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Broken
A contemporary short story about the ageless battle between good and evil, Broken explores themes of self-doubt, darkness, and the supernatural, while weaving in elements of horror and hope. It's an easy, quick paced narrative with an "Aha moment" ending. If you like M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense, you will love Broken.
Dale has it all by today's standards. Good job, good looking, and recently single. He's a hot-shot art director in the hottest ad agency in Cleveland. A big change from his roots in small town West Virginia. Yet, Dale is miserable and has no idea why, what, or who is influencing his happiness and ultimately, his destiny. There is war going on. The battlefield is Dale's mind. The prize is his soul.
Dale has it all by today's standards. Good job, good looking, and recently single. He's a hot-shot art director in the hottest ad agency in Cleveland. A big change from his roots in small town West Virginia. Yet, Dale is miserable and has no idea why, what, or who is influencing his happiness and ultimately, his destiny. There is war going on. The battlefield is Dale's mind. The prize is his soul.
68 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2019
43 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 8, 2023
I definitely enjoyed the message in this book.
However, I didn’t enjoy the random jumps from first person to third and the ending confused me a bit as to who they were referring to or if it was just him in a younger persons body. I also would’ve appreciated more background to the relationships between the characters.
However, I didn’t enjoy the random jumps from first person to third and the ending confused me a bit as to who they were referring to or if it was just him in a younger persons body. I also would’ve appreciated more background to the relationships between the characters.
May 30, 2024
I genuinely feel bad that I didn't like this one. It definitely has some moments...some ideas...that I can really relate to and would agree with. As someone who suffers from chronic pain I really appreciate that aspect of the story...but that's really the only thing keeping this from being a one star read for me. And if I'm being completely honest...I didn't feel like the follow through and representation on this aspect of the story was well done...but it had potential.
The writing style wasn't for me. It didn't flow well...randomly switched between first person and an odd, omniscient third person POV...sometimes mid chapter. It was very on the nose with the messaging and then went beyond that to explain everything further...got very preachy after the "showdown" and then...for some reason...there was more story after that. It kind of felt like I was reading someone's sales pitch for a story instead of reading the actual story. The characters didn't feel real to me. I don't know...it just didn't work for me...and I'm sad about it.
The writing style wasn't for me. It didn't flow well...randomly switched between first person and an odd, omniscient third person POV...sometimes mid chapter. It was very on the nose with the messaging and then went beyond that to explain everything further...got very preachy after the "showdown" and then...for some reason...there was more story after that. It kind of felt like I was reading someone's sales pitch for a story instead of reading the actual story. The characters didn't feel real to me. I don't know...it just didn't work for me...and I'm sad about it.
October 24, 2023
Intriguing and captivating
I got this book on Amazon for free and it was pretty good. It follows the main character Dale as he finds a love for art, and begins to pursue it until conflicts arise and he is set back. The ending is so satisfying and leaves you wanting more!
I got this book on Amazon for free and it was pretty good. It follows the main character Dale as he finds a love for art, and begins to pursue it until conflicts arise and he is set back. The ending is so satisfying and leaves you wanting more!
January 22, 2024
Definitely a very quick read.
I enjoyed it but something is missing for it to be a wow read.
I enjoyed it but something is missing for it to be a wow read.
October 26, 2023
An encounter with the enemy
In this book, we meet Dale who is in absolute distress and turmoil. He is in a career that more than takes care of his needs but gives him no joy. His heart is broken from a love that went wrong.
Dale has a roommate who constantly mocks him and tries to distract him from his vision. However Dale began to live out his dream of drawing at a coffee shop. The owner Will becomes his cheer leader and confidant . Will even gives him a once in a lifetime chance. However Devin, the roommate discouraged him when he finds out. Dale allows Will to do something for him that will forever change the course of his life. Fabulous read with a not so surprising outcome. An age old conflict is between these pages. I am reminded that " the enemy comes to steal kill and destroy, but Jesus came to give us life and that more abundantly ". Great read for all who are living but know there is more.
In this book, we meet Dale who is in absolute distress and turmoil. He is in a career that more than takes care of his needs but gives him no joy. His heart is broken from a love that went wrong.
Dale has a roommate who constantly mocks him and tries to distract him from his vision. However Dale began to live out his dream of drawing at a coffee shop. The owner Will becomes his cheer leader and confidant . Will even gives him a once in a lifetime chance. However Devin, the roommate discouraged him when he finds out. Dale allows Will to do something for him that will forever change the course of his life. Fabulous read with a not so surprising outcome. An age old conflict is between these pages. I am reminded that " the enemy comes to steal kill and destroy, but Jesus came to give us life and that more abundantly ". Great read for all who are living but know there is more.
