Official Review: Arrival by John Fahey

Farmgurl1 · Post by **Farmgurl1** » 22 Jun 2018, 19:52

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Arrival" by John Fahey.]

3 out of 4 stars

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The novel Arrival: An Immigrant Story by John Fahey is a non-fiction story about the journey of the author to survive and thrive despite an abusive and traumatic childhood. The book leads the reader on an inspirational journey through Mr. Fahey’s quest to overcome his humble beginnings and become a successful chemist.

The author, John Fahey, leaves his troubled country to immigrate to the United States to follow his career as a bio-medical researcher. The book details the life of the author through his experience being abused at the hands of his father. The abuse leaves deep emotional scars that shake the author’s self-esteem throughout his life. The author also shares his experience as a gay man dealing with relationship issues and his lifestyle in an open relationship. He also has self-esteem issues due to the large scar on his face from an accident, as well as his affliction with Parkinson’s Disease. Mr. Fahey definitely has many adversities to overcome in his life but is motivated by the idea of helping others through his medical research.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. This novel was well written with very few noticeable errors. I really enjoyed that the story allowed the reader to see how an immigrant to the United States views this country. He describes the American people as generous, fair and less judgmental than what he was used to in his country. I found that very encouraging, since mostly we hear about how discrimination runs rampant in this country. It was also very inspirational to see how the author was able to overcome some of his post traumatic stress and focus that negative energy into something positive.

Throughout the book, the author seems to be searching for something that is absent in his life, and never seems to be completely satisfied with his current situation. After reading the book, I don’t think he ever completely finds peace or acceptance. I often got lost in the chemistry discussions, since I am not versed in this area and the detail of the experiments became boring and long-winded.

In summary, I think the book would appeal to readers who are knowledgeable about chemistry and science who could more easily follow and understand the author’s work. The book would also appeal to those that like to read about determination and survival despite multiple obstacles. I would not recommend those who are sensitive to homosexual relationships or relationship details to read this book.

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Arrival
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Samantha Simoneau · Post by **Samantha Simoneau** » 26 Jun 2018, 09:13

"He describes the American people as generous, fair and less judgmental than what he was used to in his country." I'm so glad to hear that! I hope that's true for many people who emigrate to this country. Thanks for the interesting review!

strawberrysab · Post by **strawberrysab** » 26 Jun 2018, 10:25

“Throughout the book, the author seems to be searching for something that is absent in his life, and never seems to be completely satisfied with his current situation.“ This made me so sad. I guess that leaving your home country leaves a deep emptiness. Also, you don’t mention in your review where he comes from. Is it not addressed or you skipped it on purpose?

Dahmy 10 · Post by **Dahmy 10** » 26 Jun 2018, 19:29

This is an awesome review, you have indeed shown us the strength of this book and I feel like reading it already.

From what has been pointed out in this intelligent review, I can see this book as an autobiography relating to us the many challenges many face in life; it sounds like a great motivation.

daniya__shah3 · Post by **daniya__shah3** » 27 Jun 2018, 11:49

Your review makes it clear how you have worked through every detail to come up with an opinion. Truly amazing!

Githumaina19 · Post by **Githumaina19** » 27 Jun 2018, 14:35

This would be quite a good book to introduce to modern day young men to prepare them for the future as well as illustrate the dangers of suffering in silence

Marissa Michael · Post by **Marissa Michael** » 27 Jun 2018, 23:19

Wow so much adversities the author has to deal with. This is an encouraging read to live life to the fullest. After reading this, the phrase 'Keep moving forward' played in my mind which I think served as a reminder to me. Thank you for sharing this with us.

Ana-Maria-Diana · Post by **Ana-Maria-Diana** » 28 Jun 2018, 06:55

Interesting how the author portrays his journey of survival and thrive despite an abusive and traumatic childhood.

Rosemary Okoko · Post by **Rosemary Okoko** » 28 Jun 2018, 10:01

My heart goes out to Mr. Fahey for losing his self-esteem due to abuse. His determination to heal others through research must be a good idea as it will help him heal in the process. This should be a nice read. Thanks for this review.