Overall rating and opinion of "And Then I Met Margaret"

[Joy2thenations]

I haven’t gotten very far in this month’s book, but I can already see why some readers would find the author’s tone and ideas as off putting or arrogant. For example, on page 12 when talking about Gary, the author writes, “You might assume he had a brain-part missing until you spoke with him.” As someone with ADD, I find this statement offensive. I do not feel like I, or anyone else with a neurodevelopmental disorder, appear to have a brain-part missing until you take the time to realize we may have problems focusing. It is an insensitive and judge mental statement, and one that I am suprised to find in a book of his genre.

That is a good catch and one I’m sure the author would want to know about. As one who shares life lessons, this is definitely another for him! Thanks for sharing your insights!

[E G Suth]

I really enjoyed "And Then I Met Margaret". I don't read a lot of self-help books but this one motivated me and taught me a lot of things in life like to expect the unexpected.
I learned that in following your dreams and visions, you will encounter challenges. How you handle those challenges will determine whether you will succeed or not. I think that there is a lot of lesson to learn from reading this book, which is a wonderful way to start the new year,with new resolutions.

I have a similar mind set as you. I don't usually pick up self help books however as it is currently book of the month I gave it ago. Even though it wasn't exactly my cup of tea it did contain some very important and motivational anecdotes that I enjoyed reading about. Currently in the process of writing my review but summed up I give it 2.5 stars

[EvaDar]

The narrative lacks HUMILITY. The author offers an incredibly self-absorbed perspective of his life. I cringed at the many instances when he cast another person in a bad light just to illustrate how much he has changed for the better. I disliked how he used the grief of the Maasai mother to demonstrate a vague point.

I just posted my review of this book. I really liked the first third, and could appreciate the author's quest for wisdom and his desire to pass that on to others. Many of the later stories felt contrived, and it seemed the author failed to understand some of the deeper themes in his own stories. And there were many editing errors. I rated it 2 out of 4 stars. I concur with inaramid's assertion that the author's self-absorption overtook the message. And, I was so disgusted by the exploitation of the Maasai mother, I couldn't even include it in my review. I do think this book will work for some, but didn't for me. Please check out my review to see if this one is for you.

[BookishCreature]

The narrative lacks HUMILITY. The author offers an incredibly self-absorbed perspective of his life. I cringed at the many instances when he cast another person in a bad light just to illustrate how much he has changed for the better. I disliked how he used the grief of the Maasai mother to demonstrate a vague point.

I just posted my review of this book. I really liked the first third, and could appreciate the author's quest for wisdom and his desire to pass that on to others. Many of the later stories felt contrived, and it seemed the author failed to understand some of the deeper themes in his own stories. And there were many editing errors. I rated it 2 out of 4 stars. I concur with inaramid's assertion that the author's self-absorption overtook the message. And, I was so disgusted by the exploitation of the Maasai mother, I couldn't even include it in my review. I do think this book will work for some, but didn't for me. Please check out my review to see if this one is for you.

Wow, I never looked at it that way. I think I shifted my own focus more towards the 'gurus' themselves instead of what the author had to say about himself, but the chapter about the Maasai woman didn't sit right with me either and I couldn't pin down why until I read your post. Thanks for the insight.

[SPasciuti]

I wish I had noticed the comment about Gary missing part of his brain while I was reading enough to recognize how wrong it was. I'm really glad that this was pointed out because it's definitely something that needs to be called out at the end of the day. Making insensitive comments like that, especially in a book that is meant to be helpful and motivational is an egregious error on the author's part.

---------------
Ya know, SP, I do not recall that scenario, for whatever reason. But I am tempted to think that if the author made some insensitive remark about the static misfortune of another, then he must've been expounding on his mental and emotional growth in terms of his perception regarding the matter or he must've been stating a patent fact; for example, 'Ben was in a near fatal accident, he hasn't been the same since, and some (maybe small town info-mill regarding his hospital stay) say he's lost half his brain (literal nerve damage from the accident, perhaps).'

Well, maybe I'll come across that section again some time but, like I say, I do not remember that in the story.

Steph

Nah, someone else mentioned it above. I haven't checked yet, but apparently it's on page 12 and used as a somewhat derogatory term to describe someone with ADD/ADHD, which doesn't really fit the example you give. I'm gonna go back at some point and determine my own opinion about it after reading, but I find it both unfortunate and ignorant in the context that it was described.

[Written Legalist]

The problem with fate and self help books is that they can’t address individual situations. While people often have similar circumstances, how could an author relate to someone that’s gone through a worse tragedy that the author has never known? I like the writing style of this book, but don’t agree with the message.

[mandalee519]

All my life, I've heard, "you can be anything you want to be", "follow your dreams", etc. Well, I can guarantee that I never intended to be poor and struggling all the time. Despite reaching reaching reeeeeeeeeeeaching and clamoring for my dreams, here I still am.

This was my exact thought when I began reading the book @MsTri. The first chapter of the book is essentially the author listing who they met and what words of wisdom that person was able to offer. I must say, most of the advice offered was cliches that I'm sure everyone has either heard or will hear at some point. It was a little disappointing because I thought to myself, "I've been told this my entire life, but a mere pick me up line never helped." I can't say this book isn't for anyone, but it definitely is not for everyone. I do not hate it, but it really is not a favorite of mine.

[SPasciuti]

All my life, I've heard, "you can be anything you want to be", "follow your dreams", etc. Well, I can guarantee that I never intended to be poor and struggling all the time. Despite reaching reaching reeeeeeeeeeeaching and clamoring for my dreams, here I still am.

