Jennie Bourgeois

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I very much enjoyed this book. It is not typically the type of book I usually read, but it was a great change for me.

This true story chronicles the author’s one year journey through Italy, India and Indonesia in her self discovery journey. Some great lessons and experiences were shared throughout the book that I think many people are able to relate to on some level.

The author has a website with some FAQs about her life since the writing of the book as well as actual pictures of some of the famous characters she wrote about.

There is also an entire blog devoted to Eat Pray Love and the author, the stories, the quotes, the merchandise, the fans, etc. It is also some very interesting reading.

In addition, one of the most popular characters from the book, Richard from Texas (the one who affectionately nicknamed the author Groceries, has become so famous that he has apparently been on Oprah twice. He has his own website and is doing his own speaking and writing at this time as well. Here is a picture of him -

Here is a picture of the author with her HUSBAND whom she met on her journey and later married, Felipe.

Here are some of the reviews on the book:

From The New Yorker
At the age of thirty-one, Gilbert moved with her husband to the suburbs of New York and began trying to get pregnant, only to realize that she wanted neither a child nor a husband. Three years later, after a protracted divorce, she embarked on a yearlong trip of recovery, with three main stops: Rome, for pleasure (mostly gustatory, with a special emphasis on gelato); an ashram outside of Mumbai, for spiritual searching; and Bali, for “balancing.” These destinations are all on the beaten track, but Gilbert’s exuberance and her self-deprecating humor enliven the proceedings: recalling the first time she attempted to speak directly to God, she says, “It was all I could do to stop myself from saying, ‘I’ve always been a big fan of your work.’”
Copyright © 2006 – The New Yorker

A meditation on love in its many forms—love of food, language, humanity, God, and most meaningful for Gilbert, love of self. — Los Angeles Times

An engaging, intelligent, and highly entertaining memoir. — Time

Gilbert’s prose is fueled by a mix of intelligence, wit and colloquial exuberance that is close to irresistible. — The New York Times Book Review

This insightful, funny account of her travels reads like a mix of Susan Orlean and Frances Mayes. — Entertainment Weekly

This is a wonderful book, brilliant and personal, rich in spiritual insight. — Anne Lamott

I have been reading Outliers on my Kindle. This is written by the author of The Tipping Point which I also read a few months ago. The research on facts and figures that was done in writting this book is really substantial.

One of the chapters focused on the reasons for numerous airline crashes over the past several decades. There were numerous stories in detail about specific airline tragedies and how they occurred. This was probably not the best chapter to be reading while flying home from Knoxville. Being on an airplane reading about all of the failures was quite a bit uncomfortable.

One the really important points made in the book that had a big impact on me was the concept of the “magic of meaningful work”.   Gladwell went into great detail explaining examples of individuals who work exceedingly hard for a purpose.  He contrasted that to the concept of the peasants working under the domineering landlord system in earlier years.  These peasants did not have nor understand the “magic of meaningful work”.   I see examples of this concept every day with people who understand this and those that do not.

In reading some reviews of Gladwell’s book on the Internet, I see that some individuals disagree with his conclusions.  Some people seem to think that Gladwell was saying that talent, skill, hard work and dedication had nothing to do with an individual’s success.  I don’t think that is what he was saying in this book.  I believe he over all point that there are ALSO other factors that are involved such as birthday, ethnicity,  social class, etc. that are important in determining an individual’s success as well.   He was saying that those other factors play a much bigger role in our lives that we often realize.

Here are a couple of links to other blogs that had some very detailed reviews on the book Outliers.

Ben’s Book Blog: Outliers** by Malcom Gladwell

Community Indicators: Book Review: Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell

Hope you enjoy!