Official Review: Surviving Corruption by Dick Richards

[Fazzier]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Surviving Corruption" by Dick Richards.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Surviving Corruption is a gripping, humorous memoir written by Dick Richards, taking us through his life which involved some form of corruption or rebellion (but which he, fortunately, escaped without any serious repercussion). The author begins by narrating about his childhood. Dick Richards was born in a dysfunctional family, and this, somehow, irrigated his proclivity for malpractices. Readers will see that he was a troublemaker child, and just like his mother, had a strong personality. He, therefore, was rarely on good terms with his mother – if any. His mother's hatred toward him was strong and evident, and the way she treated him was untypical of mothers. I found them jaw-dropping. His father's demeanor toward him, on the other hand, was the exact opposite – I thought he was too lenient on him. Those two extremities of parenting styles did not help much, as it was going to be seen later in the author's pre-teen, teen, and adulthood life. The trend continued both in his casual and professional life, such as when he was in the Police Service and the corporate sector. But how did he manage to escape without serious trouble?

I greatly enjoyed this book and liked how well it was executed. When I picked it, I expected it would be anything but humorous. The author has a great sense of humor, and this afforded me several laugh-out-loud moments. Humor came in several unexpected moments and in situations that would not ordinarily elicit laughter. Sarcasm, puns, understatements, and how he depicted various moments, all contributed to the humor. I also noticed that, overall, the author was a good storyteller. His manner of delivery keeps readers interested, and soon, you become his fan. He ushers readers into his world and keeps them glued to it. Some parts of the story were gross but, in the way the author narrated them, I ended up being a non-judging, entertained listener. These, together with the captioned photographs that highlighted some milestones of the story, enhanced my overall enjoyment of this memoir.

My favorite aspect of this book was the author's admirable mindset of not dwelling so much on life’s punches. When later in life he was diagnosed with cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD), he emerged victoriously. His sense of humor did not wither away even amid those adversities – perhaps, this disposition acted as his coping mechanism. For instance, this excerpt captures a moment in his first job interview since undergoing radiotherapy: “I was still bald with no eyebrows from the radiation so I wore the wig the Cancer Agency gave me. That wig thoroughly undermined my self-confidence and I botched the interview...I felt like I had a fur-bearing animal on my head. All I could think of was “These guys think I brought my cat with me to this interview (Loc 2236).” After the poor performance in the interview, the natural reaction would have been to feel sorry about himself, but instead, the author still found a humorous way of looking at it. This special mindset the author had, of not dwelling on the negatives, further enhanced my enjoyment of this book.

All in all, there was nothing about this book that I disliked. I believe it was professionally edited since I found only one objective error. I am, therefore, glad to award Surviving Corruption by Dick Richards 4 out of 4 stars.

In general, I recommend this book to fans of well-written memoirs containing humor. Moreover, I believe parents will also have a lot to learn from the author's story. On the other hand, this book makes use of strong language, and so readers who might be affected should consider that aspect before picking it.

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Surviving Corruption
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[El_limitless]

I'd love to find out the sort of corruptions Dick Richards took part in and how he escaped without serious repercussions. Great review.

[Pallavi Lakra]

Such a positive way to write a book while going through adversity. And the character development of the protagonist sounds very much engaging as well. Overall, I would love to read this book. Thank you for the review.

[Becca Olsson]

It’s wonderful that the author was able to tell his story with such humor. It sounds incredible everything he’s been through. Thanks for the great review