Customer Reviews

Living an Uncommon Life: Essential Lessons from 21 Extraordinary People

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I didn't know what to expect from the book or the author.

I saw the subtitle about lessons from 21 extraordinary people and feared it might be some exercise in genuflecting to celebrity. That is a most subversive notion in this day and age of conformity where aspiring to wealth seems the highest goal.

John St. Augustine's name didn't mean much to me either. I'm an east coast guy and though he was a succesful radio talk show host that was mostly in the middle of the country - plus, I'm not much of a talk show guy. I find the radio stuff so jarring and controversial that it leaves me uncomfortable. Would that his show had been on everywhere.

Then I cracked the spine. What a book. It is bold - it respects its readers and doesn't try and sell them on three ways to achieve success or 2.5 ways to live a get thin and achieve a lasting tan - because it challenges readers not to go to the comfortable wings (left or right) but to dig down deeply in their own lives. The book challenges our humanity and confronts us with the reality of our mortality and does with passion and enthusiasm and gusto because John St.Augustine looks at life and shouts, "YES!" It can be a bit intimidating because it is so radical.

At various points I found myself reading and thinking to myself that I could live the kind of rich, full life he writes about here -punctuated with stories of famous (and anonymous) people he has known - and wanting to live that kind of life but realizing that to do so I had to follow his most serious lesson...that living takes work and determination but that it is so worth that work.

I could go on and on in writing but frankly I am more interested in now going back through some of the chapters - like the one in which he talks about learning the power of living in the moment through the late Chicago Bears star Walter Payton - to learn what I have already forgotten.

I've never written an Amazon review before and perhaps I haven't done the best job - my enthusiasm may be getting in the way of my writing - but don't hold that again this uncommon book. It is remarkable and must, must, must be read.

As an avid reader of books related to spiritual and personal growth, in only a handful of instances have I come across a book that touched me as profoundly as this one did. It may sound cliché, but this book did indeed arrive in my hands at the exact time I needed to hear its messages. At two particular points in the text, tears literally filled my eyes as I experienced an "ah ha" moment. There truly is so much wisdom in this work and an incredible amount of inspiration as well. While the stories of the "21 Extraordinary People" the author writes about are all interesting and compelling, I also found great value in the heartfelt and very honest manner in which he shared very personal information from his own life experiences. In addition, his very conversational writing style actually makes you feel as if he's sitting in a café talking to you from across the table. This book is truly a gem in many respects. I loved it, and I really feel that you will as well.

At the lowest point in his life the John St. Augustine began a walk across the country, embark on some thousand miles from northern Michigan to Chicago and back, which allowed him to reinvent himself and embark on a new career in radio. Best known for his 'power thoughts' vignettes, "Living an Uncommon Life" covers more than his experiences and awakening: it includes patterns form other exceptional personalities he's met along the way, and reveals how these personalities uncovered strength from adversity. "Living an Uncommon Life" is an inherently engaging, unusually candid, and occasionally inspiring, and highly recommended read!

insightful and entertaining, this book got me thinking about the paths taken by so many people in my life, as well as my own.

John St. Augustine has a down-to-Earth, common-sense approach to his writing. The topics covered in this book are good lessons for all Americans. With our society being in the current state of affairs, we'd do well to read this book, read it again, and give it to friends for Christmas. It's time we start taking care of what truly matters, and Mr. St. Augustine is a great place to help us get started.

Never heard of this guy but saw the book in the store and after reading over it bought it and am happy I did.It is written in readable chapters with a focus on what the Author learned from the individual. I dont know of the guys radio show but it is centered around interesting people he met and is an easy, fun and inspirational read. If you like reading about interesting people and how they overcame their challenges then this is worth the read. Nice style and nice read.

In an easy to read format John St. Augustine shares some easy to follow solutions to lifelong frustrations and guides us on how to enjoy life on a daily basis.

I had never heard of John St. Augustine before attending a book festival in Charlottesville, Virginia where the author was doing a talk and signing copies of the book. Learning that he is now a producer for Oprah radio, I took the opportunity to get a copy of his book while giving him a copy of my own book Waiting for Westmoreland which is also of the personal transformation genre. He didn't promise to get me on Oprah but he did say he would read it. As for his book, unlike most other self-help/inspirational books, this is a compendium of anecdotal commentaries about and from guests on the author's own radio show. How he came to have a radio show is an encouraging example of self-realization and determination. The 21 featured profiles complement his own history of making the best of bad situations that people encounter in life. I found most of the examples from his "extraordinary people" inspiring, although some less so than others. I recommend the book.

Product arrived quickly, in perfect condition. Loved the colorful riot of various stamps on the outside of the package. Cut them out and kept them they were so fun looking. :-)