Review by Dabrielle -- The Mindset by Ace Bowers

Dabrielle · Post by **Dabrielle** » 02 Feb 2021, 15:54

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Mindset" by Ace Bowers.]

4 out of 4 stars

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The Mindset is the autobiographical account of Ace Bowers’ transition from a life fated for poverty and obscurity to one that is family-centered and successful. The secret? According to Ace, what changed his life was simply having a positive mindset. Ace grew up in a dysfunctional family in which both his parents were alcoholics, his mother suffered from severe anxiety and possibly a personality disorder and his brother moved in and out of prison. They had to struggle to make ends meet and his parents would often break out into huge fights in the presence of their children or anyone else for that matter. Ace was a normal kid in school but lived in mortal fear that his friends would find out the truth about his family. Unsurprisingly, Ace would soon end up with a pregnant girlfriend, thousands of dollars in debt and making minimum wage; presumably revisiting the very lifestyle that disgusted him. However, his life journey does not end there.

The Mindset is a simple story of the practical steps Ace takes to turn his life around. His motivation was to give his family the best life he could and his most valuable asset was his winning personality. Ace shares his life with amazing candor. He does not sugar-coat his experiences but is vivid in his description of his childhood. We sympathize as he longs for the delivery of his father’s check that would help the family pay some bills and we wince with him as his mother drops to the floor because they couldn’t get the check cashed. We feel his embarrassment in the hotel in Los Angeles when his parents break out into a brawl by the bar and then again in front of his friend who was spending the night. However, Ace the young man who suffered through an unhappy childhood, anxiety and depression, and considerable failure was able to survive. He moved to Oregon, realized he was not too good to work as a janitor and met Yuka, the catalyst who brought change to his life.

The book is easy to read and the chapters are titled, preparing us for what is to come. The storyline is very interesting and Ace takes pains to describe his experiences in great detail. I love that he engages in self-reflection and in the end, he recognizes that his experiences did not destroy him because he chose to adjust his mindset about life. This is a lesson we all could benefit from.

I enjoyed Ace’s story tremendously, but I especially loved his determination to succeed. He worked two, sometimes three jobs to ensure that he could provide for his family. The strength of The Mindset is that it is not a get-rich-quick story, it is real life and anyone can learn the lessons that Ace shares on discipline, determination and having an overcomer’s mindset. He realizes that there is nothing that he cannot do once he sets his mind to it and works hard.

This book was obviously professionally edited and I saw not a single error or typo. There was nothing in this book that I did not enjoy and I willingly give it a four out of four stars. The Mindset is a story of courage in the face of tremendous odds and is a book that everyone should read. It is void of profanity or sexual imagery and the lessons are life-changing. Ace’s life clearly demonstrates that regardless of the curveballs life may throw at us, having the right mindset could set the stage for a happy life.

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The Mindset
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Mariana Figueira · Post by **Mariana Figueira** » 05 Feb 2021, 13:58

I wholesomely agree with you, it´s really nice. Thanks for the lovely review

Harty Muli · Post by **Harty Muli** » 10 Feb 2021, 22:21

I like that this book gives a positive way how someone can succeed in life while at the bottom rung of the social ladder. Thanks for the informative review.