Thursday, August 14, 2008

Book Review, "Caught in the Headlights. Written by Barry Phillips

JoAnn Arnold's Review for
Caught in the Headlights by Barry Phillips

As I read Barry Phillips book, Caught in the Headlights, I found myself nodding in agreement so many times that I got a kinked neck. His humor put me at ease, immediately, making the study even more enjoyable. (Perhaps it also helped me retain the messages in those little paragraphs that literally applied to me).

It is a book that should be set somewhere in sight so that when it is needed, you don’t have to go looking. It’s filled with welcomed advice instead of lectures. It talks of happiness, self-esteem, pride, freedom, control, tolerance, forgiveness, success, in a way that you can understand and, I think, relate to.

I want to quote a paragraph from Barry’s book just to give you taste of his insight.

“By now you’ve no doubt noticed a pattern in the ten things that we
pursue and then find out that they’re really not what we’re after. In
the end, the most compelling thing that we really want is not happiness
or success or any of the other things we’ve discussed. At least not by the
standard definitions most people go by. What we really want is peace.
That feeling that we are on the right path, doing the right things, and
our relationships are all intact. It sounds so simple but takes a lifetime to
achieve. All the other things talked about in this book directly or indirectly
affect our ability to obtain it.”

Now, can you hardly wait to sit down with this book in one hand, a chocolate bar or a brownie in the other (careful not to smudge the pages), and read what is really important? Let me put it like this, following the example of Barry’s poetic prose that is found throughout the book.

A small, simple book, it may seem.
Yet dynamite comes wrapped much the same,
And to light it, we find explosive awakenings,
Just as the truths in this book erupt into flame.

What is it, in life, we are really looking for?
And just what is the true meaning of Pride?
Tell me; is there more than just one definition?
Ah, read and let your question and answer collide.

When you finish reading all the pages,
And you hear yourself say, “I’m impressed.”
I think you’ll want to keep this book near you,
And let it sit where the remote usually sat.

What else can I say except that if you really want to know, get the book.

JoAnn






old

No comments: