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倬丕丿卮丕賴 诏丿丕 賵 乇丕夭 卮丕丿賲丕賳蹖
卮睾賱 噩賵卅賱貙 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴鈥屰� 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘貙 賯氐賴鈥屭堐屰� 丕爻鬲. 亘賴 賴賲賴 噩丕蹖 噩賴丕賳 爻賮乇 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 賵 亘乇丕蹖 賲乇丿賲 賯氐賴 賲蹖鈥屭堐屫�. 爻倬爻 乇賵夭蹖 賲蹖鈥屬佡囐呚� 爻乇胤丕賳 诏乇賮鬲賴 賵 賲丿鬲蹖 讴賵鬲丕賴 亘毓丿 丕夭 丌賳 鬲丕乇賴丕蹖 氐賵鬲蹖鈥屫ж� 乇丕 丕夭 丿爻鬲 賲蹖鈥屫囏� 賵 丿蹖诏乇 賳賲蹖鈥屫堌з嗀� 丨乇賮 亘夭賳丿. 丕蹖賳 賲氐蹖亘鬲 胤亘毓丕賸 夭賳丿诏蹖鈥屫ж� 乇丕 亘賴 丌爻鬲丕賳賴鈥屰� 賵蹖乇丕賳蹖 賲蹖鈥屭┴簇з嗀� 賵 丕賵 亘丕蹖丿 丿乇 丕蹖賳 亘蹖賳 亘丕 讴賲讴 賯氐賴鈥屬囏й屰� 讴賴 賴賲蹖卮賴 鬲毓乇蹖賮 賲蹖鈥屭┴必� 賵 賯氐賴鈥屬囏й屰� 讴賴 丕爻鬲丕丿卮 亘乇丕蹖 丕賵 賲蹖鈥屭堐屫� 賵 氐丿 丕賱亘鬲賴 賯氐賴鈥屰� 夭賳丿诏蹖 禺賵丿卮貙 趩丕乇賴鈥屫й� 亘蹖鈥屫з嗀屫簇�. 亘丕蹖丿 禺賵丿 乇丕 亘丕夭鬲毓乇蹖賮 讴賳丿.
倬丕丿卮丕賴 诏丿丕 賵 乇丕夭 卮丕丿賲丕賳蹖 賲噩賲賵毓賴鈥屫й� 賯氐賴鈥屰� 鬲賵丿乇鬲賵 賵 亘蹖鈥屬嗁囏й屫� 爻丕丿賴 賵 丨賯蹖賯蹖 賵 賲賱賲賵爻 丕爻鬲 丕夭 夭亘丕賳 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 亘賴鬲乇蹖賳 賯氐賴鈥屭� 賴丕蹖 毓氐乇 賲丕 賵 賯氐丿 丿丕乇丿 夭賳丿诏蹖鈥屬呚з� 乇丕 亘賴 卮讴賱 丿丕爻鬲丕賳蹖 夭蹖亘丕 亘乇丕蹖賲丕賳 鬲氐賵蹖乇 讴賳丿. 卮禺氐蹖鬲鈥屬囏й� 讴鬲丕亘 賲卮鬲蹖 乇丕賴亘 賵 亘亘乇 賵 丕爻亘鈥屬囏й� 诏賲鈥屫簇� 賵 诏賳噩鈥屬囏й� 賲丿賮賵賳 賵 丕賱亘鬲賴 倬丕丿卮丕賴鈥屬囏� 賵 诏丿丕賴丕 賴爻鬲賳丿. 讴賲鈥屫� 倬蹖卮 賲蹖鈥屫③屫� 爻丕丿诏蹖 賳丕亘 讴鬲丕亘蹖 賲蹖禺讴賵亘賲丕賳 讴賳丿 賵 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 丕夭 丌賳 丕爻鬲孬賳丕賴丕爻鬲.
倬丕丿卮丕賴 诏丿丕 賵 乇丕夭 卮丕丿賲丕賳蹖 賲噩賲賵毓賴鈥屫й� 賯氐賴鈥屰� 鬲賵丿乇鬲賵 賵 亘蹖鈥屬嗁囏й屫� 爻丕丿賴 賵 丨賯蹖賯蹖 賵 賲賱賲賵爻 丕爻鬲 丕夭 夭亘丕賳 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 亘賴鬲乇蹖賳 賯氐賴鈥屭� 賴丕蹖 毓氐乇 賲丕 賵 賯氐丿 丿丕乇丿 夭賳丿诏蹖鈥屬呚з� 乇丕 亘賴 卮讴賱 丿丕爻鬲丕賳蹖 夭蹖亘丕 亘乇丕蹖賲丕賳 鬲氐賵蹖乇 讴賳丿. 卮禺氐蹖鬲鈥屬囏й� 讴鬲丕亘 賲卮鬲蹖 乇丕賴亘 賵 亘亘乇 賵 丕爻亘鈥屬囏й� 诏賲鈥屫簇� 賵 诏賳噩鈥屬囏й� 賲丿賮賵賳 賵 丕賱亘鬲賴 倬丕丿卮丕賴鈥屬囏� 賵 诏丿丕賴丕 賴爻鬲賳丿. 讴賲鈥屫� 倬蹖卮 賲蹖鈥屫③屫� 爻丕丿诏蹖 賳丕亘 讴鬲丕亘蹖 賲蹖禺讴賵亘賲丕賳 讴賳丿 賵 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 丕夭 丌賳 丕爻鬲孬賳丕賴丕爻鬲.
204 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 370 reviews
June 5, 2023
A unique, poignant memoir about a man who earns his living by relating stories, and then loses his voice. A fast and engrossing read that asks big questions, and is ultimately life-affirming.
鈥淗ere is what I鈥檝e come to: I still believe that things in this world do, indeed, happen for a reason. But sometimes that reason comes only after they happen. It is not a reason we find, but one we carve, sculpted from our own pain and loss, bound together with love and compassion. As hard as we may search, we can only see it when we stop to wonder, looking back to see where we鈥檝e been and what we鈥檝e learned. It鈥檚 a grueling process, this forging a reason from the stuff of life, but it鈥檚 all we can do. And what we get for our efforts is a story.鈥�
鈥淗ere is what I鈥檝e come to: I still believe that things in this world do, indeed, happen for a reason. But sometimes that reason comes only after they happen. It is not a reason we find, but one we carve, sculpted from our own pain and loss, bound together with love and compassion. As hard as we may search, we can only see it when we stop to wonder, looking back to see where we鈥檝e been and what we鈥檝e learned. It鈥檚 a grueling process, this forging a reason from the stuff of life, but it鈥檚 all we can do. And what we get for our efforts is a story.鈥�
April 6, 2015
This is a book that uses tales and parables in a memoir. More than that, the author used his tales in the service of living his life and creating the raw material for the memoir.
The idea is you need stories to live, and stories need reasons. Otherwise things are just happening to you pell mell--or maybe you're unmindfully living out prefab paradigms.
There's a theological concept here. God brings order out of darkness and chaos, so imitatio dei: build your story--which appears most needed whenever chaos reigns.
Why is this happening?
Could it become the best thing that's ever happened to you?
Try this on for size:
Stand-up as Zen.
Speaking of Zen, this is from the "Buddha" the author meets along the way:
The stories come at the beginning of chapters with more worked in along the way. They are the best part of this book, more galvanizing than the particulars of the author's life, even when those are dramatic. Some were familiar and some may have felt familiar even if new, but, old or new, these stories stood out in a new light.
I finished this book and started a new one that had the story of a precious gem that carried a curse. In that story, the man who found it had to decide whether to keep it for its magical protection of himself, even though all his loved ones would come under the curse and die, or throw it back. I thought the story was in this book, too, and have searched every key word I can think of and reread practically the whole thing, looking for it, but no dice. And I'm still not totally convinced it's not there.
To wind things up, here's one more story, one that struck me as beautiful. It will be familiar to some as a new twist on the words of the ancient rabbinical sages as to when it's time to pray in the morning.
The idea is you need stories to live, and stories need reasons. Otherwise things are just happening to you pell mell--or maybe you're unmindfully living out prefab paradigms.
There's a theological concept here. God brings order out of darkness and chaos, so imitatio dei: build your story--which appears most needed whenever chaos reigns.
Why is this happening?
Could it become the best thing that's ever happened to you?
Try this on for size:
A man...goes to a tailor to order a new suit. The tailor takes measurements and tells him to come back next week. The man does, but when he tries on the suit, it fits terribly.
"What is this?" he says. "This sleeve is way too long and the other is too short. And the pants are tight on this side and baggy on the other."
"Relax," says the tailor. "The suit is fine. Look." He leads the man to the mirror. "You've got to bring your right shoulder back, like so. Then tilt your head to the side. That's right. Now lean like this, with your left foot forward.... "Perfect!"
"Okay," says the man, scrunching before the mirror. "Yeah, I see. It looks good." He slouches back and hobbles out of the shop and onto the street, where two women notice his strange walk.
"My God!" says one. "What happened to him?"
"I don't know," says the other. "But that's a great-looking suit."
Stand-up as Zen.
Speaking of Zen, this is from the "Buddha" the author meets along the way:
"...I've done everything I can to chase away the unicorns and dry up the rainbows, so you can face your demons and see life for what it is: the sum total of all we've lost, divided by what we learn from it. And you'll go on suffering until you've learned your lesson. The future has slipped through your fingers, the past is gone, and you're left with nothing but this very moment, right here, right now."
The stories come at the beginning of chapters with more worked in along the way. They are the best part of this book, more galvanizing than the particulars of the author's life, even when those are dramatic. Some were familiar and some may have felt familiar even if new, but, old or new, these stories stood out in a new light.
I finished this book and started a new one that had the story of a precious gem that carried a curse. In that story, the man who found it had to decide whether to keep it for its magical protection of himself, even though all his loved ones would come under the curse and die, or throw it back. I thought the story was in this book, too, and have searched every key word I can think of and reread practically the whole thing, looking for it, but no dice. And I'm still not totally convinced it's not there.
To wind things up, here's one more story, one that struck me as beautiful. It will be familiar to some as a new twist on the words of the ancient rabbinical sages as to when it's time to pray in the morning.
"Tell me something," he said again. His voice sounded far away. "When does the night end? ... That is the question asked of the rabbi by his disciples." His voice sounded mournful, almost pleading. He turned to stare at me....
"'Does it end when you can see the morning star?' asked one.
"'No,' said the rabbi. 'That is not the time.'
"'Is it when you can see all the lines on the palm of your hand?' asked another.
"'No, that is still not the time,' said the rabbi.
"'Then when?" asked the disciples.
"'When you can look at your neighbor's face and see that it is your own. Then, at last, the long night is over.'"
September 5, 2016
丿丕爻鬲丕賳 讴鬲丕亘: 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 夭賳丿诏蹖 賲乇丿蹖 丕爻鬲 讴賴 倬蹖卮賴 丕卮 賯氐賴 诏賵蹖蹖 爻鬲貙 夭賲丕賳蹖 賲鬲賵噩賴 卮丿 丿乇 賯氐賴 诏賵蹖蹖 賲賴丕乇鬲 丿丕乇丿 讴賴 鬲賵丕賳爻鬲 亘丕 丌賳 賲丕丿乇卮 乇丕 丕夭 睾賲 乇賴丕 讴賳丿 賵 倬丿乇卮 乇丕 趩賳丿 賱丨馗賴 丕蹖 丕夭 賮讴乇 亘蹖賲丕乇蹖 丕卮 亘蹖乇賵賳 丌賵乇丿. 蹖讴 乇賵夭 賲鬲賵噩賴 賲蹖卮賵丿 讴賴 爻乇胤丕賳 鬲蹖乇賵卅蹖丿 丿丕乇丿 賵 亘丕蹖丿 睾丿賴 乇丕 亘乇丿丕乇丿貙 亘丕 亘乇丿丕卮鬲賳 睾丿賴 氐丿丕蹖 丕賵 賲蹖 乇賵丿 賵 丕賵 ...
