Review of Insomnia

[Youngreader720-OluwabukunmiWilliamsOso]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Insomnia" by Jack Hawn.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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From his memories from 1948, when he would meet the prettiest, long-legged, dark-haired girl he had ever seen, to finding love again in his older years, Jack Hawn would take us through different experiences throughout his life in his book, Insomnia. His dreams, achievements, lessons, time growing up with his family, and time working as a sports writer were also explored, centered around two marriages that were seventy years apart. Thoughts about these events whirl around the author's mind and find themselves on the pages of this book as they come. Pick up a copy of this book to experience a full life.

Jack Hawn's life is certainly one that is filled with a lot of love, friendship, spontaneity, and fun, which I enjoyed while joining him on this journey. I encountered several high points while reading; however, in the same vein, there were aspects of the book that I was not too pleased with. The author shows a lot of his skill as a sports writer through his ability to narrate events in a descriptive way that transports you to the moments he talked about, whether it was his encounter with figures like Muhammad Ali or even his first sexual encounter as a confused fifteen-year-old. This was what I liked most about the book.

Also, one key trait that stood out was Jack Hawn's humor, which was evident in almost every situation, whether good or bad. From referring to his second wife, Mary Beth, as his friend when he was about to publicly propose and forgetting her on her birthday to posting a picture of him with a black eye and captioning it, "the drywall won in a near knockout," and his funny suspicions of his first wife and her ex smooching on his wedding day, there was hardly ever a dull moment in the author's trips down memory lane.

Nonetheless, similar to how the author's thoughts "popped in and out of his head," he consistently popped in and out of different stories with little organization. The inclusion of the year and time at the beginning of most chapters helped, but it was a bit difficult to follow the progression of his story. Narrating things chronologically would have helped in this regard. Another criticism of the book is that I struggled to find the significance of some of the stories the author told. I left the book with a feeling of wanting to know more about certain situations as well, from his time in the army to details about his first divorce. It felt like the author was holding back and had locked some of these memories away.

While reading books like this, I usually look to pick up a vital lesson or two, but that wasn't the case here, unfortunately. On another positive note, the book seems professionally edited since I found just eight errors while reading. At just over 150 pages, the book is a light read and has its entertaining moments. However, it isn't one that I will particularly go back to read in its current state. If you enjoy memoirs, there are aspects of this read you will enjoy, and I would recommend the book to you.

All things considered, I rate Insomnia by Jack Hawn three out of five stars. The issues I discussed influenced my rating, but I also enjoyed the author's personality and was entertained by some of his experiences, so I couldn't rate the book lower.

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Insomnia
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[Amy Luman]

I am not a real big fan of memoirs, especially those that don’t really have a lesson to teach. I can remember my own life if I need to.

[Ruthwriter]

Sometimes another man's life experiences could what one needs to help with some life-threatening challenges. jack's life experiences here will be a great help to me. thanks for the review.

[Mercy Sos Christopher]

I'm not sure I would like to read this book. But I really enjoyed reading your review. Thanks for the review

[Ceeco2002]

I'm always eager to learn from the experiences and lessons of others especially adults. Hope I'll be able to get one or two from this book as well.

[Thompson Grace]

Nice to come across a book like this. But it lacked the main ingredient I seek for. I enjoyed the review though. Thanks

[Chukwuemeka Ezema]

This seems like an interesting read. I like the author's humor, but I think I'll skip it due to the negative aspects you mentioned. Great review.

[Ben Filla]

The book's title and page cover is quite catchy but I guess the content of the book says otherwise. It's quite unfortunate that you have such a dislike.

[Standor5865]

The author's personality seems to be the high point of the book, and it's something I look forward to experiencing the book as well.

[Jodeci 007]

Memoirs and autobiographies are not usually my kind of reads, but I will applaud the author for expressing himself in this book. He could have dug deeper in his stories as well.

[Okafor Prosper]

The author certainly lived a full life, and you have captured glimpses of this in this review. I look forward to reading this memoir.

[Hannah Gladys M]

The title is attractive and the author brought out a very good detailed journey and am ooking forward to see more of the authors marvelous books