Review by alyssajanel13 -- Burn Zones by Jorge P. Newbery
Posted: 15 Aug 2020, 07:52
[Following is a volunteer review of "Burn Zones" by Jorge P. Newbery.]
In the age of Hamilton, it’s hard not to get behind the story of a first-generation scrappy American son pushing himself to critical success only on the merit of his hard work and endlessly optimistic determination. Burn Zones: Playing Life’s Bad Hands by Jorge P. Newbery is a memoir that echoes that tale of rising from humble to heights. Reality strikes with a drop back into despair and another climb to success. Definitely a feel-good story with a hero who deserves applause.
The author begins his memoir with a comparison of the challenges of athletic demands to those of life. It makes immediate sense and it is a metaphor that is simple and powerful. Things that burn can hurt, but sometimes fire to cleanse is the only option to start again. Ironically, there is actually very little of the book dedicated to cycling. There’s more competition in Jorge’s un-athletic life. He starts the reader off with a tour of his his meager beginnings: a newspaper buy, turned door-to-door ice cream salesman, turned record and event production. His journey continues as he transitions into a brief stint as an Olympic-hopeful race and then to his next challenge as a loan officer. This is the bulk of the story—watching this young man take chances on crumbling real estate to revitalize communities and turn a profit. And then the profits turn and he’s forced to big deep and push through to climb out to baseline. Then, the uphill starts again.
This kid…he’s got moxie. How does that much chutzpah live in a a small English-Argentinian boy? You’d need to be a missing a soul if you don’t start rooting for this kid. And then want to give him a few bucks and a big hug when things turn south. There was lots to love in this rising star tale. I really enjoyed Jorge’s candor, baring his soul and his mistakes with honestly. As a 90’s wannabe punk kid myself, I connected with his punk show charisma. Incredible that police-initiated riots with agitated young people are still happening in streets today, just as they were outside Newbery’s Youth Manifesto decades ago. His translation of historical racism among communities is uncomfortably familiar in today’s world. Opiates and illness also make painful appearances in the story, which again make the book topical. From a textual standpoint, I loved the simple, clean, straight-forward storytelling style.
Burn Zones does have its touchy spots. This young loner has a fire in himself, so much so that it turns to narcissism. It felt like a strange juxtaposition to have an allegedly insecure kid show such a flash of ego to tackle impossible challenges on the top of unclimbable mountains. But, maybe if I was friends with Social D, I’d name drop them too. Jorge seems like a sweet kid who turns into a good man—a good man who has been very lucky in life. There’s no turbulent childhood, no illness, no addictions in this story. Not much adversity to overcome from the jump. It’s a book about a fortunate boy with lots of support who goes through life with a lot of success. He even finds the girl. (Even though he brags about the excellent investment of a cheap eBay ring. Come on, friend. I need a little romance.) My relationship perspective, maybe, is don’t reveal all your secrets to financial success.
But that’s the way with this writer. No frills. From an editorial standpoint, the book follows that exact method and is brisk and well-paced. There’s not a lot of driftwood. But there is an abundance of exclamation points. These textual excitable raised voices make the tone sound young and almost amateurish, which is a disservice to the serious nature of the topics tackled. It’s a forgivable literary offense, as I really do believe in the passion that Newbery has for his business and for life in general. In all, an enjoyable read and a solid 3 out of 4 stars. Burn Zones is a recommended read for any sports or fitness enthusiast who wants to translate those same practices to the business world. This should also be a necessary reference for young entrepreneurs who need a point of inspiration to guide them to through the rough patches.
******
Burn Zones
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
In the age of Hamilton, it’s hard not to get behind the story of a first-generation scrappy American son pushing himself to critical success only on the merit of his hard work and endlessly optimistic determination. Burn Zones: Playing Life’s Bad Hands by Jorge P. Newbery is a memoir that echoes that tale of rising from humble to heights. Reality strikes with a drop back into despair and another climb to success. Definitely a feel-good story with a hero who deserves applause.
The author begins his memoir with a comparison of the challenges of athletic demands to those of life. It makes immediate sense and it is a metaphor that is simple and powerful. Things that burn can hurt, but sometimes fire to cleanse is the only option to start again. Ironically, there is actually very little of the book dedicated to cycling. There’s more competition in Jorge’s un-athletic life. He starts the reader off with a tour of his his meager beginnings: a newspaper buy, turned door-to-door ice cream salesman, turned record and event production. His journey continues as he transitions into a brief stint as an Olympic-hopeful race and then to his next challenge as a loan officer. This is the bulk of the story—watching this young man take chances on crumbling real estate to revitalize communities and turn a profit. And then the profits turn and he’s forced to big deep and push through to climb out to baseline. Then, the uphill starts again.
This kid…he’s got moxie. How does that much chutzpah live in a a small English-Argentinian boy? You’d need to be a missing a soul if you don’t start rooting for this kid. And then want to give him a few bucks and a big hug when things turn south. There was lots to love in this rising star tale. I really enjoyed Jorge’s candor, baring his soul and his mistakes with honestly. As a 90’s wannabe punk kid myself, I connected with his punk show charisma. Incredible that police-initiated riots with agitated young people are still happening in streets today, just as they were outside Newbery’s Youth Manifesto decades ago. His translation of historical racism among communities is uncomfortably familiar in today’s world. Opiates and illness also make painful appearances in the story, which again make the book topical. From a textual standpoint, I loved the simple, clean, straight-forward storytelling style.
Burn Zones does have its touchy spots. This young loner has a fire in himself, so much so that it turns to narcissism. It felt like a strange juxtaposition to have an allegedly insecure kid show such a flash of ego to tackle impossible challenges on the top of unclimbable mountains. But, maybe if I was friends with Social D, I’d name drop them too. Jorge seems like a sweet kid who turns into a good man—a good man who has been very lucky in life. There’s no turbulent childhood, no illness, no addictions in this story. Not much adversity to overcome from the jump. It’s a book about a fortunate boy with lots of support who goes through life with a lot of success. He even finds the girl. (Even though he brags about the excellent investment of a cheap eBay ring. Come on, friend. I need a little romance.) My relationship perspective, maybe, is don’t reveal all your secrets to financial success.
But that’s the way with this writer. No frills. From an editorial standpoint, the book follows that exact method and is brisk and well-paced. There’s not a lot of driftwood. But there is an abundance of exclamation points. These textual excitable raised voices make the tone sound young and almost amateurish, which is a disservice to the serious nature of the topics tackled. It’s a forgivable literary offense, as I really do believe in the passion that Newbery has for his business and for life in general. In all, an enjoyable read and a solid 3 out of 4 stars. Burn Zones is a recommended read for any sports or fitness enthusiast who wants to translate those same practices to the business world. This should also be a necessary reference for young entrepreneurs who need a point of inspiration to guide them to through the rough patches.
******
Burn Zones
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon