![]() One finishes with a sense of who the author is as a person, a man who has achieved a great deal of success in life and who is tired of seeing his own people–or people in general–who are held back by negativity or a desire to blame others for failure to rise above the difficulties of life. One finishes this book with a lot of value as a reader. Chapters include discussions about the layers of people, the importance of identity and integrity, the need to know one’s true self is based on what God has created in us and not what we are doing at any particular moment, the importance of wilderness experiences as the training ground for greatness, the importance of building the roots of success from the inside out, the power of perseverance and perspective, and two chapters at the end that give seven steps to greatness. The author talks about the struggles to rise above the past, to achieve long-delayed dreams and goals, and how one needs to be persistent and optimistic in the face of difficulties. Over and over again the author talks about broken families, personal histories full of immense trauma and abuse, and the historical experience of oppression as being experiences that must be overcome and seen through the light of God’s purposes rather than chains that fate someone to failure in life. ![]() The examples chosen from biblical history, American history, and general culture are immensely powerful and the author does not mince words on the sort of people he is writing to. While a reader might pick up the book and look at its cover and think that the author is simply looking to spout of some contemporary new age ideas about self-esteem, the author quickly disabuses the reader of that notion when one reads the book. This book is one whose title and subtitle are poor preparations for its contents. ![]() The author’s perspective as a black man from a broken family gives him some instant credibility in writing about the need for forgiveness and rising above difficulty, and he deserves a great deal of praise for writing about self-improvement and personal responsibility in a day and age where many people like blaming others for their failures. This is not a book I saw coming, but is certainly one of the finest books I have ever read in the general subject of personal improvement. However, much to my surprise if not exactly my pleasure, I found out that this book was written precisely with me in mind in a way that I seldom see in writing, and I found the book to be rigorously biblical in its approach. ![]() Being very familiar with reading books that are not written with me in mind at all, I was not sure that this book would be able to avoid writing from a perspective that would alienate me as a reader. The i Factor: How Building A Great Relationship With Yourself Is The Key To A Happy, Successful Life, by Van Moodyīeing somewhat familiar with the author and with the general circle of writers to which the author belongs, with the concerns about identity in the face of difficult pasts, and having looked at the book’s focus on the self, I had some serious concerns about the book as I began to read it. ![]()
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