Review by KimMM -- Burn Zones by Jorge P. Newbery
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Review by KimMM -- Burn Zones by Jorge P. Newbery
[Following is a volunteer review of "Burn Zones" by Jorge P. Newbery.]
Burn Zones: Playing Life’s Bad Hands is an autobiography by Jorge P. Newbery, who tells the story of how he became a highly successful entrepreneur, lost everything, acquired massive debt and then overcame all of it to help others and find happiness. It is an inspiring story of the power of determination, faith in oneself and perseverance.
I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. This book receives three stars because of the fact that it is genuinely inspirational and, at times, gripping as well as for the likeability of the main character, Jorge Newbery. Unfortunately, it falls short of 4 stars because the main character is essentially the only the character for the first part of the book.
There was almost no conversation with anyone for the nearly the first one hundred pages. This was the part I disliked most about the book. Burn Zones reads a lot like a simple retelling of events with minimal involvement from other people in Jorge's life. There was the brief conversation with Chris when he bought the bike, but then the book went back to explaining one event after another.
The point of view was excessively focused on Jorge's perspective, even for an autobiography. I would have liked to see more conversation between Jorge and his parents, siblings and bandmates, allowing the story to be told with the help of their perspective rather than simply paraphrasing events. The result was that it was hard to stay engaged with the book in the beginning. It also left the first chapter of the book a little choppy.
Another problem was that Jorge, as a child, was unrelatable. While he was clearly an intelligent child, he was also unusually entrepreneurial and intense. His story as a child could have benefited a lot from more conversation with other people in his life. It was not only unrelatable, but it came off as a little unrealistic, even if believable.
Things changed, however, when Jorge left bike racing to become a loan originator. Suddenly there were more characters and actual conversation. The pace of the book picked up, but Jorge changed, too. He was still the determined businessman while no longer being the constant overachiever. Jorge became someone the reader can relate to, and the book, as a result, got more enticing.
This leads to what I liked most about this book, which was Jorge himself. He is a likeable guy, and it is difficult to not root for him during the struggles in his life. The story of Woodland Meadows was genuinely gripping but so was the story of how Jorge handled all that was happening to him. He connected the reader much more with his sense of being a loner and biracial white and Hispanic. Despite all of the millions mentioned, Jorge became relatable to me as a reader. By the end of the book, I was rooting for him and truly enjoying reading his story.
Woodland Meadows was initially a fantastic success. The part about the ice storm and the damage it left behind leading up to the ultimate loss of the apartment complex as well as the apparent corruption of the Columbus city government was honestly captivating, and I found the book hard to put down. I also appreciate his take on some of the social problems we have in this country, and I am glad he included that in the book. By the end of Burn Zones, Jorge had gone from incredible success to being the underdog to being an overcomer.
I recommend Burn Zones to anyone looking to find inspiration about how to persevere through life's struggles as well as to have a chance to root for the underdog. It is a good book, overall, and a worthwhile read.
******
Burn Zones
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Burn Zones: Playing Life’s Bad Hands is an autobiography by Jorge P. Newbery, who tells the story of how he became a highly successful entrepreneur, lost everything, acquired massive debt and then overcame all of it to help others and find happiness. It is an inspiring story of the power of determination, faith in oneself and perseverance.
I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. This book receives three stars because of the fact that it is genuinely inspirational and, at times, gripping as well as for the likeability of the main character, Jorge Newbery. Unfortunately, it falls short of 4 stars because the main character is essentially the only the character for the first part of the book.
There was almost no conversation with anyone for the nearly the first one hundred pages. This was the part I disliked most about the book. Burn Zones reads a lot like a simple retelling of events with minimal involvement from other people in Jorge's life. There was the brief conversation with Chris when he bought the bike, but then the book went back to explaining one event after another.
The point of view was excessively focused on Jorge's perspective, even for an autobiography. I would have liked to see more conversation between Jorge and his parents, siblings and bandmates, allowing the story to be told with the help of their perspective rather than simply paraphrasing events. The result was that it was hard to stay engaged with the book in the beginning. It also left the first chapter of the book a little choppy.
Another problem was that Jorge, as a child, was unrelatable. While he was clearly an intelligent child, he was also unusually entrepreneurial and intense. His story as a child could have benefited a lot from more conversation with other people in his life. It was not only unrelatable, but it came off as a little unrealistic, even if believable.
Things changed, however, when Jorge left bike racing to become a loan originator. Suddenly there were more characters and actual conversation. The pace of the book picked up, but Jorge changed, too. He was still the determined businessman while no longer being the constant overachiever. Jorge became someone the reader can relate to, and the book, as a result, got more enticing.
This leads to what I liked most about this book, which was Jorge himself. He is a likeable guy, and it is difficult to not root for him during the struggles in his life. The story of Woodland Meadows was genuinely gripping but so was the story of how Jorge handled all that was happening to him. He connected the reader much more with his sense of being a loner and biracial white and Hispanic. Despite all of the millions mentioned, Jorge became relatable to me as a reader. By the end of the book, I was rooting for him and truly enjoying reading his story.
Woodland Meadows was initially a fantastic success. The part about the ice storm and the damage it left behind leading up to the ultimate loss of the apartment complex as well as the apparent corruption of the Columbus city government was honestly captivating, and I found the book hard to put down. I also appreciate his take on some of the social problems we have in this country, and I am glad he included that in the book. By the end of Burn Zones, Jorge had gone from incredible success to being the underdog to being an overcomer.
I recommend Burn Zones to anyone looking to find inspiration about how to persevere through life's struggles as well as to have a chance to root for the underdog. It is a good book, overall, and a worthwhile read.
******
Burn Zones
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Burn Zones by Jorge P. Newbery
