Monday, March 07, 2011
[Book Review] UNFINISHED BUSINESS by Lee Kravitz
Nonfiction/MemoirLaura reviews UNFINISHED BUSINESS: ONE MAN'S EXTRAORDINARY YEAR OF TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THINGS by Lee Kravitz (Bloomsbury USA, 2010)
This book tells how the author took a crisis in his life and turned it into an opportunity. Lee was fired from a job he had for many years. Although he sensed it might happen, when it did, he was bewildered and depressed. He postponed his job search to take stock of his current situation and get some motivation for what would come next. As he was cleaning up his vacation home, he thought of several times in his life when his job took over and gave him a reason to not contact people he cared about in their time of need. Lee made a list of ten of these occurrences, and resolved to postpone his job search for a year to right these wrongs.
In reconnecting with the family, friends, and relatives he was once close to, and discussing the past with them, he often found that their experience of the relationship and that time in the past was very different from his own. Lee found that each of these reconnections was a great learning experience for his family, friends, and relatives, as well as himself.
Not everyone can afford to put off a job hunt for a year after being laid off in order to right the wrongs from their past, but most of us could find a way to invest a little more time and effort to appreciate the people we are close to, perhaps preventing losing contact with them when life’s challenges arise.
I was delighted to read about the unexpected positive results from each of the ten reunions on Lee’s list. Unfinished Business was very positive and encouraging, telling us that it is not too late to change the way we approach life, even in middle age.
Laura Salehi, Bartlett Branch
Labels: Memoir, Nonfiction, Reviews by Laura Salehi
