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For Joy and Wisdom
Travel adventure with an interesting point in the story.
Jason, a 25 year old business school graduate, leaves the path he was expected to take, instead, choosing to roll through the popular cultures of 2006 New York and Europe on his skateboard, with little more than a backpack and a tent. As he travels with the wind, the situations he finds himself in, paint a human level understanding for the development society faces in the technological renaissance of this time, and the first person narrative brings new philosophical questioning and ideas of how to best evolve humanity with the Digital Age.
"Entertaining and Edifying"
This revolutionary book defines the www dot generation; while at the same time, weighs pending issues of social globalization and technological maturity. Between nights of camping out at prestigious music festivals, or living in a tent on a beach in a foreign commune, Jason is able to communicate avenues of social design, geared toward true freedom, and the unavoidable transition from human labor to robotics.
Jason, a 25 year old business school graduate, leaves the path he was expected to take, instead, choosing to roll through the popular cultures of 2006 New York and Europe on his skateboard, with little more than a backpack and a tent. As he travels with the wind, the situations he finds himself in, paint a human level understanding for the development society faces in the technological renaissance of this time, and the first person narrative brings new philosophical questioning and ideas of how to best evolve humanity with the Digital Age.
"Entertaining and Edifying"
This revolutionary book defines the www dot generation; while at the same time, weighs pending issues of social globalization and technological maturity. Between nights of camping out at prestigious music festivals, or living in a tent on a beach in a foreign commune, Jason is able to communicate avenues of social design, geared toward true freedom, and the unavoidable transition from human labor to robotics.
392 pages
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11 people want to read
About the author
Jason Mallory
75 books8 followersAuthor of the political-sc-fi novel, Proxy, as well as the true travel adventure story, For Joy and Wisdom.
Websites include:
http://www.FilmMediaProductions.com
and
http://www.ForJoyandWisdom.com
Websites include:
http://www.FilmMediaProductions.com
and
http://www.ForJoyandWisdom.com
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 26, 2009
I won the book, and received it the next week. At first, I thought it would be too young for me, but as a retiree, I have lots of time to read. I decided not to read it straight through, and am about a third finished. I find it an insightful look inside the 20-something male mind. The main character is true to himself, trying to figure out what to do with his life that will fulfill his expectations for life. Written in the present tense, you feel as if you are following him around New York and Europe. Some editing needs to be done, as it is quite lengthy in parts, also some spelling and syntax errors(sorry, retired teacher/librarian here), but overall a GOOD READ!I'll add more later!
February 14, 2009
I really wanted to like this book. The premise intrigued me enough to request a free copy and I started it eagerly enough. The opening paragraph was a good one, I loved it and if you’ll excuse me, I’ll extract it below:
My life can officially begin. I finished school; I am officially educated. I fulfilled the hopes of my teacher parents, and the expectations of society. Still, a friction’s been building in me, like a low hum that turns into a rumble before you even notice it’s there [...:] To keep my sanity, I decide to go to Europe.
As I have also recently graduated and am looking at finally having a year to myself before starting the next phase of my life, I thought this might be a book to which I could relate. How wrong I was.
With the exception of that opening paragraph there is nothing I like about this book. I only finished reading it because I promised to post this review and I wanted to give it a fair go. The author admits at one stage in the narrative that he is not much of a reader and this is painfully obvious in his writing which is clumsy, stilted and reeks of arrogance. Perhaps if the writing were better and the author more knowledgeable you could excuse his arrogance but he isn’t, so you can’t. The author is woefully ignorant on a variety of topics he spends a considerable amount of time discussing. The Christian religion, Greek mythology and Nigerian Bank scams are all cases in point.
When I finally finished, I felt the title “For Joy and Wisdom” was at odds with the narrative as the author spends much more time complaining than describing the joys he encountered, and does not appear to learn anything while he is away. There are a few promising moments scattered throughout the text, but the book will need considerable editing/rewriting before I would consider looking at it a second time.
My life can officially begin. I finished school; I am officially educated. I fulfilled the hopes of my teacher parents, and the expectations of society. Still, a friction’s been building in me, like a low hum that turns into a rumble before you even notice it’s there [...:] To keep my sanity, I decide to go to Europe.
As I have also recently graduated and am looking at finally having a year to myself before starting the next phase of my life, I thought this might be a book to which I could relate. How wrong I was.
With the exception of that opening paragraph there is nothing I like about this book. I only finished reading it because I promised to post this review and I wanted to give it a fair go. The author admits at one stage in the narrative that he is not much of a reader and this is painfully obvious in his writing which is clumsy, stilted and reeks of arrogance. Perhaps if the writing were better and the author more knowledgeable you could excuse his arrogance but he isn’t, so you can’t. The author is woefully ignorant on a variety of topics he spends a considerable amount of time discussing. The Christian religion, Greek mythology and Nigerian Bank scams are all cases in point.
