OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Trails of the Heart" by Anthony W. Antolic.]

Trails of the Heart is a book describing a project the author is conducting that is meant to show the effects of addiction on the addicted and his or her family and also the effects on the economy. It begins by describing what the project is all about and what all is going to be talked about in the book. It goes into examples of people who have let addictions to various things control them and change them, and it goes on to talk about how our economy actually depends on the addictions of the people. By this the author is saying that there are many industries in our country that thrive on addictions to things such as drugs, alcohol, porn, materialism, etc. The book then goes into detail about how to overcome addiction including biblical references and pointing people toward God and a higher purpose.

I liked the overall point of the book. I do think there is a need for the message to be read in our country. I liked the message of steps of how to overcome addiction. I also liked how it brought our country’s economy into account and the affects it has had on our addictions and the other way around. Also, I was able to relate to it as I too have struggles with addictions such as materialism. It was convicting and informative at the same time.

However, I did not think it was necessary for the book to be quite so long. I thought it was repetitive in some places and could have definitely been condensed. I think the length is something that could easily stop readers from finishing the book even though there is important information near the end as well. I also did not like that it went into detail about how addictions affect the Welfare System. I felt it very confusing what the book was actually supposed to be about. It just wasn’t quite clear to me what the point of bringing in the Welfare System was. It could have been better explained in a way that made those parts more cohesive with the rest of the book.

I am rating this book 3 out of 4. I would not rate it a 1 or a 2 because it is well written, and it has good information and important things to think about, as well as being relatable. I would not however rate it a 4 because I was left a little confused at times and I found it hard to get through the entire book.

All in all I would recommend the book to people who want something to think about and who are interested in getting a better outlook on our country and how addictions affect us, our families, and our economy.

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Trails of the Heart
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Nice review and an important subject!

I've recently run into the issue of excessive length as well. You brought up some important points.

Nice review! The book seems like it offers useful information, but was a little draggy. I like that you still were able to appreciate the positive points.

Thank you to all who have been interested in this book. I wrote it to get people thinking and am glad it has served the purpose. Look back it is too long.

Thanks for this review. I look forward to reading the book.