I’ve reviewed numerous books over the years, mostly just when I feel like it or feel like I have something to say. But only now have I been given a book specifically for review: Rick Walker’s 9 Steps to Build a Meaningful Life.
I’m honoured that Rick Walker sent me his upcoming book, 9 Steps to Build A Meaningful Life. A meaningful life is, I hope, something we’d all like, even if it’s often not the life we end up pursuing (what with the many distractions that come along). Rick is a great example of someone who wasn’t living a meaningful life. He explains 9 of the steps he’s taken, and the moments of his life that led him to them.
While the writing falls short of the quality I’d like, Rick’s vulnerability and roller coaster ride of a life does make for an intriguing and at least occasionally inspiring read.
Analysis & Evaluation
I’ll start with what I dislike about the book.
The book’s writing is, well, poor. It’s disjointed and lacks flow, and the voice is so chunky and convoluted that it can become very hard to follow.
For this reason, I found it hard to get through the book, and ended up skimming significant parts of it. It almost feels like Rick is stringing together ideas that are in the same line of thinking but ultimately disconnected; the flow, even from sentence to sentence sometimes, feels broken up and choppy.
Some sentences make for good quotes… others feel like he’s trying to sound cool but don’t really make sense.
For this reason alone, it’s hard to recommend the book. It’s longer than it needs to be, there’s a lot of filler, and even some of the meat that’s in here is undercooked, disjointed, and flat. At times, and at its best, Walker’s book is a memoir with inspiring and raw biography. But a lot of the rest of it is convoluted attempts at inspiration and guidance. It’s well meaning, but it doesn’t come together well.
On the plus side, chapters don’t usually go on forever, and he includes some practical tools from his website, and regular inspiring and relevant quotes from historical figures. I love this — and honestly, the 9 steps themselves are clear enough and legitimate enough that they deserve your meditation. He also includes regular questions for readers to ask themselves, and they’re worth reflection and introspection. I could see someone taking this book and digesting a chapter at a time, using Ricks’ questions and examples almost like a devotional book, journaling while reading it and trying to make changes to their life one thing at a time.
Missed Opportunity
If it wasn’t clear, I really enjoyed reading about Rick’s life. This, I think, is what the book should have been — an inspiring memoir with some practical reflections and maybe some extra historical examples to bolster his points. Instead, the book is mostly attempts at writing quotable lines, lacklustre exegesis of historical figures (despite some good quotes!), and the skeleton of a memoir with insufficient literary meat on its bones.
So while I think you (men in particular) can appreciate Walker’s 9 steps, I don’t think reading every page is worth your time. Moreover, I think there are more interesting and well-written books that do something similar, albeit with less of a biographical element: Dr. Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules books, and Dr. Henry Cloud’s 9 Things You Simply Must Do just off the top of my head.
I’m grateful Rick sent me his book, and I’m grateful for a few of the moments he’s shared. That’s what it should have been — a memoir focused on those pivotal moments in his life, moments that probably any man (or woman) could appreciate and be inspired by.
But that’s not what he’s put forward here, and so I can’t particularly recommend it unless you’re a man starved for this kind of book and are prepared to meditate on and digest its content slowly. You may be inspired, and I do think you’ll receive worthwhile, heartfelt guidance from a man who’s been there.
