4 out of 4 stars
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Reading The Mindset by Ace Bowers, I had my expectations challenged. I expected this is to be a true retelling of a classic ‘rags to riches’ story, with Bowers detailing his challenging life and eventual rise from poverty. This of course did happen, but I found myself much more invested in the relationships that surrounded the story than the success.
Bowers does an excellent job of showcasing his childhood and upbringing, shedding light on his mindset (pun intended) at the time. Every major player in his world has time devoted to them, allowing the reader to better understand how Bowers ended up where he did. It also allows for unique reflection to occur later in the book for Bowers. As he himself says, it's almost therapeutic to see on paper, and offers a satisfying arc to his story.
The main focus of this memoir revolves around Bowers’ journey from Janitor to Billionaire, and though I found the characters to be my personal favorite and the true heart of this story, this aspect also does not disappoint. His process is fascinating, and knowing the end result early on I found myself desperately waiting for answers as to how he managed such a feat. Even in a relatively shorter memoir (about 100 pages) by today’s standards, he offers just enough nitty-gritty details to keep me happy.
I suppose if there was one downside I had to nitpick at, it is when it delves into the more ‘self help’ side of things. Bowers breaks down his ‘overcomer mindset’ and presents it in a way that someone could apply it to their own lives, and I much more connected with these lessons when they were not explicitly laid out for me. When we see how Bowers overcame through his stories, we get the picture. When he explains it in a more point blank format, it's just not as engaging. However, this in no way takes away from the book; what he accomplishes in this short read is more than excellent.
That is why I am giving The Mindset a perfect rating: 4 out of 4, gold stars all around. It is a masterfully told thrill to see unfold, exceptionally well edited and it manages to run the full gambit of emotions with the way it depicts Ace Bowers' life. I finished it in about two days (could not put it down), and I will be reading it again soon.
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The Mindset
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