Link to buy Jumping into the Parade: The Leap of Faith That Made My Broken Life Worth Living
Story Rating: 3 out of 5
Review:
Tim Brown's Jumping into the Parade is a memoir
that traces the author's successes and failures from childhood through
adulthood. Following an aborted suicide attempt in his forties, he steps away
from the ledge "both literally and figuratively" and manages to take
control of his life. The book is one part recounting the stories of Brown's
life, and one part inspiration for readers who seek to learn from his example,
with a dash of faith thrown in to show how Brown sees God at work in his life.
This is a self-help book that's modeled after many
others in the same vein. There's nothing wrong with it, but there's nothing new
here, either. Yes, Brown had hardships in his life. Yes, he was depressed and
nearly ended it all. Yes, he pulled himself out of his difficulties and made a
conscious decision to be happy. The thing is that there are so many books like
this out there that it's unclear what this one adds to the mix. For instance,
the last chapter summarizes the lessons taught in the book. These lessons
include such items as, "Learn from your experiences" and "Don't
fear your fear." Good advice, sure, but it's been repeated elsewhere and
these aren't exactly earth-shattering revelations.
One thing that seemed surprising about this book
is that it was written before the author had much chance to see how well the
changes he implemented in his life will work in the long term. Many of the
changes happened in the past several years, and some are as recent as fall
2013. That being the case, it seems premature to say that the author's problems
are permanently solved. It's unexpected that as early as fall 2014 he's already
prepared to teach his secrets to others.
Overall, readers might identify with some of the
personal experiences shared by Brown in his memoir. The book is told in an
essay format with very little dialogue or action scenes. Some might prefer that
style, while others might prefer it if he had chosen more of a "show,
don't tell" strategy. If readers can gain insights and improve their
circumstances through this book, then the author's mission will have been accomplished.
But there's not much here that hasn't been seen in other similar works, and fans
of this particular genre might walk away disappointed for that reason.
Reviewed by Peter
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