The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Pursuing a Better Tomorrow

Because Pursuing a Better Tomorrow was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.

Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.

IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.

This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.

Yoli García

I would have sampled this book on my own because I like the cover and the title. The OBC review did not convince me to read it. I like the theme of immigration, but it is not what I am looking forward to read at the present time. I have read too many books about it this year. I think a professional edited the book. I liked that the author shares her family's immigration story from Galicia to Cuba and New York. My family has a similar immigration background. Our is from Asturias and Santander to Cuba, to Puerto Rico, and finally to the United States. I will not read the book at the present time because I have too many books about immnigration, but I will keep it mind.

First Ten review added on September 17, 2019, at 4:50 am by Yoli García.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Hiruni Bhagya 81

When I read the OBC review on this book, it appeared to be an eye-opener for those who take things for granted and not appreciate what life has already given to them. When I sampled the book, I realized how talented the author was. Before sampling the book, I wasn't sure whether I'd be reading this book or not. But, after sampling it, I felt as if I had to read it. What I liked most in the sample was how realistic it was. Though these are the struggles the author's grandfather went through, I felt as if I'm witnessing them. Since I didn't notice any errors and it seemed to be properly edited, the only suggestion I have to improve this book is to not deliver a large amount of information at the same time. Though this information is required to understand the rest of the book, it's better if they are delivered a small amount at one time so that the readers don't feel overwhelmed.

First Ten review added on September 17, 2019, at 4:50 am by Hiruni Bhagya 81.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Lorraine De Vos

I would have chosen to sample this book based on the cover and reviews. The author went through a lot of trouble to track down her ancestors and uncover the roots of her family. I felt a certain sense of pity for the young men being drafted into a war they do not believe in. I can relate wanting to leave a country due to poverty or civil war. I do however think that a major part to their delayed adaption was the cultural and language barrier which I cannot relate to. The book does appear to be professionally edited, as I did not notice any errors. The official OnlineBookClub review was very well written, but did not serve to keep my interest in this story. I will not be adding this book to my reading list. The story just did not grab my attention.

First Ten review added on September 17, 2019, at 4:43 am by Lorraine De Vos.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Alice Heritage

I probably wouldn't have sampled this without the programme as it seems to be more of a memoir and I don't normally read those. I also won't buy and read it today on the basis of the sample as I'm not prioritizing memoirs right now. I noticed several errors that I think a professional editor would have picked up on: "Spanish government" which should read "Government" and "ridged" which should read "rigid" are just two examples of these. I was surprised at the OBC review rating of four stars; my decision was more based on the sample than on that review, which was somewhat unclear. I loved the author's idea of writing four short stories about main characters epitomizing their times, as well as the checklist for reaching the destination of the American Dream. In terms of what could be improved, there was some text that looked like a link but wasn't. Also, it seems the editing could be improved.

First Ten review added on September 17, 2019, at 4:35 am by Alice Heritage.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Aubrey Lewis

The overall appearance of the book is quite pleasing to the eyes. When I read the official review, however, the storyline did not seem to fit my preferences. Also, when I finished sampling the first ten pages, I came to the conclusion that I will not be reading the rest of the book. Everything seemed professionally edited so far, and I got to understand a little about how hard the military life was from Juan's -- José's brother -- dialogue with his father, Salvador. Unfortunately, historical fiction just isn't my cup of tea, so I didn't read any further. I did notice one punctuation error in the book: [Juan waited, impatiently for his leave.] The comma placed there was unnecessary.

First Ten review added on September 17, 2019, at 4:12 am by Aubrey Lewis.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

va2016

The cover and the title are indicative of the theme of the book. There are 2 Amazon customer reviews. The Amazon summary provides a clear description of what to expect in the book. Based on the Amazon summary, I would have sampled the book even if not for the First Ten program, as I am interested in immigration stories. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration describing Jose's unhappiness in Spain about attending military service. I found that the writing style is not very interesting, so I am not going to read this book in full. I didn't find the book professionally edited, as the formatting is not that good, with too few lines in each paragraph. I didn't find any grammatical or mechanical errors in the sample. What I liked most about the book is its theme of immigration. I could not find anything that could be improved with the book. Although I found one OBC review of the book, my decision to not to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.

