Official Review: Confrontations by Donald J Williamson

lesler · Post by **lesler** » 31 May 2018, 11:10

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Confrontations" by Donald J Williamson.]

2 out of 4 stars

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Confrontations: No Challenge Too Tough by Donald J. Williamson is the true life story of the author, from his lower-class upbringing to this successful career as a federal lawyer. The author spends a considerable amount of time discussing his educational upbringing, and how his Jesuit schooling has helped him succeed. He also writes an adequate amount on his recreational passions-golf, skiing, and tennis. Another focus on his book was of his wife and children and their adventures together, which was enjoyable to read about.

The premise of the memoirs is the people that Mr. Williamson encounters in his life, and how each person has impacted his journey. There was quite a bit of name-dropping, to his working for the then U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy, to his professional interactions with H. Ross Perot, among many famous actors. This made the book interesting, learning about these famous Americans from a personal perspective.

I enjoyed this book, as Mr. Williamson is a powerful lawyer, and reading about his journey to achieve his dreams is inspiring. There were many spelling and grammatical errors throughout the book, which took away from the story. The author also jumped around erratically through the book in regards to his timeline, which was confusing. The author also was very detailed about his experiences as a lawyer, which I found fascinating. He did not shy away from procedural law terms, which at times could be construed as intimidating, but I feel a little better versed in the law now from having read this book.

Another interesting aspect of this nonfiction book is Mr. Williamson's Jesuit faith foundation. His aim in life is to fulfill the Jesuit goal of St. Ignatius of "being a man for others." It is up to the reader to determine if the author achieved this noble goal. The Jesuit faith is a specialized form of Catholicism, which specializes in education, intellectual research, and cultural pursuits. I have a nominal understanding of the Jesuit religion, having a husband who attended a Jesuit University, so this book persuaded me to research more about this faith. I find its' principles fascinating, and understand more about my neighbors and community.

I give Confrontations 2 out of 4 stars, for its' adequate pacing, confusing story layout, and compelling content material. I would recommend this book to a reader looking for a procedural law memoir that is inspirational in nature, and full of interesting people.

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Confrontations
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Post by **kandscreeley** » 31 Jan 2019, 08:45

I've read memoirs before where it seems that the author just kind of gives the memories as they come instead of organizing it on a set time line. It's very distracting and hard to piece together the events. I don't think this would be a book that I would enjoy. I appreciate your review, though.

Anon_Reviewer · Post by **Anon_Reviewer** » 31 Jan 2019, 12:21

I usually enjoy memoirs that are written as fiction, based on true events. I don't think I would enjoy this one in its current state. Thanks for the review!

Espie · Post by **Espie** » 29 Mar 2019, 06:18

The technical errors could always be sorted, but a book's content and value really matter. Thank you for your honest review.

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 05 Apr 2019, 11:21

This sounds like it would be an interesting memoir. It's too bad that the grammatical issues took away from it. I don't think it is a good fit for me. Good review!

joseph withaka · Post by **joseph withaka** » 24 Apr 2020, 23:53

I've never read a memoir before,but i wouldn't mind reading this one it seem interesting despite the grammatic error and poor story time line organization.