Product Details
- Hardcover: 128 pages
- Publisher: A & N Publishing; 1st edition (February 1, 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0982073542
- ISBN-13: 978-0982073544
Steve O'Brien has crafted a new work of fiction that successfully negotiates the tricky balance between entertainment and instruction. Overtly didactic in some ways, Elijah's Coin is also a highly suspenseful story that introduces us to characters we come to care about. The content is edifying and thought-provoking, but the story never becomes dry. Elijah's Coin is the story of Tom, a young man who has suffered a tragic loss and is spiraling out of control. He's angry, anti-social, and rapidly descending into a life of crime. Then, during a night of folly, as he brazenly commits burglary, Tom encounters the night watchman Elijah King, a mysterious figure with a shrouded past. Elijah, unexpectedly, doesn't turn Tom in but instead becomes a stern and rather cryptic mentor to him. Rather than laying his lessons out in a straightforward manner, Elijah gives Tom an enigmatic coin and sends him on a mission of self-discovery. The remainder of Part One of the story chronicles Tom's quest to find three powerful, respected men - an entrepreneur, a courtroom lawyer, and a philanthropist whose lives were forever changed through their own encounters with Elijah. Each step of the journey enriches Tom's sense of the world and of the contributions an individual can make to it, so that through searching for others he ironically comes to know himself. Each meeting also provides a piece of the puzzle that is Elijah and his give-to-get philosophy. Nonetheless, Tom becomes increasingly desperate to find Elijah himself again. The few clues he pieces together ultimately disclose a shocking truth. In Part Two, Tom lives the message, learns to trust his own instincts and uniqueness, and becomes himself a mentor to other individuals on the verge of being lost. Each new, unexpected arrival, directed Tom's way by Elijah, presents its own difficulties. In dealing with these challenges, Tom is forced to discover resources within himself he had never suspected. A serious conflict between his new values and a thirst for vengeance arises, however, when Tom finds himself face-to-face with the darkest figure from his own past.... Author Steve O'Brien is an experienced litigator and international businessman who serves as General Counsel for a global consulting company. With Elijah's Coin, he turns his hand to fiction and draws upon his business and legal experience to create convincing scenes with corporate and courtroom settings. Engaging, thoughtful, and ultimately profound, Elijah's Coin is a rare example of a work of fiction that aspires to transform its readers. As the great German poet Rainer Maria Rilke once wrote: Du musst dein leben andern ( You must change your life ). Elijah's Coin poses the same challenge through a story about inner growth that will inspire readers everywhere.
My Thoughts:
I was a little apprehensive as I started reading this book as it didn't seem like a book I would be interested in. Wow, I sure was surprised when I got into the story. A fictional story but a self help at the same time with the Give2Get philosophy. In other words, if you want to be successful in work, life, relationships you need to embrace the concept of giving, then you will get. A philosophy that we should all incorporate into our lives. I highly recommend this book. Oh yes, there are two coins in the back of the book, one for you to keep and another to pass on to another.
I received a copy of this book for review from the Cadence Group and was not monetarily compensated for my review.
No comments:
Post a Comment