3 out of 4 stars
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Don't let the rather muted book title And Then I met Margaret by Rob White delude you. This, in my opinion, is among one of the best-written street-smart and inspirational pieces I have ever come across. As a matter of fact, the title is borrowed from one of several situational awareness episodes shared by Rob and contained in the book.
Such episodes are introduced with well-thought-out titles derived from the story Rob is trying to share with the reader. Take the episode "Craving a Lilac Mint", for example; back when he was in college, Rob describes a chance encounter with a very well-known and respected American philanthropist. It all started on a warm, sunny day in Hyannis Port during the summer break. Rob and his college friends were sharing a cottage and a few of them hadn't yet found a steady summer employment. It came, therefore, as a lucky break for them when Rob's roommate, Carl, helped them get a one-day gig, serving appetizers at an outdoor spring bash attended by 160 social elites. For Rob, however, his highlight for the day would be the chance meeting with Rose Kennedy. Shortly before their encounter he felt envious and intimidated by the place. He came from a locality where a backyard barbecue and a cold Bud were as good as it got. He felt like an outsider gazing into a world he'd never be welcome. Meeting Mrs. Kennedy, however, made him feel like an invited guest. He felt grateful that she saw beyond his ill-fitting clothing. More importantly, he learned from her that a successful life is built on self-confidence and not on the stellar family pedigrees or Ivy League education one had.
Many years later after this encounter, Rob would eventually get a chance to impart the lessons acquired at this magnificent estate on the ocean. He was then teaching and had taken up a job of supervising ten teenagers who were enrolled in the city's youth summer work program. Out of five boys, he singled out one he felt that the other kids pretty much ignored even though he was courteous and a hard worker. He encouraged the boy, Jose, by telling him that probably not all of the other boys as cool as they felt would end up pursuing their real dreams. This is because even though they act really cool on the outside, they feel insecure and unsure of themselves on the inside. Like Mrs. Kennedy did to him those many years ago, he looked Jose in the eye and said, "You're a diligent worker, Jose, and you take pride in doing your job well. I feel confident that you're going to make the right decisions and be successful when you finish school."
Each one of the twenty-one chapters of this book reflects the themes of hope, success, breakthrough, and triumph against adversity as can be inferred from the story of Jose above. Every chapter is a unique anecdote plucked from Rob's life story and applied to a needy case deserving encouragement and counsel. In this respect, Rob has gone to great length in recalling the right characters from the right period to convey his themes across.
This being a life story you would probably expect it to be told at a leisurely pace and speed up from time to time during the most intense moments. It does pretty that, like in Jose's story above, we find Rob getting a chance to deliver his life lesson after ten years, and a further fifteen years for him to bump into Jose and eventually get to know his career choice based on the earlier counsel given. In short, Rob pulls his readers through his book effectively by use of these series of events and jumping from one time to another.
The author's tone is informal and cheerful which is appropriate to this genre. In addition, his writing style reflects his family background, education, and career. This is important because the reader gets to learn what triggered his success in life. In the prologue to his book, for example, he says: "The moment I stopped thinking that 'success is possible, but not probable,' I became a better judge of what decisions and choices were best for me." Based on this statement, he began redirecting his life path from being a kid born in a mill town, destined to work in a local factory, to be a big-city schoolteacher, then a highly successful real estate entrepreneur and restaurateur on both the East and West coasts.
Apart from the ingeniously worded chapter titles, Rob demonstrates in each chapter some myths he believed and the new reality he discovered after his transformation. To me, this is the greatest strength of this book. On the contrary, its weakness is several errors (counted nine) comprised of misplaced commas and typos.
In conclusion, I recommend the novel to anyone who is looking for a different and refreshing kind of motivational book. This is because the author simply narrates several transformative true-life experiences and lets the reading experience captivate the reader. The book will also suit those who believe that success goes beyond material wealth. Lastly, because of the errors encountered, I rate the book 3 out of 4 stars.
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And Then I Met Margaret
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