賳馗乇 賲賳: 亘賴 卮丿鬲 禺賵丕賳丿賳卮 乇丕 倬蹖卮賳賴丕丿 賲蹖讴賳賲貙 賲賳 讴賴 讴蹖賮賵乇 卮丿賲 丕夭 禺賵丕賳丿賳卮.
亘禺卮蹖 丕夭 賲鬲賳 讴鬲丕亘:
丌乇丕賲 诏賮鬲: "乇賴丕 讴乇丿賳 ... 夭賳丿诏蹖 賮賯胤 蹖毓賳蹖 賴賲蹖賳. 賴賲賴 賲賵賳 亘丕 賲卮鬲 賴丕蹖 诏乇賴 讴乇丿賴 賵 賲丨讴賲 亘賴 丿賳蹖丕 賲蹖 丌蹖蹖賲 . 丕賲丕 亘丕 丿爻鬲 賴丕蹖 亘丕夭 賲蹖 賲蹖乇蹖賲." 讴賮賽 丿爻鬲賽 乇丕爻鬲卮 乇丕 亘丕賱丕 诏乇賮鬲. " 賲賵賯毓 賽 賲乇丿賳 賴賲賴 禺賵亘 毓賲賱 賲蹖 讴賳蹖賲 貨 亘賴 賴賲蹖賳 禺丕胤乇 賴乇 乇賵夭 蹖讴 匕乇賴 賲蹖 賲蹖乇蹖賲 賵 鬲賲乇蹖賳 賲蹖 讴賳蹖賲." ( 氐賮丨賴 蹖 99)
" 賴蹖趩 趩蹖夭 亘賴 丕賳丿丕夭賴 鬲賵賯毓丕鬲 賽 賲丕 丕夭 夭賳丿诏蹖貙 夭賳丿诏蹖 乇賵 亘賴 诏賳丿 賳賲蹖 讴卮賴. 丿賵爻鬲 丿丕乇蹖賲 鬲馗丕賴乇 讴賳蹖賲 丕夭 禺丿丕 賴賲 亘丕賴賵卮 鬲乇蹖賲 讴賴 亘夭乇诏 鬲乇蹖賳 賯氐賴 诏賵蹖 毓丕賱賲賴. 亘賴 賴賲蹖賳 禺丕胤乇 趩賴 丕鬲賮丕賯蹖 賲蹖賵賮鬲賴責 禺丿丕 亘賴 賲丕 賳诏丕賴 賲蹖 讴賳賴 賵 趩賳丿 鬲丕蹖蹖 丕亘賱賴 賲蹖 亘蹖賳賴 讴賴 禺蹖丕賱 讴蹖 讴賳賳丿 賮賴賲蹖丿賴 賳丿夭賳丿诏蹖 蹖毓賳蹖 趩蹖貨 丿乇 賳鬲蹖噩賴 丨鬲賲丕 鬲蹖倬丕蹖 噩丕賳丕賳賴 丕蹖 賳賵卮 賽 噩丕賳 賲蹖 讴賳蹖賲." ( 氐賮丨賴 蹖 110)
禺賳丿蹖丿. "賲噩亘賵乇 卮丿賲 賲賵噩 爻賵丕乇蹖 乇賵 亘诏匕丕乇賲 讴賳丕乇. 丕賵賳 賴賲賴 賵賯鬲 乇賮鬲賲 亘蹖賲丕乇爻鬲丕賳 賵 丕賵賲丿賲貙 賮賯胤 蹖讴 爻賵丕賱 鬲賵蹖 匕賴賳賲 亘賵丿 ... 趩乇丕責 趩乇丕 賴賲趩蹖賳 亘賱丕蹖蹖 亘賴 爻乇賲 丕賵賲丿責" 丿蹖诏乇 賯丿賲 賳夭丿 賵 亘乇诏卮鬲 乇賵蹖 氐賳丿賱蹖 賳卮爻鬲. " 禺賵亘 馗丕賴乇丕 亘賯蹖賴 賴賲 賴賲蹖賳 爻賵丕賱 乇賵 丿丕乇賳丿貨 賲賳 亘賴 丕賵賳 丨丕丿孬賴 賮讴乇 賲蹖 讴賳賲貙 鬲賵 亘賴 氐丿丕鬲. 賳讴鬲賴 賴賲蹖賳賴: 賴賲賴 亘賴 賴賲趩蹖賳 爻賵丕賱蹖 賮讴乇 賲蹖 讴賳賳丿. 賵丕爻賴 賴賲蹖賳 卮丕蹖丿 亘賴鬲乇 亘丕卮賴 亘賴 噩丕卮 亘倬乇爻蹖 < 趩乇丕 賲丕責 > 噩賵丕亘卮 賴賲 丕蹖賳賴 讴賴 夭賳丿诏蹖 賴賲蹖賳賴. 夭賳丿诏蹖 倬乇 丕夭 亘丿亘禺鬲蹖 賵 乇賳噩 賵 丨乇賲丕賳 倬卮鬲賽 丨乇賲丕賳賴 鬲丕 丕蹖賳 讴賴 丌禺乇 爻乇 賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 乇賵 丕夭 丿爻鬲 亘丿蹖" ( 氐賮丨賴 蹖 111)
丌蹖賳丿賴 丕夭 趩賳诏鬲 丿乇 乇賮鬲賴 賵 诏匕卮鬲賴 鬲賲賵賲 卮丿賴 賵 丕賱丕賳 趩蹖夭蹖 亘乇丕鬲 賳賲賵賳丿賴 噩夭 賴賲蹖賳 賱丨馗賴貙 賴賲蹖賳 丕蹖賳噩丕貙 賴賲蹖賳 丕賱丕賳." ( 氐賮丨賴 蹖 111)
" 賲乇丿賲 禺蹖丕賱 賲蹖 讴賳賳丿 賯氐賴 诏賵蹖蹖 蹖毓賳蹖 丨乇賮 夭丿賳貨 丕蹖賳 胤賵乇 賳蹖爻鬲. 賲爻卅賱賴 丕氐賱蹖 爻讴賵鬲賴 賵 卮讴賱 丿丕丿賳 亘賴 丕賵賳 爻讴賵鬲. 爻讴賵鬲 亘賵賲 賽 賳賯丕卮蹖賽 賲丕爻鬲. 爻讴賵鬲 诏賽賱賽 賲丕爻鬲 讴賴 亘丕賴丕卮 丿賳蹖丕賲賵賳 乇賵 卮讴賱 賲蹖 丿蹖賲貙 爻賳诏賽 賲乇賲乇蹖賴 讴賴 賲蹖 鬲乇丕卮蹖賲卮. 丕賵賳 賵賯鬲 趩馗賵乇 賲蹖 鬲乇丕卮蹖賲卮責 亘丕 讴賱賲丕鬲 賲賵賳! 丿乇 爻讴賵鬲 賯氐賴 乇丕 卮乇賵毓 賲蹖 讴賳蹖賲貨 賴乇趩蹖 賳丕亘 鬲乇 亘賴鬲乇. ( 氐賮丨賴 蹖 123)
賳馗乇 賲賳: 亘賴 卮丿鬲 禺賵丕賳丿賳卮 乇丕 倬蹖卮賳賴丕丿 賲蹖讴賳賲貙 賲賳 讴賴 讴蹖賮賵乇 卮丿賲 丕夭 禺賵丕賳丿賳卮.
亘禺卮蹖 丕夭 賲鬲賳 讴鬲丕亘:
丌乇丕賲 诏賮鬲: "乇賴丕 讴乇丿賳 ... 夭賳丿诏蹖 賮賯胤 蹖毓賳蹖 賴賲蹖賳. 賴賲賴 賲賵賳 亘丕 賲卮鬲 賴丕蹖 诏乇賴 讴乇丿賴 賵 賲丨讴賲 亘賴 丿賳蹖丕 賲蹖 丌蹖蹖賲 . 丕賲丕 亘丕 丿爻鬲 賴丕蹖 亘丕夭 賲蹖 賲蹖乇蹖賲." 讴賮賽 丿爻鬲賽 乇丕爻鬲卮 乇丕 亘丕賱丕 诏乇賮鬲. " 賲賵賯毓 賽 賲乇丿賳 賴賲賴 禺賵亘 毓賲賱 賲蹖 讴賳蹖賲 貨 亘賴 賴賲蹖賳 禺丕胤乇 賴乇 乇賵夭 蹖讴 匕乇賴 賲蹖 賲蹖乇蹖賲 賵 鬲賲乇蹖賳 賲蹖 讴賳蹖賲." ( 氐賮丨賴 蹖 99)
" 賴蹖趩 趩蹖夭 亘賴 丕賳丿丕夭賴 鬲賵賯毓丕鬲 賽 賲丕 丕夭 夭賳丿诏蹖貙 夭賳丿诏蹖 乇賵 亘賴 诏賳丿 賳賲蹖 讴卮賴. 丿賵爻鬲 丿丕乇蹖賲 鬲馗丕賴乇 讴賳蹖賲 丕夭 禺丿丕 賴賲 亘丕賴賵卮 鬲乇蹖賲 讴賴 亘夭乇诏 鬲乇蹖賳 賯氐賴 诏賵蹖 毓丕賱賲賴. 亘賴 賴賲蹖賳 禺丕胤乇 趩賴 丕鬲賮丕賯蹖 賲蹖賵賮鬲賴責 禺丿丕 亘賴 賲丕 賳诏丕賴 賲蹖 讴賳賴 賵 趩賳丿 鬲丕蹖蹖 丕亘賱賴 賲蹖 亘蹖賳賴 讴賴 禺蹖丕賱 讴蹖 讴賳賳丿 賮賴賲蹖丿賴 賳丿夭賳丿诏蹖 蹖毓賳蹖 趩蹖貨 丿乇 賳鬲蹖噩賴 丨鬲賲丕 鬲蹖倬丕蹖 噩丕賳丕賳賴 丕蹖 賳賵卮 賽 噩丕賳 賲蹖 讴賳蹖賲." ( 氐賮丨賴 蹖 110)
禺賳丿蹖丿. "賲噩亘賵乇 卮丿賲 賲賵噩 爻賵丕乇蹖 乇賵 亘诏匕丕乇賲 讴賳丕乇. 丕賵賳 賴賲賴 賵賯鬲 乇賮鬲賲 亘蹖賲丕乇爻鬲丕賳 賵 丕賵賲丿賲貙 賮賯胤 蹖讴 爻賵丕賱 鬲賵蹖 匕賴賳賲 亘賵丿 ... 趩乇丕責 趩乇丕 賴賲趩蹖賳 亘賱丕蹖蹖 亘賴 爻乇賲 丕賵賲丿責" 丿蹖诏乇 賯丿賲 賳夭丿 賵 亘乇诏卮鬲 乇賵蹖 氐賳丿賱蹖 賳卮爻鬲. " 禺賵亘 馗丕賴乇丕 亘賯蹖賴 賴賲 賴賲蹖賳 爻賵丕賱 乇賵 丿丕乇賳丿貨 賲賳 亘賴 丕賵賳 丨丕丿孬賴 賮讴乇 賲蹖 讴賳賲貙 鬲賵 亘賴 氐丿丕鬲. 賳讴鬲賴 賴賲蹖賳賴: 賴賲賴 亘賴 賴賲趩蹖賳 爻賵丕賱蹖 賮讴乇 賲蹖 讴賳賳丿. 賵丕爻賴 賴賲蹖賳 卮丕蹖丿 亘賴鬲乇 亘丕卮賴 亘賴 噩丕卮 亘倬乇爻蹖 < 趩乇丕 賲丕責 > 噩賵丕亘卮 賴賲 丕蹖賳賴 讴賴 夭賳丿诏蹖 賴賲蹖賳賴. 夭賳丿诏蹖 倬乇 丕夭 亘丿亘禺鬲蹖 賵 乇賳噩 賵 丨乇賲丕賳 倬卮鬲賽 丨乇賲丕賳賴 鬲丕 丕蹖賳 讴賴 丌禺乇 爻乇 賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 乇賵 丕夭 丿爻鬲 亘丿蹖" ( 氐賮丨賴 蹖 111)
