BenRias

I wanted to like it...

Revisado: 05-06-24

In Wilson's previous book, he touched upon spirituality in a way that made me want to know more about his version of spirituality. However, in this book, he leaves a number of unanswered questions that left me feeling unfulfilled. In other words, great thesis that was weakly supported.

He addresses a number of positives of being connected to others and the world around us. He encourages us to pursue this unity, and supports it with philosophies from all sorts of religions and thinkers.

However, he nearly lost me in the first third of the book by shaming atheists; holding their beliefs out as an example of thinking that prevents a spiritual revolution; he uses a few extreme examples as representing all atheism; doesn't address agnostics' positions; only lightly touched upon the misuse of organized religion; and then he refuses to share why he himself is a dedicated member of an organized religion.

The book would've been so much stronger without the atheism chapter...or, at minimum, touch upon more groups than just one. I felt like that chapter misdirected the reader (and author) away from the true point of the book. And it also didn't fit with the rest of the book.

You can't convince others of your vision but hide what you truly believe and why.





Oh... and lastly... it's hard to take spiritual guidance from someone who declares that UFOs are definitely real because released govt documents say so. ???

Is there life out there? Probably yes. But to think that WE HUMANS are so significant that multiple types of aliens not only found us, but also find us so fascinating that they want to study us... it's just the epitome of self importance.

What makes more sense? That UFOs from countless light years away discovered how to maneuver through space-time and found our tiny planet among the 7+quintillion of others... yet they cannot manage simple camouflage or stealth modes?

Or is it more likely a reflection of modern times with some sightings being military craft ... some sightings labeled ufos because they are literally just objects that are indeterminate... and some sightings just plain old hoaxes?

Again...i wanted to like it... but it fell short.

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Not engaging at all...

Revisado: 03-19-24

I was very excited to finally start this book. It's been in my wish list for a long while. I got more than half way through and had to take a break--maybe finish later.

I honestly can't decide if the narration is bad, or if it's the writing/story, maybe both. But there hasn't been a single story or personality within the book that engaged me.

So far, it reads like a business case-study. Even the personal stories are spiritless. There seems to be no consensus on what actually took place during ANY of the events discussed. And the author does little to ferret out the truth nor reach any conclusions. It's like "On this date, the band recorded at a studio. Bob says this happened...Rita says something else happened... and other bandmates say something else. OK... now on this next date, they had a meeting about something else but Bob wasn't there. Now, for this third date..."

As a primary or secondary source for your own research project, yes, the book is full of useful information. However, it is arranged like a chronological dictionary. And the dry, monotoned narration either matches the tone, or just accentuates the monotony.

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Sub-par narration

Revisado: 02-29-24

The story is interesting and reveals great behind the scenes info.

The glaring drawback: over-thought performance and direction. No point in using 20 different narrators especially when there is no attempt to sound like the real actors. And their voices are not distinct enough for us to identify who is speaking--they could just swap out one voice-actor for another and the listener wouldn't even notice. I've listened to dozens of bios where a single narrator does DISTINCT male and female voices AND i would know who is speaking. Not so much here.

Decided to submit review after hearing another narrator misquote the show. It's happened a few times already and takes me out of the book. In this case, a male narrator recites Pam's outburst at the beach party... he ends it with the British inflection "Good day!" instead of the actual "[yeah... this was a] Good day." Small potatoes but distracting nonetheless.

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More like a church talk

Revisado: 02-27-24

If you're Christian and enjoy talks/devotionals, then you'll love this book. If you're just a Keenum fan, you'll still get a good but basic bio with scriptures sprinkled throughout. If you're not Christian but can still appreciate the philosophies of religion, it's actually a decent book. It's not a deep bio like you'd find with Jeff Pearlman, but I've followed Case for a few years and really enjoyed his take on the constant life changes. I'm no longer religious, but can still appreciate (and love) his dedication to a balanced life--including date nights, family first, and not losing his identity. Great guy I'd love to meet.

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A new POV

Revisado: 01-13-24

If you've been following the case, this book is a must-get! It gives depth to The Teachers Pet podcast, and Hedly Thomas' book. And because this book was started before the other works, there are a number of full stories that were only lightly touched upon elsewhere. Further, it feels more personal since it deals much more with first person interviews, and the author adds more emotion to the characters that we've become familiar with.

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Great collection of thoughts n memories

Revisado: 01-04-24

Overall just a great book to lounge with. Stories from different eras and teams. Plenty of behind the scenes peeks into hockey life and the nhl.

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Great behind the scenes...

Revisado: 11-22-23

It's a bit odd to hear Hedley's voice without the distinctive Teacher's Pet music but enthralling all the same. For narration, i feel like many authors sound less like themselves and more monotone and no inflection--likely a director's direction. It's not off putting but feels a little slower than the podcast. That said, i still absolutely loved it!

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A great comeback...

Revisado: 10-23-23

All three in this series have been very entertaining. The second one, however, was less engaging. So i was extra pleased with the way the stories in this book grips the reader. Worth the listen!

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Fine overview of TL

Revisado: 09-22-23

This was fine as far as bios go. I felt like it barely scratched the surface of who he was. Perhaps more precisely, no clear picture ever developed of Tom in this book. It was a very long collection of stories and opinions of Tom's life. So, again, it was a very standard bio (albeit a very thoroughly researched bio) with nothing too outstanding to set it apart; no conclusions or overarching storyline or unique angles...just a nice in memorium of Tom's life.

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Super helpful and funny

Revisado: 09-22-23

i think we all have issues, traumas, and needs that we either set aside, or don't realize need addressing. Maria's book destigmatizes receiving mental health care. Better yet, she's open and honest about the reality--it's an ongoing, imperfect struggle, but there is support to help.

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