First Ten review added on September 17, 2019, at 3:16 am by va2016.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Vickie Noel

I wouldn't have read this book outside the program because the title and cover don't exactly stimulate my reading hunger. My opinion hasn't changed much after the sample. I got tired of the narrations I had to read through before getting to the first dialogue. However, I'm happy the author was able to develop an "intense emotional connection and relationship...with her grandparents even if it was on paper" and in her mind. Anything that is capable of giving one such a rewarding and enlightening experience is quite welcome. I found no grammatical errors, proving that the book was well edited. The OBC review didn't really stimulate my interest, and neither has the sample.

First Ten review added on September 17, 2019, at 2:14 am by Vickie Noel.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Annelore Trujillo

I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover and title. After reading the first ten pages, I won’t be finishing this book. I wasn’t really into the story and the backgrounds of all of the family members. I liked that it included different perspectives. Giving information on Juan’s experience in the military emphasized why Jose didn’t want to enlist. However, some of the background information got a little lengthy and dry for my taste. It did seem to be professionally edited.

First Ten review added on September 17, 2019, at 1:59 am by Annelore Trujillo.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

ritah

Based on the cover and title, I would have sampled the book because I found the cover appealing. I read the official review and sampled the book. I liked that through research, the author was able to find information about her place of origin and about her grandparents too, whom she felt an intense emotional connection to. I did not spot any errors in the pages I read. I'm not a big fan of this genre and category, therefore, I won't be reading the rest of the book because the content isn't for me.

First Ten review added on September 17, 2019, at 1:06 am by ritah.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

unamilagra

Before sampling this book, I may have picked it up because I like the cover art and find the plight of immigrants an intriguing topic. I liked that the author pointed out that she hoped her book would be an encouragement to children in similar situations to the one she experienced. I found the historical elements about compulsory military service in Spain to be interesting in the first few pages of Jose's story. I am intrigued by the structure and themes of this book, so I believe I will continue reading it. I didn't notice any errors in the section I read.

First Ten review added on September 17, 2019, at 12:09 am by unamilagra.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

AA1495

Had I not sampled the book, I would not have read it. I do not usually read memoirs. However, I liked the image of the landscape on the cover, and the contrast of the white text against the dark blue background. Having read the sample, the first thing that I noticed was that the book had five parts. While it seemed well structured, it also seemed long and tiresome to read. In terms of formatting, I found the spacing between paragraphs excess, which was distracting. However, I felt like the author introduced Jose, Juan and Galicia's characters well. In terms of language, the book was easy to read and understand. While this can be adjusted, the font size in my copy of the sample (on Amazon) was small, which made the book difficult to read. While I did not find any major grammatical errors, I found the formatting (the line spacing and the font size) distracting. I do not read the genre usually, and hence, I will not be buying the book today.

First Ten review added on September 17, 2019, at 12:00 am by AA1495.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

gen_g

I have come across reviews of this book, and it has piqued my interest. However, there are a couple of errors present. At 1% of the sample, there are missing periods in the abbreviation "US" and should be labelled as such: "U.S.". I like how the author has included a foreword in her book, which describes her story of her ancestors, of 3 generations of her maternal lineage, as they migrated to the States from the Dominican Republic. This will help the reader to better position himself/herself within the story. I have no suggestions except to run it through a few more rounds of editing. However, I will not be purchasing the book today, not because of its quality, but because I'm currently not looking for biographies/histories.

First Ten review added on September 16, 2019, at 7:43 pm by gen_g.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sarah_Khan

At first glance, I would not have picked up this book because the title made me think this was a self-help book. I am a fan of the cover. The first ten pages seem well-edited. I liked the overall idea of the book and I think a lot of people will be able to relate to the hardships of immigrating to a new country. I liked that the preface helped explained the layout of the book and what we can expect. I actually think I am going to give this book a try. I did not read any OBC review.

First Ten review added on September 16, 2019, at 5:44 pm by Sarah_Khan.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Jsovermyer

The cover art and the title, Pursuing a Better Tomorrow, are both interesting and sum up what this book is about. This is the story of three generations of a family that immigrated to the United States to make a better life for themselves and for their children. Each generation's story is interesting and colorful. I thought the father, Salvador, was harsh in insisting that Juan return to the military. He would not help he escape to Cuba. But then in the later chapter, the father had saved up enough money to allow José to travel there. It wasn't explained why the father had a change of heart about the military and the war. The official review rated this book highly, and it does seem to be well-written. I didn't find any spelling or grammatical errors and believe it has been professionally edited. Although the story is interesting, it didn't hold my attention well enough. I will not be finishing this one. Perhaps I will read it at a later time.

First Ten review added on September 16, 2019, at 5:42 pm by Jsovermyer.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Ekta Kumari

I wouldn't have read the book as the plot's premise didn't entice me. Though, it seems like a good read for those who like reading real life stories and generational history. I like how the author narrates the story, detailing the experiences of different characters that are part of the narrative. I also found elaborate details about the geography and history of Spain. The book's detailing seems to be the best thing about it. There were no error, and the book looks professionally edited. I would recommend the read to only those who like reading a memoir kind of book with elaborate details. As I'm not into the genre, I'll not be reading the rest of this book. Those interested can check out its official review.

First Ten review added on September 16, 2019, at 2:43 pm by Ekta Kumari.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kajori Sheryl Paul

'Pursuing A Better Tomorrow' is a book written by Blanca M. De La Rose. The title, blurb, and cover did a good job at convincing me to give this book a try.
The first ten pages leads me to believe that it is a story of immigration. The author’s family migrated to the US from the Dominic Republic. The author chronicles the lives of three generations of her maternal lineage. The book starts from the year 1900. I liked the in-depth research. I did not find any error. I think that it is professionally edited. I will give this book a try as I like reading books of this genre.

First Ten review added on September 16, 2019, at 2:02 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Emy Katherine

Although I liked both the eye-catching cover and the well-written blurb, I would not have read the book without The First Ten program. I do not read memoirs, so reading the sample and the OBC review did not change my mind. I honestly admire the author for sharing her family history from the 1900s to the present day. She shares how she and her ancestors faced and overcame many challenges as immigrants. I thoroughly liked the author's compelling writing style, and I had no problem connecting with the characters. It was particularly heartbreaking the scene in which the author's grandfather, José, was forced to leave his country and his family to avoid military service. Undoubtedly, those who enjoy reading inspirational memoirs will appreciate it. Plus, I did not find any typos or grammatical errors, so the book seemed to be properly edited.

First Ten review added on September 16, 2019, at 1:07 pm by Emy Katherine.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Ashley Louise

Pursuing a Better Tomorrow by Bianca M De La Rosa is the kind of book I likely would have read on my own based on the beautiful cover art, intriguing blurbs and stellar reviews. The 4 out of 4 rating from the Official OnlineBookClub review absolutely swayed my decision, though I may have still wanted to read it without one. Diving into the first ten pages left me wanting more. I enjoyed the authors storytelling ability and the vivid imagery that arose in my mind as I read. I feel the one improvement would have been a shorter preface, getting into the stories a bit sooner as I feel the short stories in this book would have drawn a casual reader in faster. After the first few pages it became more fast-paced and interesting and that first chapter telling of Jose's dilemma with the Spanish Government is what confirmed my decision to read the book in its entirety. Overall, the book seemed well-written and professionally edited as I did not note any grammar or spelling issues within the first ten pages. I have added this book to my reading list and certainly intend to finish it so I recommend others give it chance and don't let the first few slower pages scare you away from what appears like it will be an interesting book.

First Ten review added on September 16, 2019, at 12:38 pm by Ashley Louise.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Scerakor

From the cover, blurb, and review of this book, I wouldn’t have read it. Although I’m sure the story of immigration from Spain to Cuba and to the Dominican Republic is interesting, this isn’t the type of book that would interest me. After reading the first ten pages I didn’t change my mind and therefore will not be buying and reading the rest of this book. I enjoyed reading about the snapshot in time and geography that the first ten pages gave. From arguing about mandatory military service to the description of the maternal duties in the kitchen and the uses of the hearth, this really shows how life was in that time period. That being said, I’m not looking for this kind of book right now and the first ten pages didn’t convince me to grab a book that I wouldn’t usually be interested in. I didn’t see anything specific that I would have wanted to change within the sample that I read, but it did seem well written and edited. The official review did not affect my decision at all.

First Ten review added on September 16, 2019, at 12:35 pm by Scerakor.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

OliviaLouise

Based on the review, I was very interested in reading this book because of the personal history of the author. Spanish wars and Dominican immigration are interesting topics to me, so reading about these things from a Dominican perspective is enriching and thought-provoking. After reading the sample, I was not disappointed and am looking forward to reading more! One thing I really like is the author’s storytelling capability. She did a seamless of job of describing Spanish history in the context of what was currently happening in the main character’s life. As Jose is going about his daily tasks, he is consumed with frustration as he thinks about the draft and Spanish wars. This is very believable! I did not find any editing errors, the writing is great, and it’s an interesting topic. Can’t wait to read the rest!

First Ten review added on September 16, 2019, at 9:53 am by OliviaLouise.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Kristy Khem

The cover design was interesting. Based on this, the title, and the blurb, I would have chosen to read this memoir. There was only one review on Amazon, so I was a little concerned that it may not be as enjoyable as I thought. The sample did a good job of introducing the setting. I liked the smooth transition between Jose and Juan. I could feel both of the brother's intense hatred of the war. I really pitied Juan when he announced to his dad that he would not be returning to his military post. However, I did not like the dialogues that were exchanged between the characters. Most people shorten words in real speech, such as 'it will' (it'll) or 'it is' (it's). In the dialogue, words weren't shortened so they seemed unrealistic. There were no errors that I noticed in the sample. I believe this book was edited professionally. I was not captured by the sample and the strange dialogue irked me. Therefore, I would not buy and read this book.

First Ten review added on September 16, 2019, at 7:53 am by Kristy Khem.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Gravy

I didn't notice any errors in the sample, but the Kindle sample was oddly formatted (break lines separating every paragraph). The print edition sample was much more cohesive.
At first, I found the author's style quite easy to read and rather enjoyable, but the dialogue, and then the sections of historical facts, lost my interest. The former, due to flatness, the latter, because it interrupted the flow.
Memoirs (and the like) do interest me, so I may have given this a look, but the sample (due to the above issues) did change my mind, so I won't be reading it.
There was a review for this book, but that has no affect on my opinion.

First Ten review added on September 16, 2019, at 4:42 am by Gravy.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Cristina Chifane

Although I'm not a reader of memoirs, I have to admit that the cover and title of this book have an air of beauty and optimism about the future. Regardless, I wouldn't have sampled the book without the first ten program. Unfortunately, there are no editorial reviews and only one customer review. However, the immigration topic described in the Amazon blurb made me curious about the story of a family's struggle to survive in foreign lands. The author's efforts to document the history of her family over three generations is nothing but admirable. I also appreciated her wish to inspire others "to dare to dream and reach for the stars." I liked the realism of the details about life in a small Spanish village at the turn of the 19th century, but I thought the author moved too abruptly from one scene to another and the dialogue between Juan and his father fell flat. In terms of editing, I noticed a few punctuation problems (see the missing period: "Juan reluctantly returned to his post (.)" - 42% of Sample). Despite the 4-star OBC review, I won't be reading this book mainly because of the author's rather disjointed style that didn't manage to keep me tuned in.

First Ten review added on September 16, 2019, at 3:58 am by Cristina Chifane.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

lavellan

I probably wouldn't have read the sample of Pursing a Better Tomorrow if it hadn't been a part of the First Ten program. While the Book of the Day review was positive, I'm not a big fan of historical fiction. The book seemed like it was professionally edited, and I did not notice any errors while reading. I enjoyed reading about the author's investigation in Galicia. I didn't like the transition from Jose to Juan. Both of their voices sounded very similar, making them hard to distinguish. As a result of this, I will not buy the book today.

First Ten review added on September 16, 2019, at 12:41 am by lavellan.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

CrescentMoon

After reading the blurb, I don't think I would pick this book up because I like to read fiction books with genres like action, mystery, and suspense. I don't typically read memoirs or non-fiction books or autobiographies so I don't think I'm the target audience for this. After reading the first ten pages, I spotted a few minor grammar errors. In chapter 2, "In 1910, Spain had engaged in Morocco in war." There should be a comma after 1910. The grammar errors were so few and far between and I didn't find them distracting to the story. However, I didn't enjoy the format. I thought the paragraphs were too short and spaced too far apart. It didn't really read like a normal book to me. I appreciate that the author gave a brief history lesson on Spain and the second Ref War, etc. I also think she did a great job explaining Jose's predicament and his understandable anger at having to join the War when he's a pacifist and just wanting to live his life peacefully. I commend the author for her struggles and making it and having a much better life as well as sharing her family history. However, this genre isn't really something I'm interested in so I won't be reading the rest.

