Official Review: The Book of Joel by Joel Carroll

[JKO]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Book of Joel" by Joel Carroll.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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“But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” The above statement guided Joel after he completed a program that helped him recover from his drug and alcohol addiction. When someone recovers from addiction, several questions arise, and in Joel's case, it is no different. It would be interesting to know how Joel developed these addictions. Also, how did these addictions affect him negatively? How long did he struggle with them? How did it affect his family? How did the program help him recover? Has he recovered for real?

The Book of Joel, by Joel Carroll, is a true-life story that follows the life of the author from his childhood through his time as an addict to the point of writing, where he is seven years sober. The author, in this book, answers all the previous questions raised and also writes to prove that recovery from addiction is possible while giving addicts a sense of belonging to realize that they are not alone in their battle. The book also gives us a peek into all the poor decisions that Joel made as he struggled with paranoia, homicidal, and suicidal ideation, all excerpts from his addiction.

Firstly, I must commend the author for sharing his complete story, holding nothing back, no matter how unpleasant it sounded. For me, this increased the credibility of the story. This story will also serve as a source of inspiration not only to people who are struggling with addiction but to everyone. I loved the way the author went back in time to tell us about certain events in his childhood, and as a result, I got a better understanding of who he really was, and I was able to draw a better conclusion on the root cause of his addiction. Additionally, I appreciate the author’s descriptive prowess, as this made me have a good mental picture of the author's message at every point.

I also admired the strength and patience that Joel's wife showed. I know the story was about Joel’s struggles, but I was inspired by her. It’s never easy for a woman that has a husband that does not provide for his family because of addiction, especially when there are children involved. I was pleased to read that her patience with her husband paid off in the end after he recovered. It was also admirable that Joel recognized that all he had accomplished during and after that program was only possible by God's grace. Furthermore, this book seemed to be professionally edited, as I found only three minor grammatical errors throughout the text.

However, I was a bit uncomfortable with the number of people that were mentioned in this novel. Although I agree that they all may have played some role in the author’s addiction journey, I felt that mentioning some of them was unnecessary. For example, mentioning the names of the people he got his drug supplies from was not necessary, and this made it difficult to keep up with the characters that really mattered, making the text longer than it should have been. With the pros and cons in mind, I have decided to rate The Book of Joel 3 out of 4 stars, and I recommend it to everyone, especially people that are struggling with any form of addiction.

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The Book of Joel
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[khaulah]

The stories of people who have overcome drug addiction are always interesting. I like how the author attributes his recovery to God. I would love to read the journey of this person and ofcourse know more about his wife. Thank you for your review!

[sirbobthewise]

This sounds like an inspirational book of hope, and I love how the author provides a sense of solidarity with others’ hardships. He provided a very raw and real account, and I think others who struggle with addiction or who have people in their life who struggle will find comfort in the details. His recognization of God’s grace is beautiful. Great job on your review! This sounds like a book that I would enjoy reading.

[Samgum50]

Great review! This book seems very insightful and inspirational.

[Christabel Uzoamaka]

It’s rewarding to read about people’s triumphs over what was a trying time in their life and Joel’s story is no different. I love that he is consistent in his quest for change while keeping to God for grace. Nice review.

[winkieanderson]

Great review!! In our society today a lot of people are drug addict. According to the book review this book seems to provide a solution to get rid of drug addiction.

[Priyanka2304]

I love reading memoirs. And this one seems promising from the review. Thanks for the wonderful and insightful review.

[JeanyJean]

The story of a recovered drug addict is a very touching story to me. This book sounds like a very inspirational booknpacked with lessons one can learn and encouragement for those going through the same struggling.thank you very much for such an amazing review

[gatuguta2030]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Book of Joel" by Joel Carroll.]

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3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” The above statement guided Joel after he completed a program that helped him recover from his drug and alcohol addiction. When someone recovers from addiction, several questions arise, and in Joel's case, it is no different. It would be interesting to know how Joel developed these addictions. Also, how did these addictions affect him negatively? How long did he struggle with them? How did it affect his family? How did the program help him recover? Has he recovered for real?

The Book of Joel, by Joel Carroll, is a true-life story that follows the life of the author from his childhood through his time as an addict to the point of writing, where he is seven years sober. The author, in this book, answers all the previous questions raised and also writes to prove that recovery from addiction is possible while giving addicts a sense of belonging to realize that they are not alone in their battle. The book also gives us a peek into all the poor decisions that Joel made as he struggled with paranoia, homicidal, and suicidal ideation, all excerpts from his addiction.

Firstly, I must commend the author for sharing his complete story, holding nothing back, no matter how unpleasant it sounded. For me, this increased the credibility of the story. This story will also serve as a source of inspiration not only to people who are struggling with addiction but to everyone. I loved the way the author went back in time to tell us about certain events in his childhood, and as a result, I got a better understanding of who he really was, and I was able to draw a better conclusion on the root cause of his addiction. Additionally, I appreciate the author’s descriptive prowess, as this made me have a good mental picture of the author's message at every point.

I also admired the strength and patience that Joel's wife showed. I know the story was about Joel’s struggles, but I was inspired by her. It’s never easy for a woman that has a husband that does not provide for his family because of addiction, especially when there are children involved. I was pleased to read that her patience with her husband paid off in the end after he recovered. It was also admirable that Joel recognized that all he had accomplished during and after that program was only possible by God's grace. Furthermore, this book seemed to be professionally edited, as I found only three minor grammatical errors throughout the text.

However, I was a bit uncomfortable with the number of people that were mentioned in this novel. Although I agree that they all may have played some role in the author’s addiction journey, I felt that mentioning some of them was unnecessary. For example, mentioning the names of the people he got his drug supplies from was not necessary, and this made it difficult to keep up with the characters that really mattered, making the text longer than it should have been. With the pros and cons in mind, I have decided to rate The Book of Joel 3 out of 4 stars, and I recommend it to everyone, especially people that are struggling with any form of addiction.

******
The Book of Joel
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

This is a great book.The Author inspires those struggling with drug addiction. He is a true reflection that one can overcome addiction and be a better person.

[Kola+wole]

Descriptive review. This book sounds inspiring. The author seems to have laid everything bare like the reviewer said, in order to inspire others and help then on their journey towards recovery. Acknowledging God and his wife is a plus for me.