David Ponder is back, and this time, the fate of mankind may be in his hands.
This is humanity’s last chance. Centuries of greed, pride, and hate have sent humankind hurtling toward disaster, far from our original purpose. There is only one solution that can reset the compass and right the ship, and that answer is only two words.
With time running out, it’s up to David Ponder and a cast of history’s best and brightest minds to uncover this solution before it is too late. The catch? They are allowed only five tries to solve the ominous challenge.
Readers first encountered David Ponder in the New York Times bestseller The Traveler’s Gift. Now, in The Traveler’s Summit, Andrews combines a riveting narrative with astounding history to show us the one thing we must do when we don’t know what to do.
Released in a previous edition as The Final Summit.
“Every generation or so, God produces a person who can communicate like no one else. His words are like cool water to a thirsty civilization. Andy Andrews is one of the best I have ever seen.” Zig Ziglar, America’s #1 Motivator and Best-Selling Author
Great book! I’ve always been a fan of Andy’s writings. He’s one of the first authors that I read as an adult and enjoyed the life lessons that he weaves through his stories. I would definitely recommend him as an author and this book!
Let's start at the beginning. I love Andy Andrews' writing. I consider him to be a brilliant storyteller and motivator. That being said I wanted to ding him a little bit on this one. The reason is simple. This is a repackaging of his book The Final Summit, with some new writing added. I wanted to ding him, but I can't. This book is great, fantastic, even. It is truly a follow up to The Traveler's Gift. It looks at the future of humanity and what it will take to turn around. The main character meets with more great people from history but this time they must come together to find a solution to getting humanity back on track. Like a modern day parable, this book speaks to life today. I was on vacation and I read this book in about two days. It's a great read, and highly worthwhile. My recommendation, if you've read The Final Summit, but it's been a few years, get this book and read it. If you've never read The Final Summit, you don't have to. This one is all of that and more. If you've never read The Traveler's Gift, read that one first. These fictional books give real world suggestions and solutions for all that is going on today. This is one you don't want to miss.
Another great book by this author. A friend said this is one of her favorite books, and I can see why. So much wisdom and thought-provoking themes within it. Through different historical figures, we get to learn some interesting historical facts that are not widely known. I like his book The Noticer a little more, but this was definitely worth reading.
Remarkable is accurate. This book is amazing. And though it is fiction, it will whet your appetite for biographies. Andy Andrews has a gift, and that gift is to share with you the most meaningful parts of the life stories of other people (whether famous or not) and compel you to do something significant with your own life.
This is no spoiler alert, but the concept for this story is an all-star consortium of historical figures that convene to solve the glaring problem of contemporary humanity. I loved the idea of meeting with so many famous and even lesser-known, but no less important, people for the sake of discourse. Can you imagine if you were given charge of such a group? Who would you invite? What would you talk about? And what a creative way to share so many biographies in one storyline! I loved the cameo appearances from Mr. Rogers and Bear Bryant, among others, and I enjoyed the way Andrews points out the similarities of several significant icons from world history and also shares how timeless their legacies really are.
If you already love the biography genre of books, this will be a treat. And if you've never given much thought to reading about the true stories of other people and what made them tick, then let this be a welcome introduction to a new literary world that is available to you to study.
And though this is a sequel to Andrews' earlier work "The Traveler's Gift", reading that first book is not a prerequisite to enjoying this particular story. Generally, sequels are not able to measure up to the original. But this new book from Andy Andrews is an exception. Don't miss it!
I would have given it two stars, but the historical, factual, stories on Eric Erickson and Winston Churchill bumped it up a star for me to "like" it. Minor Spoilers: Winston Churchill called his depression, "a black dog" - starving a black dog was his way of fighting the battle of this mental illness. I found his and Lincoln's interaction about this informative and inspiring. I also really enjoyed the (new to me) story about WWII spy, Eric Erickson, and how he destroyed his own reputation in the US to infiltrate and destroy Nazi Germany.
I was disappointed in the "correct answer." It may be a good answer from a humanistic point of view, but I don't think it would satisfy Gabriel or avert God's judgment. The book is well-written and certainly encourages a person to ponder what the answer should be.
I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 only because I thought Shakespeare should have participated in the summit. His wisdom and insight should not be o'erlooked!
Without a doubt, Andy Andrews is one of the most important voices of our time!
