Ask the Author ~ Jorge P. Newbery

Discuss the December 2015 book of the month Burn Zones by Jorge P. Newbery.
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PashaRu
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Re: Ask the Author ~ Jorge P. Newbery

Post by PashaRu »

Sounds like Mr. Newbury is on the side of the families, not the banks. Good job!
[Insert quote here. Read. Raise an eyebrow. Be mildly amused. Rinse & repeat.]
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Post by Scott »

PashaRu wrote:Sounds like Mr. Newbury is on the side of the families, not the banks. Good job!
I agree! And it's the main reason I look up to him quite a bit now after reading his book. If anyone hasn't read it, I definitely recommend it. It's one thing to be a talented businessman, but Jorge Newbery sticks his principles of being a nice person who helps people and manages to achieve the holy grail of doing well by doing good, a phrase that comes up several times in the book. :)
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Post by gali »

PashaRu wrote:Sounds like Mr. Newbury is on the side of the families, not the banks. Good job!
Well said!

Sounds like a good book. Thank you Mr. Newbury for your insightful answers. :)
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Post by eunice2868 »

Well done, Jorge!
The world needs authors like you that show kindness and love! ;) <3
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Post by Rachaelamb1 »

Scott wrote:
PashaRu wrote:Sounds like Mr. Newbury is on the side of the families, not the banks. Good job!
I agree! And it's the main reason I look up to him quite a bit now after reading his book. If anyone hasn't read it, I definitely recommend it. It's one thing to be a talented businessman, but Jorge Newbery sticks his principles of being a nice person who helps people and manages to achieve the holy grail of doing well by doing good, a phrase that comes up several times in the book. :)
The idea of doing well by doing good is one that all businessmen need! Politicians too! Come to think of it, everyone should have that mindset.
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Post by HorrorFan87 »

I would like to ask Mr. Newbery if there is a particular struggle in his life that influenced him more than others. You write a lot about several life struggles and I know that they influenced you greatly but if you could pinpoint a single one that led to where your life is now, what would it be? Would it be the Woodland Meadows, or something different?

-- 28 Feb 2016, 17:03 --

And also, perhaps you have already answered this question and I just missed it...but through all of your trials and tribulations, what kept you going the most? I know that there are some things like family, religion, etc that tend to keep people going at their hardest times but you seemed to be driven by something much, much stronger. Was there another influence that kept you going more than another?
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Jorge P Newbery
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Post by Jorge P Newbery »

My Woodland Meadows struggles had the greatest impact on where I am now.

My family and especially my parents have always been supportive, no matter what paths I have chosen. During my crisis, the drive to continue from optimism. Even on the worst days, I was convinced that my situation could only get better and that I would prevail. Instead, most of the time, my predicament worsened. Little by little, everything fell apart.

Disgraced ballplayer Jose Canseco described a similar experience:
"It’s like swimming in the ocean. Once you get out past 100 yards, it looks like 200 yards and the farther you swim the harder it is to get back to shore; you’re just swimming around forever and you can never reach the other side. The vastness just keeps expanding and expanding and expanding...it just becomes so overwhelming that you’re not even swimming anymore. You’re just underwater, sipping air—sipping life even—through a little straw that’s sticking through the surface. It’s the most frustrating, unnatural thing I’ve ever had to go through—constantly being suffocated, choked out, and wondering if I could survive until the next day..."

Although everyone in Columbus knew I had failed, I tried to keep the worst of the news of my parents. I remember that one day my cousin saw a news story about me being arrested and emailed it to my father asking "is everything OK with Jorge?". My father already knew I was experiencing some challenges, but I don't think he had heard the worst of it. He did not panic. Instead, he forwarded the email to me and asked if everything was OK. I told him I was handling it and the paper blew it out of proportion. Still, my heart sank once I read that email. Now, even my Dad heard the news that I was a failure.

Philosopher Alan Watts wrote a book in the 1950s called "The Wisdom of Insecurity". He described how self-sufficiency often comes from not having something solid or reliable -- of being insecure in that sense. It's in having nothing, or having lost everything like I did, that people find their way back to something. The same idea exists among recovered alcoholics and other substance abusers: addicts often won't begin to consider recovery until they've lost everything: family, home, job, friends. Once everything is gone, a person can rebuild - oftentimes stronger than before.

Writing Burn Zones was therapy for me. Today, instead of hoping people do not find out about my past challenges, I share them readily. When I speak nowadays, people from all walks of life often come up to me afterwards and share some challenges they have experienced or are experiencing. I think that the magnitude of my failures may provide comfort to people enduring their own burn zones.
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Post by dorebri2020 »

I honestly have so many questions I would like to ask, but I primarily want to know how you found the will to keep fighting in the face of so many issues. I know I would not have had the determination to do so.
"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."- J.K. Rowling. :D
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Post by Washboard »

Mr. Newbery,

How much of a role do you think racism has in decisions regarding foreclosures, condemning buildings, and other housing issues? You touched on it briefly in your book, but I wanted to see if you think it is a common issue. Thank you!
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Post by Meg98 »

I would like to ask what Mr. Newbery's all-time favourite book is?
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Post by LyorBoone »

Me. Newbury, do you feel more young adults should stay home and save their money for a few years? Or do you have other thoughts on ideal way to grow up in your 20’s?
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Post by readerrihana »

I was just wondering, from the opinion of the author, what does he believe are his reasons for success in the beginning, and what does he believe was the cause of his apparent set back

Thanks so much
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Post by Maria Esposito »

Hi Mr. @Jorge P Newbery, I have just finished reading and reviewing your book. It's been quite inspirational to me, so I thank you for that. My question is: how has punk music influenced you during your adult life? Does it still hold a place in your heart and in your life? Thank you in advance!

Maria
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Post by KaylaPenner »

Hello Jorge! I just finished reading your book two days ago and I loved it! For the past few years I have put reading on the back burner so I joined the Online Book Club in order to get back into reading. Your book was the first book that I have reviewed and I was more than impressed. Your book has inspired me to cherish my memories and to start writing down what happens in my day to day life. Did you ever keep a journal in order to better remember your life events? You wrote about your life in great detail and I would one day like to do the same so I am hoping that recording my life may make that possible. Thanks!
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Post by Barbara Larkin »

PashaRu wrote: 19 Jan 2016, 20:24 Sounds like Mr. Newbury is on the side of the families, not the banks. Good job!
And that's so rare! Most individuals with a higher net worth tend to be against the people. Mr. Newbury avoided the luxury trap like the plague, and seems to be constantly helping those who are struggling instead.
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