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3 out of 4 stars
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Through wisdom, we learn several things. However, most of the time, wisdom comes with age. For this reason, most people acquire wisdom when they are older; hence, sometimes, they regret the things they did when they were younger. What if you could acquire all the wisdom you need while still young? Won't that save you from the regrets you may have during your adult life? Through this book, Secrets from the Hammock (Book One): Uncommon Wisdom for Uncommon Times, the author, Dave Nassaney, teaches the readers the pearls of wisdom he learned over the years and not only how he learned about them but also how their application has impacted his life.
This book is divided into three sections. However, it's further subdivided into thirty-one chapters. Although it's mostly written from the first-person point of view, some texts are written from the second-person point of view. The author used both the past and the present tenses throughout the book.
As previously mentioned, this book is divided into three sections. The first section is titled "Mind Wisdom", the second section is titled " Body Wisdom ", and the last section is titled " Spirit Wisdom." Since this book is divided into several chapters and each covers a different topic, I'll only summarize the first two chapters.
The first chapter, "Change is Usually a Good Thing," talks about motive and how it affects one's success. The author shares his experience with motive and how he uses it to achieve his objectives. For instance, he imposes restrictions on his body whenever he fails to control some habits. He, for example, becomes a vegan for up to forty-eight hours whenever his weight surpasses a given limit. The second chapter, "The Power of Momentum," talks about the importance of acquiring momentum. The author notes that momentum can be both good and bad for you, depending on how you apply it. The author also narrates instances where momentum helped him, such as when his wife became paralyzed, and other instances where momentum wasn't advisable, such as when he fell off his hammock. The chapter ends with the author listing some secrets he learned about momentum.
I liked several things about this book. First, the author's pieces of advice are very practical and make a lot of sense. For instance, at some point in the book, the author notes that the motive of doing something is more important than the act. These kinds of wisdom made reading the book very enjoyable. Second, the author narrates his life story and gives examples using his life and the lives of his family and friends. He uses these examples to show how applicable these pieces of advice are and how he acquired them. Third, the story of the author's wife is very inspiring. Although paralyzed, his wife still enjoys helping others and carrying out some activities using just one hand. Since I didn't find any grammatical errors while reading, this book was exceptionally well-edited.
Although this is an inspiring book, I didn't like how the author handled spirituality. For instance, his stories implied that Christianity was the superior religion. While he may believe this, comparing religions may be a turnoff to many readers, including me. I believe everyone has the freedom to subscribe to their own beliefs. Implying that one religion is superior may result in unnecessary conflicts. This is the only reason why I won't be giving this book four stars.
In conclusion, this is a brilliant book full of wisdom. I enjoyed reading it. However, comparing religions and claiming one is superior was a complete turnoff. I, therefore, rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about lessons derived from different experiences. Those who don't like comparing religions may not enjoy reading the last section of this book.
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Secrets from the Hammock
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