A Stone of Hope

by Jim St. Germain, Jon Sternfeld

In the tradition of The Other Wes Moore and Just Mercy, a searing memoir and clarion call to save our at-risk youth by a young black man who himself was a lost cause—until he landed in a rehabilitation program that saved his life and gave him purpose.

Born into abject poverty in Haiti, young Jim St. Germain moved to Brooklyn’s Crown Heights, into an overcrowded apartment with his family. He quickly adapted to street life and began stealing, dealing drugs, and growing increasingly indifferent to despair and violence. By the time he was arrested for dealing crack cocaine, he had been handcuffed more than a dozen times. At the age of fifteen the walls of the system were closing around him.

But instead of prison, St. Germain was placed in "Boys Town," a nonsecure detention facility designed for rehabilitation. Surrounded by mentors and positive male authority who enforced a system based on structure and privileges rather than intimidation and punishment, St. Germain slowly found his way, eventually getting his GED and graduating from college. Then he made the bravest decision of his life: to live, as an adult, in the projects where he had lost himself, and to work to reform the way the criminal justice system treats at-risk youth.

A Stone of Hope is more than an incredible coming-of-age story; told with a degree of candor that requires the deepest courage, it is also a rallying cry. No one is who they are going to be—or capable of being—at sixteen. St. Germain is living proof of this. He contends that we must work to build a world in which we do not give up on a swath of the next generation.

Passionate, eloquent, and timely, illustrated with photographs throughout, A Stone of Hope is an inspiring challenge for every American, and is certain to spark debate nationwide.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Biography, The United States Of America, Race, Audiobook

298 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 4, 2017

Reviews

[Winter Sophia Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional, Inspiring & Unforgettable! A Remarkable Read! I Loved It!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Truly Transformative Experience

That Jim St. Germain lived through his childhood is remarkable. That he emerged from it with the grace, dedication, desire, and tenacity to make a difference to children of color living in poverty and hopelessness is nothing short of a miracle. As St. Germain makes abundantly clear, he did not get where he is today without substantial assistance. But in the end, he is the teen who decided to take advantage of the unlikely opportunities - which many teens would not see as opportunities at all - handed to him and turn his life in a startling new direction.

I have no idea what it's like to live in the ghettoes of America, but this book gets me closer to understanding the experience than any other book I've read, song I've heard, or movie I've seen. The author barrels his life experiences at you with an impressive combination of vulnerability, fairness, and deep insight. From the very start, he ties his story to the larger story of poverty in America, and refuses to become a symbol of someone who "made it out" of Crown Heights, Brooklyn; instead, he challenges the reader to recognize not only that his life remains intertwined with the lives of those driven by poverty and hopelessness but also that your life - and the lives of all Americans - is deeply connected to the poorest brown and black populations of America.

This book is a call to understand - and a call to action. Don't pick it up unless you're ready to be transformed by St. Germain' story and message. That said, it should be required reading for everyone in the country.

If you read only one book this year (and this is NOT something I can ever remember saying before today!), MAKE IT THIS ONE.

[Maureen Sepulveda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent and powerful memoir. The author came to America from Haiti at young age. He grew up in a tough Brooklyn neighborhood in a crowded apartment with family. As a young teenager, he fell into a life of dealing drugs and running with a rough crowd. He’s arrested at 15 for minor drug charges and instead of being sent to prison, he’s sent to Boys Town, a non secure facility in Brooklyn. He describes the mentors in his life who really help him to change like his lawyers, people at Boys Town, a dean at school and a tutor who helps him earn his GED. He eventually goes to college and earns degree and becomes advocate for juvenile justice reform and working with at risk youth. This is a raw and poignant tale. I highly recommend.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the surface, one might question why “A Stone of Hope” by Jim St. Germain resonated with me the way it did. After all, I am a white woman with blue eyes and blond hair who grew up in the most suburban, and arguably one of the safest, corners of Queens in NYC. (Any real NYer knows Queens and Brooklyn have “a thing”.) But to think I couldn’t relate or understand would be misguided.

You see - I know Jim St. Germain very well. Not the man personally, no. But many just like him. Who have walked in his shoes. Because I walked alongside them. In fact if Jim was just a little bit younger or that part of my life started a little bit sooner, it’s highly likely our paths would’ve actually physically crossed. Because I’ve been inside Boys Town’s NSD locations more times than I can remember. Both of them. I’ve walked the streets in Crown Heights and could point you right in the direction of those projects where he lived. I’ve spent so many hours sitting and waiting and testifying and reporting out in Brooklyn Family Court I stopped counting. I can even say I know Marty. (It’s been awhile so he may or may not remember me too. A great attorney and an even better man!)

This memoir affected me and wrecked me and undoubtedly gave me hope in every way possible. It took me back to a place I wasn’t sure I necessarily wanted to go back to. With its beautiful storytelling and vivid imagery, this book truly helped me see through the eyes of the many young men I tried so desperately to help over the years. To see what they were up against. To know that the obvious “right” choice was almost never the easy one. Or the safest one.

I hope this book changes you. I hope it opens your eyes in the same way it did mine. It’s that good.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although arguably badly titled, A Stone of Hope is more than just a coming-of-age story. This inspiring memoir reads like fiction and is packed with gut-wrenching stories that remain unforgettable. St. Germain’s story is Ta-Nehisi Coates’s understanding of a black teenage boy’s world perspective in Between the World and Me meets Dave Peltzer’s foster home system struggles in his second book, The Lost Boy. We’ve heard of stories like this before and yet this story remains different from the rest. St. Germain tells his story through a very straight-forward narrative incorporating other novels and biographies of African American men. He explains how a young boy is expected to survive in a poor neighborhood and how this shapes him into acting a certain way. Through his journey, we can easily understand how young men raised this way need to work twice as hard and given a more opportunities in order to be equipped with the tools to succeed.

[Sheralee · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars ✨ plus for Jim St. Germain!
I'm white and fully aware that I grew up under the blanket of white privilege. I want and need to understand what is going on in the world around me. When I was younger, I couldn't understand why everyone wasn't equal. Laws had been passed, what is the problem? With age and understanding the racism deeply imbedded in this country, I now understand.
This book helps to point out the huge flaws in the United States. It is time to change the way people are dealt with according to race, religion and sex.
I highly recommend this book and will absolutely pass this book on!

[Karlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author came to NYC from Haiti as a child to live in a small apt with many relatives who did not pay much attention to him. By age 14, he was involved in street drug dealing and entered the justice system. He was fortunate to be sent to a small group home, Boys Town, where he began to learn how to control his temper. Many mentors are given credit in the book for helping him to create a successful life. His honesty about his teen problems is moving and shows how difficult it is to grow up in a poor city neighborhood.

[Lynette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a moving and inspirational book, but it did leave me wondering whether Jim is the rule or the exception. There really was no mention of how any of the other boys turned out. While I realize this is his own memoir, the fact that he talks about his advocacy efforts and wanting more kids to go the route that he did seems like there should have been something about other success stories.

[Terry Earley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had my concerns that I would find myself deep in descriptions of some very depressing and violet circumstances with this book. St. Germain did not avoid the reality on the streets, but he did not dwell on it, or go into agonizing detail either. We see his unvarnished, younger self here. That necessary look helped me understand what a remarkable accomplishment this was for him.

All in all, it was a heartening book. Again all odds, this young man escaped certain death or a life of near constant incarceration. Now he lives back in his old neighborhood helping other boys create a real life for themselves too. Glad I read it.

[Katie Karnehm-Esh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read more stunning writing but the subject matter--black and brown boys in the incarceration system--is too important to not read about.

[Alex Furst · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Stone of Hope: A Memoir by Jim St. Germain.
4/5 rating.
Book #30 of 2020. Read May 14, 2020.

This book is the story of Jim's very tough life living in poverty, fighting through a myriad of issues to escape his troubled youth and become an advocate to "give voice to the voiceless". Jim was born in Haiti in abject poverty and was brought by his family to New York in the hopes of a better life. On moving to the US, he lived in the projects. With all of the crime, poverty, and want surrounding Jim, he began to drink and do drugs, get in fights, and to deal drugs.

