4 out of 4 stars
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And Then I Met Margaret by Rob White is a collection of the author’s memories that focus on spiritual growth and life lessons. In it, he chronicles his early years as the son of a factory worker on up to his multiple career paths in teaching, real estate, public speaking, and the restaurant business. His incredible drive and focus led to a lot of wealth and success and an amazing lifestyle of luxury. A mentor in his own right, Rob shares the stories of the people, animals, and situations that influenced his personal rise to the top. Some of his “life gurus” just might surprise you.
There are so many wonderful adjectives I could use to describe this book. Words like charming, touching, endearing, nostalgic and heartwarming come to mind. The author’s early, formative years as a young boy growing up in a factory town reveal his gradual evolution into a successful, self-made man in search of deeper meaning upon reaching the pinnacle of worldly achievement. At some point, Rob reflected on the times in his life that inspired his future success and thinking, and these are the moments he shares with us.
The gurus he speaks of aren’t the ones he paid top dollar to travel the world to listen to. These gurus are the people (or animals) that positively altered his perception and affected his personal growth. One of my favorite stories was his encounter with a distressed doe trapped in a block of ice. It was amazing to read about the lesson he learned from this animal; it quite literally changed his entire life. His recollection of Aunt Theresa actually brought tears to my eyes. I also loved the story about Dr. Tucker, the English teacher known as “the executioner” on campus. Later on, the author recounts a terribly embarrassing event that happened to him in front of thousands of people. I was thoroughly amused as I imagined the poor man’s plight as he struggled to find an escape from his situation. In the end, the lesson he learned was quite inspiring and one we all can benefit from.
This book will absolutely give you insight into how a man of his status thinks. At times, he’s completely relatable. At others, he’s a tad eccentric. At his most successful, he becomes a foolish daredevil. I really enjoyed the entertaining style of this book. Every lesson he shares plays out like a unique episode of a series. It starts with the title and ends with the author’s takeaway from the encounter. It’s a very fun book to read, and I can’t say I was ever bored.
There are a few errors scattered throughout the text, but on the whole, it looks like the author put in the effort to make the book look as professional as possible. I would recommend another round of proofreading just to get rid of the careless mistakes I found, particularly in the latter half of the book.
Overall, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars for enjoyment and the quality of the lessons contained. It really made me think and altered my perspective in some cases. I’ll definitely be thinking about how I can apply some of these lessons to my own life.
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And Then I Met Margaret
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