Official Review: One Man Journey Is The Next Man Path

[Juliana_Isabella]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "One Man Journey Is The Next Man Path" by Marlon Terrell Reid.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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One Man’s Journey is the Next Man’s Path by Marlon Reid is an inspirational self-help book. The author writes about his journey, which has involved illegal activity, time spent in jail, a spiritual rebirth, and his work to find a new path in life. Reid centers each chapter around a different word that was important to him on his journey. Examples include ministry, vision, focus, and change. The book is written to other people, African American men especially, who have found themselves on a dark path and are looking for a way to remake their lives within the grace of God.

I truly enjoyed Reid’s honesty and humility, which were evident throughout the book. He is open about his past, which involved drugs and crime, and he attributes his successes to the people around him and the support of God. I appreciated that he focused on how all people can turn to God for help instead of using his story as a way to build his ego and show how great he is as an individual. He truly wants to help others by sharing his story, and this motive is clear throughout the book.

Although I liked the author’s inspiration for writing the book, the actual product could use some editing. I found many grammatical mistakes within the short manuscript, which took less than an hour to finish. Although most of the mistakes didn’t impede my understanding, I also found issues with the writing style and organization, which occasionally made it more difficult for me to understand the author’s message. I liked that the author began each chapter with a word and definition to focus on in that section, but he also included definitions throughout the text, most of which should be unnecessary for adult readers. Removing these would make the book cleaner and clearer.

In addition, his story was interspersed throughout the chapters, and it didn’t seem like he had really planned where to tell his personal story in the book. I would have appreciated a short anecdote at the beginning of each chapter that shows either where he used that chapter’s word to better his life or where he failed to focus on that word and experienced hardship as a result.

Overall, I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I believe that the author has an original story to tell and that he is truly trying to help his readers. However, I think he needs an editor to help him consider how best to convey this story so that it can do the most good possible in the world. This book would be especially good for young men with difficult pasts who are trying to remake their lives, but it can be useful to anyone who wants a reminder of how focusing on God can help you walk the path you were meant to tread in life. There are brief mentions of drug use and crime, but the message that these things are bad and separated the author from God is clear, so I think it could be appropriate for teens and adults.

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One Man Journey Is The Next Man Path
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[Shivy]

If the message comes across clearly, the setback of language used could be overcome considering the powerfulness in the message. Helping other defeat their demons and misteps in life is no short feat. I admire the author for taking on this challenge and putting his experience out there to share with others. If the editing is negligible, i would be interested in reading this book and gain understanding of the author's journey. Thanks for the review.