Review of Three Stages of Life Lived

[Jorge Leon Salazar]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Three Stages of Life Lived" by capt VSRao.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Three Stages of a Life Lived is an autobiographical account in which the author summarizes salient aspects of his life. The Indian author uses the pseudonym Capt. VS Rao. He began by recounting his childhood and adolescence, which were marked by poverty and deprivation. Next, he described his struggles to become an engineer against all odds. In addition, he told about his career in the army, from the incredible way he enlisted to the conflicts with his superiors and peers. Most were due to his determination to do things rightly and professionally. Lastly, VS Rao recounts his experiences after returning to civilian life.

The book is duly organized into three parts that explore the stages in which the author divided his memoir. The narrative follows a chronological order, and the writing style is direct and descriptive. However, there are many acronyms and Indian terms whose meanings are unincluded. VS Rao points out that, in the past, people were less vulnerable to shortages, as they were unaware. Plus, there was a lot of collaboration between neighbors and relatives. In addition, he criticizes that today's distractions alienate young people from society and make them addicted to technology. Likewise, the author highlights moral and family values by mentioning incidents in which he had to face difficulties in acting correctly. Also, interesting situations that the author experienced during his stay in the army are narrated. These superficially reflect how the Indian Army works and how complicated military life can be for someone from the civilian world.

What I liked the most was the emphasis on moral and family values. The author always cared about the welfare of his family and felt happy to provide for them. Furthermore, he confronted stressful situations where the environment forced him to act inappropriately to avoid getting into trouble. However, he never hesitated to do what he considered was right. Additionally, VS Rao expresses criticisms of society, entities, and the corrupt. Nonetheless, he does not generalize but focuses on telling his experience.

The aspect that I disliked the most was the editing. The book needs a profound round of proofreading. Besides the orthographic errors, there are other details to improve such as the use of acronyms without indicating what they stand for. For instance, PT, NCO, JCO, SSRC, and MBBS. Plus, there are several Indian terms whose meanings are unobvious like ayacut, jawans, and panchayatiraj, among others. These issues can reduce the audience and universality of the book. In this sense, a glossary would have been very useful. Moreover, some expressions sound "awkward" as they omit the possessive adjective. For example, at location 328, it reads, "one elder sister abandoned by husband."

Three Stages of a Lived Life presents a brief and entertaining memoir from the point of view of a common Indian man. Apart from recounting his experiences, he transmits positive messages and family principles. I found many editing details. I got the impression that this document was a draft instead a definitive one. For all of the above, I consider it fair to deduct two stars. Therefore, I give this book a rating of two out of four stars. It's a pity I can't give a higher rating to such well-intentioned work.

I recommend this book to people who appreciate autobiographies that convey moral and family values. Furthermore, those who like the military world may equally find it attractive.

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Three Stages of Life Lived
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[Fearnia Laurel]

I am happy that the author put emphasis on moral and family values. It looks like I would need to prepare Google to search for the meanings of terms if I were to read this. Thank you for the review.

[Watumbe Phillip]

Really true that modern technology has changed a lot of things from the past family and neighboring collaboration, and it has brought in connection and friendships of people globally. I love this book. However I wish Mr. Capt you re-edit the book and put full form of those used abbreviations.
Thanks Mr. Capt VSRao

[Bertha Jackson]

This sounds like an interesting book. Too bad that it has not been professionally edited.

[Sumto Nii]

This is a great memoir. A story of rags to riches. I should read this book. It sounds like a great book. I love the review too.