3 out of 4 stars
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From Drift to Shift by Jody B. Miller begins with a thought-provoking introduction full of questions that oftentimes we don't like to ask ourselves or when we do, we don't really like the answers we come up with. The introduction sweetens one's appetite for the rest of the book. It shows how universal we are in the sense that we all come to the point in our lives where we ask ourselves tough questions such as whether our lives matter or are we just going through the motions. There's no way anyone can read the introduction and fail to read the rest of the book.
Right from the first chapter the book gets even more engaging with its conversational style of writing cemented by questions and answers. The story of Serita and Reid Cox is very inspiring and a testament to the ability to defy odds stacked against you and succeed in life. Those who can't relate directly to being foster kids can at least glean something from the many lessons that are drawn from the story and summarized at the end of the chapter. It's a very enlightening story. As for the second chapter, I find it's title, Simplicity, relevant in light of lessons drawn from the subject matter of the chapter-The Achuar tribe. I do however think that the aforementioned tribe is not a very good example we can learn from about taking shifts which is what part one is about-Why shift? My reason for saying this is because from the story, we can see that the Achuar people are all about traditions that have been passed on to them for generations on end. There is little room for change or going against the tide which is what making a shift entails. A more relevant example should have been chosen in light of what the book is about which is making shifts in our lives.
When it comes to part two which talks about when to shift, I found the examples relevant particularly Jerry Colonna's story of how he left a life of great fortune on the outside (wealth, power and fame) for inner peace and alleviation from suffering resulting from his troubled upbringing. His story is highly relatable in one way or another. It's also cautions that no matter how good of a life you have on the outside in terms of the trappings of success, life will not be fulfilling until you are true to what's on the inside. I just love how the book reinforces the truth that the purpose of life is a life of purpose.
The ability of the author to incorporate the stories different people with different experiences to give ground to the school of thought she's promoting in the book is genius. In part 3 which talks about how to shift, we can clearly see that she did a lot of research before writing the book. She drew her insights from diverse and eclectic sources which coincidentally seem to have similarities. From my reading of this book I have actually learnt that we all as human beings have a lot in common than we think and more or less yearn for the same things in life which are peace, happiness, joy and fulfillment.
I do however think that some topics in the appendix, just after the resources section, should have been within the main chapters of the book to complement the content therein as they more or less contain the same lessons. Their inclusion in the appendix makes the overall book appear repetitive. It also makes the appendix rather long relative to the overall size of the book.
I rate this book a 3 out of 4 because I find it to be well-researched, deep in content, mind-engaging and professionally edited. I didn't give it a perfect rating for reasons highlighted above (which are usage of the example of the Achuar people and some topics being in the appendix which I think should be in the main chapters of the book). I would recommend this book to anyone looking for motivation or courage to make life-changing decisions. All in all, the book makes for an interesting read.
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From Drift to SHIFT
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