ARA Review by Shahzad0689 of Burn Zones

[Shahzad0689]

[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, Burn Zones.]

---

5 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

5 out of 5
This is an autobiography, and for me, to be of value for those outside the immediate family of the author, the book must illustrate society at the time, or the author should have done something of general interest.

On the other hand, for those within the immediate family, the book should illustrate the person. Of course there is no reason not to include both groups, but the former group does require the author to have done something outside the ordinary.

From about the age of eight, Jorge Newberry appears to have been driven exceptionally by the desire to make money, and the book starts with the young boy on a paper run. It then follows him through selling ice cream, pausing to try his hand as a professional cyclist, then finding his niche as a loan broker and property developer. Scattered through this are glimpses of some of the seedier aspects of American society through the 1970s to very recent times.

The highlight of this book, (or what Jorge would call the lowlight) occurred when Jorge had ventured into the development of social housing for the underprivileged. From his account, he was doing an extremely valuable job, but in one city he had sunk too much into a massive run-down building that was on land that others desired.

When a snowstorm came, the resultant damage, and when the attentive crows of society descended on him for pickings, he tried to fight back. What we see is the downfall of someone through no serious fault of his own, but, as he notes, in retrospect he could have done better. I can empathize with him, because I too have been through a similar situation. This book is valuable for budding entrepreneurs, because if you understand what Jorge has written you might see the warning signs in time. Some say there is no such thing as luck and those who succeed do so through hard work.

Yes, hard work is required, but the assertion is nonsense. Some never meet genuinely bad luck, but it does not hurt to be prepared.

***
View Burn Zones on Bookshelves

[Alphonsius]

Very good review. I just added the book to my shelves. Hoping to read it soon.