4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Burn Zones: Playing Life's Bad Hands by Jorge P. Newbery is a memoir that details how the author exerted himself in achieving his goals and surmounting the life hurdles he encountered both in his entrepreneurial journey and personal life. I could see that the author was proactive and had a strong desire for success from when he was still of a very tender age.
At the age of seven, Jorge J. Newbery had started working and, at age eleven, he had already created his first business. His entrepreneurial and risk-taking spirit did not end there. Thereafter, with such a determination and focus, the author also ventured into other areas such as sports and real-estate investments. He continued learning in each of those areas he ventured in until a debilitating tragedy befell one of his grandest and most cherished real-estate investments: The Woodland Meadows. This, though, did not disempower him. I admired how the author rose beyond the ordeal and came up with another peculiar business solution to a certain market gap in the mortgage sector.
This book was well-written and wonderfully executed, achieving perfectly what the author intended it for. The chapters were arranged in terms of the jobs the author undertook and, therefore, it is easy to follow through the author's entrepreneurial journey. In each job he landed, the author not only shared how he exerted himself to achieve great success but also how he overcame the challenges he encountered. All these were inspiring, but not in the way leaving the readers feeling that success can be achieved overnight. Furthermore, the author included some colorful photographs that complement the narration of the activities he engaged in and the experiences he had. I liked the fact that the photographs were also captioned, and this acted as a great guide for me in knowing precisely what they contained.
What I liked the most about this book was the author's compassion and commitment toward helping the less-privileged. This he did even to the extent of compromising his business’ profit margin. But this did not end only for the people outside his family. The relationship between himself and his family members, especially his father, was also touching. For instance, during his father's critical illness, I could see the love Jorge P. Newberry had for him. This was the most emotional part of the story, and I only did my best to barely prevent tears from welling down my cheeks. I was surprised by that since I'm not always emotional, but this touching story managed to take me that far, the first one to ever do so.
In conclusion, I didn't find anything to dislike about this book. The language used was appropriate and can, thus, suit a wide range of audiences. Besides, it was perfectly edited since I did not find any grammatical or typographical errors. I'm, therefore, glad to award Burn Zones: Playing Life's Bad Hands by Jorge P. Newbery 4 out of 4 stars. It was great learning from the first-hand experiences of a distinctive entrepreneur, and that's why I've awarded it the perfect score. So, this is the book I'm glad to recommend to any reader since there are many life lessons on how to overcome challenges we often face both in our personal and business (or professional) lives. On the other hand, I can't figure out anyone to caution against picking this book.
******
Burn Zones
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon