4 out of 4 stars
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Mark Haddon once said, “Reading is a conversation. All books talk. But a good book listens as well.” And Then I Met Margaret did exactly that for me: it listened. As I read the book it felt like Rob White was speaking directly to me and helping me make sense of the many confusing events that have taken place in my life.
In 21 chapters, White talks about life-changing moments he has experienced in his seven decades of living. And, in the most beautiful way, he pays homage to people, or "gurus" as he calls them, who have each taught him very important lessons. Lessons that have and continue to help him succeed despite the challenges he faces.
The astonishing thing about the book is that a lot of the gurus Rob mentions are ordinary people. For example, Peter, who sells peanuts at a park teaches Rob the importance of actively choosing life over death. Some of the gurus are not even human! Like the Spanish bulls of Pamplona that make Rob realize the beauty of living in the moment.
White did well to write the book in the first person because it made me feel like I was taking the journey with him. By the end, his failures had become my failures and his victories my victories. And most of the lessons he learned and the realizations he made, I now embraced as my own.
And Then I Met Margaret is a unique work of non-fiction. I love that the author speaks about his failures as much as he speaks about his successes. This aspect makes the book realistic and relatable. I honestly felt like an old friend of mine was telling me the story of his life.
Also, Rob White narrates the events of his life so well, the book almost reads like fiction. White’s way with words held my attention throughout the 185 pages of the book. There were a couple of grammatical errors but nothing a little editing cannot fix!
I give the book 4 out of 4 stars. I have no reason to give it a lower rating because I had a good time reading it and I learned a whole lot.
This book is perfect for anyone looking to improve himself/herself or aspects of his/her life. My greatest takeaway from the book is that life is always teaching. We just have to choose to listen and to learn.
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And Then I Met Margaret
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