Ask Aristotle Vishal Sharma & William Jaworski | An Indie Book Review

Note: I received an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this story from Reedsy Discovery in exchange for my review. Click here to read the original review and to find out more about the authors as well as how you can read Ask Aristotle by Vishal Sharma & William Jaworski yourself!

During a weekend getaway, author Vishal Sharma and his wife decide to take some psychedelic mushrooms, but when thoughts of dying before teaching his children to live well float into Vishal's mind, panic takes hold. If you’ve ever used psychedelics, you know psychedelics and panic don’t mix. However, it’s this unique situation that leads Vishal’s wife, Michelle, to contact Bill, a friend and professional philosopher. Through Bill and Vishal's conversation, Vishal is introduced to Aristotle’s philosophy and how to practically apply it to life today.

Philosophy can feel like an overwhelming topic for some readers, but this book is full of many relatable analogies even a novice can understand the ideas presented here. Bill draws on quotes from Shakespeare’s infamous play Macbeth to illustrate ideas about life, but that’s not all. Bill also speaks about life like a sport, and uses examples from baseball, basketball, and even the game of golf to help Vishal understand philosophical concepts, and in doing so it also helps the reader understand the ideas as well. Even the non-sports nut will be able to grasp the simple sports analogies. 

Bill’s tone throughout the book is soothing, caring, informative, and respectful to Vishal, and it spills off the pages and into the ears of the reader. Vishal often stops at the end of an idea and repeats back to Bill what he’s understood. At that point Bill either confirms what Vishal has understood or rewords the ideas in a different way so Vishal (and the reader) can fully comprehend the idea. 

As one would hope, this book is littered with wise words to live by. Bill summarizes Aristotle’s ideas to make them easily digestible for Vishal and the reader. 

“The problem, says Aristotle, is that a life devoted to sensory enjoyment is a life suited to grazing animals.” 

The book is a practical dip into the world of living well based on the words and wisdom of Aristotle that has been made applicable for us all. If you are searching for wisdom, or a better way of living, this book is for you. While the book does touch on topics of drug and alcohol use and it mentions sex, it is not done graphically. A few curse words can be found throughout the book, so if you are uncomfortable reading such words, just know there’s only a handful of them. One distracting aspect of the book is the repetitive use of the phrases, “The scene shifted…I was transported.” However, if you can get past that, there is much to be gleaned from what is covered in these pages. This book will stick with you long after you’ve finished reading it and the ideas explored in this book will roll around in your mind and hopefully lead you to action, and with that action, a more fulfilling life.