Review by Judith Lloy -- Burn Zones by Jorge P. Newbery
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Judith Lloy
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Review by Judith Lloy -- Burn Zones by Jorge P. Newbery
[Following is a volunteer review of "Burn Zones" by Jorge P. Newbery.]
Each of us experience moments in which we are pushed to our threshold, be it physically, mentally, emotionally, or even spiritually. These make-or-break moments are what entrepreneur, investor, and now author Jorge P. Newbery call “burn zones” in his non-fiction personal account Burn Zones: Playing Life’s Bad Hands. Borrowed from his years of competitive bicycle racing, Newbery gives this phrase an expanded, and poignant meaning that cuts right to what makes us the winners or losers in our own lives.
Filled with unrelenting determination, ingenuity, and genuine respect for fellow humans, Jorge Newbery has a knack for business. Starting with his first paperboy job at age seven all the way up to real estate magnate by his early thirties success became a way of life. When an unexpected ice storm devastated his largest property and set in motion a financial collapse, everything Jorge believed was put to the test. Plotted against, slandered, and betrayed by powerful adversaries, Newbery was helpless as the empire he had built evaporated right before his eyes. Left with crippling debt totaling into the tens of millions of dollars, Newbery had entered the worst burn zone of his life. Though in complete shock, and certainly trigger shy, he had never been a man of inaction. Relying on his core beliefs, as well as loyal companions, Newbery set out to prove that one could still “live well by doing good.”
I was impressed by the level of skill with which this book was written. I admire Newbery’s relationship with his parents. His love and appreciation for their support and core values shine through. Another quality that stood out is his ability to recognize and look for the good in others. Having been on the receiving end of discrimination, he demonstrates the superior qualities of kindness, respect, and empathy that too many today view as weakness. For Newbery, these proved to be strengths, and he was able to dignify many others by allowing these to be his guiding principles. The emotional impact of his story even brought me to tears in one chapter.
This title made me think of my business-minded eighteen-year-old and his ever-growing shelf of business books. Burn Zones is a great book for anyone looking for inspiration in business, but personally, I think young people can gather much wisdom from this book. Parents also can learn how to inspire their kids to develop skills and life principles that can build a strong foundation, not only for business ventures but for any endeavor they choose to undertake. Newbery’s candid accounting of his tendency to undertake risky ventures without much of a safety net helps to provide gravity to his message and will likely prove a valuable guidepost to others. Due to a few instances of profanity and racial slurs (occurring almost exclusively in quotes or historical context but present nonetheless) I would not recommend this title to those for whom this is a deal-breaker or for young teens.
Aside from that, I have only four criticisms:
One, I did not feel like much of the content of pp. 44-48 moved the story along. Quite the opposite, I found the story dragging and myself impatient to move on. The story is plenty complete without this section to me.
Two, there are some terms that as a child of the ‘80s I barely remembered what they meant, such as LP and EP in reference to the record business. Since I think this book could be of great use to the high school and college ages, quick explanations of references like these would be helpful.
Three, I felt I was left hanging when he did not explain how he moved on from his earlier businesses. It left me feeling a need for closure before the next stage of the story.
Lastly, number four. On p. 191, Newbery makes the statement, “Now I know what Post Traumatic Stress Disorder must feel like.” There is no reference to an actual diagnosis though. Many who live with this disorder daily report a genuine frustration when others claim to “know” how it feels. I do not argue that the author indeed experienced a crippling amount of distress, perhaps even meeting the medical criteria for PTSD. In the absence of a diagnosis, however, using the phrase ‘I can begin to imagine’ would be far more respectful and appropriate.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and was thoroughly engaged in the author’s journey. For the above-stated reasons, I rate this book a 3 out of 4. Due to the quality of the writing and the exceptional editing (I could only find 2 errors in the entire book), if I were allowed to give half points, this would without question get a three-and-a-half rating.
******
Burn Zones
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Each of us experience moments in which we are pushed to our threshold, be it physically, mentally, emotionally, or even spiritually. These make-or-break moments are what entrepreneur, investor, and now author Jorge P. Newbery call “burn zones” in his non-fiction personal account Burn Zones: Playing Life’s Bad Hands. Borrowed from his years of competitive bicycle racing, Newbery gives this phrase an expanded, and poignant meaning that cuts right to what makes us the winners or losers in our own lives.
Filled with unrelenting determination, ingenuity, and genuine respect for fellow humans, Jorge Newbery has a knack for business. Starting with his first paperboy job at age seven all the way up to real estate magnate by his early thirties success became a way of life. When an unexpected ice storm devastated his largest property and set in motion a financial collapse, everything Jorge believed was put to the test. Plotted against, slandered, and betrayed by powerful adversaries, Newbery was helpless as the empire he had built evaporated right before his eyes. Left with crippling debt totaling into the tens of millions of dollars, Newbery had entered the worst burn zone of his life. Though in complete shock, and certainly trigger shy, he had never been a man of inaction. Relying on his core beliefs, as well as loyal companions, Newbery set out to prove that one could still “live well by doing good.”
I was impressed by the level of skill with which this book was written. I admire Newbery’s relationship with his parents. His love and appreciation for their support and core values shine through. Another quality that stood out is his ability to recognize and look for the good in others. Having been on the receiving end of discrimination, he demonstrates the superior qualities of kindness, respect, and empathy that too many today view as weakness. For Newbery, these proved to be strengths, and he was able to dignify many others by allowing these to be his guiding principles. The emotional impact of his story even brought me to tears in one chapter.
This title made me think of my business-minded eighteen-year-old and his ever-growing shelf of business books. Burn Zones is a great book for anyone looking for inspiration in business, but personally, I think young people can gather much wisdom from this book. Parents also can learn how to inspire their kids to develop skills and life principles that can build a strong foundation, not only for business ventures but for any endeavor they choose to undertake. Newbery’s candid accounting of his tendency to undertake risky ventures without much of a safety net helps to provide gravity to his message and will likely prove a valuable guidepost to others. Due to a few instances of profanity and racial slurs (occurring almost exclusively in quotes or historical context but present nonetheless) I would not recommend this title to those for whom this is a deal-breaker or for young teens.
Aside from that, I have only four criticisms:
One, I did not feel like much of the content of pp. 44-48 moved the story along. Quite the opposite, I found the story dragging and myself impatient to move on. The story is plenty complete without this section to me.
Two, there are some terms that as a child of the ‘80s I barely remembered what they meant, such as LP and EP in reference to the record business. Since I think this book could be of great use to the high school and college ages, quick explanations of references like these would be helpful.
Three, I felt I was left hanging when he did not explain how he moved on from his earlier businesses. It left me feeling a need for closure before the next stage of the story.
Lastly, number four. On p. 191, Newbery makes the statement, “Now I know what Post Traumatic Stress Disorder must feel like.” There is no reference to an actual diagnosis though. Many who live with this disorder daily report a genuine frustration when others claim to “know” how it feels. I do not argue that the author indeed experienced a crippling amount of distress, perhaps even meeting the medical criteria for PTSD. In the absence of a diagnosis, however, using the phrase ‘I can begin to imagine’ would be far more respectful and appropriate.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and was thoroughly engaged in the author’s journey. For the above-stated reasons, I rate this book a 3 out of 4. Due to the quality of the writing and the exceptional editing (I could only find 2 errors in the entire book), if I were allowed to give half points, this would without question get a three-and-a-half rating.
******
Burn Zones
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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