In The Traveler's Gift Andrews introduces us to David Ponder. An average American in the prime of his life; working, raising a family, and trying to be a good husband, who is faced with a life changing event. In response, he is graced with being given the status of the last traveler and learning the Seven Decisions which ultimately bring about his success.
In this beautiful sequel to The Traveler's Gift Andrews reintroduces us to Ponder in The Traveler's Summit. Once again David Ponder will be gifted an incredible experience, but this time not only to help his own success but for the future of humanity as a whole. David Ponder, along with Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, King David, Eric Erickson, and a whole cast of other historical figures examine the need for such virtues as hope, wisdom, self-discipline, and courage.
In his unique style of blending well written fiction with leadership lessons Andrews once again presents a work that is incredibly poignant for the time in which we live. The Traveler's Summit addresses the divide we are facing as a nation and as humanity and presents solutions to the problem without forcing the reader to tackle political, religious, or social commentary. Andrews' writing allows for reflection, deep thinking, and every so often laugh out loud humor. This truly is a piece of writing for right now and right here.
As a bonus, Andrews is also an incredible researcher in the area of biographies. The way in which he weaves the stories of major players in history, both famous (Winston Churchill) and less famous (Eric Erickson) into his books makes them even more enjoyable. Not only is The Traveler's Summit a great book in its own right, but it is also an incredible diving board if you enjoy the world of biographies.
While many will avoid The Traveler's Summit because it might be labeled as Personal Growth, Self-Help, or even Inspirational it is important to remember that it is written as incredibly approachable fiction. No one should leave this book sitting on the shelf.
I previously had not read a book like this before, and of all the books I've read, this book reminded me a little of "The Shack". At first I wasn't sure I would like it because I perceived it as fantasy but the author grabbed me with his writing style. Each chapter presents the historic participants with a challenge, a question to which I also wanted to know the answer. In my view, this is a text book about life written as a novel. In Chapter 9, "King David" asks "Can you make yourself do something you don't particularly want to do in order to get a result you would like to have?" The morning after I finished reading it, I opened my refrigerator and threw away the remainder of a high-calorie holiday bread I had been eating at breakfast. I didn't want to do it but I also am trying to lose weight.
A statement by "Eric Erickson" is giving me great concern: "A nation that has forgotten the quality of leadership it took to make a civilization great in the past is not likely to insist on greatness in its leaders today".
The Readers' Guide in the back is well presented as it follows the book chapter by chapter and guides the reader as to what to look for.
This is another great Andy Andrews book. This book is a sequel to "The Travelers Gift". While it is not entirely essential to read "The Travelers Gift" before this book, it would add to your understanding and enjoyment. There is a brief section at the beginning which does give you some background if you've never read the first book. But you wouldn't be entirely lost without reading it.
This book brings back the familiar figure of David Ponder later in life and takes him on another trip where he meets other travelers. There are enough twists and turns in the story to keep you interested. Andy Andrews is very easy to read and follow and you will enjoy every step of the journey and at the end, you'll find you were not only entertained but maybe you also learned something along the way!
I loved it! The question posed by archangel Gabriel - ‘What should humanity do, individually and collectively, in order to restore itself to the pathway toward successful civilization?” David Ponder leads the summit of Travellers to find the answer before the sands if time run out. Historical figures fill the book, some I did not know. You must read this with the iPad handy to check them out. All are real. This is quite a journey with a wonderful answer. If only we can do it. A thought provoking book!
-The quality of one’s answers, (Winston Explained) can only be determined by the quality of one’s questions. If you want good answers in your life you must ask good questions.
-And unless you change how you think and how you act you will always be what you are. Rule your mind or it will rule you.
-In reading about the lives of Great people, yours included. I found that the first great victory most of them won was over themselves. That was especially true of their emotions.
-Self-discipline is an act of investment (Eric thought a loud). It requires us to invest today’s actions for tomorrow’s results.
-If we do not discipline ourselves the world will be allowed to do it for us.
-Great leadership is a product of great character.
-The difference between good and great is often determined by whether one listens or listens closely.
-The way people see the world and react to their fellow men is a huge indication of their character.
-We can know the truth without having the best, but we will never have the best without knowing the truth.
It is about the art of responsible history making.
This read teaches more about thoughtful processing, thank you Gabriel. I agree with some findings because this read helps process the past and present responsibilities of history to ascertain purposeful and responsible change. As a result of this read I will ponder with a greater sense of responsibility what did or should next happen in our world. It is about God keeping promises made to mankind so humans are an intregal part of development and understanding.