He spent years living in these conditions where almost no one escapes and without the resources, support, or even understanding that there was a better life. Luckily, after he was arrested, he was sent to a program which finally reached him and began to turn his life around.

I think this book should be compulsory reading for everyone in the US. People are so quick to throw kids in jail for mistakes they make, without taking any chance to understand the situation that led there. I think Jim's story really lays bare the incredible hardships that poverty-stricken families face, and the all-encompassing issues faced by people worried about where their next meal is coming from, and if they will make it home safe.
I wrote down so many incredible quotes and had to share a few of the most powerful: - "The United States is really terrible at turning boys into men." - "But we were all self-medicating. It seemed the only answer for our plight: hopelessness braided with loss, poverty, and the constant threat of violence. I was lonely, no matter how many people were around." - "I recognized that books are the gatekeepers to many of the answers we seek." - "But it wasn't about the experiences or the things, it was about the people. Marty and Christine both taught me how wide and open the word 'family' can be." - "The law has historically been a weapon used to bring others down. But armed with it, you can make that power work in your favor. You can uplift and empower those same people who have been oppressed by it."
- "We can't continue to victimize people for failing if we don't give them a chance to succeed."

Quotes:
"I was grateful to have a home, but over time, I resented my grandmother's apartment. It was a stinging reminder of the gap between what I thought America was and the reality I had stepped into."
"It was impossible to focus on schoolwork while I was consumed with getting home in one piece."
"That harassment was brutal; society makes kids pay twice for being poor."
"It is easier for a lot of young people in this city and in some communities to buy a gun than buy a book. It is easier in some communities to find a gun than it is to find some fresh vegetables."
"In that world, any activity that keeps a child off the streets is lifesaving."
"There's an identity element at work too - we can only conceive of available options. When we watch television the only successful people that look like us are professional athletes and entertainers. Television's largest role in a lot of our homes is not as distraction or escape. It is as a mirror."
"The United States is really terrible at turning boys into men."
"That disconnect - between whose approval we were seeking and whose approval we should have been seeking - was massive."
"It was all done under the guise of having a good time; we were letting loose, partying, not giving a fuck. But we were all self-medicating. It seemed the only answer for our plight: hopelessness braided with loss, poverty, and the constant threat of violence. I was lonely, no matter how many people were around."
"The law treats crack more severely than cocaine. At the time, crack sentencing was literally a hundred times more severe than powder cocaine. The irony is that crack is actually more diluted than powder cocaine; it can be stretched out with baking soda and cooked up, which is what makes it cheap. The harsher penalties reveal racial bias and embedded systemic issues: it's much easier to arrest crack dealers on street corners than suburban kids or Wall Street brokers."
"There's a reason it's called the system: it's a well-oiled machine that takes in troubled kids and churns out hardened men."
"The level of compassion I felt from Christine was more important to me at that moment than any details about the legal process. All that felt abstract. The law has to be more than an intellectual exercise. Being seen as a person in that fragile moment can change a child's life, help him feel a basic sense of security in a terrifying world. I don't know how much attorneys understand this: a child about to lose his freedom is looking at this adult as maybe his only hope."
"The future. If you don't leave the street alone, this will be the rest of your life. What you have left of it."
"Though it was comforting to see Christine, who always brought a smile and support, my three-minute appearance in front of the judge was just a formality. Most decisions were made before we got there. We were pawns in the larger moves made by invisible hands. It's a strange feeling, having your life decided as if you weren't even there. Most judges wouldn't address us, and prosecutors and defense attorneys talked about us in the third person, and in legal jargon that we didn't have a prayer of understanding. It seemed like we didn't even need to be there. Most kids leave their day in court feeling as unreal and small as they do in the cell."
"The process was backward - throughout my childhood I needed help, support, and services. But it wasn't until I got arrested that people and services came out of the shadows."
"People pay for what they do, and still more, for what they have allowed themselves to become. And they pay for it very simply: by the lives they lead. - James Baldwin"
"The wrong friends can lead you to trouble. But even more, they can tear down hopes, dreams, and possibilities. We know, too, that the right friends inspire you, pull you through, rise with you."
"They tried to bury us. They didn't know we were seeds."
"I recognized that books are the gatekeepers to many of the answers we seek."
"King's County Hospital was the first Level 1 trauma center in the United States: through those doors come a lot of gunshots and stabbings, a lot of blood and gruesome wounds. And that's how they're seen - as injuries, not as people who have them. It's the only way for doctors and nurses to keep going. They need to clear the beds, so they patch you up and send you back out - like in a war zone."
"Society doesn't accept young black men - formerly incarcerated ones, especially - with open arms and the resistance goes both ways. Re-entry is slow and brutal; it's obvious to me why so many people don't make it. It's work, from the moment you wake to the moment you go to bed."
"My outside world was colliding with my inside world. I had a foot in each, but wasn't planted in either, so I floated in a kind of purgatory."
"But it wasn't about the experiences or the things, it was about the people. Marty and Christine both taught me how wide and open the word 'family' can be."
"The law has historically been a weapon used to bring others down. But armed with it, you can make that power work in your favor. You can uplift and empower those same people who have been oppressed by it."
"If the young are not initiated into the village, they'll burn it down just to feel the warmth."
"What became clear to me was something I once heard: hurt people hurt people."
"Close to Home would aim to recognize that a juvenile is not a convict, though he can become one through the neglect and abuse of a cruel and arbitrary system."
"'We don't do anything that's easy,' I concluded. 'We do what's necessary.'"
"According to the Pew Research Center, a staggering 38 percent of black children in America are living in poverty, which reads like nothing less than a pandemic."
"If we invest in our youth's future, I truly believe that there will be fewer violent crimes. In order to achieve this, we need to change not just policies, but hearts. Rehabilitation is the key to public safety. For far too long, justice has been practiced solely as punishment. I believe that such a narrow view is detrimental to the progress we need to make within the juvenile and criminal justice systems, as well as in society as a whole."
"We can't continue to victimize people for failing if we don't give them a chance to succeed."

