4 out of 4 stars
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Burn Zones, Playing Life’s Bad Hands, is an inspirational autobiography that takes the reader through both the successes and failures of the author, Jorge P. Newberry. The book begins, in 1973, in Los Angeles, with Jorge becoming an entrepreneur at the young age of seven. For many kids, a paper route is a short-lived job because of the amount of energy and time involved. However, Jorge threw himself completely into the task, and made it a successful, lucrative business. It was the first of many stepping-stones, which made him the person he is today. Jorge worked the paper delivery route until he was eleven, at which time he had saved enough money to buy an ice cream delivery bike. He continued starting new businesses and growing as an entrepreneur, as evidenced by the description of some of his endeavors. Eventually, he started buying apartment buildings, which he remodeled and upgraded. Unfortunately, too much success, too fast, often results in failure. Fortunately, Jorge showed resilience, but he also had the support of his parents. His parents understood his desires, encouraged, and supported him, which helped in his successes. He relates throughout the book, the closeness he has with his parents, especially his father. They instilled in Jorge a strong work ethic and taught him empathy, which he displays throughout the book.
This book describes the ups-and-downs of the real estate market, the improvements within the neighborhoods because of upgrading the apartments, and the ability to keep your head up and keep pushing forward even when things go wrong. There are references throughout the book to the difficulties of being a black or biracial person, working within a predominantly white political and economic system. There are also discussions about the difficulties of finding a good job after incarceration.
I could find nothing that I did not like about the book. Jorge proved to be an honest, hardworking individual who wants to make the world a better place. He does not take advantage of people. I liked the flow of the book, and the way the story moved from childhood to adulthood in a way that showed how Jorge developed as a person. This is a well-written and professionally edited book; therefore, I did not find any significant grammatical or spelling errors.
There were several morals presented in this book. The first two belong together; work hard and follow your dreams, and you can be successful even in your youth. Several others stood out throughout the book: good people with good intentions can be destroyed by lies and false accusation; bad things happen to good people, you can get through trials in life; and you must always be careful of who you trust.
I would recommend this book to all ages from preteen to adult. It may be a little difficult for younger children to understand but because there are good morals presented, I believe all ages would enjoy reading Burn Zones, Playing Life’s Bad Hands. I rate this book four out of four stars.
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Burn Zones
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