I love how Andy Andrews weaves little-known, yet shockingly significant moments from history into his novels. If you’ve read the Traveler’s Gift (and even if you haven’t) you need to read this book. Not only does it continue the story, but it reinforces and expands on the power principles and life lessons from the original, while adding some very powerful new concepts that Andy has discovered and refined in the years since his previous work.
I loved this book. An easy read that offers so much to ponder. My dear friend recommended it highly and since I’d read the original-THE TRAVELER’S GIFT-I was anxious to read it.David Ponder is back as our guide through an amazing march through history. The spiritual aura is certainly readily seen. Discussions abound and I believe many truths-while known to many-are given even more weight as the summit proceeds. Quite thought-provoking. I’d highly recommend it.
Yes, I realize people will that this book & the first book, The Traveler, a bit trite. One response was, “information people already know”. True, but I believe that in looking around the world we live in - political unrest, crooked politicians, ongoing wars, etc. maybe this is information we need to look at. Even fiction books can give us reason to hope for something more.
I love Andy Andrews' writing. He inspires me to keep pursuing my own author's journey. I love how he brings history to life in amazing ways. I actually googled Eric Erickson and was surprised to see this nugget from World War II exposed just as Andrews depicted. Thank you for adding another brilliant work into the world, Mr. Andrews!
I loved this book but one must read The Traveler's Gift first. What an exciting adventure, to meet all of these famous people. A very creative and interesting way to help people who are stuck in their lives. What a wonderful experience reading both books.
Of all the books I've read, I don't think this one will stick with me as much. The ending was good and had some nuggets of wisdom that I appreciated, the storyline was not my favorite. The afterward was fascinating. I had no idea this was a man's personal story- I'll have to process that. I thought it was meant to be fiction
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Enjoyed this read as much as The Traveler's Gift. The author 's use of words tend to draw you into the story and gain a sense of what is happening. Recommend reading this book. The personal declaration is something I will make a copy of to serve as a reminder.
Just when I thought there was no more, Andy brings David Ponder back in the next step of the traveler. Quick, awesome read. Though it left me wanting more! The book sparked so many questions, potential coversations. Thanks for another awesome book!
Not often do sequels reach or even surpass the excellence of their predecessors. This offering from Andrews does. It is an inspiring tale that releases the ultimate challenge-do something! And do it well, with character and determination. I love this author!
I didn't enjoy this one as much as The Traveler's Gift. At times it seemed a bit laborious and less meaningful at the previous book. The conclusion is worth getting to however and I completely agreed with it.
This was an excellent sequel to The Traveler's Gift and kept me reading to find out what two words would save humanity. I found the ending a little disappointing, but it was uplifting to read particularly in the situation our country and the world is in today.
I read this after the travelers gift. These were recommended to me by a good friend who was extremely moved by both books....to the point that he couldn't even talk about the books without getting chocked up. Hope you enjoy!
Although I like this author, this book was just a repeat of the travelers gift …. Nothing new. The book does underscore great values which are always worth revisiting. I love his morality and story telling.
I thought this was a good read. It was a little slower at times than the first book, but the overall message was good. I haven't read many of Andy Andrew's books, but they have been on my TBR list for a long time. I enjoyed the characters. Would recommend.
This was a decent book with good premises but it does not strike me in the same way The Traveler’s Gift did. It did not have the same impact. The story felt very contrived and fantastical. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good book, just not as good as I was hoping.
almost didnt finish it—got distracted by the tall and beautifully proportionate woman in her three-inch spiked heels that accentuated her ripply caramel legs and toned arms. she’s 60 years old, yuck! but don’t worry; she can pass as 40.
Wow!!! As good, if not better than, The Traveler's Gift. I so enjoyed the content and lessons shared by the author. I listened to the audio version, meaning the enjoyment of the book is elevated by the voice and voices of Andy Andrews. His ability to share the personalities of his characters with changing his voice is classic. I do want to now read the printed version so I have a copy of the content and lessons. I am sure I will hear the voices in my head. Wherever you are in life, whatever struggles you or a loved one might be having, this book is a must-read, please make sure you have read the Traveler's Gift first. I hope you enjoy this soon to be, "another", Andy Andrew's classic.