4 out of 5 stars
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In the Shadow of a Dark Star: Godwinks and the Search for a Golden Thread is a book written by Brent R. Mekosh. This autobiography by Brent has a detailed narrative of experiences he acquired while he traveled around several continents, including Asia and Africa. In search of a perfect life and fulfillment, Brent moves from one country to another. On his way, he meets people who, like him, are also looking for peace, rest, and perfection. Will he find this peace and perfection he seeks? What experiences did he have on his journey?
There are positive aspects of the book. The book is filled with lessons. For example, one of such lessons a reader will learn, just like the author, is that one can still lead a joyful life despite the problems and despair of life. Also, I loved the emotional aspect of the book. The manner with which Brent described his experiences at the station in Sealdah, where he met Mikey and Bernard, would bring tears to the eyes of even the most hardened men. Furthermore, I consider the book a religious one. Almost everything in this book alludes to religion and belief. For example, after he prayed, there seemed to have been a miraculous solution to Brent's legal problems. The sufferings of persons like Bernard alluded to his karma under Hinduism. However, I admire the ability of the author to include aspects of different religions in this book while also ensuring that it will be suitable for every reader.
In addition, the book is descriptive enough and enables the reader to feel the emotions of the characters. One would get a glimpse of the feelings of the author when he volunteered at Calcutta. Also, the manner in which Brent told the story is interesting despite being an autobiography.
Then, there are a few negative aspects of the book. First, how the author introduces new characters is poor and causes confusion. Brent just introduces new characters like he had talked about them before. For example, I was confused when he introduced Keith and Dan, just to mention a few. Also, there are certain comments that the author made that suggest racism. For example, in location 164, it was stated that “The 4.3 million whites that lived in this nation of forty-seven million had thoroughly transformed South Africa into a modern, western country.”
To conclude, I spotted only a few errors in the book. This shows that the book was professionally edited. However, due to the negative aspects identified above, I will be rating this book four out of five stars. I wish I could give the book a 4.5 rating. This is because the book, being an autobiography, was written with no recourse to fiction. I recommend this book to all lovers of autobiographies, tourism stories, and even persons feeling lost and searching for a perfect life.
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In the Shadow of a Dark Star
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