Official Review: Born With It: Unleashing Your Greatness

L_Therese · Post by **L_Therese** » 12 Aug 2016, 23:03

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Born With It: Unleashing Your Greatness" by JB Smiley Jr..]

3 out of 4 stars

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If you take J. B. Smiley’s word for it, everyone is born with some kind of inherent power: a talent, a special strength, or a calling. In his book Born With It: Unleashing Your Greatness, Mr. Smiley discusses strategies and tips for maximizing your potential. He begins with a consideration of discovering your inherent power despite all the noise of other people’s opinions. Then, the author moves on to overcoming obstacles by developing mental toughness and taking control of your own life and decisions. Towards the end, the author explores strategies for maximizing your inherent power with clear goals, focus, and determination.

My favorite aspect of Mr. Smiley’s book was his liberal use of anecdotal evidence. Not only do these examples help clarify the author’s points, but the frequent inclusion of examples from the author’s own life helps the reader get to know him much better. Also, because the anecdotes span Mr. Smiley’s life from early childhood to adulthood, they engage readers of many different age groups and help the book appeal to a wider audience. This technique personalizes the book and keeps the reader invested and intrigued.

Another element that I found extremely admirable is the author’s use of footnotes. Consistently, whenever the author mentions a quote or a source, he cites the text or study at the bottom of the page. Additionally, when he refers to a term with which he fears not all readers will be familiar, he defines it at the bottom. These footnotes provide readers with the opportunity to follow up with outside sources to challenge or validate the author’s points, but they are separated from the regular text, so a reader can safely overlook them if they/he/she is uninterested in the extra information.

On the other hand, the book’s weakest aspect is its editing. The errors are only occasional and very minor, but they are still noticeable. Mistakes like writing “weary” when “wary” was clearly the intended word and misusing semicolons may not disturb all readers, but for others, these errors will be distracting. As I was reading, I found that they interrupted the flow and broke my focus, but I was able to regain my level of interest and re-immerse myself in the author’s words.

I rate J. B. Smiley, Jr.’s book Born With It: Unleashing Your Greatness 3 out of 4 stars. I think that the book has a universal appeal. It is accessible to all ages, and the author’s points would be useful for any individual. The book was constructed very well, but because the editing was somewhat flawed, I am unable to give the book the full marks that it would otherwise deserve. Readers of this review should consider my unofficial rating 3.5 out of 4 stars, but as we all know, this is not actually a possibility in this forum. In short, Born With It: Unleashing Your Greatness is a book well worth reading, and as long as a few editing missteps don’t bother you too much, I recommend that you try it out for yourself.

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Born With It: Unleashing Your Greatness
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Post by **Kourtney Bradley** » 14 Aug 2016, 07:11

Thank you for the great review!

Amh73090 · Post by **Amh73090** » 15 Aug 2016, 20:31

Such a good review. Thank you. As a book highlighter footnotes drew me in.

Bruin Dez · Post by **Bruin Dez** » 05 Sep 2016, 23:13

Great review. I am interested in reading this book.

kimmyschemy06 · Post by **kimmyschemy06** » 10 Sep 2016, 23:32

Sounds like a very interesting book. I happen to agree with the author that 'everyone is born with some kind of inherent power: a talent, a special strength, or a calling..' I would like to know how I could maximize my potential. Too bad, though, about the errors. Great job on the review.

annpham112 · Post by **annpham112** » 10 Oct 2016, 04:50

Since I am still looking for something to read on every morning for my daily new day, the book comes out likely to be one of the potential books for such purpose! Sounds really amazing and motivating!