ان تمتع المرء بوجود أحفاد حوله يعد متعة كبيرة وغير متوقعة. في هذا الكتاب يفعل المؤلف ما يتمنى أن يقوم به كل الأجداد من أجل أحفادهم فهو يجمح الخبرات الحياتية والعملية التي مر بها ويشارك أحفاده تلك الدروس بطريقة جذابة حتى تصبح حياتهم أفضل فكل الأجداد يتمنون فعل الشيء نفسه لأحفادهم .
The "Letters to My Grandchildren" gimmick got real old, real fast, but giving credit where it's due, that's probably what prompted me to pick the book up in the first place. The advice is good for the right recipient: a fresh out of college, eager kid who wants to be a mover and a shaker. For others with different goals and temperaments, the advice is hit and miss. Not everyone wants to live in a city; not everyone has the wherewithal for, or the interest in, Spooner's investment advice. But if you've got a little go-getter on your hands who could use some guidance, this might be worthwhile.
This book loses an additional star for the name-dropping. We get it - Spooner's elbows are raw from all the rubbing they do with Important People.
Decent book. Not incredible, not bad. Just decent. He didn't share anything life shatteringly unique or useful, but he talked about some good principles. My main takeaway was the importance of building and maintaining relationships. Second takeaway would be don't take life too seriously. Like I said, nothing most people wouldn't already agree with, but it is good to be reminded.
وصايا جد لحفيديه في المال والاستثمار والحياة وعلاقاتها. بشكل عام الكتاب لم يزدني فائدة كثيرًا بسبب أنه تحدث عن الاستثمار في نصف وصايا الكتاب وهو موضوع لايهمني بصراحة لكنني قرأت الكتاب على أية حال
My grandfather use to hold my hand and call me his Tuzy. Yeah that was his nickname for me. I would ask why and he said I looked like a Tuzy. Of course I would wrinkle my brow and ask what a Tuzy looked like? You know it...he would answer....YOU! I smiled so much when I was with him. As I aged and grew and learned more and more he would share better words of wisdom. He advised me on buying my first car. What to look for, how to budget cost and repairs, and how to keep it in good shape. He also shared tips on how to be happy with my life. The best advice was to take 5 minutes every day, preferable when I first woke up to count my blessings. That would set the tone for my day. He was right. I am so thankful to have had the time with him that I did.
But not everyone has that joy. College Girl did not grow up with nurturing grandfathers. She never knew the comfort of a leathery hand holding hers. And she also did not get the pearls of wisdom that comes with a full life. So with her fixing to graduate from college I thought I would do my best to share some of that with her. No I do not know the best advice from a grandfather but John D. Spooner does. "No One Ever Told Us That" is his letters that he shares to his grandchildren. And with us too.
He has great advice like my own grandfather. Here are some of his thoughts.
Never call a busy person first thing Monday morning. Always look as though you know where your going. Everything you own will fluctuate in value. Expect to do everything yourself. Always keep hints of your childhood in life.
There are so many more. With economic times being quite trying it is a time to keep a level head and a strong will power. This can be fortified with sound advice. I think this will be one of those quiet presents that will not be noticed at first. But since she does read I know she will not keep the cover of this book closed. And once inside College Girl will relish the love of a gift that helps one go to the next stage in life.
These letters were more rambling & story telling than actual useful information for young adults just starting out. The letters were written to the author's grandchildren, and those are the people who would most appreciate them. He did a lot of name dropping throughout, leading me to suspect that these letters got published because the author knows someone.
I did find a few shiny nuggets though.
1. Get a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage so the payment is low. You can always pay more in prosperous times, but the low payment will help you through lean times.
So-so. Will give it as a gift to a recent college grad, but I think she probably knows enough to weed out what does not apply to her and to accept (with appropriate grains of salt) what might be useful.
April 2021, have revised my rating -- even though the grad in question may know this stuff, she has gone on to be a successful financial advisor, so maybe this helped, even a bit. I know I learned something in one chapter, about accepting to be an executor to an estate (don't do it, and if you do, don't do it for free!).
قرأت النسخة المترجمة بعنوان "لم يخبرنا أحد بهذا من قبل" وانني أعتقد أن الكتاب سيكون ممتاز لو كنت أعيش في نفس بيئة المؤلف...حيث أن الكثير من الأمور التي تحدث عنها في الكتاب لا تثير اهتمامي أو لا أعرف عنها شيئا.. ولكن بعض النصائح العامة أظن بأنني استفدت منها وهي التي لم تجعل الكتاب مملا بشكل كامل.
I truly appreciate all the letters in this book on truely frank and honest tricks to navigate relationships, money, and careers that no one teaches us in school and in most unaware families.
I can’t wait to write similar letters to my grandkids one day.
جيد إلى حدٍ ما، لطالما تساءلت عن دروس الحياة المستفادة من العمر الطويل. يعيب الكتاب هو كثرة حديثه عن المال والأسهم، ليتضح لاحقًا بأن الكاتب انما هو مستشار مالي.
The tone of the writing is warm and sweet, but the myriad of tips and advice in the book are probably best suited for fresh college graduates that honestly have no idea about how the world truly works. To older readers, a few interesting tidbits of wisdom can be found here and there, but the name dropping and worn-out cliches make the book less interesting and useful than it could have been.
There was some good advice sprinkled in here, but this was more about "money" than "life". I was not at all familiar with John Spooner - I suppose he's a pretty good writer for a financial planner, but didn't strike me as someone I would particularly like.
PRO: I couldn't wait to read this book when it first came out. Quick read. He offers up some good tips, such as: --Differentiating yourself from the millions of other Americans & job seekers by handwriting a letter on good quality paper. Especially since texting and email has been so popular, people will remember you more for writing them a letter. --"every day for the rest of your lives, the news is going to be terrible!" --Make a list of 5 people you'd contact to get you back on track if you lost your job --"Cultivate a sense of flexibility." --"Remember this about friendship: you have to work for it, you have to stay in touch. It won't automatically be there for you."
CON: I couldn't wait NOT to read this book once I finally got it. Towards the end it seemed to drag on and on...
I love the delivery; the content is both useful and sentimental. A grandfather (who happens to be a successful and famous man) shares his rich wisdom of age and experience with his grandchildren who are themselves coming of age. In his love for them, he does something quite rare, he makes a deliberate point to share his experiences for the purpose of the childrens' learning. I wish I had a little more of that in my childhood, and even my adult life. It is a sweet mix of practical mentorship and emotional love, delivered in handwritten letters.
It may be a slow read if you are a "get-to-the-point" type. I personally enjoyed the embellishments and will make sure to read this title again.
I am not the author's target audience, being a 48 year old mother of four kids, but I was not impressed. I read this book to see whether it might be worthwhile giving to my college aged daughter, but found it rather dull and repetitive. Spooner has plenty here for a good graduation address, but not enough insight for a whole book.
What a thoughtful and caring grandparent to take the time to compose a series of letters using his insights to help guide the next generation. I know I would have been thrilled had my grandparents left me such an inheritance.
I can't say that I really like this book, but I find that some of the topics mentioned are really of my liking, something that I would like to hear or get advised from someone who's older, mature and full of experience about life.