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a powerful look into the challenges of our inner-city youth and the patience and persistence of those who take on the challenge of giving them hope and purpose. As the front of the jacket reads - "Forgotten at eleven, arrested at fifteen, I should've been a statistic. I made it out for one reason: the people who didn't treat me like one." Jim St. Germain is now working to make a difference in the lives of kids who are at risk.

"That harassment was brutal; society makes kids pay twice for being poor."

"The law has to be more than an intellectual exercise. Being seen as a person in that fragile moment can change a child's life, help him feel a basic sense of security in a terrifying world. I don't know how much attorneys understand this: a child about to lose his freedom is looking at this adult as maybe his only hope."

"Five-year-olds in Park Slope already knew about college . . . . For them, it was the standard, and the expectations were clear. Here i was, sixteen years old, hearing about it for the first time. the world is only as small or as big as the things we are introduced to."

Malcolm X on his passion for justice: "They cripple the bird's wing, then condemn it for not flying as fast a they."

"Reentry (into society) is slow and brutal; it's obvious to me why so many people don't make it. It's work, from the moment you wake to the moment you go to bed. You're still in that constant state of alertness demanded by your environment . . . ."

"Old habits are resilient enough that they'll take you down with them."

"People talk about 'just saying no' as if it were a onetime thing. But to really break free, you are saying no constantly . . . ."

"If I didn't become part of the solution I'd forever be part of the problem. There could be no middle ground, and no sitting it out. . . ."

"The staff members who allowed you to do what you wanted were not the ones who changed you. It was the ones you raged against who made you who you were."

"It's only apathy and willful ignorance that pretend they're not the beasts in the room. America, and by extension its justice system, continues to criminalize poverty."

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

From an impoverished childhood in Haiti to one in Brooklyn, NY, Jim's story is one of resilience, courage, perseverance, determination, and the connections of the human spirit.

The system has a way of destroying the lives of those who it should be helping the most. Thankfully, in Jim's case, he was blessed with counsel who actually cared about him and his future. Through them, and a handful of others, Jim discovered his own self worth, his strengths, and his ability to rise above the toxic pull of the streets. Unlike so many others he has managed to escape the endless catch and release cycle between life on the streets of his hood and the prison industrial complex.

