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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Life Without Limits



"Life Without Limits" tells the story of Nick Vujicic - a young man who was born without arms or legs but has gone on to be a motivational speaker (and surfer!). I found his story to be very inspiring but the book itself to be a little repetitive. It read more like a great speech than a great book, and I think if I heard the message delivered in person it would improve tremendously. So at the risk of sounding mean by giving a below average review to a guy with no arms and legs, I'm going to say that I wouldn't recommend the book but I would recommend going to hear Nick Vujicic in person (I have not heard him in person, but I have heard several who have, and they were beyond impressed).

I'm afraid I couldn't help comparing this book to another I recently read called "Breath." It was written by a woman, Martha Mason, who spent over sixty years in an iron lung. The similarities were striking. Both met their difficulties with a great attitude and a profound faith. The difference was that Nick spent time learning to skateboard and surf, and Ms. Mason's passion was reading. The difference in passions and maturity is evident in the writing. "Breath" has a superb literary quality. Of course, her life was a lot longer and she had a lot more material to include in a memoir. And to be fair, Nick's book is not described as a biography or memoir - it's simply a motivational book. Perhaps I'm just more a fan of biography.

At any rate, both of these books gave me lots to appreciate about the little things in life like being able to use my arms and legs and breath without a machine.

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