When I finally finished, I felt the title “For Joy and Wisdom” was at odds with the narrative as the author spends much more time complaining than describing the joys he encountered, and does not appear to learn anything while he is away. There are a few promising moments scattered throughout the text, but the book will need considerable editing/rewriting before I would consider looking at it a second time.
March 31, 2009
As most other people that have reviewed this book, I really wanted to like it. I, too, have always wanted to travel Europe, but of course as a young adult, I didn't have the money. I chose to get an education and enter the workforce and now I'm at the point in my life that I can support any vacation plans I wish.
Anyway, I read the 2nd rewrite which was a small step up from the first. I think if it had been written from a diary stand point, as if the writer was making an entry every day, it may have been easier to read. I may have even been able to tolerate the ramblings about what is wrong with the world and how to make it a better place. There were some pointless conversations that were scattered throughout the book. In some places there was too much detail, like play by play of an entire soccor match or step by step dance or skating moves that the average person not familiar with dance would not appreciate. In other places, there wasn't enough detail.
I wanted to learn about his travels. Some of the other stuff just got in the way.
Anyway, I read the 2nd rewrite which was a small step up from the first. I think if it had been written from a diary stand point, as if the writer was making an entry every day, it may have been easier to read. I may have even been able to tolerate the ramblings about what is wrong with the world and how to make it a better place. There were some pointless conversations that were scattered throughout the book. In some places there was too much detail, like play by play of an entire soccor match or step by step dance or skating moves that the average person not familiar with dance would not appreciate. In other places, there wasn't enough detail.
I wanted to learn about his travels. Some of the other stuff just got in the way.
January 12, 2009
I picked up this book while I was at the bar a few weeks ago, I assume the DJ was the author. I talked to him about the book and he said that he would only sell it to me for $15 dollars. I offered two dollars, seemed worth it. Anyways this book couldn't have been written/edited by a person with any sense of grammar or consistency. Granted I have never written a book, but I think that if I did, someone would tell me how to make it better than this. There is too much detail with the actions and not enough real emotion. I only made it through 2 pages. The "Sir we will fight" section is terribly hilarious. Maybe if Mr. Mallory had of split this into two books, one about his travels, and the other about robots. The way it was written would be more effective if it was a play with stage direction instead of I walked here, and turned here, and open-aired this, open-aired that. Stick to short stories. Better luck next time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2009
I'm another person who wanted to like this book but was unable. I've done a bit of traveling myself. I've literally walked from one side of England to the other. I solo bicycled around Costa Rica for a month. So, the idea of reading about the travels and philosophical musings of a guy who traveled by skateboard was something that grabbed me immediately.
Mr Mallory gave me a free copy of his ebook, so I thought I owed him my opinion. I almost decided not post a review when I came to the conclusion that it was going to be highly negative. However, he still has been involved with some great adventures and I think the book could be improved.
The Review
Unfortunately, the book suffers from several things.
1. The writing style. It was very blocky. The sentences were stilted. It drove me nuts.
Now, I'm probably overreacting, the entire book wasn't written like that, but once I noticed it happening, I could see it all the time.
1a. He goes off on tangents or mentions observations and never tells WHY he mentions them. It gives the writing a type of shotgun scattered approach that quickly drove me crazy. He needs to tell the significance of these tangents to his thoughts. Instead, his writing just appears to be a long list list of observations, random thoughts and conversations.
1b. "I". The book is written in the first person, but that shouldn't mean that nearly every paragraph should start with "I". He needs to use "me" and "myself" more. Even better, he needs to find other ways of conveying his words without even using "me", "myself", or "I".
1c. Dialogue. It isn't that the dialogue is badly written... it's that the dialogue is all we are given. He doesn't give his reactions to comments or, what would have given more depth to his book, the physical reactions of other people during the dialogues. His dialogues also suffer from the shotgun effect, many have no purpose... it's like he's including a conversation with someone merely because he held the conversation in real life. It's like me telling a story about getting my first car and including a conversation with a storeowner about the best type of chewing gum. Granted, you could conceivably tie those two things together... but Mr Mallory makes no effort to do so.
The writing was so bad that I just couldn't finish the book. I tried several times. The last time, I was laid up with an injury and sincerely made a solid effort. I ended up reading the beginning, skimmed the middle, and managed to choke down the ending.
2. The main character. I started off liking the main character. Hard-working and possessing initiative... while also having a travel-bug and thirst for adventure similar to my own. But by the end, I couldn't stand him. The ending had me envisioning him as a typical "ugly American"... expecting preferential treatment for no reason at all. Perhaps this attitude came about through a "reverse-growth" of his character in the middle of the book that I missed. I don't know.
3. Themes. Like I said, I only skimmed the middle... but one thing I never detected were any themes. There was no plot or direction. It all just read as a person's diary. The problem there is that with a normal diary, we can vicariously watch the writer's friends and enemies grow and change along with themselves. Because the author constantly is on the move, we don't see anyone change other than himself and, like I mentioned earlier, the "reverse-growth" of his character doesn't give us anything desirable there either.
4. Ideas. For someone embracing freedom and travel, I was astounded how much he wanted to impose a one-world government and set of laws on everyone. Talk about destroying the diversity of the things he was enjoying! A lot of his other ideas are not thought out well either. They come across as the random thoughts of a teenage boy... thinking he knows better than everyone else. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but the way the book is written, it merely comes across as arrogant.
Was this book the worst one I've ever read? No. However, it is also not ready for publication. This is at the level of a 1st draft, minus grammar/spelling mistakes. It needs several more rewrites before it is ready. He needs to come up with thoughts and themes he wants to get across to his audience. He needs to jettison large tracts that go nowhere. He needs to rewrite his sentences, adding a better flow and better description to them.
Mr Mallory gave me a free copy of his ebook, so I thought I owed him my opinion. I almost decided not post a review when I came to the conclusion that it was going to be highly negative. However, he still has been involved with some great adventures and I think the book could be improved.
The Review
Unfortunately, the book suffers from several things.
1. The writing style. It was very blocky. The sentences were stilted. It drove me nuts.
Now, I'm probably overreacting, the entire book wasn't written like that, but once I noticed it happening, I could see it all the time.
1a. He goes off on tangents or mentions observations and never tells WHY he mentions them. It gives the writing a type of shotgun scattered approach that quickly drove me crazy. He needs to tell the significance of these tangents to his thoughts. Instead, his writing just appears to be a long list list of observations, random thoughts and conversations.
1b. "I". The book is written in the first person, but that shouldn't mean that nearly every paragraph should start with "I". He needs to use "me" and "myself" more. Even better, he needs to find other ways of conveying his words without even using "me", "myself", or "I".
1c. Dialogue. It isn't that the dialogue is badly written... it's that the dialogue is all we are given. He doesn't give his reactions to comments or, what would have given more depth to his book, the physical reactions of other people during the dialogues. His dialogues also suffer from the shotgun effect, many have no purpose... it's like he's including a conversation with someone merely because he held the conversation in real life. It's like me telling a story about getting my first car and including a conversation with a storeowner about the best type of chewing gum. Granted, you could conceivably tie those two things together... but Mr Mallory makes no effort to do so.
The writing was so bad that I just couldn't finish the book. I tried several times. The last time, I was laid up with an injury and sincerely made a solid effort. I ended up reading the beginning, skimmed the middle, and managed to choke down the ending.
2. The main character. I started off liking the main character. Hard-working and possessing initiative... while also having a travel-bug and thirst for adventure similar to my own. But by the end, I couldn't stand him. The ending had me envisioning him as a typical "ugly American"... expecting preferential treatment for no reason at all. Perhaps this attitude came about through a "reverse-growth" of his character in the middle of the book that I missed. I don't know.
3. Themes. Like I said, I only skimmed the middle... but one thing I never detected were any themes. There was no plot or direction. It all just read as a person's diary. The problem there is that with a normal diary, we can vicariously watch the writer's friends and enemies grow and change along with themselves. Because the author constantly is on the move, we don't see anyone change other than himself and, like I mentioned earlier, the "reverse-growth" of his character doesn't give us anything desirable there either.
4. Ideas. For someone embracing freedom and travel, I was astounded how much he wanted to impose a one-world government and set of laws on everyone. Talk about destroying the diversity of the things he was enjoying! A lot of his other ideas are not thought out well either. They come across as the random thoughts of a teenage boy... thinking he knows better than everyone else. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but the way the book is written, it merely comes across as arrogant.
Was this book the worst one I've ever read? No. However, it is also not ready for publication. This is at the level of a 1st draft, minus grammar/spelling mistakes. It needs several more rewrites before it is ready. He needs to come up with thoughts and themes he wants to get across to his audience. He needs to jettison large tracts that go nowhere. He needs to rewrite his sentences, adding a better flow and better description to them.
March 31, 2009
Okay when I signed up to read this book, I was sure it was going to be a good but not amazing book. It's a good thing I set the bar low because this book was an utter disappointment!
The first few paragraphs were fine but as I dwelled deeper into the book I found that it was all falling apart and had no purpose at all. The book was written sloppily and overall, it was a disastrous read. I didn't even feel like finishing it, but because I am a faithful reader, I felt compelled to finish it. This is even worse than Stephenie Meyer and her Twilight Saga and I am not a big fan of S. Meyer.
A boring-not-awesome book. Sorry Mr. Mallory but you have to try harder if you want to really capture an audience.
The first few paragraphs were fine but as I dwelled deeper into the book I found that it was all falling apart and had no purpose at all. The book was written sloppily and overall, it was a disastrous read. I didn't even feel like finishing it, but because I am a faithful reader, I felt compelled to finish it. This is even worse than Stephenie Meyer and her Twilight Saga and I am not a big fan of S. Meyer.
A boring-not-awesome book. Sorry Mr. Mallory but you have to try harder if you want to really capture an audience.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews