Review of Thriving in the Storm
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Ronna Fisher
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- Latest Review: Thriving in the Storm by Bill Murphy
Review of Thriving in the Storm
[Following is a volunteer review of "Thriving in the Storm" by Bill Murphy.]
Thriving in the Storm feels like a letter from a dad to their kid, sharing everything they've learned from throughout their life. The writing is simple, and it's a quick and easy read. It's not the most poetic or elevated language, but it works.
From the very first sentence I was worried I wouldn't be able to relate to the author or advice. Murphy starts by stating that ever since he was a kid "anytime someone told me [he] couldn’t do
something, [he] wanted to prove them wrong." Since I have never had that mentality, I felt like the whole book would be based on just pushing through with grit and determination. In fact, at one point, Murphy even admits that pushing past his limits comes easier to him than others because of grit being a natural core strength of his. Quite a bit of his advice does feel like this, but there is more to Murphy than just pushing through tough situations. He outlines what equates to a personal development 101 book for newbies. Most of the information won't be novel for anyone who as even brushed up against the personal development genre, but it may be a good reminder.
Throughout the book, Murphy provides many exercises to practice the advice he is giving. While some of them definitely helped me question different aspects of my life or made me think, I felt like a lot of them seemed a little too simple for the topic. Many of the exercises don't provide guidance or examples for reaching the goal. For example, one exercise encourages you to find your core three values, but doesn't provide any further suggestions for how to do that. He doesn't even share his core three values as an example. I still found a few exercises valuable.
Much of this book is an example of a white male failing up, which is a popular trend in self development. There does seem to be some instances of privilege without awareness. Some struggles seem minimized, and readers are expected to be able to get through life's biggest disasters with positivity, resilient mindset, breathing exercises, a strong morning routine, etc. This is not to say that Murphy hasn't had his obstacles in life. It's clear from what he shares that he has overcome a lot. In fact, when he is most vulnerable is when Thriving in the Storm really shines. His personal stories are what kept me engaged and interested.
There's nothing provocative or enlightening here, but there are still nuggets of wisdom to glean. Therefore, I give this book a rating of 3 out of 5.
******
Thriving in the Storm
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Thriving in the Storm feels like a letter from a dad to their kid, sharing everything they've learned from throughout their life. The writing is simple, and it's a quick and easy read. It's not the most poetic or elevated language, but it works.
From the very first sentence I was worried I wouldn't be able to relate to the author or advice. Murphy starts by stating that ever since he was a kid "anytime someone told me [he] couldn’t do
something, [he] wanted to prove them wrong." Since I have never had that mentality, I felt like the whole book would be based on just pushing through with grit and determination. In fact, at one point, Murphy even admits that pushing past his limits comes easier to him than others because of grit being a natural core strength of his. Quite a bit of his advice does feel like this, but there is more to Murphy than just pushing through tough situations. He outlines what equates to a personal development 101 book for newbies. Most of the information won't be novel for anyone who as even brushed up against the personal development genre, but it may be a good reminder.
Throughout the book, Murphy provides many exercises to practice the advice he is giving. While some of them definitely helped me question different aspects of my life or made me think, I felt like a lot of them seemed a little too simple for the topic. Many of the exercises don't provide guidance or examples for reaching the goal. For example, one exercise encourages you to find your core three values, but doesn't provide any further suggestions for how to do that. He doesn't even share his core three values as an example. I still found a few exercises valuable.
Much of this book is an example of a white male failing up, which is a popular trend in self development. There does seem to be some instances of privilege without awareness. Some struggles seem minimized, and readers are expected to be able to get through life's biggest disasters with positivity, resilient mindset, breathing exercises, a strong morning routine, etc. This is not to say that Murphy hasn't had his obstacles in life. It's clear from what he shares that he has overcome a lot. In fact, when he is most vulnerable is when Thriving in the Storm really shines. His personal stories are what kept me engaged and interested.
There's nothing provocative or enlightening here, but there are still nuggets of wisdom to glean. Therefore, I give this book a rating of 3 out of 5.
******
Thriving in the Storm
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Thriving in the Storm by Bill Murphy