This was my exact thought when I began reading the book @MsTri. The first chapter of the book is essentially the author listing who they met and what words of wisdom that person was able to offer. I must say, most of the advice offered was cliches that I'm sure everyone has either heard or will hear at some point. It was a little disappointing because I thought to myself, "I've been told this my entire life, but a mere pick me up line never helped." I can't say this book isn't for anyone, but it definitely is not for everyone. I do not hate it, but it really is not a favorite of mine.

I definitely agree with you both. While the lessons he mentions are certainly things everyone should come to the conclusion of in my opinion, I don't feel like they all really promote success so much. A huge part of his success came from the fact that he didn't follow the path that was expected and that he found the right teacher as far as real estate is concerned, and I don't really think that sort of thing is easily achieved for most. He definitely doesn't provide more than one or two real pieces of advice for improving ones financial success. And even those are somewhat minimal.

[PriyaRD]

I have given 2 out of 4 stars in my review because honestly, some stories didn't impress me and some I thought was bit overreaction of the author to a normal thing. Moreover the story of cupcakes in the Chapter "The Squawk Heard Round the World" made me think it is not a real story as this cupcake story has been in many versions on the internet.

[Mitchell Starc]

The book is too much interesting as it develops marvelous characters and an intriguing story

[claudia christine]

The book gives perspective, and people who are in the same relatable situations can look to this for guidance.

[inaramid]

The narrative lacks HUMILITY. The author offers an incredibly self-absorbed perspective of his life. I cringed at the many instances when he cast another person in a bad light just to illustrate how much he has changed for the better. I disliked how he used the grief of the Maasai mother to demonstrate a vague point.

I just posted my review of this book. I really liked the first third, and could appreciate the author's quest for wisdom and his desire to pass that on to others. Many of the later stories felt contrived, and it seemed the author failed to understand some of the deeper themes in his own stories. And there were many editing errors. I rated it 2 out of 4 stars. I concur with inaramid's assertion that the author's self-absorption overtook the message. And, I was so disgusted by the exploitation of the Maasai mother, I couldn't even include it in my review. I do think this book will work for some, but didn't for me. Please check out my review to see if this one is for you.

Looks like we're of the same mind . Contrived is a good word. Reading through the forum, I find it interesting that a self-help book could be so polarizing. I was looking for your review, but I guess it still has to go through the editors? Looking forward to reading it.

[EvaDar]

Looks like we're of the same mind . Contrived is a good word. Reading through the forum, I find it interesting that a self-help book could be so polarizing. I was looking for your review, but I guess it still has to go through the editors? Looking forward to reading it.

Yes, I realize now that my review isn't available yet. I'm new, so kind of just figuring everything out.

[djordjesvonja]

Fantastic book! So many good stories with great advices. This book is one big life school, i recognized myself in plenty of stories and situations and i am starting to ask myself what it could be if I response on every myth like the writer was? Not yet reviewed, but 4 stars from me definitely.

[Bilal Munawar]

Among the billions of people living alongside us in this world, I believe there's no questioning the fact that we're going to meet some amazing and inspirational teachers in our life's journey. And Then I Met Margaret by Rob White chronicles the instances in a man's life where he experiences inspiring learning opportunities and the people who taught him. Beginning with tales of his childhood and ending with more recent moments, White does a masterful job at discussing his deep thoughts with the world and passing on life lessons he's had the fortune to learn throughout the years.

I found myself pleasantly surprised by White's tales, the book presenting itself in a clever structure by presenting readers with a myth, or pre-belief, White had before the mentor or teacher he would later name at the start of the chapter changed his viewpoint. This, in particular, was one of the shining pieces of the book for me. It gave just the right amount of insight into the lesson we would be reading about to keep us interested. Later, as the chapter ended, White would reiterate the myth he originally believed to be true and then replace it with the revised belief that the lesson had taught him.

In such a small and simple way, White achieved a great deal in promoting the life lessons he cherishes, condensing them into a short sentence or phrase in order to illuminate the pieces of the chapter that brought him to change for the better. And it allowed him to remind the reader of what he learned in that particular chapter of his life.

I enjoyed the majority of White's stories and genuinely felt as though I got to know him a little bit along the way, which made the reading experience even more pleasant. From his Aunt Theresa, a beautiful personality, to Peter from the final chapter I found myself learning quite a lot more than I expected to when I began this book. White's storytelling is great and he really manages to pull the reader into the events of his life.

That said, I felt as though some of the stories and inspirational lessons weren't really as amazing or useful as he may have felt. Granted, this is the sort of opinion that is very personal to people and therefore I cannot discredit how these lessons impacted him, as I'm sure the impact was great. I was disappointed, mostly, in Margaret's story and I feel that this is one of the greatest downfalls of White's book. Margaret was the person who inspired the very title and for the book to be as impactful as I believe White wishes for, she needed to be the most poignant story he had to tell. Instead, she simply represented something that I've heard more times than I could count.

My final complaint is a small one, simply related to the fact that I couldn't help feeling as though White was complimenting himself regularly throughout the book in his attempts to portray how he took the lessons he learned and passed them on to others. These were the moments in his stories that I liked the least, often feeling somewhat off put by how he described his actions. I'm not sure if this is due to the slight arrogant tone it seemed to exude or simply because it felt almost unreal. Either way, it bugged me. One of the more annoying ones was the lesson in practice involving the Gutter Busters.

And Then I Met Margaret was interesting, fun to read, and even had me laughing several times. This isn't the sort of book I read typically and I was glad to have gotten the opportunity to open my eyes to something I don't often spend time with. All in all, I'd give And Then I Met Margaret 3 out of 4 stars. It's a good book, it has some great moments, and I can certainly see it's appeal in the self-help and motivational genres. And if nothing else, it's really nice to get a look at all these interesting people and to see how they've taught those around them.