First Ten review added on September 15, 2019, at 10:32 pm by CrescentMoon.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

LV2R

There were two book covers that I saw and both were OK. But, the brown one with the road fits the idea that there is a journey to a big city. I like the title of the book. The Amazon Blurb described the memoir as the author’s grandfather, Jose’ from Spain and the author born in the Dominican Republic both having immigrated to New York. The story includes three generations and the author’s journey from New York City’s projects to being successful in her profession. I was not sure if I wanted to read the book or not. The first ten pages began with Jose’ and his rural family in Spain. Jose’s brother, Juan did not want to serve the mandatory military service, but his father would not help him go to Cuba to dodge his duties. I best liked that Juan decided to help his brothers travel so that they would not have to enlist in the military. Jose’s experience in the military and his wish that his brothers would not have to go through the things he has may have influenced his parents to let Jose’ travel to Cuba later on. The book seems to be edited well, as I did not notice any errors. The OBC review outlined the family tree of the author who was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to the USA with her mom, Carla, Jose’s daughter. The author wrote about the challenges and opportunities of immigration and coming of age. While I think it is great that the author could trace back her family history and write about immigration and other issues, I do not want to read this book because I am not particularly interested in this type of story. I also do not like (as the OBC reviewer mentioned) that Carla and the author both got wrapped up in a religion that views all others as threatening and withdraws from the rest of society. I do not think that was healthy for adjusting to a new environment and country.

First Ten review added on September 15, 2019, at 10:22 pm by LV2R.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kelyn

If I had not been a member of this program, it is unlikely that the title, cover, or author would have attracted me to this book. The author is unknown to me, so would have had no impact. The cover, although pretty, it not particularly attention-grabbing and the title is written so lightly that it is somewhat difficult to read against the background. The genre and blurb would have most likely discouraged me from picking up the book because they reveal it to not be of a type I generally enjoy. Reading the sample did not convince me to continue to read the book either. Although I applaud the author for discussing such a currently hot topic in a very unique way, memoirs are simply not a genre I find enjoyable. Though the book did seem well-edited, I did find one error in the sample: “Juan waited, impatiently for his leave.” Missing comma after impatiently OR change the word to impatient

First Ten review added on September 15, 2019, at 9:49 pm by Kelyn.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Catherine Hsu

If I had not read the sample, I would not have read the book as I do not think this is my genre. After reading the sample, I have changed not my mind. I really connected with Juan as a character and felt his rage when he had his conversation with his father about the military. However, the end of the chapter was "Juan reluctantly returned to his post" without punctuation and so I think more professional editing is needed. I did not read an official review but that did not affect my decision.

First Ten review added on September 15, 2019, at 9:46 pm by Catherine Hsu.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

CataclysmicKnight

The cover of this book really captures the feeling of arriving somewhere new with the dreams of what can be and the beauty of what lies ahead. I definitely would've looked into this book if I randomly found it on Amazon or elsewhere.

So far I like both the concept and execution of Pursuing a Better Tomorrow. I've already learned some new information about life in Spain 100 years ago, and I'm able to relate to both sides of the debate over whether Juan should run away from his military service or stick it out. The writing could be a little more polished (I thought I saw some unnecessary commas, but I can never tell what's right or wrong with commas), but I'm still hooked on what Blanca has written, and I didn't see any actual grammatical errors. As such, I definitely want to read the rest of this book.

First Ten review added on September 15, 2019, at 9:43 pm by CataclysmicKnight.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Washboard

The genre only slightly interests me, but the official review made the book sound very interesting. The title and cover art are also eye-catching. The first ten pages are edited well and show the author's great writing capabilities. The story begins with introducing the author's maternal grandfather, José, as a young man dreading his mandatory enrollment in the military. Despite the excellent writing, I am not going to finish this one. The genre is not one I am looking for at the moment.

First Ten review added on September 15, 2019, at 9:42 pm by Washboard.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Verna Coy

Had I not sampled this book through the First Ten program, I would not have picked it up because the title has a sad feel to it for me. For this reason, I do not intend to buy and read the whole book. Reading the first ten pages confirmed my first impressions for me. The book's theme is based on retracing family history after many members have passed on, and it has a sad quality. Based on what I read, the book seems professionally edited, although I did notice missing punctuation at location 36% of the sample. “Juan reluctantly returned to his post[.]” What I liked most about what I read were the details that the author included about family connections as far back as their Spanish roots. I know that people who enjoy stories based on true history will enjoy this book. As far as improvement, I could see no need for any in what I read, aside from some minor proofreading. I did read the Official Online Book Club review and found it informative.

