What did you think of the author and his journey?

Use this forum to discuss the January 2018 Book of the Month, "And Then I Met Margaret" by Rob White
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OPgirl9122
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Re: What did you think of the author and his journey?

Post by OPgirl9122 »

What I think about the author and the story? I say I could relate to Sir White and his story. I would also recommend it to my younger siblings and friends. I know, it will be boring for them because kids nowadays are into fast-pace purely trashy and disposable things such as listening to messed-up worthless songs and games that consumed their time and life. Life is something to be pondered about and nothing could give you a wise advice than a book written by someone who knew what his talking about. And also, I believe many failed to see that this story doesn't really talks about how to become rich, it is actually all about the protagonist making himself the best version of himself. And how does one make himself his best version? By utilizing and valuing ones worth and potential. By achieving things and learning the important lessons in life. Man is created as someone who makes mistakes, a lot of mistakes but through the virtue of time we are taught to get up and change for the better. Truly, Sir White is praiseworthy for his very eye opening story.
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Hildah Mose
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Post by Hildah Mose »

SPasciuti wrote: 12 Jan 2018, 15:34
missiontrainer2000 wrote: 12 Jan 2018, 13:20
SPasciuti wrote: 10 Jan 2018, 16:16
At times I found him a little self-absorbed, particularly when he would always have a very convient example for how he passed on these lessons that he learned. But I also appreciated that, oddly enough, if only because it's rather useless to say we learned a lesson from someone and not have an example of how we put that lesson into practice, wouldn't you say? If we didn't, I imagine that it would be arguable that we didn't actually learn the lesson at all. Rob White seems like a very thoughtful and interesting guy and I imagine he'd be rather fascinating to sit down and have a conversation with.
I agree. I appreciated his examples as well, maybe so much so that I didn't really consider that it seems a little arrogant until I started discussing on this forum (after I posted my review!). My feelings are a little mixed now, too, though it is an autobiography, so talking about himself and what he's learned throughout his life is natural for the book type.
Hahah, yeah. I remember while reading it that I came back to check other people's opinions and it sort of cemented my prior thought that he seemed a little full of himself. But, yeah. I dunno. The more I think about it, part of me wonders if the pat on the back thing he kind of gives himself throughout his narrative is kind of important? Not because I think he should feel full of himself, but rather because if he didn't feel like he was taking these lessons and teaching them to others, his advice would be less about passing on the experiences and teachings of life and more about simply saying something like, "this is how you should be."

I'm kind of back and forth on it, lately. Cause as I read it, I hated that he always had a really convienent story for how he passed on the lesson. But at the same time, I'm a HUGE believer in Pay it Forward and, ultimately, he at least made sincere efforts to do so, which means something to me. So I think mixed feelings on him as a person is a really natural place to be as far as opinions go.
On my part, I appreciated the fact that he always tried to pass on what he learnt. His life journey is inspiring and I am glad I have not been influenced by people's judgemental comments. This may be because they might have not been able to relate with his personal experience.
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Post by pinklover »

His life journey is unique and some part might be similar to mine but that is his life. No two people have a same story, it is always unique. I am happy to read his memoir because I've learned some of mistakes.
When everything seems too late, but it's not. God is there! Just keep on believing Jesus.
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Post by LorJones4 »

I think it's interesting to read about someone's journey. Many of the comments are about the author being a little arrogant but if he is examining his own life's experiences then he is not being arrogant he is just sharing his perspective through his experiences.
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Post by SPasciuti »

LorJones4 wrote: 24 Jan 2018, 09:13 I think it's interesting to read about someone's journey. Many of the comments are about the author being a little arrogant but if he is examining his own life's experiences then he is not being arrogant he is just sharing his perspective through his experiences.
Yeah. I think I had the most trouble with this, because I couldn't decide if that was true or not? It was mainly the pat-on-the-back theme that he seemed to have going for him whenever he passed on the lessons he learned that got to me. I felt weird about it. But at the same time, I'm not sure how else he could have done it without seeming somewhat arrogant so I just wasn't able to reconcile it. It's definitely something I still think about, even though I read the book weeks ago.
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Post by pinklover »

LorJones4 wrote: 24 Jan 2018, 09:13 I think it's interesting to read about someone's journey. Many of the comments are about the author being a little arrogant but if he is examining his own life's experiences then he is not being arrogant he is just sharing his perspective through his experiences.