September 21, 2023
Different Book
It was an ok read. Quite fast paced and felt a bit hurried at times but still impactful if you know how to comprehend that.
It was an ok read. Quite fast paced and felt a bit hurried at times but still impactful if you know how to comprehend that.
January 1, 2024
Dean Skinner books are short, but they make you think. This one hits me hard because pain is also my beast, but you can apply any struggle and any passion to the messaging in this book. After a lifetime of dealing with pain and curveballs, I couldn't agree more.
January 1, 2024
DNF’d by page 29.
November 30, 2021
This is the second of Dean Skinner’s books that I’ve read, the first one being Healed (I think he published Broken first, though).
The man can tell a good story. Where Healed was overtly Christian, Broken is not. There are still strong Christian themes, but it’s not actually spelt out until the very end, and even then, it’s just a reference that’s so obvious that you’ll get it unless you’ve literally never heard of Christianity before!
I think, since he published Broken first, the author was probably nervous about coming out and referring to God directly, whereas by Healed, he was a lot more confident.
The two books have similar themes: there is inexplicable pain and suffering which is revealed to have a purpose, or the person eventually overcomes it by faith and channelled and used to do great things.
Man, it’s just a pity about the editing. As I mentioned in my review for Healed, it’s just... not as polished as one would expect of the professional work. There are lots of typos, misused words (again, “site” instead of “sight” comes to mind), run-on sentences and fragments. It’s very difficult for the pedant in me to overlook.
The lack of the linked table of contents is a bigger issue. A linked table of contents is very important in an ebook because it lets you know how far you’re into the chapter you’re currently reading, and you can easily skip ahead and back. In print, you can do that by physically flipping back and forth; in an ebook, that’s significantly more difficult. (Note: I read the Scribd edition. Perhaps that’s not an issue for some of the other retailers.)
Without those things, this is easily a five-star book.
Click here to find out where you can get your hands on a copy: https://books2read.com/u/4XDgR7
* Note: That's an affiliate link, so if you click through to a store and end up buying anything, I might earn a commission from your purchase.
The man can tell a good story. Where Healed was overtly Christian, Broken is not. There are still strong Christian themes, but it’s not actually spelt out until the very end, and even then, it’s just a reference that’s so obvious that you’ll get it unless you’ve literally never heard of Christianity before!
I think, since he published Broken first, the author was probably nervous about coming out and referring to God directly, whereas by Healed, he was a lot more confident.
The two books have similar themes: there is inexplicable pain and suffering which is revealed to have a purpose, or the person eventually overcomes it by faith and channelled and used to do great things.
Man, it’s just a pity about the editing. As I mentioned in my review for Healed, it’s just... not as polished as one would expect of the professional work. There are lots of typos, misused words (again, “site” instead of “sight” comes to mind), run-on sentences and fragments. It’s very difficult for the pedant in me to overlook.
The lack of the linked table of contents is a bigger issue. A linked table of contents is very important in an ebook because it lets you know how far you’re into the chapter you’re currently reading, and you can easily skip ahead and back. In print, you can do that by physically flipping back and forth; in an ebook, that’s significantly more difficult. (Note: I read the Scribd edition. Perhaps that’s not an issue for some of the other retailers.)
Without those things, this is easily a five-star book.
Click here to find out where you can get your hands on a copy: https://books2read.com/u/4XDgR7
* Note: That's an affiliate link, so if you click through to a store and end up buying anything, I might earn a commission from your purchase.
January 10, 2020
Broken is an imaginative, frank depiction of the every day struggle to make use of one's gifts and appreciate what's truly important. In Broken, Dean Skinner weaves the angst and self-doubt that has crippled almost every artist, creator, and curious individual into a modern parable about conquering your demons and getting out of your own way. With tactful allusions to familiar characters and themes, readers are walked-through one man's journey to reconcile past failures and present circumstances while finding his true purpose. Broken reminds readers that talent, forgiveness, and support are both gifts and responsibilities we should be offering to one another always.
I found Dale (the protagonist) to be an easy character with which to identify and the language used throughout the story often felt like the transcript of an anxious man's actual thoughts. At times frantic, hurried, stuttering, or genuinely uncertain, other times feeling purposeful or even relieved. I appreciated that while Dale ultimately sought purpose within himself, it was only with the help of other, brutally honest individuals for whom he developed a genuine trust and openness that he was able to fully self-actualize. The antagonist sometimes feels somewhat one-dimensional but in an interesting meta-twist, that's kind of the point. Overall, the story was inspiring in a way that didn't feel smothering or condescending and before I was halfway through I'd resolved to stop letting insecurities control me and re-explore sharing my gifts with the world.