丌蹖賳丿賴 丕夭 趩賳诏鬲 丿乇 乇賮鬲賴 賵 诏匕卮鬲賴 鬲賲賵賲 卮丿賴 賵 丕賱丕賳 趩蹖夭蹖 亘乇丕鬲 賳賲賵賳丿賴 噩夭 賴賲蹖賳 賱丨馗賴貙 賴賲蹖賳 丕蹖賳噩丕貙 賴賲蹖賳 丕賱丕賳." ( 氐賮丨賴 蹖 111)
" 賲乇丿賲 禺蹖丕賱 賲蹖 讴賳賳丿 賯氐賴 诏賵蹖蹖 蹖毓賳蹖 丨乇賮 夭丿賳貨 丕蹖賳 胤賵乇 賳蹖爻鬲. 賲爻卅賱賴 丕氐賱蹖 爻讴賵鬲賴 賵 卮讴賱 丿丕丿賳 亘賴 丕賵賳 爻讴賵鬲. 爻讴賵鬲 亘賵賲 賽 賳賯丕卮蹖賽 賲丕爻鬲. 爻讴賵鬲 诏賽賱賽 賲丕爻鬲 讴賴 亘丕賴丕卮 丿賳蹖丕賲賵賳 乇賵 卮讴賱 賲蹖 丿蹖賲貙 爻賳诏賽 賲乇賲乇蹖賴 讴賴 賲蹖 鬲乇丕卮蹖賲卮. 丕賵賳 賵賯鬲 趩馗賵乇 賲蹖 鬲乇丕卮蹖賲卮責 亘丕 讴賱賲丕鬲 賲賵賳! 丿乇 爻讴賵鬲 賯氐賴 乇丕 卮乇賵毓 賲蹖 讴賳蹖賲貨 賴乇趩蹖 賳丕亘 鬲乇 亘賴鬲乇. ( 氐賮丨賴 蹖 123)
January 4, 2017
禺丿丕蹖 賲賳 丕蹖賳賴賲賴 丿丕爻鬲丕賳責!責! 責 ^_^
鬲丕 丨丕賱丕 亘賴 賯氐賴 诏賵蹖蹖 亘賴 毓賳賵丕賳 蹖 卮睾賱 賳诏丕 賳讴乇丿賴 亘賵丿賲
亘毓丿 讴 蹖讴賲 賮讴 讴乇丿賲 丿蹖丿賲 趩 讴丕乇 亘丕丨丕賱蹖賴 : )
蹖 丨爻 賯卮賳诏蹖 丿丕卮鬲 禺賵賳丿賳卮 讴賴 亘丕毓孬 賲蹖卮賴 倬蹖卮賳賴丕丿 讴賳賲 亘禺賵賳蹖賳卮: ))
讴賱蹖 賳讴鬲賴 賴丕蹖 賯卮賳诏蹖 丿丕卮鬲 讴賴 賵爻胤 禺賵賳丿賳 蹖賴賵 鬲賵賯賮 賲蹖讴乇丿蹖 蹖讴賲 乇蹖夭
賮讴 賲蹖讴乇丿蹖 賵 亘毓丿 亘丕夭 丕丿丕賲賴 = )
讴鬲丕亘 禺賵亘蹖 亘賵丿 亘乇丕蹖 卮乇賵毓 趩賱賳噩 爻丕賱 鄄郯郾鄯 :)
鬲丕 丨丕賱丕 亘賴 賯氐賴 诏賵蹖蹖 亘賴 毓賳賵丕賳 蹖 卮睾賱 賳诏丕 賳讴乇丿賴 亘賵丿賲
亘毓丿 讴 蹖讴賲 賮讴 讴乇丿賲 丿蹖丿賲 趩 讴丕乇 亘丕丨丕賱蹖賴 : )
蹖 丨爻 賯卮賳诏蹖 丿丕卮鬲 禺賵賳丿賳卮 讴賴 亘丕毓孬 賲蹖卮賴 倬蹖卮賳賴丕丿 讴賳賲 亘禺賵賳蹖賳卮: ))
讴賱蹖 賳讴鬲賴 賴丕蹖 賯卮賳诏蹖 丿丕卮鬲 讴賴 賵爻胤 禺賵賳丿賳 蹖賴賵 鬲賵賯賮 賲蹖讴乇丿蹖 蹖讴賲 乇蹖夭
賮讴 賲蹖讴乇丿蹖 賵 亘毓丿 亘丕夭 丕丿丕賲賴 = )
讴鬲丕亘 禺賵亘蹖 亘賵丿 亘乇丕蹖 卮乇賵毓 趩賱賳噩 爻丕賱 鄄郯郾鄯 :)
July 16, 2015
讴鬲丕亘 倬丕丿卮丕賴 诏丿丕 賵 乇丕夭 卮丕丿賲丕賳蹖貨
"丿丕爻鬲丕賳賽 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 賵丕賯毓蹖爻鬲:
卮睾賱 賲賳 丕蹖賳 亘賵丿 讴賴 亘賴 賴賲賴 噩丕蹖 噩賴丕賳 爻賮乇 讴賳賲 賵 亘乇丕蹖 賲乇丿賲 賯氐賴 亘诏賵蹖賲. 亘毓丿 爻乇胤丕賳 诏乇賮鬲賲 賵 鬲丕乇賴丕蹖 氐賵鬲蹖 丕賲 丕夭 亘蹖賳 乇賮鬲 賵 丿蹖诏乇 賳鬲賵丕賳爻鬲賲 丨乇賮 亘夭賳賲貨 丌賳 賴賲 丿乇爻鬲 丿乇 賱丨馗賴 丕蹖 讴賴 禺蹖丕賱 賲蹖 讴乇丿賲 夭賳丿诏蹖賲 丕夭 丕蹖賳 亘賴鬲乇 賳賲蹖 卮賵丿. 倬丿乇賲 賴賲蹖卮賴 賲蹖 诏賮鬲:芦賲乇丿賲 亘乇賳丕賲賴 賲蹖 乇蹖夭賳丿 賵 禺丿丕 賲蹖 禺賳丿丿禄 .
丨丕賱丕 亘丕蹖丿 丕夭 胤乇蹖賯 賯氐賴 賴丕蹖 禺賵丿賲 賵 賯氐賴 蹖 夭賳丿诏蹖 禺賵丿賲貙 亘賮賴賲賲 趩乇丕 禺丿丕 亘賴 賲賳 禺賳丿蹖丿責"
"亘诏匕丕乇蹖丿 賯氐賴 丕蹖 賯丿蹖賲蹖 丕夭 卮賴乇 讴賴賳 亘蹖鬲 丕賱賲賯丿爻 亘乇丕蹖鬲丕賳 鬲毓乇蹖賮 讴賳賲..."貙 讴鬲丕亘 丕蹖賳噩賵乇蹖 卮乇賵毓 賲蹖卮賴 賵 噩賵卅賱 賲蹖诏賴 讴賴 賲賳 卮丕賴 爻賱蹖賲丕賳 賳蹖爻鬲賲 賵 丕丿毓丕 賴賲 賳丿丕乇賲 賵 爻乇诏匕卮鬲賲 丿乇 賲賯丕賲 倬丕丿卮丕賴丕賳 賳亘賵丿賴貙亘賱讴賴 爻乇诏匕卮鬲 讴爻蹖 丿乇 賲賯丕賲 賴賲爻乇貙倬丿乇 賵 賯氐賴 诏賵 亘賵丿賴. 亘毓丿 丕噩丕夭賴 賲蹖 禺賵丕丿 讴賴 賯氐賴 丕卮 乇賵 卮乇賵毓 讴賳賴. 亘乇丕蹖 賴乇 賮氐賱 丕夭 賯氐賴 丕卮 丕賵賱 蹖賴 賯氐賴 蹖 讴賴賳 賲蹖诏賴貙 賲孬賱:"丕爻亘 诏賲卮丿賴貙賲賳卮丕 賯氐賴:趩蹖賳"蹖賴 氐賮丨賴 鬲毓乇蹖賮 賲蹖讴賳賴 賵 亘毓丿 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 夭賳丿诏蹖 禺賵丿卮 乇賵 賲蹖诏賴. 丕蹖賳讴賴 讴噩丕 亘賴 丿賳蹖丕 丕賵賲丿賴 賵 趩賴 噩丕蹖 亘蹖 乇亘胤蹖 亘夭乇诏 卮丿賴 賵 賵賯鬲蹖 5爻丕賱賴 卮 亘賵丿賴 趩噩賵乇蹖 爻毓蹖 讴乇丿賴 倬丿乇卮 乇賵 鬲賵 亘蹖賲丕乇爻鬲丕賳 亘禺賳丿賵賳賴 賵 讴賲 讴賲 賯氐賴 賵 噩賵讴 鬲毓乇蹖賮 讴乇丿賳 亘賴 噩夭蹖蹖 丕夭 夭賳丿诏蹖 乇賵夭賲乇賴 丕卮 鬲亘丿蹖賱 卮丿賴. 賵 亘毓丿 禺蹖賱蹖 爻乇蹖毓 丕夭 丕夭丿賵丕噩 賵 亘趩賴 賴丕卮 賵 丕蹖賳讴賴 趩胤賵乇 賲蹖賮賴賲賴 爻乇胤丕賳 丿丕乇賴 賵 趩胤賵乇蹖 氐丿丕卮 乇賵 丕夭 丿爻鬲 賲蹖丿賴 賵 趩胤賵乇蹖 亘丕 丕蹖賳 賲爻卅賱賴 讴賳丕乇 賲蹖丕丿 賵 丕爻鬲丕丿 賯氐賴 诏賵蹖蹖卮 讴蹖 亘賵丿賴 賵 趩蹖夭丕蹖 丿蹖诏賴 丨乇賮 賲蹖夭賳賴. 賵 丌賳賯丿乇 丕蹖賳賴丕 乇賵 氐賲蹖賲蹖 賵 丿賱趩爻亘 鬲毓乇蹖賮 賲蹖讴賳賴 讴賴 賳賲蹖 鬲賵賳蹖 讴鬲丕亘 乇賵 亘亘賳丿蹖..
丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 賮賵賯 丕賱毓丕丿賴 乇賵 賳卮乇 賴蹖乇賲賳丿 亘丕 鬲乇噩賲賴 蹖 賲賴乇丌蹖蹖賳 丕禺賵鬲 賲賳鬲卮乇 讴乇丿賴.
"丿丕爻鬲丕賳賽 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 賵丕賯毓蹖爻鬲:
卮睾賱 賲賳 丕蹖賳 亘賵丿 讴賴 亘賴 賴賲賴 噩丕蹖 噩賴丕賳 爻賮乇 讴賳賲 賵 亘乇丕蹖 賲乇丿賲 賯氐賴 亘诏賵蹖賲. 亘毓丿 爻乇胤丕賳 诏乇賮鬲賲 賵 鬲丕乇賴丕蹖 氐賵鬲蹖 丕賲 丕夭 亘蹖賳 乇賮鬲 賵 丿蹖诏乇 賳鬲賵丕賳爻鬲賲 丨乇賮 亘夭賳賲貨 丌賳 賴賲 丿乇爻鬲 丿乇 賱丨馗賴 丕蹖 讴賴 禺蹖丕賱 賲蹖 讴乇丿賲 夭賳丿诏蹖賲 丕夭 丕蹖賳 亘賴鬲乇 賳賲蹖 卮賵丿. 倬丿乇賲 賴賲蹖卮賴 賲蹖 诏賮鬲:芦賲乇丿賲 亘乇賳丕賲賴 賲蹖 乇蹖夭賳丿 賵 禺丿丕 賲蹖 禺賳丿丿禄 .
