52 People: Connecting with life through strangers

by Jayson Krause

"My best friend died a stranger to me." - Jayson Krause He was the best man at his wedding and gave the eulogy at his funeral. Yet, author Jayson Krause experienced the crushing realization that he knew very little about his best friend. This stinging revelation led to a passionate year-long quest in search of meaningful connection. Adventurous, courageous and revealing, Krause bravely tackles the myths of social connection and approaches random strangers from across the world in attempt to find the hidden answers. 52 People takes readers to the daring place of real connection and offers a compelling and urgent way of thinking about relationships and life. "Jayson Krause’s 52 People is an inspired and truly authentic piece of work. The stories are beautifully told and will touch your heart. This book will move you to examine your own relationships in a new and hopeful light. In a world of “high tech”, this unique and timely project offers a “high touch” experience." - David Irvine, Author of 'Becoming Real: Journey To Authenticity' and 'Simple Living In A Complex World' “52 People takes us back to what it is to be human.” - Karen Kimsey-House, CEO and Co-founder of The Coaches Training Institute

268 pages, Paperback

First published March 18, 2012

Reviews

[Debbie Bateman · Rating 1 out of 5]

This could have been a good book. It has a strong premise: talk to 52 strangers, ask them probing questions about life, and then use their answers to explore the meaning of human connections. The interview subjects are interesting and diverse, ranging from a recovering alcoholic to an Elvis impersonator and a homeless person.

Unfortunately, the author does not know enough about writing or language to carry the story to completion. Rather than editing the interviews, the writer includes every verbal tick or grammatical error. As a result, the interview subjects sound inarticulate and sometimes foolish.

The book is also overloaded with grammar and spelling mistakes. Every book is likely to have at least a few errors, even after careful editing. However, this book has a glaring mistake on every other page. When a book is littered with basic errors, such as misuse of you're/your and to/too, I ask myself why I should spend my time reading something that the author wasn't prepared to spend his time writing.

I have better books to read.

[Rhonda Szybunka · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eye opener as to how we view or relationship and society. It promotes taking time and REALLY getting to know people in our lives and the people we share the earth with.