First Ten review added on September 15, 2019, at 8:58 pm by Verna Coy.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

ab2020

Though I'm not a huge fan of the title or cover of this book, the official OBC review was extremely thoughtful and made me really want to read this book. The first ten pages impressed me. I liked the author's tone and style, and I felt drawn to her (and her family's) story. I did not find any errors, and I will continue reading this book. I want to see how the author continues the narrative, as I think this may prove to be unique, insightful, and inspiring immigrant story and memoir.

First Ten review added on September 15, 2019, at 8:34 pm by ab2020.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

HRichards

I normally wouldn't have picked this book up as I wasn't really interested in the summary. Having read the sample I won't be continuing on with the book as it didn't really grasp my attention. The sample deals with the author's grandfather, who had to leave Spain because of the political situation after WWI. Juan is dragged into military service by Spain's government and thoroughly hates it. The sample is very good and I didn't notice any grammar errors. Those who like historical memoirs might like this book. The writing seemed quite good story telling. I am not very interested in the topic myself. I have not read any other reviews for this book.

First Ten review added on September 15, 2019, at 8:27 pm by HRichards.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Brenda Creech

I love the cover on this book, so I would have checked to see what it was about just by that alone. The review was very enlightening and gave a thorough overview of the contents of the book. However, after reading the review and the first ten pages, I have decided not to read the book. I'm not a significant fan of memoirs. The author's story sounds interesting, but I am not interested in reading a book about immigration at this time. What I liked best about the part I did read was how Juan stood up to his father when he was home on leave from the military. He paved the way for his brothers to escape what he had been through in the military. I found the book to be well-edited as I did not find any errors. I did not see anything I felt needed to be improved.

First Ten review added on September 15, 2019, at 8:25 pm by Brenda Creech.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

evraealtana

I don't usually like reading memoirs, as I find that I'm less interested in the events than the author expects me to be, and so I have difficulty getting attached to the characters. This one was no different: although I wanted to root for the Fernandez boys, I found that I couldn't really convince myself to care whether they ended up in the military or not. It's always hard to tell from the first ten pages what the rest of the book will hold, and this one feels like a book that will warm up later on; the official OBC review confirms this. However, judging from the first few chapters alone, there isn't anything to keep me reading. I founds two errors: an extraneous comma in "Juan waited, impatiently"; and a comma in place of a semicolon in "Francisca tightened her shawl around her shoulders, despite the mild weather, she shivered".

First Ten review added on September 15, 2019, at 6:53 pm by evraealtana.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Mary WhiteFace

Without the first ten program, I would not have been interested in reading a book about how three generations of one family came to be immigrants, and how they adjusted to life in a new country. While I found the narrative well-written and interesting, I wasn't compelled to continue reading after the first ten pages. I believe that this book will be a help to those who have lived through the adjustment of immigration, or those who wonder what it was like.

I liked that the author stressed that even though she was including stories about things that happened to other people, what she wrote was her perspective and that everyone involved in any situation has a slightly different perspective than everyone else. The author did a great job of portraying the emotional struggle Juan had when confronting his father about going to Cuba instead of returning to his post in the military. There was real anguish in her writing.

The book seemed to be professionally edited. I have no suggestions for improvements. The OnlineBookClub review was positive, but did not convince me to change my mind. I will not be reading this book.

First Ten review added on September 15, 2019, at 6:26 pm by Mary WhiteFace.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Theresa Moffitt

I really liked the cover art and title of this book. It shows traveling on a small road to the big city. It looks to be an inspiring book about change. I would have picked this book up based on the cover alone. The first ten pages start with a preface by the author explaining her family history and how her family immigrated to the United states for a better life. The author explains that the book contains four, interwoven main stories with a common theme of immigrations. Chapter one begins with the story of Jose experiencing dissatisfaction with his life in Spain. I didn’t see any errors in the first ten pages so I believe the book was professionally edited based on the first ten pages alone. I think this book sounds inspiring and I am interested in reading the rest of it. I would like to finish reading this book

First Ten review added on September 15, 2019, at 6:24 pm by Theresa Moffitt.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Chelsy Scherba

I enjoyed reading the introduction and learning more about the reasons why people immigrate and how it effects the generations after them. Jose left because the Spanish government was trying to force him (a pacifist) to enlist in the military. He was a farmer who wasn’t interested in going to war, but the government made it compulsory. I like the beautiful cover image and the book seems perfectly edited. The review mentioned how this book is a memoir, so although it is well-written, I’m not in the market for this genre today. I’ll consider reading in the future when I’m in search of a family history.

