Fearless in Paperback -- Same Great Story with a Few Additions

Eric Blehm’s Fearless is a book that I reviewed when if first came out.  At that time, I said it was "one of the best books I have read in recent memory.  Adjectives that I would use to describe it are:  riveting, inspirational, gutsy, patriotic, and redemptive."  To this day, I stand by that initial review. 

Coming out in paperback, Blehm has added a new section at the end of the book called "Adam's Legacy."  These few pages are selected comments that were sent to the author and/or the Brown family.  These go on to show how powerful an effect this book can have on people.  They provide a nice book-end to the manuscript as evidence of how character can touch other lives. 

It is rare that I review a book and do not offer any sort of criticism, but, quite honestly, Fearless is one such book.  The author did a masterful job of weaving together the whole story of an American soldier that ultimately gave his all for you and me.  While the writing demonstrates clear skill of the author, the material is rich and engaging for any reader.  Clearly, the compelling life of Adam Brown carries the reader through a roller coaster of emotions and the story does not end with his all-too-soon departure from this earth.  

The story traces the life of Adam Brown and shows his intense love for his home state of Arkansas.  A reader comes to understand that his character was forged at an early age including his penchant for danger (i.e. reenacting a movie scene of jumping off a bridge from a moving car) and sense of justice.  Somewhere along the way, due to some “friends” he associated with, Adam was sidetracked through addictions.  The greatest challenge of his life was overcoming that addiction even though he had the woman of his dreams and pursued his life’s dream of becoming an elite Navy SEAL. 

You learn about the rigorous and grueling training that must be endured to become a SEAL team member.  Although training accidents slowed his progress, Adam’s determination moved him forward closer to fulfilling his passion.  He had to step back and retrain himself in many areas to overcome those obstacles.  The author interjects some interesting anecdotes about Adam that quickly reveal why others thought so highly of him – all I can say is “fire ants” and will leave the rest for you. 

Ultimately, though, Brown’s story is one of redemption.  After hitting rock bottom and sitting in jail, he gives his life to Christ and accepts the free gift of salvation.  Yet, the circumstances of his life do not become prosperous and rosy.  He still struggles with his internal demons related to drug addiction, and he faces multiple setbacks along the way of making it onto Seal Team SIX.  Love, commitment, and teamwork ultimately helped him overcome but the struggle still remained.

This book is not just for military enthusiasts.  It can be used to help those battling with addictions.  It can be used to teach leadership lessons.  It can be used to engender a better appreciation for our men and women in uniform.  It can be used to show the powerful meaning behind the words often contained in wedding vows:  “in good times and bad.”  It can be used to impart tough love needed as a parent.  It can be used to encourage those going through difficulties.  It can be used to provide the importance of enjoying every waking moment of life and those that you love.

Please, get a copy of this book.  Read it and share it with others – you will not be disappointed!

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.  For additional details, please visit http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks.  I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 25:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

A Five Star Leadership Book

Are you looking for a leadership treatise that is Biblically based and Christ centered?  If so, this book is not the one for you.  I am not sure why this work is considered a “Christian book” (other than the author’s profession to be a Christian); yet, I do believe this leadership manuscript is one that is worthy of your time, effort, and money.  

Boundaries for Leaders by Dr. Henry Cloud can be misconstrued as just another leadership book and that is the beauty of Cloud’s work – it is not just another leadership book.  I do not like to use the word “revolutionary” for books because those are lofty and often meaningless words to curry favor with potential readers (or an author).  In this case, however, I will say that Dr. Cloud’s work has “revolutionized” my thinking as an educational leader.

I can say such a thing because of the timeliness of receiving this book.  We are in the midst of a significant, external situation involving politics.  In maintaining a transparent operation, I have shared what is taking place with my constituents and we have all share in each other’s misery.  The problem has been that those times to “get it off the chest” have turned into prolonged periods of paralysis.  Cloud has what he calls a “control divide exercise” and that was significantly beneficial for us.  He also has other tools that can be used (calendar audit) to truly help focus a leader on what matters most.

The thesis of Boundaries for Leaders can be summarized in this way: boundaries are essential for success and they are defined as what you create and/or what you allow.  Leaders miss the true intent of leadership – not the bottom line or attaining certain goals but people.  In working with people, a leader must free their creativity, and boundaries are what help focus those individuals on the most important work.  Therein lies the problem – our work cultures suffer from what Cloud calls “organizational ADD.”  So much is going on that we permit that mentality of putting out fires rather that purposefully focusing on the things that matter most.

In a sense, leaders establish boundaries that fall into three categories:  attention, inhibition, and cognition.  Attention, you guessed it, is focusing on what matters most and will produce the greatest result.  Conversely, inhibition is dictation what factors cannot and will not be tolerated because they are irrelevant or unfruitful.  Last, cognition (my term) is reminding constituents what information should be retained due to its value in future areas that will demand our attention.  Those simply thoughts are what the entire book is based upon, and he provides a significant amount of personal examples to help the reader understand his exact intent.

This book, in my opinion, is worth a read.  Get it and put it on your shelf.  There will come a time when you need to reconsider its tenets as a leader.   His final chapter – a leader’s boundaries for self – and the conclusion are wonderful thoughts to bring an end to a solid, leadership book.  Some leadership scholarship is selling a program to help the author “get rich quick;” however, this manuscript is different.  You can tell he knows and understands what he is saying and truly wants to help. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”