丨丕賱丕 亘丕蹖丿 丕夭 胤乇蹖賯 賯氐賴 賴丕蹖 禺賵丿賲 賵 賯氐賴 蹖 夭賳丿诏蹖 禺賵丿賲貙 亘賮賴賲賲 趩乇丕 禺丿丕 亘賴 賲賳 禺賳丿蹖丿責"
"亘诏匕丕乇蹖丿 賯氐賴 丕蹖 賯丿蹖賲蹖 丕夭 卮賴乇 讴賴賳 亘蹖鬲 丕賱賲賯丿爻 亘乇丕蹖鬲丕賳 鬲毓乇蹖賮 讴賳賲..."貙 讴鬲丕亘 丕蹖賳噩賵乇蹖 卮乇賵毓 賲蹖卮賴 賵 噩賵卅賱 賲蹖诏賴 讴賴 賲賳 卮丕賴 爻賱蹖賲丕賳 賳蹖爻鬲賲 賵 丕丿毓丕 賴賲 賳丿丕乇賲 賵 爻乇诏匕卮鬲賲 丿乇 賲賯丕賲 倬丕丿卮丕賴丕賳 賳亘賵丿賴貙亘賱讴賴 爻乇诏匕卮鬲 讴爻蹖 丿乇 賲賯丕賲 賴賲爻乇貙倬丿乇 賵 賯氐賴 诏賵 亘賵丿賴. 亘毓丿 丕噩丕夭賴 賲蹖 禺賵丕丿 讴賴 賯氐賴 丕卮 乇賵 卮乇賵毓 讴賳賴. 亘乇丕蹖 賴乇 賮氐賱 丕夭 賯氐賴 丕卮 丕賵賱 蹖賴 賯氐賴 蹖 讴賴賳 賲蹖诏賴貙 賲孬賱:"丕爻亘 诏賲卮丿賴貙賲賳卮丕 賯氐賴:趩蹖賳"蹖賴 氐賮丨賴 鬲毓乇蹖賮 賲蹖讴賳賴 賵 亘毓丿 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 夭賳丿诏蹖 禺賵丿卮 乇賵 賲蹖诏賴. 丕蹖賳讴賴 讴噩丕 亘賴 丿賳蹖丕 丕賵賲丿賴 賵 趩賴 噩丕蹖 亘蹖 乇亘胤蹖 亘夭乇诏 卮丿賴 賵 賵賯鬲蹖 5爻丕賱賴 卮 亘賵丿賴 趩噩賵乇蹖 爻毓蹖 讴乇丿賴 倬丿乇卮 乇賵 鬲賵 亘蹖賲丕乇爻鬲丕賳 亘禺賳丿賵賳賴 賵 讴賲 讴賲 賯氐賴 賵 噩賵讴 鬲毓乇蹖賮 讴乇丿賳 亘賴 噩夭蹖蹖 丕夭 夭賳丿诏蹖 乇賵夭賲乇賴 丕卮 鬲亘丿蹖賱 卮丿賴. 賵 亘毓丿 禺蹖賱蹖 爻乇蹖毓 丕夭 丕夭丿賵丕噩 賵 亘趩賴 賴丕卮 賵 丕蹖賳讴賴 趩胤賵乇 賲蹖賮賴賲賴 爻乇胤丕賳 丿丕乇賴 賵 趩胤賵乇蹖 氐丿丕卮 乇賵 丕夭 丿爻鬲 賲蹖丿賴 賵 趩胤賵乇蹖 亘丕 丕蹖賳 賲爻卅賱賴 讴賳丕乇 賲蹖丕丿 賵 丕爻鬲丕丿 賯氐賴 诏賵蹖蹖卮 讴蹖 亘賵丿賴 賵 趩蹖夭丕蹖 丿蹖诏賴 丨乇賮 賲蹖夭賳賴. 賵 丌賳賯丿乇 丕蹖賳賴丕 乇賵 氐賲蹖賲蹖 賵 丿賱趩爻亘 鬲毓乇蹖賮 賲蹖讴賳賴 讴賴 賳賲蹖 鬲賵賳蹖 讴鬲丕亘 乇賵 亘亘賳丿蹖..
丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 賮賵賯 丕賱毓丕丿賴 乇賵 賳卮乇 賴蹖乇賲賳丿 亘丕 鬲乇噩賲賴 蹖 賲賴乇丌蹖蹖賳 丕禺賵鬲 賲賳鬲卮乇 讴乇丿賴.
January 7, 2019
袨写薪邪 懈蟹 褋邪屑褘褏 褔械谢芯胁械褔薪褘褏, 褌褉芯谐邪褌械谢褜薪褘褏 懈 胁芯芯写褍褕械胁谢褟褞褖懈褏 泻薪懈谐, 褔褌芯 屑薪械 锌芯锌邪写邪谢懈褋褜, 懈 褟 芯褔械薪褜 褉邪写, 褔褌芯 写谢褟 胁褌芯褉芯谐芯 懈蟹写邪薪懈褟 薪邪 褉褍褋褋泻芯屑 薪邪屑 褍写邪谢芯褋褜 褋写械谢邪褌褜 械械 械褖械 褔褍褌芯褔泻褍 谢褍褔褕械.
September 8, 2017
5* is too low a rating. I have love for this book. Listen to the audiobook as read by the author (trust me on this one). It's a veritable treasure chest of hidden gems in the form of story.
March 14, 2018
賯爻賲鬲賷 丕夭 賰鬲丕亘:
賴賳賵夭 鬲氐賵乇 賲賷 賰賳賲 賰賴 丕鬲賮丕賯丕鬲 丕賷賳 毓丕賱賲 亘賴 丿賱賷賱賷 乇禺 賲賷 丿賴賳丿.丕賲丕 诏丕賴賷 丕賷賳 丿賱賷賱 氐乇賮丕 倬爻 丕夭 乇禺 丿丕丿賳 丌賳 丕鬲賮丕賯 禺賵丿 乇丕 賳卮丕賳 賲賷 丿賴丿. 丿賱賷賱賷 賳賷爻鬲 賰賴 倬賷丿丕賷卮 賰賳賷賲貙 丿賱賷賱賷 丕爻鬲 賰賴 賱丕夭賲卮 丿丕乇賷賲 賵 丕夭 丿乇丿 賵 禺爻乇丕賳 賲丕 卮賰賱 賲賷诏賷乇丿 賵 亘丕 毓卮賯 賵 毓丕胤賮賴 亘賴 賴賲 倬賷賵賳丿 賲賷 禺賵乇丿. 賴乇趩賯丿乇 賴賲 丿乇 胤賱亘 丌賳 丿賱賷賱 亘丕卮賷賲貙 鬲賳賴丕 賵賯鬲賷 丌賳 乇丕 賲賷 賷丕亘賷賲 賰賴 丿賳亘丕賱卮 賳诏乇丿賷賲 賵 亘賴 诏匕卮鬲賴 賳诏丕賴 賰賳賷賲 鬲丕 亘亘賷賳賷賲 賰噩丕 亘賵丿賴 丕賷賲 賵 趩賴 賴丕 丌賲賵禺鬲賴 丕賷賲. 卮賰賱 诏賷乇賷 丿賱賷賱 丕夭 丕賲賵乇 夭賳丿诏賷 賮乇丕賷賳丿賷 胤丕賯鬲 賮乇爻丕爻鬲貙 丕賲丕 鬲賱丕卮 鬲賳賴丕 賰丕乇賷 丕爻鬲 賰賴 丕夭 丿爻鬲 賲丕 亘乇 賲賷 丌賷丿
賵 孬賲乇賴 賷 鬲賱丕卮賲丕賳 賯氐賴 賲賷 卮賵丿...
丕賷賳 賯氐賴 丨賯賷賯賷 丿乇 賵丕賯毓 賯氐賴 賷 夭賳丿诏賷 賲乇丿 賯氐賴 诏賵賷賷 丕爻鬲 賰賴 氐丿丕賷卮 乇丕 丕夭 丿爻鬲 賲賷 丿賴丿.
丕夭 丿爻鬲 丿丕丿賳 趩賷夭賷 賰賴 賲乇丿 賳賴 鬲賳賴丕 丿乇 夭賳丿诏賷 卮禺氐賷 亘賱賰賴 丿乇 卮睾賱卮 賴賲 亘丿丕賳 賵丕亘爻鬲賴 亘賵丿.
趩乇丕賷賷 丕鬲賮丕賯 賴丕賷賷 賰賴 亘乇丕賷賲丕賳 賲賷 丕賮鬲丿貙 丕賳鬲馗丕乇賴丕賷賷 賰賴 丕夭 夭賳丿诏賷 丿丕乇賷賲 賵 丨賵丕丿孬賷 賰賴 亘乇丕賷賲丕賳 乇禺 賲賷 丿賴丿.
丿乇 丕賷賳 賰鬲丕亘 賯氐賴 賴丕賷 賰賵鬲丕賴賷 丕夭 賲賱賱 賵 賮乇賴賳诏 賴丕賷 賲禺鬲賱賮 賵噩賵丿 丿丕乇丿 賰賴 禺賵丕賳丿賳卮 禺丕賱賷 丕锟斤拷 賱胤賮 賳賷爻鬲.
賴賳賵夭 鬲氐賵乇 賲賷 賰賳賲 賰賴 丕鬲賮丕賯丕鬲 丕賷賳 毓丕賱賲 亘賴 丿賱賷賱賷 乇禺 賲賷 丿賴賳丿.丕賲丕 诏丕賴賷 丕賷賳 丿賱賷賱 氐乇賮丕 倬爻 丕夭 乇禺 丿丕丿賳 丌賳 丕鬲賮丕賯 禺賵丿 乇丕 賳卮丕賳 賲賷 丿賴丿. 丿賱賷賱賷 賳賷爻鬲 賰賴 倬賷丿丕賷卮 賰賳賷賲貙 丿賱賷賱賷 丕爻鬲 賰賴 賱丕夭賲卮 丿丕乇賷賲 賵 丕夭 丿乇丿 賵 禺爻乇丕賳 賲丕 卮賰賱 賲賷诏賷乇丿 賵 亘丕 毓卮賯 賵 毓丕胤賮賴 亘賴 賴賲 倬賷賵賳丿 賲賷 禺賵乇丿. 賴乇趩賯丿乇 賴賲 丿乇 胤賱亘 丌賳 丿賱賷賱 亘丕卮賷賲貙 鬲賳賴丕 賵賯鬲賷 丌賳 乇丕 賲賷 賷丕亘賷賲 賰賴 丿賳亘丕賱卮 賳诏乇丿賷賲 賵 亘賴 诏匕卮鬲賴 賳诏丕賴 賰賳賷賲 鬲丕 亘亘賷賳賷賲 賰噩丕 亘賵丿賴 丕賷賲 賵 趩賴 賴丕 丌賲賵禺鬲賴 丕賷賲. 卮賰賱 诏賷乇賷 丿賱賷賱 丕夭 丕賲賵乇 夭賳丿诏賷 賮乇丕賷賳丿賷 胤丕賯鬲 賮乇爻丕爻鬲貙 丕賲丕 鬲賱丕卮 鬲賳賴丕 賰丕乇賷 丕爻鬲 賰賴 丕夭 丿爻鬲 賲丕 亘乇 賲賷 丌賷丿
賵 孬賲乇賴 賷 鬲賱丕卮賲丕賳 賯氐賴 賲賷 卮賵丿...
丕賷賳 賯氐賴 丨賯賷賯賷 丿乇 賵丕賯毓 賯氐賴 賷 夭賳丿诏賷 賲乇丿 賯氐賴 诏賵賷賷 丕爻鬲 賰賴 氐丿丕賷卮 乇丕 丕夭 丿爻鬲 賲賷 丿賴丿.
丕夭 丿爻鬲 丿丕丿賳 趩賷夭賷 賰賴 賲乇丿 賳賴 鬲賳賴丕 丿乇 夭賳丿诏賷 卮禺氐賷 亘賱賰賴 丿乇 卮睾賱卮 賴賲 亘丿丕賳 賵丕亘爻鬲賴 亘賵丿.
趩乇丕賷賷 丕鬲賮丕賯 賴丕賷賷 賰賴 亘乇丕賷賲丕賳 賲賷 丕賮鬲丿貙 丕賳鬲馗丕乇賴丕賷賷 賰賴 丕夭 夭賳丿诏賷 丿丕乇賷賲 賵 丨賵丕丿孬賷 賰賴 亘乇丕賷賲丕賳 乇禺 賲賷 丿賴丿.
丿乇 丕賷賳 賰鬲丕亘 賯氐賴 賴丕賷 賰賵鬲丕賴賷 丕夭 賲賱賱 賵 賮乇賴賳诏 賴丕賷 賲禺鬲賱賮 賵噩賵丿 丿丕乇丿 賰賴 禺賵丕賳丿賳卮 禺丕賱賷 丕锟斤拷 賱胤賮 賳賷爻鬲.
May 20, 2017
啸芯褉芯褕懈泄 芦褉芯屑邪薪 谢懈褔薪芯谐芯 芯锌褘褌邪禄 (褟 斜 薪械 褋褌邪谢 褌邪泻 褍卸 锌褉褟屑芯 芯锌褉械写械谢褟褌褜 械谐芯 泻邪泻 芦邪胁褌芯斜懈芯谐褉邪褎懈褔械褋泻懈泄禄) 鈥� 薪褍 懈 蟹邪芯写薪芯, 泻芯薪械褔薪芯, 锌褉芯锌芯胁械写褜 胁 谢械谐泻芯泄 褎芯褉屑械. 袞邪薪褉 芦锌芯写械谢懈褌褜褋褟 褑械薪薪褘屑 斜谢邪谐芯锌褉懈芯斜褉械褌械薪薪褘屑禄 胁锌芯谢薪械 锌褉芯写褍泻褌懈胁械薪, 懈 褑械薪薪芯褋褌褜 械谐芯 蟹邪胁懈褋懈褌 胁 锌械褉胁褍褞 芯褔械褉械写褜 芯褌 褌芯谐芯, 薪邪褋泻芯谢褜泻芯 蟹薪邪褔懈屑芯 锌褉懈芯斜褉械褌械薪薪芯械 蟹薪邪薪懈械 写谢褟 锌褉懈锌芯写薪褟褌懈褟 写褍褕懈 褔懈褌邪褌械谢褟 (胁 写懈邪锌邪蟹芯薪械 芯褌 袥褜懈褌械褉邪褋邪 写芯 袘邪褏邪) 懈 薪邪褋泻芯谢褜泻芯 卸懈胁芯 懈 褌邪谢邪薪褌谢懈胁芯 褝褌芯 懈蟹谢芯卸械薪芯, 锌芯褌芯屑褍 褔褌芯, 斜褍写械屑 褔械褋褌薪褘, 褔褌芯-褌芯 薪芯胁芯械 懈蟹芯斜褉械褋褌懈 薪邪 写芯褉芯谐械 褔械谢芯胁械褔械褋泻芯泄 褌褉邪薪褋褑械薪写械褑懈懈 薪邪褕懈屑 褋芯胁褉械屑械薪薪懈泻邪屑 写芯胁芯谢褜薪芯 褋谢芯卸薪芯. 校 袘械薪邪-袠蟹蟹懈 褝褌芯 械褖械 懈 屑械褋褌邪屑懈 褋屑械褕薪芯 鈥� 懈 芯褔械薪褜 锌芯-械胁褉械泄褋泻懈, 褋邪屑芯 褋芯斜芯泄.
October 1, 2010
This book turned out to be fascinating. Storyteller Joel ben Izzy tells his own story much of which is understanding that blessings can be curses and curses blessings. To say much more would be to spoil the story of how Joel learned what happiness is really all about. In between chapters he places different cultural stories designed to teach us something. I certainly learned something. I really hope I get to hear him in person because as a writer he was very entertaining. (
June 24, 2023
Dit boek! Maar echt, dit boek! Niet normaal. Luister, de buitenkant van de Nederlandse editie lijkt bijna een soort van zelfgemaakt knutselwerk. Maar laat je niet misleiden, want de inhoud van dit boek is werkelijk meesterlijk.
Joel Ben Izzy is professioneel verhalenverteller en trekt de wereld rond om al die verhalen te vertellen. Als het noodlot hem treft en hij zijn stem kwijtraakt, moet hij niet alleen leren omgaan met dit grote verlies, maar ook zijn leven compleet omgooien. In 鈥渉et geheim van geluk鈥� of de Engelse titel: 鈥淭he Beggar King and The Secret of Happiness鈥� vertelt hij zijn eigen wonderlijke verhaal omkleed met de verhalen die hij zo gewend was te vertellen.
Is dit boek daardoor langdradig, gekunsteld of saai? Alles behalve dat. Als je een verhalenverteller een pen geeft dan schrijft hij magie. Zijn schrijfstijl is levendig, fris en hij gebruikt een prettig ritme. Het is lang geleden dat mijn binnenkant steeds juichte tijdens het lezen. Zoals Margaret Atwood zo mooi zegt: 鈥淚n the end, we鈥檒l all become stories.鈥� En dit boek is het bewijs hiervan.
Wanneer maak je nou nog mee dat er een echte traan over je wang rolt tijdens het lezen? Bijna nooit toch. Blij dat iemand me dit boek aanraadde. Nu geef ik deze raad door. Lees dit boek. Word je blij van!
Joel Ben Izzy is professioneel verhalenverteller en trekt de wereld rond om al die verhalen te vertellen. Als het noodlot hem treft en hij zijn stem kwijtraakt, moet hij niet alleen leren omgaan met dit grote verlies, maar ook zijn leven compleet omgooien. In 鈥渉et geheim van geluk鈥� of de Engelse titel: 鈥淭he Beggar King and The Secret of Happiness鈥� vertelt hij zijn eigen wonderlijke verhaal omkleed met de verhalen die hij zo gewend was te vertellen.
Is dit boek daardoor langdradig, gekunsteld of saai? Alles behalve dat. Als je een verhalenverteller een pen geeft dan schrijft hij magie. Zijn schrijfstijl is levendig, fris en hij gebruikt een prettig ritme. Het is lang geleden dat mijn binnenkant steeds juichte tijdens het lezen. Zoals Margaret Atwood zo mooi zegt: 鈥淚n the end, we鈥檒l all become stories.鈥� En dit boek is het bewijs hiervan.
Wanneer maak je nou nog mee dat er een echte traan over je wang rolt tijdens het lezen? Bijna nooit toch. Blij dat iemand me dit boek aanraadde. Nu geef ik deze raad door. Lees dit boek. Word je blij van!
May 24, 2021
An easy to read memoir of a Storyteller who lost his voice mixed with fables at the beginning of each chapter. As much as I enjoyed the story intercalations, I didn鈥檛 the part with the memoirs: it is full of plain truisms, that you can pick up from motivational posts on Pinterest.
I鈥檝e heard that it is a good habit to ask yourself why do you want to read the book before and while reading it. The fact that I actually did not have purpose is a great sign that the book just doesn鈥檛 fit my needs at this time. So I believe it has a great potential of being a motivational source, for those who seek it. I nevertheless picked up a great quote, that makes me break into smile each time I remember it 鈥溞澬敌谎屝费� 胁褏懈褔薪褍褌褜 褔懈褏 芯斜褉邪褌薪芯鈥�. Funny, huh?
I鈥檝e heard that it is a good habit to ask yourself why do you want to read the book before and while reading it. The fact that I actually did not have purpose is a great sign that the book just doesn鈥檛 fit my needs at this time. So I believe it has a great potential of being a motivational source, for those who seek it. I nevertheless picked up a great quote, that makes me break into smile each time I remember it 鈥溞澬敌谎屝费� 胁褏懈褔薪褍褌褜 褔懈褏 芯斜褉邪褌薪芯鈥�. Funny, huh?
November 4, 2019
趩賯丿乇 禺賵賳丿賳 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 賱匕鬲 亘禺卮 亘賵丿.
讴鬲丕亘 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賯氐賴鈥屭堐屰屬� 讴賴 丕夭 亘丿 乇賵夭诏丕乇 賯丕亘賱蹖鬲 賯氐賴鈥屭堐屰屫� 乇賵 丕夭 丿爻鬲 賲蹖鈥屫�. 毓賲賱丕 丕亘鬲丿丕蹖 賴乇 賮氐賱 蹖讴 賯氐賴 賯丿蹖賲蹖 賴爻鬲 賵 亘毓丿 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 讴鬲丕亘. 禺賵賳丿賳 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 賱匕鬲 賵丕賯毓蹖 賯氐賴 卮賳蹖丿賳 乇賵 賴賲乇丕賴 丿丕乇賴 賵 丕賱亘鬲賴 賴賲乇丕賴蹖 亘丕 讴鬲丕亘 亘丕毓孬 賲蹖鈥屫促� 诏匕乇 賮讴乇蹖 賳爻亘鬲丕 毓賲蹖賯蹖 丿乇 賲賮丕賴蹖賲蹖 丕夭 噩賲賱賴 丕夭 丿爻鬲 丿丕丿賳貙 卮丕丿 亘賵丿賳貙 賲乇诏 賵 ... 丿丕卮鬲賴 亘丕卮蹖丿.
讴鬲丕亘蹖 讴賴 亘鬲賵賳賴 丕卮讴鬲 乇賵 丿乇亘蹖丕乇賴 賵賱蹖 丨丕賱鬲 乇賵 禺賵亘 讴賳賴 賯胤毓丕 讴鬲丕亘 禺賵亘蹖賴. 賲禺氐賵氐丕 讴賴 賳賴 蹖讴 亘丕乇.
讴鬲丕亘 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賯氐賴鈥屭堐屰屬� 讴賴 丕夭 亘丿 乇賵夭诏丕乇 賯丕亘賱蹖鬲 賯氐賴鈥屭堐屰屫� 乇賵 丕夭 丿爻鬲 賲蹖鈥屫�. 毓賲賱丕 丕亘鬲丿丕蹖 賴乇 賮氐賱 蹖讴 賯氐賴 賯丿蹖賲蹖 賴爻鬲 賵 亘毓丿 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 讴鬲丕亘. 禺賵賳丿賳 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 賱匕鬲 賵丕賯毓蹖 賯氐賴 卮賳蹖丿賳 乇賵 賴賲乇丕賴 丿丕乇賴 賵 丕賱亘鬲賴 賴賲乇丕賴蹖 亘丕 讴鬲丕亘 亘丕毓孬 賲蹖鈥屫促� 诏匕乇 賮讴乇蹖 賳爻亘鬲丕 毓賲蹖賯蹖 丿乇 賲賮丕賴蹖賲蹖 丕夭 噩賲賱賴 丕夭 丿爻鬲 丿丕丿賳貙 卮丕丿 亘賵丿賳貙 賲乇诏 賵 ... 丿丕卮鬲賴 亘丕卮蹖丿.