Your right! His journey is different from ours and his arrogant life is just simply a part of his growing up. It is a lesson to the reader by not copying his silly things, instead it is our guide on this life journey.
When everything seems too late, but it's not. God is there! Just keep on believing Jesus.
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Post by SPasciuti »

Hildah Mose wrote: 21 Jan 2018, 00:57
SPasciuti wrote: 12 Jan 2018, 15:34
missiontrainer2000 wrote: 12 Jan 2018, 13:20

I agree. I appreciated his examples as well, maybe so much so that I didn't really consider that it seems a little arrogant until I started discussing on this forum (after I posted my review!). My feelings are a little mixed now, too, though it is an autobiography, so talking about himself and what he's learned throughout his life is natural for the book type.
Hahah, yeah. I remember while reading it that I came back to check other people's opinions and it sort of cemented my prior thought that he seemed a little full of himself. But, yeah. I dunno. The more I think about it, part of me wonders if the pat on the back thing he kind of gives himself throughout his narrative is kind of important? Not because I think he should feel full of himself, but rather because if he didn't feel like he was taking these lessons and teaching them to others, his advice would be less about passing on the experiences and teachings of life and more about simply saying something like, "this is how you should be."

I'm kind of back and forth on it, lately. Cause as I read it, I hated that he always had a really convienent story for how he passed on the lesson. But at the same time, I'm a HUGE believer in Pay it Forward and, ultimately, he at least made sincere efforts to do so, which means something to me. So I think mixed feelings on him as a person is a really natural place to be as far as opinions go.
On my part, I appreciated the fact that he always tried to pass on what he learnt. His life journey is inspiring and I am glad I have not been influenced by people's judgemental comments. This may be because they might have not been able to relate with his personal experience.
I’m glad for you! I think a part of the reason why I enjoy book discussions so much is that they always offer up thoughts and points that I don’t always consider. At the end of the day there’s so much to think about and so many different perspectives. I don’t think all of us ever have to fully agree on all the opinions and I’m glad that you’ve formed your own even with the differing ones that have been posted this month. Influence is good, especially when it was something you missed or might not have thought of, but it’s always great to keep your own opinions if you disagree with others, too.

So it’s really good that you still had a positive experience with the book because ultimately it’s all been entirely yours.
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Post by Sahani Nimandra »

Truly amazing! I see that the author was very wise in recognising every single details. That was very impressive. It is not something someone is capable of doing.
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It was a incredible journey but too many coincidences. If we open our eyes we will see those people who are there to help us too.
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Post by pinklover »

eBookreviewer wrote: 28 Jan 2018, 14:17 It was a incredible journey but too many coincidences. If we open our eyes we will see those people who are there to help us too.
You are right! Everything has its own perfect timing. It happens for a purpose with a bunch of learnings during those time. A few words of a friend ether to boast or to destroy us but it depends on how we manage it.
When everything seems too late, but it's not. God is there! Just keep on believing Jesus.
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Post by Strongbob25 »

One of the wonderful things about reading books is that it lets you peer into the mind of someone different from yourself. While I appreciated the time the author took to write the book, and I recognize a lot of our shared humanity, I have to say that I don't think we would get along if we spent any time together. His goals in life are too disparate from mine, and I also feel, as others have noted, that he seems extremely self absorbed.

I'm also not entirely convinced that these gurus really "changed his life", but that's a post for a different time...
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Post by Chiara_fernando »

I don't know if I like Mr. White or not. But I like his stories for sure! Not all of them but a lot of those. I couldn't agree more that he seems arrogant at times. :eusa-think: I also got the feeling that a number of his stories appears too good to be true, but that's life, it has its goodness, all we need to do is appreciate what we have and learn from whatever situation we're in.

If you have time please check what I think about his book as well.
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=54800 :tiphat:
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Post by Philip Chepsingil »

It is very evident that he started his live as a humble village boy and proceeded to become a successful businessman. He seems to be too proud of his achievements that he has accomplished.
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Post by Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha »

I liked his sincerity and his unabashed sharing of information about his life and childhood freely. Not everyone is willing to lay their hearts bare on paper for the world to read. The lessons he learned and germane and most people can find something to relate to in the 21 chapters of this book. It is a believable journey and one in which most people will see a glimpse of themselves.
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Post by Samy Lax »

It was really interesting to get a glimpse into the author's life journey. I found some similarities between it and my life journey, overall. However, some of the lessons in the book related to the mistakes he made in his life - I value that a lot and intend to apply them to my life too. That's why I love books so much - the lessons they teach you; and this one didn't disappoint either.
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