Customer Reviews

The Compass

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Through the course of thirteen chapters, this book teaches 10 life lessons. The authors took care to create an separate section after the story part to pull these out and briefly discuss each one in a separate section called Reader's Key. The 10 lessons are the point of the book, so in that sense it follows the traditional "10" arrangement of self-help books (which are usually arranged in 10 chapters).

The lessons are not the pabulum that passes for wisdom in many of today's books in the guidance genre. Instead, they are the deeper lessons that can be life-changing if pondered and applied. This book doesn't provide a 10-step recipe for becoming a new person or a discussion of who moved your cheese. Each of the lessons involves taking control of what life hands you and moving forward with it, instead of letting events control you.

The reader follows the protagonist (Jonathon) through his adventures and sees life lessons revealed as the story unfolds. Unfortunately, the authors try to help this process along rather than let it emerge organically (more on that, in a moment). Still, they kept things interesting enough that I started and finished this book on the same day even though it's over 200 pages long.

A few lines in the book resonated with me. For example, one of the characters said most people are on autopilot and go through their day without thinking about what they are actually doing. This has been a topic of discussion many times in the Mindconnection newsletter, and it's a concept that has profound implications.

Being an automaton makes life easier, but it leaves the richness out. It's like making coffee without adding the grounds. And it's normal. That problem is addressed through more than one of the lessons in the book. It's also a core problem that the protagonist overcomes.

If you're thinking about how to have a more fulfilling life, this book is worth reading and contemplating. But as a novel, it's rough. Reading it reminded me of a method of teaching I have seen in schools ranging from the religious to the martial arts. It involves telling a story to illustrate a point. It's not about the story, but about the point being made. The effort doesn't go into fully developing the story or the characters in it. The story exists not to be a solid story in its own right, but to provide a framework for visualizing and learning the lesson. That's what this book is, rather than a fully-developed novel.

This book has problems in dialogue and characterization. The problems are intertwined--mostly cardboard characters delivering exposition. The main character is developed fairly well and the reader can care about him, but the other characters seem to exist for the purpose of preaching to the main character.

The most egregious characterization is that of a 10-year old street urchin who is multi-lingual and exudes the wisdom of a very experienced adult. This is explained by referring to him as an "old soul." It would be better to delete this character entirely, or rewrite so he's the appropriate age and status for the dialogues and monologues attributed to him.

One egregious misuse of dialogue occurs during Jonathan's second meeting with his wife after his return. We have this intense emotional scene, and suddenly she launches into an expositional monologue that has nothing to do with the emotions the character would be feeling at that point.

Despite these flaws, the authors did manage to maintain a certain tension and did have a fairly believable plot. In Alfred Hitchcock parlance, the hero was chasing a McGuff and didn't find it until near the end. So, the potential is there for turning this into a novel that also teaches instead of merely a book that uses a story to teach.

So, what are the ten lessons? If I told you, I'd be giving away too much. But here's something to get you started. One of the characters says, "How many summers or falls do you have left, Jonathon?" Then he goes on to essentially say we can fill those remaining summers with happiness or with negative emotions. Your choice. Over the past few years, I've become fond of saying, "Life is short." That simple concept is very instructive. This book explores several ways in which it is and what to do about it.

After you read the book, you'll understand why the title, The Compass, fits so well. The ten lessons are really about getting your bearings and determining your direction. An incident can cause a compass to get stuck, so it gives you the wrong bearings. Follow it, and you go in the wrong direction. Is your life compass able to find true north, or is it stuck on a false point? Life, after all, is a journey. This book can help you make sure you're traveling in the right direction.

Length:: 1:31 Mins

The Compass is a phenomenal book, teaching how you can go from where you are to where you want to be. The story begins with the main character's life in shambles - his career and family life are literally destroyed, in the blink of an eye. Watch this video review to learn more about the book, and you can also order the DVD at http://thecompass.tv/iDevAffiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=216

Quick, easy-to-read book, in theory, this book is very similar to the book Celestine Prophecy. It will wake up your senses. Yes, there is a reason why you meet the people that come into your life, it's just figuring the lesson to be learned.

I read a lot of books and found this book to be particularly good! I thought I knew where this book was headed in the beginning but it took me on a journey of self-discovery and reflection. I related to the main character's plight to "leave it all behind" and realized there really are "no accidents" in the end. The writing doesn't drag on or go overboard to fill up pages. I found myself wanting to highlight all the way through and in the end, I was inspired. I never give reviews on books but this one I felt deserved some "fan fare" since I, like others, might not realize the impact of such a book and its redeeming value to one's life. I would definitely recommend this to those who are at a crossroads, who find themselves with heartache, want to create positive change in their own lives, or someone who needs to be nudged forward. All in all, it was a book I didn't want to put down. Sequel please!

The Compass is a must read for anyone wanting to take thier life to a higher level. This is for those who are stuck in a rut feeling sorry for themselves or those who know there is more to thier life and are ready to grab hold of it and enjoy the ride.

You will come to experience a host of emotions as you get to journey along with the main character Jonathan. You will relate to his trials, his society influenced views and you will be inspired by his discoveries about how extraordinary life can become regardless of what crisis may be thrown your way.

This is the book that can pull you up by the boot straps, put your feet to the fire and achieve your true desires.

John and Tammy are personal and live development experts and together they show you how you can reach divine destiny as you learn valuable small and large lessons along the way.

Jonathan Taylor's wife and only daughter are involved in a violently fatal car crash at an intersection near their home and after two months of counseling Taylor decides to fill a backpack and head out on a journey of healing that begins in the Nevada desert. "[I] left suburbia for the desert [with] no illusions that I would ever return."

Out of water and crawling across the scorching sand, Taylor is found on the precipice of death by a terminally ill psychologist living her final days taking photographs of the desert because that's where her inner compass had led her. Brought back to life with water from her canteen, Taylor travels with his savior to the Adirondack mountains, where he meets the next "angel" who adds another measure of healing and enlists him as a companion on a trip to Europe, where he . . . you get the idea.

The Compass (Vanguard Press 2009) is a pleasant metaphor told in first person narrative with enough creativity to hold interest while not falling into an allegorical abyss. You get the feeling that Taylor's travels could be a true story.

Taylor is living with the grief of a lost loved one, but the lessons taught by the people he meets could easily apply to loss of a job, a broken relationship or even a mid-life crisis.

The characters ever-so-sparingly weave biblical references into their conversation and there is one reference to prayer near the end. The lesson aren't subtle or veiled, nor do they come across as "preachy."

The Compass is also part of a multi-faceted self-help program including web sites, videos and personal coaching -- chapter-by-chapter study notes are provided for readers wanting more help in finding their own bearings -- and despite the obvious pop-psychology connection it's a good read with a few jewels of thought provocation sprinkled throughout.

If the authors had created the "truisms," and "sayism" of this book into prose and photos upon which you could reflect....it would have been more healing.

With the novel concept however, it all seem to disintergrate into "trite-hypes."

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This is a powerful book! People have been waiting for years for this book to come out. Ever since the release of the book The Secret people have been seeking more of this type of enlightened information. The Compass takes you on a journey towards discovering the action steps critical to acheive more success, happiness and abundance.

If you want to go from where you are right now to where you really want to be in life ... you MUST read this book. It will guide you and show you the way.

Enjoy the journey, Debbie Allen "The Shameless Success Expert"
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