讴鬲丕亘蹖 讴賴 亘鬲賵賳賴 丕卮讴鬲 乇賵 丿乇亘蹖丕乇賴 賵賱蹖 丨丕賱鬲 乇賵 禺賵亘 讴賳賴 賯胤毓丕 讴鬲丕亘 禺賵亘蹖賴. 賲禺氐賵氐丕 讴賴 賳賴 蹖讴 亘丕乇.
February 1, 2013
This was a very quick book to read, and if you love storytelling you'll love it. Most chapters open with a fable or story from some part of the world that relates to the coming chapter. It's a memoir of sorts, telling the tale of a storyteller who lost his voice. What could be worse? (Well, lots of things actually, but it's pretty bad for him.)
He turns and returns to his storyteller mentor, who challenges him with hard-edged questions, pushing him in ways that seem too mysterious, and occasionally too cruel. But of course they're just the right questions, just the right push, and the storyteller finds his way.
For the man, the author, I was glad of the book's happy ending. But for me, the reader, I felt a little disappointed. For me, the book's power is in the way story helps us make sense of the things that happen. The way story helps us create meaning from the difficult things that happen to us, especially when they don't get tied up in a neat little package.
One of the fables -- perhaps the shortest of them all -- was a punch when I read it, and has stayed with me. Truth is a hideous, hideous monster, but when you leave it asks you to tell others that it's young and beautiful. I'm still not quite sure I understand it, but it's troubling in every way. Perhaps it's getting at the many glib ways we talk about truth ("it will set you free!"). Sure, it may, but it's also going to crush us and break our hearts first. And maybe we'll be free at the end. In AA they say 'the truth will set you free but it will piss you off first.' Maybe we forget the pain, the pissed-offness, and just tell the happy story of how great it became once you saw the light. I don't know, I'm still thinking about it.
But the story's power still affected me. Coincidentally, there was a truth I was trying so hard not to know, I didn't want to know what was plainly in front of me. The book arrived in my hands at the moment I'd just faced it, and I was wailing and broken, feeling like I could not bear it. So the timing for me was exquisite, because the book helped me think about truth, what it means, what hiding from it means, and about the role and power of story.
Nothing infuriates me more than someone telling me that everything happens for a reason. Oh, it may, it may indeed, but I think they mean something different. That some string-puller on high is manipulating the game and one of these days I'll see just how important it was that this thing happened to me. Instead, I think all kinds of things happen to us, and we are storytelling creatures who witness and experience, and then look around and create our own story, impose our own understanding and order on it. So the story comes out of us, not from the experiences themselves. Given any set of experiences, there are so many different stories that can be told, and yours won't be mine. Hell, my own story of an experience may change over time! In fact, it probably will.
The slim little library book came to me at just the right time, but I found enough in it of import to buy a hardback copy for my own shelves.
He turns and returns to his storyteller mentor, who challenges him with hard-edged questions, pushing him in ways that seem too mysterious, and occasionally too cruel. But of course they're just the right questions, just the right push, and the storyteller finds his way.
For the man, the author, I was glad of the book's happy ending. But for me, the reader, I felt a little disappointed. For me, the book's power is in the way story helps us make sense of the things that happen. The way story helps us create meaning from the difficult things that happen to us, especially when they don't get tied up in a neat little package.
One of the fables -- perhaps the shortest of them all -- was a punch when I read it, and has stayed with me. Truth is a hideous, hideous monster, but when you leave it asks you to tell others that it's young and beautiful. I'm still not quite sure I understand it, but it's troubling in every way. Perhaps it's getting at the many glib ways we talk about truth ("it will set you free!"). Sure, it may, but it's also going to crush us and break our hearts first. And maybe we'll be free at the end. In AA they say 'the truth will set you free but it will piss you off first.' Maybe we forget the pain, the pissed-offness, and just tell the happy story of how great it became once you saw the light. I don't know, I'm still thinking about it.
But the story's power still affected me. Coincidentally, there was a truth I was trying so hard not to know, I didn't want to know what was plainly in front of me. The book arrived in my hands at the moment I'd just faced it, and I was wailing and broken, feeling like I could not bear it. So the timing for me was exquisite, because the book helped me think about truth, what it means, what hiding from it means, and about the role and power of story.
Nothing infuriates me more than someone telling me that everything happens for a reason. Oh, it may, it may indeed, but I think they mean something different. That some string-puller on high is manipulating the game and one of these days I'll see just how important it was that this thing happened to me. Instead, I think all kinds of things happen to us, and we are storytelling creatures who witness and experience, and then look around and create our own story, impose our own understanding and order on it. So the story comes out of us, not from the experiences themselves. Given any set of experiences, there are so many different stories that can be told, and yours won't be mine. Hell, my own story of an experience may change over time! In fact, it probably will.
The slim little library book came to me at just the right time, but I found enough in it of import to buy a hardback copy for my own shelves.
October 5, 2020
Jika anda suka 鈥淭uesdays with Morrie鈥� oleh Mitch Albom dan sukakan kisah-kisah zen, yang pendek, penuh ibrah dan hikmah, anda mungkin akan menyukai buku ini (seperti saya).
Buku ini berdasarkan kisah benar tentang Joel, seorang pencerita (penglipur lara) yang merasakan beliau kehilangan segala-galanya selepas kehilangan suaranya akibat kanser tiroid (serta merta saya teringatkan pelawak Trevor Noah yang pernah juga mengalami pengalaman yang sama 鈥� kehilangan suara maksud saya, bukan kanser). Dalam saat kegelitaan beliau kerana tidak mampu bercerita (baca: bekerja) lagi beliau ditemukan semula dengan guru lamanya, Lenny dan bermulalah kisah-kisah pelajaran hidup Joel.
Dimulakan dengan riwayat Israiliyat tentang kisah Raja Sulaiman yang ditipu Iblis Ashmodai sehingga menjadi pengemis, Joel menceritakan tentang pengalamannya mengharungi cabaran kehidupan dan mencari rahsia kebahagiaan dengan berkongsi kisah-kisah pendek antaranya dari Jerusalem, China, Republik Czech, Poland, dan Iraq.
Buku ini yang digarap dengan baik dan diolah dengan hampir sempurna. Ceritera-ceritera ringkas yang dimuatkan dalam buku ini juga sangat menarik. Buku ini juga membuat saya rindu mahu membaca cerita rakyat dan hikayat seperti yang saya selalu lakukan dulu-dulu. Entah kenapa apabila dewasa cerita-cerita begitu saya ketepikan, seolah-olah layaknya dibaca oleh kanak-kanak sahaja.
4.5/5
October 28, 2011
I was in the Enterprise San Francisco office on October 14th and stopped into the conference room where several of our folks were talking with two guys I did not know. Rich Gross who leads our team in SF, introduced me to Joel Ben Izzy, saying he was one of his heroes and how his son, now in college, grew up on the Beggar King and other stories. Soon, we were telling tales and making connections--totally engaged. Since I was off to Santa Cruz the next week to see my wonderful granddaughters, Sadie and Josephine, Joel took out a CD and inscribed it for the girls. That night at the Enterprise gala which he and his associate attended (we have subsequently hired them to help us tell our stories in a more compelling way), we connected again and Joel gave me a copy of this book. In Santa Cruz the next weekend, Sadie and I listened to the CD twice (and would have listened more if we had time)--it was fun and engaging. On the plane back from SFO, I devoured this book. I loved it--so many familiar tales woven through a heartfelt true account of family, life/death/health--I cried and laughed and was transported. The flight zipped by. In mid-November, I have a meeting in NY with Joel--can't wait!
January 31, 2021
The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness is a memoir by Joel ben Izzy, a storyteller who lost his ability to speak due to cancer that affected his vocal cords. His memoir focused on his journey as he dealt with the changes in his life and found a degree of peace. It was written in a style that seemed heavily influenced by storytelling, and ben Izzy used stories he had learned as analogies for his own life. In some ways, I appreciated this style, as it made the book flow smoothly and feel more entertaining to read. However, I also wished it provided more details, and I worried that some of the facts might have been exaggerated to a point that they would not have been in a more traditionally told story. Some of the interactions between people in the book seemed slightly unrealistic as well, and I questioned their veracity. That being said, I thought it was interesting and written well overall. I still enjoyed the book as a well-told story, if not as a perfectly accurate memoir. I give it three out of five stars.
October 12, 2019
The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness by Joel ben Izzy
10 out of 10
This enchanting book has some chapters that may seem outright depressing, in spite of the serene, promising title, but this is exactly how we learn what the secret is, a struggle is necessary and probably we would not be able to appreciate happiness, if we were not to go through adversity, and trauma is an intricate part of the story of Joel ben Izzy, a professional storyteller, who has inserted his own experiences, the fight he has put in the face of a thyroid cancer diagnosis, losing his voice, crucial for his career, the death of his mother, the illness of the father who had a mantra: 鈥榩eople make plans and God laughs鈥�.
Some of the stories are familiar, but that does not make them any less relevant or compelling, such as the Master Zen tale 鈥� indeed, there are in fact a few master Zen stories included here 鈥� which this reader had heard in the wonderful Charlie Wilson鈥檚 War, as recounted by the late, regretted Philip Seymour Hoffman, a little different from the one we find in the Beggar King 鈥� the Master Zen has this gorgeous horse and when the villagers express their awe, he is reserved and keeps saying 鈥榳e shall see鈥�, no matter what the circumstances are, just as he does when the horse is gone and the neighbors express sorrow, then again joy, when the animal returns with another thirty, wild horses, but the Master keeps to his own detached 鈥榳e shall see鈥�, the same after his son falls from one of the wild animals he tries to tame鈥�
On a visit to a doctor, Joel ben Izzy, finds that he has a suspicious lump on his neck and unfortunately, it turns out to be a malign tumor 鈥� just the same, he would refer to When Harry Met Sally, one of the best ten comedies ever made, wherein Harry mentions 鈥榦ne of those twenty four hours tumors鈥� when talking to his spouse about it 鈥� which would result in an early ending, it seems, and until the hasty dispatch, the author loses his voice, which is in fact vital, for he earns a living as a professional story teller and in his condition, his career seems to be over.
Nonetheless, when he does attend a bar mitzvah, he meets with Lenny 鈥� at first, the undersigned thought he means the famous Lenny Bruce 鈥� the comedian who had been a teacher for ben Izzy and would offer again some valuable, essential advice, although for a while it looks like he is just annoying, asking his former student to drive him home, challenging and teasing him constantly, acting often as if he does not see or care that his interlocutor had lost his voice, but this is just part of the new lesson, an attempt to bring Joel to a superior understanding of life, the meaning of it all and his own story.
The book contains other extraordinary tales, apart from the aforementioned Master Zen, in one we have a would be student of the Talmud, refused in the first place by the rabbi, for he has not seen which of two burglars would wash his face, and in a more meaningful one for this reader, we have a king who has two twins, one is an optimist and the other a pessimist and for their birthday, his majesty buys an expensive watch 鈥� or some other shiny piece of jewelry 鈥� while for the other, he brings to his bedroom a big pile of鈥anure, near the bed.
When the king asks the pessimist about the gift, the son is rather lukewarm and wonders if the watch would be stolen, maybe he would lose it and there are of course other shortcomings, but the other son is jumping with joy and when the father asks about the reason for this radiance, the optimist says that he is overjoyed for鈥e has a horse!
This reminds us of the Shakespearian quote 鈥榯here is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so 鈥榓nd the other relevant for the circumstance bon mot, by John Milton 鈥� 鈥榯he mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven鈥欌€ositive psychology has studied the happiest people in the world and the results demonstrate that money, expensive cars or jewelry are not the secret鈥t is strong bonds with family and friends, mostly.
