3 out of 4 stars
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And Then I Met Margaret by Rob White can best be described as a biography in which the author details the twenty-two most inspirational people that he’s met throughout his life and what he’s learnt from his experiences.
The book opens with a quick introduction in which White gives the reader a brief overview of his upbringing; his childhood in the small poor town where he grew up and the hidden pressure he faced to work in one of town's factories. However, despite this, he went to college, became a high earning teacher and then managed to elevate himself to a highly successful real estate entrepreneur.
Each chapter documents the moments before and after he meets each ordinary guru along with the lesson that he learnt from each experience. The structure of this book was a refreshing change from the usual clutter that can appear in self-motivational novels and, as such, And Then I Met Margaret, was a very easy read. I particularly enjoyed the way a myth (surrounding individuals’ success) that White used to believe, was stated at the beginning of each chapter and the new reality he has discovered at the end of each chapter. This provided an informative and thought-provoking summary to each anecdote.
One of my favourite chapters has to be Chapter 19 – The Maasai Mother, in which White tells us about his travels on the Serengeti plains in Tanzania. It was there where he met a mother of a sick baby. What follows is a moving and inspirational story that brought me to tears. I think this quote ‘When it comes to using your power and directing the universe to work with you, your age doesn’t matter, your race doesn’t matter, your gender doesn’t matter... none of that matters’ will tell you exactly what this chapter means to me better than I can myself.
As much as I enjoyed And Then I Met Margaret, there were certain parts of it that I just didn’t get along with, especially the narrator’s tone of voice. Don’t get me wrong, the success that he’s experienced throughout his life is very impressive and I give him full credit for his achievements. However, I found him borderline arrogant at times, especially when talking about his property investments. As a result, I struggled to relate to a few of the chapters which really detracted from my overall enjoyment of the book.
Despite its pitfalls And Then I Met Margaret by Rob White is a worthy read filled with motivational accounts of White’s experiences throughout his life. As such, I rate it 3 out of 4 stars and would recommend to anyone who feels that they are lacking the motivation to progress in their life and career. So take a seat, open your mind and in Rob’s own words... ‘Are you ready?’
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And Then I Met Margaret
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