A Man's Journey to Simple Abundance [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Sarah Ban Breathnach (Author), Friends (Author), Michael Segell (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2000

The Authentic Journey Continues -- for Women to Understand Men, and for Men to Understand Themselves.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Sarah Ban Breathnach wanted to offer men the same reflective book that she offered women in Simple Abundance. Yet, she also knew that she needed a man to help her represent an authentic male experience, a book that mined beneath the "Men Are from Mars" stereotypes and "Iron John" expectations. So she joined forces with Michael Segell, former "Men's Mind" columnist for Esquire and author of Standup Guy. From there, the duo gathered these contemplative, humorous, and mature essays written by a diverse sampling of men, including a backwoods hermit, mystical rabbi, and world renowned rock star.

Segell writes the poignant introductions to the essays while Ban Breathnach inserts her personal responses at the end of particularly provocative essays. At times she sounds like an interloper in a "boy's only" tree fort club, her comments sounding out of place within these private moments of male bonding. Yet she forces readers, men and women alike, to acknowledge the feminine within the male experience, a lofty goal that we tend to resist. Contributors include Sting, who talks about the difference between thrill seeking and risk taking in "Let Your Soul Be Your Rookie." Adventure writer Tim Cahill writes about "The Bravest Thing I Ever Did"--face his panic disorder as his vomited his way through an un-aired television interview. And Thomas Moore speaks to the ecstasy of melding spirituality and sexuality. --Gail Hudson

From Publishers Weekly

The creator of the mega-selling series aims to expand the simplicity movement's magic to the male market. With no less an ideal than bringing men and women closer together, Breathnach and collaborator Segell, an MSNBC and New York Daily News columnist, have assembled 52 original essays that succeed remarkably well in depicting men's feelings and complexity. The stellar contributors include novelists Rick Bass, Jim Harrison, Larry Brown, Richard Bausch and musician/activist Sting as well as a champion surfer, an army general, a rabbi (bestselling author Shmuley Boteach) and a hermit who writes amusingly on solitude. Distinguished across the board by their honesty, a number of the pieces are moving, such as Christopher Dickey's account of finally coming to terms with his father, poet James Dickey, or a businessman's empathetic account of his wife's battle with breast cancer. Others are funny (such as Roy Blount Jr.'s suggestion that weddings be centered around the groom in "The Great Groomal Expo"), enlightening (Benjamin Cheever on what he thinks makes a woman beautiful) and shocking (a photographer tells of brutal killings he witnessed in Soweto, South Africa). At times, however, the commentary linking the essays to Simple Abundance precepts of gratitude, simplicity, order, harmony, beauty and joy feels imposed and unnecessary given the caliber of the writing and contributors' depth of feeling. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; 1St Edition edition (November 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743200616
• ISBN-13: 978-0743200615
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #461,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very insightful read!, November 28, 2000

By 

A.B. Blake (Charlotte, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Man's Journey to Simple Abundance (Hardcover)

I normally don't purchase "self help" books, but reading the reviews of this book made me interested. Each essay is unique and with a different point of view, but they all tap into the unique joys and sorrows of being a man. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interesting in learning more about themselves and getting in touch with their inner person.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Table of Contents-5 stars; Actual Contents-1 star, December 6, 2001

By 

J. M Tudor (Little Rock, AR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Man's Journey to Simple Abundance (Hardcover)

The table of contents to this book is very intriguing--Mothers, Fathers, Daughters, Sons, essays presumably about what it means to be a man in today's world. This is a topic seemingly of introspective interest to all males, yet the actual writing struck me as either completely off topic, or so obvious and sentimental that it offered no quiet, contemplative wisdom worthy of the time it takes to read. These are all brief stories from a variety of authors. In reading prior reviews of this book above, I tried to see if those who liked the book were male or female. From a female perspective, perhaps there is an easier acceptance of the stories presented, that they really do have relevance somehow. There are some sentimental values expressed in "A Man's Journey," and perhaps that appeals to some, but for me, I think it utterly fails in the premise expressed in the title and offered me nothing of probitive value. This is not meant to diminish those who liked it, but I'm scratching my head trying to see the value to me, a male very interested in the topics listed in the table of contents. There are six "Top Ten Things" listed at the end of every section. Things like, "I wish we'd had a few more laughs and a few less arguments" (10 things I wish I'd told my father), or "Change a tire"(10 things every man should know), or "How much of an effort do I make, really?" (10 things every man should know the answer to). If you want a quick litmus test of whether this book offers you anything, just pick one of those lists for a quick review. If you like what's listed, you'll probably like the book, if not, it's a waste of time.

30 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars men of depth, November 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Man's Journey to Simple Abundance (Hardcover)

As a women born in 1961, I have been aware that roles of men and women in the world have changed very quickly and drasticaly over the last few generations. Which, i believe has effected the way men and women are able to understand and relate to each other.

I found the format of this book extreamly enjoyable, each writer's honesty refreshing, and the resulting insites into the male condition in our socielty inspiring.

I am the mother of three small boys, and I desire greatly to help them develope both charater and spirtuality as they grow into men. This book is living proof that these charateristics are not only possible in the modern man, but a "main ingreadiant" of the male personality and thought process. I plan to ask all of my sons to read this book when they come of age.