Far too many cannot even begin to comprehend how thoroughly the system has failed the youth of this country. Jim is one of the few success stories where there is an otherwise endless list of obituaries or rap sheets a mile long after a traumatic trip through the juvenile "care" or juvenile "justice" systems. I'm truly thankful that Jim not only survived all that he's been through but that he's doing everything he can to help prevent others from going through the same. It couldn't have been easy to choose the path that he has, or to share his story as he has done. Yet I hope he realizes the ripple that the sharing of his experiences may have at every level and I thank him for doing so. It is my greatest wish that someday the memories of this broken system will be just that, memories. That those making decisions at the top will bend their ears to men like Jim St Germain and Bryan Stevenson when implementing or removing certain policies, procedures, departments, etc. because our children deserve nothing less.

[Emmett Racecar · Rating 5 out of 5]

You are not supposed to judge a book by its cover but honestly, this book’s packaging and the title does not do it justice. It is a remarkable story. It is a coming of age story of a young Haiti immigrant who ends up in the foster system. He was arrested, sold drugs, lived in poverty and existed in a system that appeared to want him to fail. It would be a great book to create a dialogue in the classroom about racial privilege, youth rights, and the US criminal system.

[Danio · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I resist any attempts to treat me as a symbol, which strikes me as so far beside the point. Symbols are rarities, by definition, and I have no interest in being one. I'm working toward a world where my story is no longer a story"

Such a huge fan of this book. Excellent. I am fairly certain I bookmarked 75% of the book, the way he writes and describes events is captivating, not even to mention the overall plot and his life journey.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This brought up some pretty intense feelings of guilt from my time teaching about the kids I didn’t even scratch the surface for. I would like to use this next summer with my students who now have kids and grandkids in the system.

[Carl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational, authentic, and reminiscent. This book wasn't the typical Ghetto-Cinderella story: I grew up poor and wild. I went to prison and turned my life around. I enjoyed the flow of the story. It was a great mixture of storytelling and educational dialogue.

[Kelly Hager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim and his family left Haiti and moved to Brooklyn when he was a child. By the time he was a teenager, he was dealing drugs and had already been arrested multiple times. Before he could legally drive, he had been convicted of a felony. Generally speaking, we know how this story ends: life in prison or dead at a young age, right?

But instead, Jim was put in Boys Town (a group home that works as rehab, almost) and surrounded by people who expected him to succeed, get his GED and go to college. And he did all those things.

This memoir shows how Jim's life was turned around, yes, but also shows how the system is largely failing us. For the most part, young men (and specifically young black men) aren't helped. More money is spent on prisons than schools, and people are being almost set up to keep going from the street to prison, over and over.

This is an inspiring read and, more than that, an easy to follow blueprint of how the system can improve.

Recommended.

[DeMilya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think there are 2 takeaways from this memoir: 1) every encounter you have with someone regardless of age, but most importantly, the young, matters; and 2) these kids need help. It's just not enough to lock them up when they commit crimes without taking a step back to see why they did them. Why was crime seen as a means to an end for them?

We as a society would rather lock them up and just sit back and hope they come out alright—most don't—than have the audacity to say "it's not our fault" when they recommit those very crimes to survive. Most people don't have a team behind them like Jim did. That piece I was glad to see because it took his lawyers, those that worked in the group homes and placements, those tutors, college professors, and middle school administration to make a difference in his life. I hope, as adults, we see how we really can impact a child. No one is ever too far gone.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a gift, and I had it on my "to read" pile for quite a few months because I thought it would be difficult to get through. It's the story of an immigrant boy from Haiti who moves to NYC with his father to live in a different kind of poverty. No surprise, it doesn't go well for a good part of the story. And when it does go well (or better) it's certainly not easy. But the book is written beautifully and is surprisingly easy to read, considering its subject matter. The tough parts are factual, never maudlin. The better parts are filled with gratitude, grace and hope. We could all use more of that these days. I recommend this without reservation. I would love to see it taught in high school (and in Congress, but that's overly optimistic). It's a good reminder that it does matter when we care for each other.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

“They cripple the bird’s wings, then they condemn it for not flying as fast” –Malcolm X in A Stone of Hope, p. 187.

Jim St. Germain is the embodiment of resilience. After moving to Crown Heights from Haiti as a young boy, Jim becomes the product America’s racist and economically unequal environment. His life becomes a constant struggle for survival in a world defined by poverty, violence, and lack of opportunities. With the support of loving and determined human beings, Jim slowly starts to discover the power of his potential, and fights for his success, dignity and humanity, values often threatened and destroyed by the current criminal justice system focused on punishment rather than rehabilitation. This inspiring book is well-written and filled with powerful imagery, lessons and testimonials.

[Dixie Keyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim St Germain's story is certainly one to be shared. Rich in its authenticity and honest from a voice of experience, anyone who reads it will gain a deeper understanding of the juvenile justice system and how it can affect the lives of young people who find themselves in difficult circumstances. He doesn't hold back. What I most respect is how there were no miracles in his story--he shares the many times he doubted those who wanted to help him and the mistakes he continued to make when the way out was so close. This just mirrors the genuine process of shifting or transitioning from a life of fear and survival to one of knowledge and confidence. I hope this book can be in every middle and high school classroom and library. It will give many young people hope and they can see what fortitude and resilience look like.

[Denise Relf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written book by an amazingly powerful man. I was one of the first staff members in the Close To Home Initiative and was ever changed by those young people. Reading this book should show everyone that what may look like a stoned hardened kid is really an overlooked and under developed mass of greatness waiting for some curious and caring person to come along. Jim's story is sadly a common one for many youth of color living in NYC (not all need to be locked up to have their freedoms removed). This book really shows you what can happen when we instill hope in a child's life, and shows the importance of making the critical steps in bringing about true justice reform for our youth.

[Jude · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moving and raw firsthand account of one young man’s travails through the juvenile justice system. With emotional clarity and a simple but gripping narrative voice, St. Germain takes the reader inside the mind of a young black man who could’ve so easily been churned up by poverty, racist policing, and the juvenile “justice” system. With so many restorative justice books written by well-meaning outsiders, it’s crucial to hear directly from the people most affected by outdated and discriminatory policies and the lack of any social safety net until you are caught up in the justice system. A must read for anyone interested in juvenile justice.

[Marisa Gonzalez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Memoir of Jim St Germain, an advocate for rights within the juvenile justice system. He tells of his life emigrating to the US from Haiti, living in poverty in Brooklyn, being incarcerated as a minor and becoming a member of Boys Town which changed his life. This book was just alright. While I did enjoy reading about the positive influence which Boys Town provided for him, I also found the writing to be very generic. It had the feeling of being written by an outsider looking in, was very cliched and gave no perspective of who the author is as a person.

[Cailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly moving memoir about disadvantaged black youth, and how important youth incarceration reform is. We’re spending way too much tax money on incarcerating youth, and not enough money on resolving why they’re making bad decisions. A really eye opening, humble read and I recommend it to anyone. I hated the subtle dig at republicans regarding politics, but it should be a wake up call that conservatives should care about this, too. It is in EVERYONE’s benefit to care for our youth!

[Krista Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gripping memoir of what it was like for one boy who was lost in a dysfunctional family and to the streets in Brooklyn and drugs and, miraculously, made it out. The struggles are real. He reminds me of many of my students. Interesting intervention with Boys Town rules. Would be a *** book - maybe for seniors.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Little bit long in retelling some parts of his story but by the third section I was gobbling up his insights. Perfect spokesperson for how to dramatically improve the youth at risk mentoring needs of today’s youth affected by generational trauma resulting in an incarceration epidemic in this country.

[Bakar Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written and inspiring book! Jim Germain shares his experiences falling in to the system and becoming a juvenile advocate. It is must read book for anyone interested in social justice!

[Robin Sandwina Holloway · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Library Advisory Committee for Windham School District (which works inside Texas prisons) is considering this book as next year's "Focus Book." I liked the book, but out of the five books being considered, this one was not number one for me.