Review of Surviving Chaos
-
shweta singh 12
- Posts: 2
- Joined: 14 Sep 2021, 09:22
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 2
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-shweta-singh-12.html
- Latest Review: Surviving Chaos by Harold Phifer
Review of Surviving Chaos
[Following is a volunteer review of "Surviving Chaos" by Harold Phifer.]
A schizophrenic mom, a manipulative relative, absent dad and a lot of bullies. When I first read the description I was in for a heart-rending and soul-crushing ride of how a child survived and grew up fighting demons around him. The book starts with a leisurely man on one of beaches of Thailand who is coerced into sharing his near-death experience with a recently acquired friend, which ultimately brought him back his chaotic life before the bombing.Into the first few chapters of book the expected suffering and sadness never came, mainly because the protagonist was too detached, too mature for his age. He didn't had expectations that could be crushed, he knew how the things would turn out and best possible strategies to avoid it which sometimes worked and sometimes didn't. It caught me off guard for a while but as the narration continued I began understanding where he came from, why he had developed the ability to read people using it to his own advantage at such young age and that he did have expectations, yearning for a guide in life and even the want to make his father feel proud of him, it was just that all these were buried deep due his always being in a survival mode.
I was fascinated by his unyielding character, he is not miserable or pathetic. He had been a 'no quiter' as the book says, since day one. He took it all without a word his mom's unfeeling attitude, her episodes, his aunt's greed and the society's alienation of him all this while still ensuring survival of himself and his little brother. There were times when he was being bullied and I found myself rooting for him, I knew he would retaliate. There were also times when I was looking forward to his mom's antics, her stunts on bicycle and even her reactions to the bullies and neighbours. The various events mainly his first attempt at flirting and interactions with the characters like Red dead eye, flirty Shirley and Ossie May had me rolling. While some others made me genuinely sad. It was a bittersweet experience.
Although the portrayal of events appear extremely genuine there are some times when the protagonist seems a bit unrealistic, he grew up in the Red line community where there were all sorts of characters. His company was not very good so people kept him at an arm's length and even the only adults from whom he could learn from were his aunt and his mom's men who were obviously not a good choice but even then I never came across him doing something crooked and the only thing that could be counted in this category was when he stole wallet and car keys of his mom's boyfriends for which he clarifies himself as an act for seeking fatherly love. He didn't bully those who were weak, he didn't smoke and almost was never the one to provoke first. It seems a bit unrealistic to grow up this morally upright in such a environment. Little flaws and thier set backs would have made the character more real-world like.
Surviving chaos by Harold Phifer is exactly what the title says surviving the chaos which became normalcy for the protagonist so much so that at last when he has the chance to escape from that life he concludes that his peace lies in those stimulation. It's a humorous account which subtly conveys to you many deep emotions and just as the author says some of the stories stick with you like nothing you have read before.
This is a good read but I would not say once you pick it up you won't be able to put it down before finishing, it would appeal to the non-fiction readers while other may find it boring. The editing of the book is good as I found less than ten mistakes but there are more than just a few terms which could only be understood by people familiar with American society and it took away a little of the joy in reading as I was busy searching their meanings, a bit more explanatory text would have made the book much more enjoyable. Thus I give Surviving chaos- how I found peace at a beach bar by Harold Phifer 3 out of 4 stars for reasons mentioned here and above.
******
Surviving Chaos
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
A schizophrenic mom, a manipulative relative, absent dad and a lot of bullies. When I first read the description I was in for a heart-rending and soul-crushing ride of how a child survived and grew up fighting demons around him. The book starts with a leisurely man on one of beaches of Thailand who is coerced into sharing his near-death experience with a recently acquired friend, which ultimately brought him back his chaotic life before the bombing.Into the first few chapters of book the expected suffering and sadness never came, mainly because the protagonist was too detached, too mature for his age. He didn't had expectations that could be crushed, he knew how the things would turn out and best possible strategies to avoid it which sometimes worked and sometimes didn't. It caught me off guard for a while but as the narration continued I began understanding where he came from, why he had developed the ability to read people using it to his own advantage at such young age and that he did have expectations, yearning for a guide in life and even the want to make his father feel proud of him, it was just that all these were buried deep due his always being in a survival mode.
I was fascinated by his unyielding character, he is not miserable or pathetic. He had been a 'no quiter' as the book says, since day one. He took it all without a word his mom's unfeeling attitude, her episodes, his aunt's greed and the society's alienation of him all this while still ensuring survival of himself and his little brother. There were times when he was being bullied and I found myself rooting for him, I knew he would retaliate. There were also times when I was looking forward to his mom's antics, her stunts on bicycle and even her reactions to the bullies and neighbours. The various events mainly his first attempt at flirting and interactions with the characters like Red dead eye, flirty Shirley and Ossie May had me rolling. While some others made me genuinely sad. It was a bittersweet experience.
Although the portrayal of events appear extremely genuine there are some times when the protagonist seems a bit unrealistic, he grew up in the Red line community where there were all sorts of characters. His company was not very good so people kept him at an arm's length and even the only adults from whom he could learn from were his aunt and his mom's men who were obviously not a good choice but even then I never came across him doing something crooked and the only thing that could be counted in this category was when he stole wallet and car keys of his mom's boyfriends for which he clarifies himself as an act for seeking fatherly love. He didn't bully those who were weak, he didn't smoke and almost was never the one to provoke first. It seems a bit unrealistic to grow up this morally upright in such a environment. Little flaws and thier set backs would have made the character more real-world like.
Surviving chaos by Harold Phifer is exactly what the title says surviving the chaos which became normalcy for the protagonist so much so that at last when he has the chance to escape from that life he concludes that his peace lies in those stimulation. It's a humorous account which subtly conveys to you many deep emotions and just as the author says some of the stories stick with you like nothing you have read before.
This is a good read but I would not say once you pick it up you won't be able to put it down before finishing, it would appeal to the non-fiction readers while other may find it boring. The editing of the book is good as I found less than ten mistakes but there are more than just a few terms which could only be understood by people familiar with American society and it took away a little of the joy in reading as I was busy searching their meanings, a bit more explanatory text would have made the book much more enjoyable. Thus I give Surviving chaos- how I found peace at a beach bar by Harold Phifer 3 out of 4 stars for reasons mentioned here and above.
******
Surviving Chaos
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Surviving Chaos by Harold Phifer