Some of the tales are cryptic and their meaning may be simple or complicated, as in the narrative with another Master Zen, who more or less invites an aspiring follower to eat, the wash his dish and that looks to be the whole story and in another, two monks come near a river, where a woman asks to be helped across, but after the younger one takes her to the other side and they travel for many hours, the older says he is very upset that his companion has touched the woman, to which the young one wisely replies鈥︹€檛o think I have been in touch with her for less than a minute and you kept her in your mind for so many hours!鈥�
Which reminds this reader of another short story, not from this book, about the Buddha who said that keeping anger 鈥� like that older and ultimately more superficial and less wise than his comrade 鈥� is just like taking coal from the fire, to throw at an enemy, when we meet him鈥ntil we have the chance to do harm to him, the coal would burn our hand.
As for the secret of happiness, we find it in Turkey, from the famous Nasrudin, who has answered to the question upon the subject:
- 鈥渢he secret of happiness is good judgment (listed by positive psychology as one of the signature strengths we might possess)
- How do we attain good judgment?
- From experience
- How do we attain experience?
- Bad judgment鈥�
10 out of 10
This enchanting book has some chapters that may seem outright depressing, in spite of the serene, promising title, but this is exactly how we learn what the secret is, a struggle is necessary and probably we would not be able to appreciate happiness, if we were not to go through adversity, and trauma is an intricate part of the story of Joel ben Izzy, a professional storyteller, who has inserted his own experiences, the fight he has put in the face of a thyroid cancer diagnosis, losing his voice, crucial for his career, the death of his mother, the illness of the father who had a mantra: 鈥榩eople make plans and God laughs鈥�.
Some of the stories are familiar, but that does not make them any less relevant or compelling, such as the Master Zen tale 鈥� indeed, there are in fact a few master Zen stories included here 鈥� which this reader had heard in the wonderful Charlie Wilson鈥檚 War, as recounted by the late, regretted Philip Seymour Hoffman, a little different from the one we find in the Beggar King 鈥� the Master Zen has this gorgeous horse and when the villagers express their awe, he is reserved and keeps saying 鈥榳e shall see鈥�, no matter what the circumstances are, just as he does when the horse is gone and the neighbors express sorrow, then again joy, when the animal returns with another thirty, wild horses, but the Master keeps to his own detached 鈥榳e shall see鈥�, the same after his son falls from one of the wild animals he tries to tame鈥�
On a visit to a doctor, Joel ben Izzy, finds that he has a suspicious lump on his neck and unfortunately, it turns out to be a malign tumor 鈥� just the same, he would refer to When Harry Met Sally, one of the best ten comedies ever made, wherein Harry mentions 鈥榦ne of those twenty four hours tumors鈥� when talking to his spouse about it 鈥� which would result in an early ending, it seems, and until the hasty dispatch, the author loses his voice, which is in fact vital, for he earns a living as a professional story teller and in his condition, his career seems to be over.
Nonetheless, when he does attend a bar mitzvah, he meets with Lenny 鈥� at first, the undersigned thought he means the famous Lenny Bruce 鈥� the comedian who had been a teacher for ben Izzy and would offer again some valuable, essential advice, although for a while it looks like he is just annoying, asking his former student to drive him home, challenging and teasing him constantly, acting often as if he does not see or care that his interlocutor had lost his voice, but this is just part of the new lesson, an attempt to bring Joel to a superior understanding of life, the meaning of it all and his own story.
The book contains other extraordinary tales, apart from the aforementioned Master Zen, in one we have a would be student of the Talmud, refused in the first place by the rabbi, for he has not seen which of two burglars would wash his face, and in a more meaningful one for this reader, we have a king who has two twins, one is an optimist and the other a pessimist and for their birthday, his majesty buys an expensive watch 鈥� or some other shiny piece of jewelry 鈥� while for the other, he brings to his bedroom a big pile of鈥anure, near the bed.
When the king asks the pessimist about the gift, the son is rather lukewarm and wonders if the watch would be stolen, maybe he would lose it and there are of course other shortcomings, but the other son is jumping with joy and when the father asks about the reason for this radiance, the optimist says that he is overjoyed for鈥e has a horse!
This reminds us of the Shakespearian quote 鈥榯here is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so 鈥榓nd the other relevant for the circumstance bon mot, by John Milton 鈥� 鈥榯he mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven鈥欌€ositive psychology has studied the happiest people in the world and the results demonstrate that money, expensive cars or jewelry are not the secret鈥t is strong bonds with family and friends, mostly.
Some of the tales are cryptic and their meaning may be simple or complicated, as in the narrative with another Master Zen, who more or less invites an aspiring follower to eat, the wash his dish and that looks to be the whole story and in another, two monks come near a river, where a woman asks to be helped across, but after the younger one takes her to the other side and they travel for many hours, the older says he is very upset that his companion has touched the woman, to which the young one wisely replies鈥︹€檛o think I have been in touch with her for less than a minute and you kept her in your mind for so many hours!鈥�
Which reminds this reader of another short story, not from this book, about the Buddha who said that keeping anger 鈥� like that older and ultimately more superficial and less wise than his comrade 鈥� is just like taking coal from the fire, to throw at an enemy, when we meet him鈥ntil we have the chance to do harm to him, the coal would burn our hand.
As for the secret of happiness, we find it in Turkey, from the famous Nasrudin, who has answered to the question upon the subject:
- 鈥渢he secret of happiness is good judgment (listed by positive psychology as one of the signature strengths we might possess)
- How do we attain good judgment?
- From experience
- How do we attain experience?
- Bad judgment鈥�
April 16, 2017
I really enjoyed this short, quick read. It caused me to ponder some of the questions Joel, the author had. What is real happiness? How do you know when you've found it? Can happiness (joy) be found even when facing life-changing circumstances? Do I have "heavy luggage" because I haven't shared things with family that really should be discussed? . . . . Our book group discussion was good and helpful. The format of the book, sharing a named story (parable) from another culture and following that with a chapter by the same name, was very effective. Joel's personal story is compelling. I loved how he wove stories throughout the book. I laughed, I cried, I thought. I recommend this book. Thanks Heather for choosing this one.
June 25, 2018
As I walked the house turning out lights and gathering thing that needed to be put somewhere else before I went to bed; I knew I wasn鈥檛 ready to go to sleep. So I stood at the bookshelf while my tea steeped and scanned spines. Something not too hard, nor too light. Something I hadn鈥檛 read. This last is easiest, as most the books in the house are my wife鈥檚, I stopped keeping books many moves ago.
The beggar king caught my eye; and in one sitting I鈥檝e finished it. It was the story I needed to read, I think.
It might be the story you need to read. Give yourself a little space, it does pull a few tears as it flows; but more laughter, sometimes bittersweet.
Thanks.
The beggar king caught my eye; and in one sitting I鈥檝e finished it. It was the story I needed to read, I think.
It might be the story you need to read. Give yourself a little space, it does pull a few tears as it flows; but more laughter, sometimes bittersweet.
Thanks.
July 11, 2024
3.5 stars
A sweetly told story through the stories of a story teller 鈥� an odyssey of returning home to find what you had not seen before. Perhaps the secret of happiness is that there is no secret - yet we keep searching because maybe the simple act of looking for it makes us happy.
Favorite Quotes:
* In this life, you have a choice. You can laugh along with God, or you can cry all alone.
* But something had shifted inside me; I had crossed the line from confusion to bewilderment. It鈥檚 a nice feeling, bewilderment 鈥� the same confusion on the inside, but wrapped in a sense of wonder.
* You are never more alive than when you鈥檙e standing next to death.
* (Description of his mother at the end of life) a woman with a gift for enjoying the meager portions she had been given, for finding the beauty and life where it seemed like there was none to be seen, even at the end of her life, where she had managed to face her own death with a valor I had never seen.
* Sorrow and joy are an inseparable couple, and a little laughter can tickle out the grief.
* Grief has a way of bringing out the sweetness in life .
* Who is rich? The one who can appreciate what he has.
A sweetly told story through the stories of a story teller 鈥� an odyssey of returning home to find what you had not seen before. Perhaps the secret of happiness is that there is no secret - yet we keep searching because maybe the simple act of looking for it makes us happy.
Favorite Quotes:
* In this life, you have a choice. You can laugh along with God, or you can cry all alone.
* But something had shifted inside me; I had crossed the line from confusion to bewilderment. It鈥檚 a nice feeling, bewilderment 鈥� the same confusion on the inside, but wrapped in a sense of wonder.
* You are never more alive than when you鈥檙e standing next to death.
* (Description of his mother at the end of life) a woman with a gift for enjoying the meager portions she had been given, for finding the beauty and life where it seemed like there was none to be seen, even at the end of her life, where she had managed to face her own death with a valor I had never seen.
* Sorrow and joy are an inseparable couple, and a little laughter can tickle out the grief.
* Grief has a way of bringing out the sweetness in life .
* Who is rich? The one who can appreciate what he has.
March 4, 2019
LOVED this book. I'm grateful for a dear friend who reviewed it here and pointed me in the direction of this treasure. My favorite take away - don't try to "escape" your own story as you are only in the middle! So many times in recent weeks I have faced challenging moments and that bit of wisdom has helped me to find a sense of peace, balance and clarity. I will definitely be ordering a hard copy of this one as I want to read the stories and mark the book. But listening to it was a treat as well. This is one I will return to again and again!
July 9, 2023
This is a great candidate for an audio book in a long car ride. The author weaves many stories from traditional Jewish and world cultures to teach us some of the most important life lessons. Mr. Izzy also is quite vulnerable about his own life in this book. This is a nice book to take a breather from your usual genre or routine. Highly recommended.
December 31, 2017
A very lovely little book with gems packed inside. A must read!
April 7, 2019
禺蹖賱蹖鈥屬囏� 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 乇賵 禺賵賳丿賳 賵 丿賵爻鬲 丿丕卮鬲賳 賵賱蹖 賳賴 卮蹖賵賴 乇賵丕蹖鬲 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴 賵 賳賴 噩賴丕賳鈥屫ㄛ屬嗃屫� 亘乇丕賲 噩丕賱亘 賳亘賵丿 亘乇丕蹖 賴賲蹖賳 賲賳 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 乇賵 丿賵爻鬲 賳丿丕卮鬲賲
October 31, 2019
Pretty good in the end. It was an interesting message鈥攖he only way to be happy is to let go of the belief that you will always have good things happen to you, and that you have to learn to find joy in the times that are hard. It reminded me a little too much of The Little Prince at times.
April 6, 2019
My original plan was to write down all the quotes and stories I love from this book. However, after filling too many pages, I decided this books is one really long amazing quote! A must read!
September 1, 2020
I wasn't looking for this book and the style of it forced me to relax and let it come to me... I enjoyed the process.
December 29, 2024
I received this one as an early Christmas gift and got caught up in it right away. I came close to giving this one the full five stars however he got a few things (from history) incorrect and that always causes a struggle for me. It also isn't fair to this book that it came into my life so soon after finishing Into the Magic Shop. This one pales in comparison to that book. That being said, I still loved this story, this man's experience, and the lessons he learned. It is one that I would recommend. Of course, this man's life experience was a good read, but I loved the stories and tales that he included from all over the world and from many different cultures. (You should read the book, I cannot add all the stories below!)
"True?" he snapped. "What do you mean by 'true'? You want to know if it happened, word for word, exactly as I told it? Makes no difference. You may as well ask me if it's a good story, because a good story is true, whether it happened or not. And a bad story - even if it happened - is a lie. The question," he added with a grin, "is not whether the story is true, but whether there is truth inside it, the kind with a capital T. And that is a mystery only time can solve. But I'll warn you, Joel - never be such a horse's ass to think that just because you can tell a story, you've found all its truth. There are stories in this world that need to rattle around inside your brain for twenty years before they reveal a final, hidden grain of truth." (Lenny had collected many such grains over the years and they stuck to him, like grit to sandpaper, which may account for his personality. Yet his warning comes to mind whenever I use the word 'truth'.)
"What seems like a blessing may be a curse. What seems like a curse may be a blessing."
