guest of Honor: Nury Vittachi
Our guest of honor of the event was Nury Vittachi – ​one of Asia’s most widely published authors and journalists, and emeritus chairman of Asia-Pacific’s biggest association of writers. Vittachi has published over 30 books, and has worked as a journalist for SCMP, BBC, CNN and NBC.
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Snippet of my speech at the official book launch, held on December 17, 2021 in Hong Kong's leading chain of independent bookshops, Bookazine. Watch more to hear about how the idea of "The ABCs of Life" came to be.
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With over 200 guests in attendance and even more copies sold, the launch was a huge success. Thank you Bookazine for the platform to begin the circulation of my inaugural book. The book is still in stores in all of Bookazine's locations!
Central,
Hong Kong
Other Locations
Snippets of the Book
Preface
A Couple Looks In
"V" story of the book – a complete guide to visualization.
"A" story of the book – a poem of the strenuous yet rewarding life of an athlete.
"U" story of the book – the absurdity and superficiality of the modern university process.
"V" story of the book – a complete guide to visualization.
Accolades
Hong Kong Literary Festival
NE8x LitFest
New Delhi World Book Fair
Invited to speak at Hong Kong's annual International Young Readers Festival in March 2022 – a vibrant arm of the Hong Kong International Literary Festival. As the youngest of 22 headline authors – namely Elen Favilli, Michael Morpugo, amongst others – I was part of the author line-up, speaking in schools and public spaces around Hong Kong and selling my book to a diverse and dynamic group of local and international writers.
NE8x recognizes leading authors for esteemed books that have impacted a range of readers with a 'Certification of Nomination'. I was chosen as an Esteemed Honorary Speaker across literary domains and placed amongst the top 100 authors on the ‘NE8x Litfest’ annual list, earning nomination for the 2022 Litfest alongside Pulitzer Prize winners and National Book Award nominees.
My book was chosen to be on display and sold at New Delhi World Book Fair, organized by India's largest publishing company – the National Book Trust – is one of the nation's largest literary events. It has emerged as a gateway to the publishing and intellectual world of South Asia. The Fair ushers participation from major publishing houses worldwide as the virtual event in 2021 garnered more than 2.8 million hits and viewers from over 70 countries.
Amazon Customer
"Can’t choose which of the 26 stories I like most!"
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"I was surprised and most impressed by the philosophical depth and meaning with which this 17-year old wrote the book. Her messages throughout the book represent knowledge, understanding, and an appreciation of the world and society well beyond her years.
I highly recommend the book, and the best part is that the stories are short and concise whilst all incorporating significant messages/learning that have relevance in our lives. Don’t want to sit through and read a single story for hours? Try this one out! 26 short stories in one - each will keep you completely engrossed and run no longer than 10 minutes of reading."
Aradhana Saraf
"Refreshing, warm, witty and heartfelt…these are some of the words that come to my mind as I finished reading “The ABCs of Life” by Ira Gorawara. I love the way the book interlaces the various themes ranging from Ira’s growing up tales and experiences, astute observations about the places she has travelled, her relationships and life in general. The writing style in the book is very refreshing as each chapter relaying her interpretation of life and lessons is expressed in different forms; ranging from poems, short essays, comic strips and more…! Many of these topics resonated strongly with me both in terms of my own growing up years and also as I read them to my teen son!"
Lisa Driver, MI
"Honest, humorous and refreshing!"
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"Loved it, very honest and absorbing musings of the author on such diverse issues . Very interesting to see different writing styles for each of the narratives. Captivating and true to heart writing, thoroughly enjoyed reading the book."
Himani Verma
"An honest perspective"
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"It was refreshing to hear such an honest perspective from a young adult. Narrated in a chatty conversational tone it made for an amazing read! Hope to have more from the young author."
Amazon Customer
"Beautifully written"
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"I loved reading this deeply engaging soulful book , where the reader is taken on a fascinating journey with each chapter serving as a beautiful metaphor to the author's evolution and experiences, in tandem with the alphabets learned from childhood , that serve as stepping stones to language, communication and thought in the complex human existence of today , which prompt us too, to return to that beginning and begin to connect the dots of our own lives from A to Z from a deeper , more philosophical perspective through her diversified writing styles."
Amitav Virmani
"A must read for all children and adults. Well done Ira Gorawara!"
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"The simplicity of this book is like a calm, flowing river - peaceful, tranquil yet deep!"