3 out of 4 stars
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Wisdom's Way: Tales, Treasures, Truths by Steven A. Barben is a collection of short stories and parables filled with wisdom and everyday truths. This collection was written by the author over a period of twenty-five years. Some of these stories will probably feel familiar. A few stories have similar themes to other known parables, yet they have a uniqueness all their own.
Some of the lessons in these stories are straightforward. Still, other stories require contemplation to assess their meaning. The themes in this book cover everything from accepting others, true wealth, and finding beauty all around us.
Every so often, throughout the book there are little sections of two or three of the author's thoughts. These small pearls of wisdom were among my favorite parts of this book. I liked that the stories were broken up into sections by these "thoughts" and "final thoughts" from the author.
There is a short story entitled, "Somewhere, Somebody Loves that Boy." This story is written in poetic format and is among my favorites in this book. The poetic format of this story really caught my attention. It flowed very well and was written nicely. This story tells of a young boy who takes a stand against his new friends that bully others.
The author's writing is easy to follow. It is written in an more conversational tone. Each of the tales and parables touches on a multitude of ideas. These stories can be read on many levels. They can be read as simply stories for entertainment or on a deeper level of philosophy and spirituality.
I think that some might be able to gain insights from this book. I, however, did not particularly find anything new. Overall, this does not subtract from the readability of this book. I think that rather than reading the stories as parables they can simply be read as everyday stories for entertainment. A few of these stories, while not directed at children, could be used to teach them important concepts such as friendship.
Wisdom's Way was edited very well. There was only one grammatical error in this book, that I encountered. I am glad that I only encountered one error as it would have ruined the book for me otherwise.
I would give this book 3 out of 4 stars. I would only give it three because I was aware of the concepts and there was nothing new for me.
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Wisdom's Way
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