First Ten review added on September 15, 2019, at 6:20 pm by Chelsy Scherba.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

cpru68

Readers are given a great description about what this book entails as the author explains that she has traced her family roots which spans 100 years. Not knowing her ancestors in person, she begins with her grandfather Jose who is a young man about to turn 18 and by law has to go into the military according to the Spanish government. She has used diary’s and other resources to gather her information.

I liked how the author laid out this book so readers know exactly where it is going. Sometimes books like this can get confusing but it was clearly explained that she would be retracing her grandparents lineage and immigration to America. I won’t be finishing this book as I am not interested in reading about this topic. I think a professional editing job was done on this as I found no errors in punctuation, spelling or grammar, and the reviewer indicated that as well.

I appreciate the opportunity to have read the sample pages of this, and I probably wouldn’t have found this without the online book club. I will send it out on my social media for others to look into.

First Ten review added on September 15, 2019, at 4:40 pm by cpru68.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Erin Dydek

The beautiful cover and the inspiring title caught my immediate attention and had me interested in learning more about the book. The OBC review informed me that the book included many ups and downs along a family's journy through immigration. It sounded like a heart-wrenching book that i was not sure that I wanted to read. As I read the first pages for myself, I found that the book contained the researched history of De La Rosa's family. I enjoyed the narravtive sections that told about Jose and his frustration about being conscripted into the millitary since he was a conscientios objector. This narravtive was interspersed with historical facts about the second Rif War and the harsh conditions of military life. I think this was an interesting way to write the book and will apeal to those who love history but for me it was a bit dry. The book seemed to be well edited but this genere does not appeal to me and I will not finish reading the book.

First Ten review added on September 15, 2019, at 3:33 pm by Erin Dydek.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

sarahmarlowe randomeducator

The cover is intriguing, and I like the title design. The sample was well written. While I found no errors, I did notice that sometimes the sentence structure was repetitive -- many sentences in a row starting with "I" or "He." I found the introduction quite interesting, and I see it as an integral part of the book, setting it up for readers. The relationship between Juan, Jose, and their father was quite tense, and I wondered how it would develop throughout the book. I haven't read an OBC review of the book, and I won't be reading it, because I don't usually enjoy memoirs. I am quite impressed with the author's dedication to finding out her family's story.

First Ten review added on September 15, 2019, at 3:22 pm by sarahmarlowe randomeducator.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Laura Ungureanu

I wouldn't normally look at a non-fiction book, but the review was very convincing. This is the history of a family's immigration that spans over three generations. I like that the author was very clear and detailed in the book's Preface. I find it interesting that she used the stories of some cousins from Galicia, as well as a great-uncle's diary in making the book as accurate as possible. The book starts with José's story and his resentment over the Spanish government. I enjoy the author's writing style, but I'm not one who reads non-fiction books. I didn't notice any typos.

First Ten review added on September 15, 2019, at 2:55 pm by Laura Ungureanu.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

MsTri

I knew that I wouldn't want to read this book as soon as I saw its cover and title. Reading the Amazon synopsis and OBC review (the only one I read) solidified my initial thoughts. Even though I'm all for immigration, I am not interested in memoirs or autobiographies. With that being said, I was glad that the sample seemed to indicate that the book was professionally edited. I did like Juan and Salvador's discussion about whether Juan should desert the military. Even though I won't finish reading this tome, I don't have any suggestions for changes because it is written well for its genre.

First Ten review added on September 15, 2019, at 2:21 pm by MsTri.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

gali

I wouldn't have sampled the book on my own, as I don't read non-fiction books. I didn't change my mind after sampling the book. While a real-life story of immigration sounds enlightening, the sample didn't hit the mark for me. The book revolves around three generations of one family, detailing their journey from Spain to the USA. Although I didn't notice any glaring errors, I didn't care for the style of writing. In addition, I found the double spaces between the paragraphs rather distracting. Although I liked the way Jose's enlistment dilemma was described, I lost interest when the story jumped to his brother. I won't read the book, as it doesn't appeal to me. The official review didn't sway my decision either way.

First Ten review added on September 15, 2019, at 2:21 pm by gali.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Total ~ 20%

Pursuing a Better Tomorrow earned a score of 20%.

In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 20% plan to read the whole book.

IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.

Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.

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