Review by Lucille27 -- Beneath the Muscle by Lauren Powers
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Lucille27
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Review by Lucille27 -- Beneath the Muscle by Lauren Powers
[Following is a volunteer review of "Beneath the Muscle" by Lauren Powers.]
Beneath the Muscle, by Lauren Powers, presents the story of one of the most important contemporary female bodybuilders from the US. It is a memoir book that also speaks about leadership and advice on overcoming difficulties in life. Lauren Powers presents her success story, claiming that she intends to inspire others, which she does. Throughout the book, she will present the secrets of her mindset, a key element for her success, through telling her personal story.
What I like the most about this book is that it is a refreshing perspective on leadership books. Most of these books present the life story of a single person as the hero of the narrative. It seems like he (or she, but usually it is he) has overcome all the obstacles through mere decision and will. In real life, there are many more complex obstacles preventing us from achieving our goals. Lauren Powers does not diminish these facts, she acknowledges them instead.
A key thing I like about the book is that she recognizes the influence of other people and her community in helping her achieve her goals. Yes, she is a stubborn and strong-willed person, but she also has a supportive community and family. These factors help her achieve success and live her life to her fullest. How is this different from other books? She is focused on the narrative of her story, not on money. Many leadership books claim to be interesting in showing you how to achieve a better lifestyle unrelated to money, but they all speak about business and money. Lauren Powers talks about her passion, herself, and well-being.
What I dislike about this book is the lack of a more concrete aim. I enjoyed the storytelling time, yet I felt it lacked a sense of direction. The whole book looks just like an excuse for Lauren to share her story. While, in the end, Lauren Powers writes that her goal is to be a role model and inspire others through her experience, I feel it should develop further into this through the book. The book also seems a bit superficial to me. She shares her experience, which is something precious, yet she mentions that she wants to give advice on how to overcome difficulties, but she only does this through her own experience. Lauren Powers does not contemplate other scenarios or a technique to achieve it. She just mentions that if she could, then you can. In this sense, I believe life is more complicated than that.
The book was professionally edited since I only found a couple of mistakes that can be considered more a matter of style. The book does not attempt against anyone’s religious beliefs. On the contrary, I think she is very respectful and encourages everyone to find their inner peace and beliefs. This book contains minor descriptions of Powers’ past, which might include borderline profanity and/or mentions of sexual behavior. However, she mentions nothing explicitly and just uses her background story as a pivotal moment for her recovery. She mentions the use of drugs and alcohol, but never anything more explicit.
I would rate this book 3 out of 4 stars because it was a fast and enjoyable reading, yet it lacked a concrete direction. Powers mentions that in a male-dominated world, women have to double the effort and get half the recognition. I believe this to be true, so I must recognize Powers’ double effort in this book. She includes a link to a workbook. Also, she presents a fresh angle to a leadership book. I must admit this was very refreshing. I would recommend this book for young people who are lacking a sense of direction in life, and for older people who think their time for achieving something great has already passed by.
******
Beneath the Muscle
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Beneath the Muscle, by Lauren Powers, presents the story of one of the most important contemporary female bodybuilders from the US. It is a memoir book that also speaks about leadership and advice on overcoming difficulties in life. Lauren Powers presents her success story, claiming that she intends to inspire others, which she does. Throughout the book, she will present the secrets of her mindset, a key element for her success, through telling her personal story.
What I like the most about this book is that it is a refreshing perspective on leadership books. Most of these books present the life story of a single person as the hero of the narrative. It seems like he (or she, but usually it is he) has overcome all the obstacles through mere decision and will. In real life, there are many more complex obstacles preventing us from achieving our goals. Lauren Powers does not diminish these facts, she acknowledges them instead.
A key thing I like about the book is that she recognizes the influence of other people and her community in helping her achieve her goals. Yes, she is a stubborn and strong-willed person, but she also has a supportive community and family. These factors help her achieve success and live her life to her fullest. How is this different from other books? She is focused on the narrative of her story, not on money. Many leadership books claim to be interesting in showing you how to achieve a better lifestyle unrelated to money, but they all speak about business and money. Lauren Powers talks about her passion, herself, and well-being.
What I dislike about this book is the lack of a more concrete aim. I enjoyed the storytelling time, yet I felt it lacked a sense of direction. The whole book looks just like an excuse for Lauren to share her story. While, in the end, Lauren Powers writes that her goal is to be a role model and inspire others through her experience, I feel it should develop further into this through the book. The book also seems a bit superficial to me. She shares her experience, which is something precious, yet she mentions that she wants to give advice on how to overcome difficulties, but she only does this through her own experience. Lauren Powers does not contemplate other scenarios or a technique to achieve it. She just mentions that if she could, then you can. In this sense, I believe life is more complicated than that.
The book was professionally edited since I only found a couple of mistakes that can be considered more a matter of style. The book does not attempt against anyone’s religious beliefs. On the contrary, I think she is very respectful and encourages everyone to find their inner peace and beliefs. This book contains minor descriptions of Powers’ past, which might include borderline profanity and/or mentions of sexual behavior. However, she mentions nothing explicitly and just uses her background story as a pivotal moment for her recovery. She mentions the use of drugs and alcohol, but never anything more explicit.
I would rate this book 3 out of 4 stars because it was a fast and enjoyable reading, yet it lacked a concrete direction. Powers mentions that in a male-dominated world, women have to double the effort and get half the recognition. I believe this to be true, so I must recognize Powers’ double effort in this book. She includes a link to a workbook. Also, she presents a fresh angle to a leadership book. I must admit this was very refreshing. I would recommend this book for young people who are lacking a sense of direction in life, and for older people who think their time for achieving something great has already passed by.
******
Beneath the Muscle
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Zonas de quema by Jorge P. Newbery
