4 out of 4 stars
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Another Son recounts the story of Jos, a modern-day prophet. Jos, along with a crew of diverse characters, takes over a failing restaurant in a decrepit part of town. Instead of having a traditional business hierarchy, all of them become partners in this endeavour. Together, they bring the neighbourhood back to life by offering wisdom, help and hope.“What is the general theme of all religions? One, that there is a God of some kind; two, there is an afterlife of some kind; and three, to be kind, humane, and tolerant of your fellow human beings.”
We are introduced to a diverse cast from all walks of society. Male, female, old, young, Christian, Muslim, Hindu – they are all present. Jos uses teachings from leading scientists’, renowned activists’, and religious historical figures like Muhammad, Jesus, and Buddha. They are all brought into the story by Jos, a man preaching that life is about the present and that we should treat each other with respect and kindness. While Another Son is written from an unnamed narrators point of view, the story is chiefly about Jos’ teachings.
Together, this group of different individuals start to ask questions from the man that seems to know it all. They start to discover the true meaning of a good life and encourage tolerance of people, no matter what ‘gang’ they belong to. As time goes on, they open a bakery and a haven called the Church of Understanding.
I can’t express how much I love the idea of the Church of Understanding: a place where people can go to learn and share their knowledge and skills. Jos teaches that knowledge is priceless and should be shared free of cost and without strings attached. This church is my idea of heaven. People pursuing knowledge, listening, and making an effort to understanding other humans without prejudice or discrimination of skin colour, gender or religious beliefs. This church helps bring the community together and even encourages questionable characters to take a chance and learn.
I also love how Jos becomes a father figure to the community. Everyone listens when he speaks and he encourages everyone to live for themselves and for those around them. While the majority of the book is drama free, Kurtis Bell doesn’t shy away from the fact that good people can do horrible things. They aren’t living in some mythical sunshine land where teamwork comes effortlessly, and everything is always dandy. They struggle with addiction, gangs and murder, and how it doesn’t matter how much you want to help someone, sometimes we fail.
Another Son deals with love, loss, free will, religion, drugs, hope, wealth and a world that is spiralling down the abyss by preaching one simple idea: Humans are your ‘gang.’ Before all else, we are human. Love people. Respect people. Let them live their lives like they want to. If they aren’t harming themselves or you, then let them be.
I didn’t agree with everything that Jos was teaching but I do agree with his core message. People are all unique and different. Those differences are what make each individual so important. It doesn’t matter what religion you follow - or if you don’t follow any at all - one thing remains true: life is precious, and we can all enjoy a good life if we do good to those around us. Some of the subjects are sensitive and I encourage those that want to read this book to please keep an open mind.
The book is written freely without much thought to the rules of a normal novel and the majority of the text deals with one subject at a time. It was made easy by bold headings and the narrator’s words being in italics while Jos’ was in normal text. This is more a question-and-answer book, but it is made more relatable by the author using characters to show these problems in our day-to-day lives. There was only one grammar error to my notice. I would recommend Another Son to those seeking a thought-provoking read and age-old advice revised for a modern world.
I rate Another Son 4 out of 4 stars. Another Son made me feel and to me, that is what writing is about. I walked away from this book with a renewed appreciation for myself and the world. Life is what you make of it. Don’t waste it and live life good.
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Another Son
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