Review of Burn Zones
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Vicki Cerniglia
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- Latest Review: Burn Zones by Jorge P. Newbery
Review of Burn Zones
[Following is a volunteer review of "Burn Zones" by Jorge P. Newbery.]
Burn Zone is the autobiography of Jorge P. Newbery. The author compared the difficult periods in his life to the relatively short bursts of extraordinary effort that separated the winners from the losers during his bike-racing career, which he dubbed “burn zones.” He explained he would concentrate on enduring the pain until the pace slowed down and told himself the effort would get easier soon. Every person’s life is full of burn zones, which test the limits of our bodies and minds.
Jorge got his first job delivering newspapers when he was only seven years old. One day, while riding his bike, he thought to himself that since he was already delivering papers, he could also deliver the competing newspaper. As a result, he doubled his income while taking only about 50% more time. The bad-weather days, when he had to carefully wrap each paper in plastic and come home soaked, were his first burn zones.
At eleven years of age, Jorge started his first business selling ice cream in his neighborhood. He had saved up enough money to purchase and restore a large tricycle outfitted with a freezer in the front and a bullhorn-type speaker bellowing ice cream truck melodies, all powered by a car battery. He also bought a large freezer to store his ice cream supply. His father would take him to the wholesale ice cream store on Saturdays and then race home as fast as they dared to keep the ice cream from melting.
Shortly after turning thirteen, Jorge landed a job as a busboy at a local restaurant. With no expenses to worry about, he was able to save all his earnings. By the second month of eleventh grade, school had become mundane, boring, and unchallenging. He passed the Graduate Equivalency Degree exam and, with his parents' consent, dropped out of school. He wanted to focus on business and his next big dream.
Interview by interview, he developed strong relationships with numerous punk rock bands and managed to create a small record company that made a moderate amount of money, but as with his previous successes, the fun diminished, Jorge lost interest, and he needed a new challenge. Twelve years after starting his paper route, Jorge decided to become a bicycle racer. By age 23, he had been elevated to an elite category one racer, he had raced in all the most prestigious races, and he had tried out for the Olympic racing team. A severe case of bronchitis cut his racing career short when he was just 24.
In his next stage, Jorge worked as a mortgage loan processor, a loan officer, and ultimately a co-owner of a small mortgage company. During this time, he was introduced to purchasing and managing rental properties. From age 26 to 38, he built up a portfolio of over 4,000 apartment units across the United States, which resulted in his net worth growing to tens of millions of dollars. However, Jorge was catapulted into the most horrific burn zone of his life by a freak ice storm that struck Columbus, Ohio, where his largest rental property was located. Will he make it through this one, or will it be the end of Jorge's financial brilliance?
I’m not typically a fan of autobiographies, but I was drawn in by the introduction. It's not what I would call an exciting read, but I did find myself turning the pages quickly to discover what was going to happen to Jorge next. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read about a self-made millionaire’s successes, struggles, and even failures. I can tell that this book was professionally edited because there were very few errors. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.
******
Burn Zones
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Burn Zone is the autobiography of Jorge P. Newbery. The author compared the difficult periods in his life to the relatively short bursts of extraordinary effort that separated the winners from the losers during his bike-racing career, which he dubbed “burn zones.” He explained he would concentrate on enduring the pain until the pace slowed down and told himself the effort would get easier soon. Every person’s life is full of burn zones, which test the limits of our bodies and minds.
Jorge got his first job delivering newspapers when he was only seven years old. One day, while riding his bike, he thought to himself that since he was already delivering papers, he could also deliver the competing newspaper. As a result, he doubled his income while taking only about 50% more time. The bad-weather days, when he had to carefully wrap each paper in plastic and come home soaked, were his first burn zones.
At eleven years of age, Jorge started his first business selling ice cream in his neighborhood. He had saved up enough money to purchase and restore a large tricycle outfitted with a freezer in the front and a bullhorn-type speaker bellowing ice cream truck melodies, all powered by a car battery. He also bought a large freezer to store his ice cream supply. His father would take him to the wholesale ice cream store on Saturdays and then race home as fast as they dared to keep the ice cream from melting.
Shortly after turning thirteen, Jorge landed a job as a busboy at a local restaurant. With no expenses to worry about, he was able to save all his earnings. By the second month of eleventh grade, school had become mundane, boring, and unchallenging. He passed the Graduate Equivalency Degree exam and, with his parents' consent, dropped out of school. He wanted to focus on business and his next big dream.
Interview by interview, he developed strong relationships with numerous punk rock bands and managed to create a small record company that made a moderate amount of money, but as with his previous successes, the fun diminished, Jorge lost interest, and he needed a new challenge. Twelve years after starting his paper route, Jorge decided to become a bicycle racer. By age 23, he had been elevated to an elite category one racer, he had raced in all the most prestigious races, and he had tried out for the Olympic racing team. A severe case of bronchitis cut his racing career short when he was just 24.
In his next stage, Jorge worked as a mortgage loan processor, a loan officer, and ultimately a co-owner of a small mortgage company. During this time, he was introduced to purchasing and managing rental properties. From age 26 to 38, he built up a portfolio of over 4,000 apartment units across the United States, which resulted in his net worth growing to tens of millions of dollars. However, Jorge was catapulted into the most horrific burn zone of his life by a freak ice storm that struck Columbus, Ohio, where his largest rental property was located. Will he make it through this one, or will it be the end of Jorge's financial brilliance?
I’m not typically a fan of autobiographies, but I was drawn in by the introduction. It's not what I would call an exciting read, but I did find myself turning the pages quickly to discover what was going to happen to Jorge next. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read about a self-made millionaire’s successes, struggles, and even failures. I can tell that this book was professionally edited because there were very few errors. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.
******
Burn Zones
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Victoria 
Latest Review: Burn Zones by Jorge P. Newbery
