Review by Max Bauer -- From Drift to SHIFT
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Max Bauer
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- Latest Review: "From Drift to SHIFT" by Jody B. Miller
Review by Max Bauer -- From Drift to SHIFT
[Following is a volunteer review of "From Drift to SHIFT" by Jody B. Miller.]
2 out of 4 stars
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From Drift To Shift by Jody B. Miller is a collection of stories about people who faced life challenges, managed to get through them, and became better people. It sets out to show how a person can overcome difficulties, discover their life purpose and live a life of love, happiness and fulfillment.
The people are interesting and their stories are inspiring, but the message and writing style of Jody B. Miller often falls short. She writes well enough for the stories to shine through, but lowers the quality of the book by losing focus, engaging in hyperbole and arriving at illogical conclusions. Many of the lessons she takes from the life stories are unrealistic and exaggerated clichés. Some, in fact, are unwarranted and dangerous.
Here are a few examples of her careless writing. Concerning the life of Serita Cox Miller writes “…she started to borrow- clothes, shoes, food…”; then, a few sentences later, “She only had herself to rely on…” Clearly if you are borrowing from others it is inexact to say that you relying only on yourself. Here the author is using an over-done cliché for effect. Another typical careless statement is “cancer-related post-traumatic stress (PTS) is similar to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)” Obviously, she meant to say post traumatic stress from cancer is a lot like the type soldiers get from war. If one has PTS, after all, in most cases they will have PTSD. Taken literally, the sentence doesn’t make sense.
Sometimes Miller will go way off topic, as when she talks about the hard youth of Serita Cox but stops mid-story to talk about herself and about celebrities with similar backgrounds. Or take the story of Darren Quinn, who ended up in a car accident and managed to become a successful artist. She mentions how being disabled and fighting against society’s expectations is like being the biblical David fighting Goliath. She then tells the story of David and Goliath. After that, she mentions how Leonard De Vinci made a statue of David. Next, she gives a detailed description of the statue’s posture, physique and facial expression. It carries the story too far off from where it started, and burdens it with irrelevant information. Here she seems to be suffering Google induced ADHD.
As an example of how poor are the lessons she draws from her chapters, let’s look at the story of Andy Wirth. Andy Wirth, CEO of Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows Resorts, ended up in a terrible skydiving accident, which shredded the muscle of his arm. He managed to keep calm, and even directed his rescuers on how to take care of him. He survived, and created a charitable organization for injured veterans called Special Warfare Warrior. He recalls friends who died skydiving, and is thankful to be alive. He has learned to appreciate his family, and no longer takes life for granted.
The lesson Miller takes from this story in a dangerous one. “Adventure outside of your comfort zone, no matter the end result.” Did the author read her own chapter? The very fact the hero nearly died, and his friends did, calls for the exact opposite lesson – i.e. to think before you jump. She says the point of the book is to help you fulfill your destiny, but what then of those friends who died? They followed her advice. Was that their destiny? Certainly, if I knew sudden death was what I was meant to do, I would try my best to leave my life-purpose unfulfilled. I would think before I acted, and try my best to remain what I “shouldn’t” be- alive!
I would not recommend this book. On the other hand, if you are going to read it, pay attention to the stories of inspiration, but ignore the side commentary and skip over the lessons at the end of each chapter. The stories speak for themselves, and will not fail to teach and inspire.
For the reasons above, I give the book 2 out of 4 stars.
******
From Drift to SHIFT
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
From Drift To Shift by Jody B. Miller is a collection of stories about people who faced life challenges, managed to get through them, and became better people. It sets out to show how a person can overcome difficulties, discover their life purpose and live a life of love, happiness and fulfillment.
The people are interesting and their stories are inspiring, but the message and writing style of Jody B. Miller often falls short. She writes well enough for the stories to shine through, but lowers the quality of the book by losing focus, engaging in hyperbole and arriving at illogical conclusions. Many of the lessons she takes from the life stories are unrealistic and exaggerated clichés. Some, in fact, are unwarranted and dangerous.
Here are a few examples of her careless writing. Concerning the life of Serita Cox Miller writes “…she started to borrow- clothes, shoes, food…”; then, a few sentences later, “She only had herself to rely on…” Clearly if you are borrowing from others it is inexact to say that you relying only on yourself. Here the author is using an over-done cliché for effect. Another typical careless statement is “cancer-related post-traumatic stress (PTS) is similar to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)” Obviously, she meant to say post traumatic stress from cancer is a lot like the type soldiers get from war. If one has PTS, after all, in most cases they will have PTSD. Taken literally, the sentence doesn’t make sense.
Sometimes Miller will go way off topic, as when she talks about the hard youth of Serita Cox but stops mid-story to talk about herself and about celebrities with similar backgrounds. Or take the story of Darren Quinn, who ended up in a car accident and managed to become a successful artist. She mentions how being disabled and fighting against society’s expectations is like being the biblical David fighting Goliath. She then tells the story of David and Goliath. After that, she mentions how Leonard De Vinci made a statue of David. Next, she gives a detailed description of the statue’s posture, physique and facial expression. It carries the story too far off from where it started, and burdens it with irrelevant information. Here she seems to be suffering Google induced ADHD.
As an example of how poor are the lessons she draws from her chapters, let’s look at the story of Andy Wirth. Andy Wirth, CEO of Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows Resorts, ended up in a terrible skydiving accident, which shredded the muscle of his arm. He managed to keep calm, and even directed his rescuers on how to take care of him. He survived, and created a charitable organization for injured veterans called Special Warfare Warrior. He recalls friends who died skydiving, and is thankful to be alive. He has learned to appreciate his family, and no longer takes life for granted.
The lesson Miller takes from this story in a dangerous one. “Adventure outside of your comfort zone, no matter the end result.” Did the author read her own chapter? The very fact the hero nearly died, and his friends did, calls for the exact opposite lesson – i.e. to think before you jump. She says the point of the book is to help you fulfill your destiny, but what then of those friends who died? They followed her advice. Was that their destiny? Certainly, if I knew sudden death was what I was meant to do, I would try my best to leave my life-purpose unfulfilled. I would think before I acted, and try my best to remain what I “shouldn’t” be- alive!
I would not recommend this book. On the other hand, if you are going to read it, pay attention to the stories of inspiration, but ignore the side commentary and skip over the lessons at the end of each chapter. The stories speak for themselves, and will not fail to teach and inspire.
For the reasons above, I give the book 2 out of 4 stars.
******
From Drift to SHIFT
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Max Bauer's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "From Drift to SHIFT" by Jody B. Miller
