Official Review: Applied Love by Jabu Mahlangu
Posted: 23 Feb 2020, 07:55
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Applied Love" by Jabu Mahlangu.]
Applied Love: An Everlasting, Successful, and Prosperous Life through the Application of Love is a Christian memoir by Jabu Mahlangu; a metallurgical engineer by profession. The book is divided into two major parts and captured in ten chapters. Each part opens with a Bible quotation heralding what readers are to anticipate in subsequent chapters. The said book contains a Bible reference section as well as a photo gallery in the later part.
During the author's early childhood years, his father committed suicide owing to depression; things became ferociously difficult for his family. According to him, this tragic incident became a stepping stone for him. He not only overcame the hardship thrust on him; he thrived as a result of the discovery and application of the love of God in his life. In this book, he takes readers through a copious number of Bible references and scriptures; explaining the relevance of each one and its connection to the solution he proffers.
Through Bible references, the author proceeds to offer some advice to anyone who is depressed and on the verge of committing suicide. He explains to readers how to avoid suicidal thoughts and take back control of their lives. Amongst other things, readers would discover the formula for wealth generation proposed by the author, using metallurgical engineering calculations. I found his reasoning, solutions and explanations about overcoming suicide realistic, practical, and relatable. The story was written from the first-person perspective, however, the author appeared preachy in his presentation.
One of the things I found attractive about his story was that although his father committed suicide, he wasn't bitter and resentful while recounting the impact his father's absence had in his life. One would think that having lost his father at an early age, he would be bitter. He said, "Through the death of my father, I experienced the power of the love of God. I grew up fatherless but his absence was never felt. I believe it was the power and the presence of the love of God in my life". I also liked the author's down-to-earth and honest approach while he talked about the struggles his family went through as a result of his father's absence. He made no pretenses about the hardships they endured and faced during that time.
A significant drawback is that a major part of the book was proliferated with incessant word capitalization, italicisation as well as quotations. This writing style was a distraction for me while I read the book. For example italicising and at the same time quoting the name of a book on page 61: "The Case for Discrimination" by Walter Block. Just italicising the name of the book would have sufficed. Another example is that more than one half of pages 57 and 58 were captured in italics. The narrative on the said pages may not need to be in italics. I also came across a handful of typographical errors in the book. In my view, this book can benefit from another round of editing in order to tone down the disruptive writing style.
But for the aforementioned reasons, I would have awarded this book the full rating; it contains some useful self-help recommendations. In view of the inadequacies noted earlier, I hereby rate Applied Love: An Everlasting, Successful, and Prosperous Life through the Application of Love by Jabu Mahlangu a three out of four stars. It contains no profanity or sexual content whatsoever. It is suitable for all Christians particularly those who are suicidal. It is also recommended for everyone who has lost a parent by way of suicide. Anyone who has been plunged into hopelessness and needs an encounter with God would also benefit from reading this book.
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Applied Love
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
Applied Love: An Everlasting, Successful, and Prosperous Life through the Application of Love is a Christian memoir by Jabu Mahlangu; a metallurgical engineer by profession. The book is divided into two major parts and captured in ten chapters. Each part opens with a Bible quotation heralding what readers are to anticipate in subsequent chapters. The said book contains a Bible reference section as well as a photo gallery in the later part.
During the author's early childhood years, his father committed suicide owing to depression; things became ferociously difficult for his family. According to him, this tragic incident became a stepping stone for him. He not only overcame the hardship thrust on him; he thrived as a result of the discovery and application of the love of God in his life. In this book, he takes readers through a copious number of Bible references and scriptures; explaining the relevance of each one and its connection to the solution he proffers.
Through Bible references, the author proceeds to offer some advice to anyone who is depressed and on the verge of committing suicide. He explains to readers how to avoid suicidal thoughts and take back control of their lives. Amongst other things, readers would discover the formula for wealth generation proposed by the author, using metallurgical engineering calculations. I found his reasoning, solutions and explanations about overcoming suicide realistic, practical, and relatable. The story was written from the first-person perspective, however, the author appeared preachy in his presentation.
One of the things I found attractive about his story was that although his father committed suicide, he wasn't bitter and resentful while recounting the impact his father's absence had in his life. One would think that having lost his father at an early age, he would be bitter. He said, "Through the death of my father, I experienced the power of the love of God. I grew up fatherless but his absence was never felt. I believe it was the power and the presence of the love of God in my life". I also liked the author's down-to-earth and honest approach while he talked about the struggles his family went through as a result of his father's absence. He made no pretenses about the hardships they endured and faced during that time.
A significant drawback is that a major part of the book was proliferated with incessant word capitalization, italicisation as well as quotations. This writing style was a distraction for me while I read the book. For example italicising and at the same time quoting the name of a book on page 61: "The Case for Discrimination" by Walter Block. Just italicising the name of the book would have sufficed. Another example is that more than one half of pages 57 and 58 were captured in italics. The narrative on the said pages may not need to be in italics. I also came across a handful of typographical errors in the book. In my view, this book can benefit from another round of editing in order to tone down the disruptive writing style.
But for the aforementioned reasons, I would have awarded this book the full rating; it contains some useful self-help recommendations. In view of the inadequacies noted earlier, I hereby rate Applied Love: An Everlasting, Successful, and Prosperous Life through the Application of Love by Jabu Mahlangu a three out of four stars. It contains no profanity or sexual content whatsoever. It is suitable for all Christians particularly those who are suicidal. It is also recommended for everyone who has lost a parent by way of suicide. Anyone who has been plunged into hopelessness and needs an encounter with God would also benefit from reading this book.
******
Applied Love
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords