4 out of 4 stars
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Burn Zones: Playing life's Bad Hands by Jorge P. Newbery is the story of how a normal boy from a normal family overcame numerous disappointments and hurdles to become a real-estate mogul. From the tender age of 7, Jorge or Jorgie, as he was lovingly called by his father was a businessman. From delivering newspapers to representing punk rock bands, he did whatever it took to be successful. Although he lacked a college education, Jorge was smart. He knew what he wanted and he did everything in his power to get it. Through this book he tells us how his spontaneity and overconfidence( by his own admission) led to an enormous failure, and how through resilience and hard work, he overcame that. Throughout the book, he compares each hurdle he has to cross to 'Burn Zones'. 'Burn Zones', as he explains to us in the beginning of the book, is a term used in cycling to describe short periods of extraordinary effort that separated the winners and losers. He tells us how he uses this concept to surge on, and not look back.
I loved this book. It is inspiring and full of hope. It also gives us a small peek into the punk rock scene of the 70's. The author has also managed to talk about the prevalent racism, and how it affected him and the people around him. The way he manages to stay optimistic and full of hope even through all the horrible times is inspiring. The book also beautifully explores the wonderful relationship he shared with his father. His father's journey with cancer and his wedding are both beautiful heart-warming chapters in the book.
What i liked about this book is how relatable it is. Everyone, at some point in their lives, would have had to encounter failures. This book shows us it is possible to rise from the ashes and become better people for it. The book is inspiring without being condescending and will speak to every person- man or woman, black or white, going through life.
What i disliked about the book is all the extensive real-estate jargon. Although i realise that it goes with the theme of the book and probably makes sense to the target audience, maybe a little less of that would make some parts less boring to people who are not familiar with the world of real-estate. There are many chapters dedicated to this and while some information was good, i felt like it was too much at certain places.
The book seems professionally edited and i found only one error in the entire book. There are no instances of profanity and the book is appropriate for readers of all ages- although children may not enjoy it as much. I give this book 4 out of 4 stars and would definitely recommend it to others.
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Burn Zones
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