4 out of 4 stars
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And Then I Met Margaret is a collection of anecdotes drawn from the author’s life, ranging from his childhood in a small factory town, to his varied adulthood experiences as a teacher, businessman, husband, and mentor. Each chapter begins by establishing a “myth” that we believe about ourselves or the way the world works, and ends with the correction to that myth based on the principles shown in a short story.
The format of this book reflects the parables and fables of past eras. There isn’t anything incredibly deep or profound about the content, which mostly centers around positive thinking and personal responsibility, but this lack of depth is almost a virtue because it keeps the reading light and avoids being too preachy.
Reading And Then I Met Margaret feels like you’re sitting with the author, Rob White, chatting about his experiences and what he figured out along the way. It’s friendly. Because of this, I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. There were a couple of minor errors that should’ve been caught during the editing process, but they in no way affected the quality of the reading overall.
As a person who isn’t usually interested in “positive thinking” books, I really enjoyed how approachable this one was. It didn’t feel like the author was coming from a position of, “I have everything figured out, and if you would just think the way I do, then your life would be perfect.” Happily, there is a lot more humility to the way And Then I Met Margaret is written — I felt like it was okay to take or leave the advice as appropriate, and just enjoy the stories in the meantime. In other words, the book stayed in its lane and didn’t aspire to hit its readers over the head with lessons until their lives magically improved.
If I had to point to something in this book as a weakness, I’d choose the lack of a strong underlying theme or narrative. If that is something you look for in the books you read, then this probably isn’t the one for you. Relatedly, it isn’t a book for times of crisis or searching, you’re not going to find the answers to any big life questions here. Again, though, I saw the simplicity and easygoing tone as a feature and not a flaw — if you enjoy light reading or “coffee table” books, this is a nice one, and I genuinely enjoyed it.
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And Then I Met Margaret
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