Official Review: The BooK by Just Willam

[mmm17]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The BooK" by Just Willam.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Where do we come from, and what is the point of our existence? What is the nature of the soul? Who or what is God? Most human beings have asked themselves one or more of these fundamental questions. Throughout The Book, a non-fiction title written by Just William, readers get to follow the author’s pursuit of answers to these ancient philosophical and religious issues.

There are several aspects that I liked about this book. For starters, I liked the author’s narration of his lively life story. Born in the UK in 1938, he left school at the age of 14 to work in a coal mine. At the age of 20, he joined the Navy and traveled the world. He also had a near-death experience at the age of twenty-five when his motorcycle collided with an oncoming car. When he moved towards a peaceful tunnel of white light, he sensed something telling him to go back, for he still had work to do.

Philosophical and religious analyses like the ones the author proposes in this title tend to appeal to me, and this one did deliver! I mostly enjoyed the author’s peaceful message. I liked how he explores the notion that enlightenment is the underlying message of all religions and ancient philosophies. The author proposes a “unified belief system,” one that results in a world of harmony, enjoyment, and well-being. This aspect was what I liked the most.

The author comes across as a sensible, intuitive, and well-meaning person. Although religion is the background, his tone is never preachy or proselytizing. Moreover, the book does a noteworthy harmonization of religions and showing that they have the same fundamental roots. I particularly appreciated how the author respectfully and thoroughly examines Christian and Islamic teachings; he quotes several parts of the Quran and the Bible, and these passages get tenderly narrated.

On the other hand, I thought that the book was unnecessarily lengthy. I felt that some of its parts were repetitive, and several of them could be condensed or trimmed. For this reason, I’m deducting a star from the rating.

Therefore, I rate The Book 3 out of 4 stars. All in all, it is an enthusiastic and thoughtful work that skilfully mixes philosophy and religion, as well as elements of memoir. I enjoyed reading it, and I believe that readers who are fond of philosophical titles regarding religious themes should take a look at it. I would hesitate to recommend it to those who have an orthodox view of religion, though.

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The BooK
View: on Bookshelves

[sirbobthewise]

The author sounds like he has quite the story, and I would definitely be curious to read more about his life and how he arrived at his proposed thesis. I appreciate that, as you mentioned, he takes a “tender” approach to both the Bible and the Quran as religious texts. I’ve read some books that easily fling around verses from all kinds of religions without any reverence for the text or sensitivity toward those who practice, and that can be frustrating. I’ve been into philosophy more these days, so color me intrigued!

[Nisha Ward]

The sensitivity to religious beliefs is a plus, but given that this is a philosophical look at the author's life and beliefs, the length is definitely a deterrent.

[Priyanka2304]

The review was amazing. But I usually prefer to refrain from books with religious content as that can be a sensitive topic to discuss.

[Nwaogazie Goodness]

Because this book mixes philosophy and religion, it must be a great one for me.