Review: Interesting read, at times, thought provoking
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 25, 2014
I found this book interesting at times, other times, it was difficult to get through. Bit like slogging through molasses. The compendium of stories, poems and other narratives (much like what other reviewers have said) was too mishmash for me and I found myself having to re-read sections several times to figure out what was being said. And as at least one other reviewer voiced, I too disagree with the notion of ‘pot addiction’ and have read the medical research on it. And while that didn’t color my opinion of the book, I do understand how overuse can ruin relationships and lose jobs.That said, reading this book came at a point in my life where I’ve been heavy on the introspective and I did enjoy the voyeurism as we, the readers, are given access to the internal workings of the narrator’s mind.My favorite piece was the Behavioral Sciences one: “If we ought to forgive, why is it that it sometimes inspires the person to hate you for it? We’re not in control of how another person responds to us, but we are accountable for what they sense in our motivations, in how we choose to look at them. Forgiveness is only complete when those we forgive can forgive us, when they can see us for what we are and still forgive, naked of all other motivations, even the motivations they sense in our forgiveness of them, the hypocrisy in it...”And there are a multitude of poignant moments of clarity that kept me reading this book. If you are a fan of Akley (or similar authors), then this is worth picking up and giving it a read. If anything, perhaps you will learn something about yourself.