Jacob A. Nordby

A needed invitation

Reviewed: 11-18-24

I find myself in one of those liminal places between a season of intense work and something new coming — but not quite here yet.

Those hallways are often excruciating and I think that this one is made more so because I’ve weathered them before and think that I should be better at it.

So, this book, with its homey, relatable stories, feels like a friendly hand on the shoulder saying, “It’ll be all right. Let yourself rest and receive the medicine of this time. Don’t struggle so against it.”

I appreciate the author’s honesty about the ongoing and unfinishable nature of life. Her refusal to offer a prescriptive formula makes me trust the oblique advice she offers even more without the tidy bow.

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A breakthrough — simple, hilarious, profound

Reviewed: 05-31-23

I’ve read (and loved) so many transformational books. I expected this book to be good and then it turned out to be great.

Kyle’s transparency about his fears makes this an inviting guidebook rather than a guru project.

He’s goofy and wise. He acts out and acts up without hiding his humanity.

He makes it feel safe (maybe even fun, if not easy) to imagine beyond the fears that have held us back and then commit to the future that we dream of creating.

Pro tip: *don’t* skip the exercises. Or … *do* skip them if you like to talk about living your best life rather than, you know, living it.

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A clear call to transformation *excellent*

Reviewed: 06-14-22

As a writer — and one who has worked with the Hero’s Journey — I’m envious at this author’s masterful use of the monomyth. I’m also envious of how he crafted a clear path to make it actionable in modern life.

As a reader, this book is a joy. It’s clean and easy to follow. It issues a tremendous challenge to create meaning in life. But, there are a lot of books that do this.

This one’s different from many in that Miller spells out his own struggles and how he lived out the Victim archetype for so many years.

That’s why I trust him as a guide in this book — he tells a story of dream - struggle - victory that I find endearing and ultimately inspiring.

It doesn’t hurt that he and I are the same age and share a lot in common from our childhoods (I also stood in line for government cheese as a kid). And he often quotes Viktor Frankl, whose book, Man’s Search for Meaning, became a lifesaver and turning point for me in one of my darkest years.

Oh, and the resources he offers as bonus items are useful as immediate ways to integrate the lessons.

Five Stars all around!

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This book saved my sanity

Reviewed: 06-01-22

I first read Bird by Bird over a dozen years ago. That was when I first started writing and my mother insisted that I read it.

A dutiful son, I resisted her suggestion as long as I could. Then one day I was bored or going insane or something and picked it up.

From the first sentence, I was hooked. Making a nasty face in the direction of my mother, who was two thousand miles away and couldn’t wash my mouth out, I read the whole thing.

Fast forward to present. I’ve written and published three books and even lead a writers’ community. In preparation for sharing this book with my group, I just listened to the whole thing again,

It’s better, truer, and even more laugh out loud sharp and practical than it was the first time.

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Outstanding … a major piece of the puzzle

Reviewed: 05-14-22

As a psychology, mental health, and human potential geek, I found this book profound.

Ms. Taylor’s approach is simple, concrete, and actionable.

I would have preferred a different reader as her voice wasn’t all that pleasant to listen to, but if you’re like me and feel irritated by it in the first stretch, I suggest sticking with it.

The book is so good that it’s worth hanging in there.

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Lawrence Block holds up

Reviewed: 03-27-22

I started reading the Scudder books in my twenties. Returning to them a couple of decades later, I’m delighted that I’ve forgotten the stories enough to enjoy them all over again — and that Block stands the test of a maturing palate.

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For tired control freaks, recovering perfectionists, and life purpose junkies

Reviewed: 01-30-22

If you’re like me, the sense of urgency to live an extraordinary life, find your “purpose”, and stick all the landings started quite early.

This book deconstructs the deification of hustle and offers a deep breath of relief that maybe what’s right in front of us is worth paying attention to — worth giving ourselves to deeply.

In a world that’s loud with voices telling us to do more, be more, make an impact, and have it all … right NOW … this book sounds like a quieter voice, an inner one, that says, “remember, who you really are is enough.”

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For a white reader, provided visibility to a system invisible because of its ubiquitousness

Reviewed: 01-10-22

I have been racially sensitive since childhood, but bell hooks’s clear account — written in factual, mostly unemotional language — revealed parts of the framework of a systemically racist system that I hadn’t understood so well before. Based on the title, I expected, and would have enjoyed, a more raw, manifesto style of book, but found myself very much respecting the way they spelled it out straight and without emotional appeal — except for the undeniably emotional facts as they are.

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A treasured story from childhood that holds up 40 years later

Reviewed: 10-06-21

I used to listen to this story on vinyl records that my mother checked out from the Boise Public Library. I loved it as a boy and probably wore out at least one set of the records by listening to it over and over.

Now, all these years and lifetimes later, I love it all over again. It’s full of all the things I loved back then, and still do: mystery, superior language, a bit of sly humor, and the device of a clever old wealthy woman who inhabited a world that reminded me a bit of my own great grandfather’s.

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Raw Bukowski

Reviewed: 07-03-21

Okay, first of all, Will Patton is an extraordinary performer. I felt that he became Bukowski telling these stories. Raw, lecherous, vivid.

Bukowski is Bukowski and this collection of stories puts him on full display, i.e., not for the faint of heart. If you’re interested in taking a dive into the filthier end of the Beat era degeneracy, go for it.

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2 people found this helpful