"Someone like you wastes time looking for answers, when you should be looking for questions."
"Here's what I know: Life is a tough teacher. First she gives the test. Then she gives the lesson."
"I'd had no great epiphany. But something had shifted inside me; I had crossed the line from confusion to bewilderment. It's a nice feeling, bewilderment - the same confusion on the inside, but wrapped in a sense of wonder."
"A student visits a great Zen master, seeking enlightenment. The student knows he must let the master speak first, according to tradition, but the master does not speak. They sit in silence for a long time. Eventually, the master offers him a bowl of rice, and they eat in silence. Finally, the master speaks.
'Have you finished eating?" he asks.
"Yes," says the student.
"Now wash your bowl."
That's the story. I'd always found the story unsatisfying, but now, as I scoured the drip pans from the stove, it made perfect sense. Sometimes there's nothing else to do but wash the dishes. Simple as that. We look for bells and whistles, flash and fanfare, but when you get right down to the truth, sometimes it's very simple. Years earlier I'd traveled through Alaska, telling stories, and was amazed when I visited a glacier. I'd never known what glaciers really were - vast, frozen rivers that scrape bare everything in their path, right down to the hardest stone. That's what the truth is, the stone beneath the ice. There was something more in the Zen story: a sense of completion. He's finished, now he must wash his bowl. That's what I needed - completion. Closure. To be finished."
"Nothing weighs more than a lie."
"How can you learn when your head is already full?"
"What I've learned is that the answers come when they're ready. The harder the question, the simpler the answer. For your question, it probably comes down to a single word."
"There was once a Swiss guard who worked at the border of Austria. He had worked there for many years and took a great deal of pride in his work. One morning an Austrian man arrived at the border, riding a bicycle. On the front of the bike was a basket filled with sand. Another guard might have simply waved him through but the Swiss guard did not. Instead, he brought out a special comb he kept for just such a purpose and began to sift through the sand in the basket. You see, he suspected the Austrian might be a smuggler. Finding nothing but sand, however, he waved the man through. The same thing happened the next day and the day after that. Though he never found anything, he kept on looking, day after day, for thirty years. Finally, one day, the Swiss guard spoke to the Austrian man. 'I must ask you a question,' he said, 'that has been on my mind for many years. This is my last day of work. Today I shall retire. All these years, I suspect you have been a smuggler. Now I ask you, for I must know - are you indeed a smuggler?' The Austrian man hesitated, and the Swiss guard reassured him. 'Do not worry - I have you my word of honor that I will not prosecute you. But I must know.'
'Very well,' said the Austrian. 'Then I will tell you - I am indeed a smuggler.'
'Ah-ha!' said the guard. 'I knew it! But each day I look through your basket and find nothing but sand. Tell me, please, what have you been smuggling?'
'Bicycles.'"
"It's the hardest thing to do. See what's right in front of your face."
"Letting go," he said softly. "That's what life is all about. We're born with fists clenched, holding tight. Yet we die with our hands open." He reached out his right hand, palm up. "We have to get good at dying, so we do it a little each day."
"Everyone asks - Why? Why has this happened to me? Everyone wonders. So maybe we should be asking 'Why us?' instead. And the answer is, that's life. It's filled with misery and suffering and loss after loss until, in the end, you lose everything."
"Are you trying to cheer me up?"
"Why would I do that? I've done everything I can to chase away the unicorns and dry up the rainbows, so you can face your demons and see life for what it is: the sum total of all we've lost, divided by what we learn from it. And you'll go on suffering until you've learned your lesson. The future has slipped through your fingers, the past is gone, and you're left with nothing but this very moment, right here, right now."
"Job is a great story and it has a great moral; simply put - 'there are things in this life we just don't understand.' Islam teaches the same lesson. In the Koran, God takes Moses to the Red Sea, where he sees a little sparrow dive down for a mouthful of water. 'You see how much water is in the sea?' asks God. 'That is how much knowledge there is. And the water the sparrow drinks? That is how much humans know.'"
"You're never more alive than when you're standing next to death."
"Tell me something," he said again. His voice sounded far away. "When does the night end?" There was a long pause, during which time he seemed to be chewing something. "That is the question asked of the rabbi by his disciples." His voice sounded mournful, almost pleading. He turned to stare at me, but his eyes did not seem to focus.
'Does it end when you can see the morning star?' asked one.
'No," said the rabbi. 'That is not the time.'
'Is it when you can see all the lines on the palms of your hand?' asked another.
'No, that is still not the time.' said the rabbi.
'Then when?' asked the disciples.
'When you can look at your neighbor's face and see that it is your own. Then, at last, the long night is over.'"
"God is sending you a message...something so obvious you can't even see it...It comes down to a single word." Listen.
"I was thinking of Blanche," she explained, "and a concert she took me to last year for my birthday. Actually, I took her - well, I drove." One of my mother's closest friends, Blanche is almost completely blind. "I was at Ambassador Auditorium - they played Beethoven's Sixth Symphony. Pastoral." Her eyes had a dreamy look.
This puzzled me. "Could you hear?"
She shook her head. "A little. It all sounded far away. But there are other ways to listen to a concert. I could see it in the way the conductor moved his baton, and the way the instruments followed. I watched Blance, and I could feel the music coming through her. And when I closed my eyes and I felt it in the arms of my seat. The music was so rich - like whipped cream."
After a time she said, "Isn't it still funny, what God takes away from us? And what we get in exchange? When I was young and had my hearing, I always liked music. Hearing your father play the violin, records, dancing. But I've never enjoyed music like I did at that concert."
"True?" he snapped. "What do you mean by 'true'? You want to know if it happened, word for word, exactly as I told it? Makes no difference. You may as well ask me if it's a good story, because a good story is true, whether it happened or not. And a bad story - even if it happened - is a lie. The question," he added with a grin, "is not whether the story is true, but whether there is truth inside it, the kind with a capital T. And that is a mystery only time can solve. But I'll warn you, Joel - never be such a horse's ass to think that just because you can tell a story, you've found all its truth. There are stories in this world that need to rattle around inside your brain for twenty years before they reveal a final, hidden grain of truth." (Lenny had collected many such grains over the years and they stuck to him, like grit to sandpaper, which may account for his personality. Yet his warning comes to mind whenever I use the word 'truth'.)
"What seems like a blessing may be a curse. What seems like a curse may be a blessing."
"Someone like you wastes time looking for answers, when you should be looking for questions."
"Here's what I know: Life is a tough teacher. First she gives the test. Then she gives the lesson."
"I'd had no great epiphany. But something had shifted inside me; I had crossed the line from confusion to bewilderment. It's a nice feeling, bewilderment - the same confusion on the inside, but wrapped in a sense of wonder."
"A student visits a great Zen master, seeking enlightenment. The student knows he must let the master speak first, according to tradition, but the master does not speak. They sit in silence for a long time. Eventually, the master offers him a bowl of rice, and they eat in silence. Finally, the master speaks.
'Have you finished eating?" he asks.
"Yes," says the student.
"Now wash your bowl."
That's the story. I'd always found the story unsatisfying, but now, as I scoured the drip pans from the stove, it made perfect sense. Sometimes there's nothing else to do but wash the dishes. Simple as that. We look for bells and whistles, flash and fanfare, but when you get right down to the truth, sometimes it's very simple. Years earlier I'd traveled through Alaska, telling stories, and was amazed when I visited a glacier. I'd never known what glaciers really were - vast, frozen rivers that scrape bare everything in their path, right down to the hardest stone. That's what the truth is, the stone beneath the ice. There was something more in the Zen story: a sense of completion. He's finished, now he must wash his bowl. That's what I needed - completion. Closure. To be finished."
"Nothing weighs more than a lie."
"How can you learn when your head is already full?"
"What I've learned is that the answers come when they're ready. The harder the question, the simpler the answer. For your question, it probably comes down to a single word."
"There was once a Swiss guard who worked at the border of Austria. He had worked there for many years and took a great deal of pride in his work. One morning an Austrian man arrived at the border, riding a bicycle. On the front of the bike was a basket filled with sand. Another guard might have simply waved him through but the Swiss guard did not. Instead, he brought out a special comb he kept for just such a purpose and began to sift through the sand in the basket. You see, he suspected the Austrian might be a smuggler. Finding nothing but sand, however, he waved the man through. The same thing happened the next day and the day after that. Though he never found anything, he kept on looking, day after day, for thirty years. Finally, one day, the Swiss guard spoke to the Austrian man. 'I must ask you a question,' he said, 'that has been on my mind for many years. This is my last day of work. Today I shall retire. All these years, I suspect you have been a smuggler. Now I ask you, for I must know - are you indeed a smuggler?' The Austrian man hesitated, and the Swiss guard reassured him. 'Do not worry - I have you my word of honor that I will not prosecute you. But I must know.'
'Very well,' said the Austrian. 'Then I will tell you - I am indeed a smuggler.'
'Ah-ha!' said the guard. 'I knew it! But each day I look through your basket and find nothing but sand. Tell me, please, what have you been smuggling?'
'Bicycles.'"
"It's the hardest thing to do. See what's right in front of your face."
"Letting go," he said softly. "That's what life is all about. We're born with fists clenched, holding tight. Yet we die with our hands open." He reached out his right hand, palm up. "We have to get good at dying, so we do it a little each day."
"Everyone asks - Why? Why has this happened to me? Everyone wonders. So maybe we should be asking 'Why us?' instead. And the answer is, that's life. It's filled with misery and suffering and loss after loss until, in the end, you lose everything."
"Are you trying to cheer me up?"
"Why would I do that? I've done everything I can to chase away the unicorns and dry up the rainbows, so you can face your demons and see life for what it is: the sum total of all we've lost, divided by what we learn from it. And you'll go on suffering until you've learned your lesson. The future has slipped through your fingers, the past is gone, and you're left with nothing but this very moment, right here, right now."
"Job is a great story and it has a great moral; simply put - 'there are things in this life we just don't understand.' Islam teaches the same lesson. In the Koran, God takes Moses to the Red Sea, where he sees a little sparrow dive down for a mouthful of water. 'You see how much water is in the sea?' asks God. 'That is how much knowledge there is. And the water the sparrow drinks? That is how much humans know.'"
"You're never more alive than when you're standing next to death."
"Tell me something," he said again. His voice sounded far away. "When does the night end?" There was a long pause, during which time he seemed to be chewing something. "That is the question asked of the rabbi by his disciples." His voice sounded mournful, almost pleading. He turned to stare at me, but his eyes did not seem to focus.
'Does it end when you can see the morning star?' asked one.
'No," said the rabbi. 'That is not the time.'
'Is it when you can see all the lines on the palms of your hand?' asked another.
'No, that is still not the time.' said the rabbi.
'Then when?' asked the disciples.
'When you can look at your neighbor's face and see that it is your own. Then, at last, the long night is over.'"
"God is sending you a message...something so obvious you can't even see it...It comes down to a single word." Listen.
"I was thinking of Blanche," she explained, "and a concert she took me to last year for my birthday. Actually, I took her - well, I drove." One of my mother's closest friends, Blanche is almost completely blind. "I was at Ambassador Auditorium - they played Beethoven's Sixth Symphony. Pastoral." Her eyes had a dreamy look.
This puzzled me. "Could you hear?"
She shook her head. "A little. It all sounded far away. But there are other ways to listen to a concert. I could see it in the way the conductor moved his baton, and the way the instruments followed. I watched Blance, and I could feel the music coming through her. And when I closed my eyes and I felt it in the arms of my seat. The music was so rich - like whipped cream."
After a time she said, "Isn't it still funny, what God takes away from us? And what we get in exchange? When I was young and had my hearing, I always liked music. Hearing your father play the violin, records, dancing. But I've never enjoyed music like I did at that concert."
December 31, 2020
Drop dead WONDERFUL!!!
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