I found Dale (the protagonist) to be an easy character with which to identify and the language used throughout the story often felt like the transcript of an anxious man's actual thoughts. At times frantic, hurried, stuttering, or genuinely uncertain, other times feeling purposeful or even relieved. I appreciated that while Dale ultimately sought purpose within himself, it was only with the help of other, brutally honest individuals for whom he developed a genuine trust and openness that he was able to fully self-actualize. The antagonist sometimes feels somewhat one-dimensional but in an interesting meta-twist, that's kind of the point. Overall, the story was inspiring in a way that didn't feel smothering or condescending and before I was halfway through I'd resolved to stop letting insecurities control me and re-explore sharing my gifts with the world.
May 1, 2024
Very sad and depressing book but it was good
August 19, 2023
A bit to overtly christian for me. It started out good but the writing got progressively worse the more spelled out the themes got.
July 7, 2023
Descriptions of this book talk about it being like “an M Night Shyamalan movie” and “full of metamorphosis”, discussing the “journey of coming back to life”.
Personally, I felt like it walked a really weird line with its religious overtones, random supernatural moments, and choppy cut scenes. It’s not a one star for me because it was palatable; a quick read, and the message came through relatively clearly at the end; “The devil cuts into your life in mysterious ways, but we can choose to give in to our pain and let it rule us, or we can choose to work towards good and joy”.
A boring moral, but a moral nonetheless ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Personally, I felt like it walked a really weird line with its religious overtones, random supernatural moments, and choppy cut scenes. It’s not a one star for me because it was palatable; a quick read, and the message came through relatively clearly at the end; “The devil cuts into your life in mysterious ways, but we can choose to give in to our pain and let it rule us, or we can choose to work towards good and joy”.
A boring moral, but a moral nonetheless ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
July 2, 2023
We all have two beasts within us, which one will you choose to feed? While I am not typically one to like religious undertones in the books I read, I felt it was well placed in this story. I can also personally relate to having an old friend like Devin. Sure it wasn’t a demon or lucifer but they might as well have been. Great read, especially with the parallels between the story and the author’s actual life experiences. Kudos.
July 17, 2019
Relatable to everyone!
What I loved the most was that it is a message of following your heart. It just takes one person to change your path in the direction it was meant to go in... Thank you Dean for bringing words to what many of us go through!!
What I loved the most was that it is a message of following your heart. It just takes one person to change your path in the direction it was meant to go in... Thank you Dean for bringing words to what many of us go through!!
October 12, 2019
Direct. Poetic. Visceral.
Written by an artist of images — and words. Honest. Real... and hits home on many fronts. Dean is a creative yet critical mind.
Written by an artist of images — and words. Honest. Real... and hits home on many fronts. Dean is a creative yet critical mind.
January 8, 2020
A terrific, timely story of the ability to rise above personal doubts and realize full potential. Honest and powerful.
March 9, 2024
Unremarkable. Forgettable. Go to the doctor.
January 2, 2025
“Once you stop feeding the monster, you take its power away.”
Set in Cleveland, Ohio.
Dale Martin is the art director at a successful and growing advertising agency.
Newly single, Dale is feeling troubled.
Depression. Breakup with fiancée Jenny hurt him really bad.
As the story develops, those around Dale continue to remind him of how good he has it in life.
Will, the manager of the coffeeshop Dale frequents, is a bright spot in his life.
Roommate Devin, and his mysterious occupation.
Deep down, Dale has always loved art. But instead of pursuing his passion (fine arts), he goes into graphic arts for financial purposes.
Dale’s foot injury.
The art show. Confrontation.
Allegory is heavy-handed at times.
Solid, if predictable. But enjoyable. A comfort read.
“Dale. He’s afraid of you. Of all that you can do and become. Don’t let him steal this from you. OK?”
Set in Cleveland, Ohio.
Dale Martin is the art director at a successful and growing advertising agency.
Newly single, Dale is feeling troubled.
Depression. Breakup with fiancée Jenny hurt him really bad.
As the story develops, those around Dale continue to remind him of how good he has it in life.
Will, the manager of the coffeeshop Dale frequents, is a bright spot in his life.
Roommate Devin, and his mysterious occupation.
Deep down, Dale has always loved art. But instead of pursuing his passion (fine arts), he goes into graphic arts for financial purposes.
Dale’s foot injury.
The art show. Confrontation.
Allegory is heavy-handed at times.
Solid, if predictable. But enjoyable. A comfort read.
“Dale. He’s afraid of you. Of all that you can do and become. Don’t let him steal this from you. OK?”
March 6, 2025
Took me too long to catch on 😮💨
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews