Customer Reviews

One in a Hundred Million

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In writing classes I have taken, my teachers and professors made a point of expressing that everyone has some great stories to tell. Most people just have no idea how to go about telling those stories.

In reading Marion Urichich's ONE IN A HUNDRED MILLION, it becomes evident that even though it might seem that Urichich has led a plain and normal life, his life has also been an interesting one. ONE IN A HUNDRED MILLION is an autobiography about a simple boy raised by a Croatian immigrant family and a member of the Greatest Generation who faced incredible challenges and obstacles, but overcame those difficulties to build a life for himself. Though the book is divided into ten different chapters, the book reads with four distinctive movements: the authors childhood until he graduated high school and joined the Marines; his life in the Marines and the years following; married life and the golden years; and his legal battles and philosophical musings.

Personally, the earlier sections of the book when the author relates some of this memories growing up and his time in the military were the sections of the book I found most interesting. They are told in a homespun manner that reminded me of a newspaper column I used to read written by a woman who told stories about growing up during the Great Depression. I also enjoyed some of the stories about the later years of the author's life and found some of his feats quite admirable, such as the day he won twelve medals in one Senior Olympics. However, I felt that many of these stories were bogged down in details and didn't have the same flavor of writing as the earlier part of the book. Though the last section of the book, where Urichich describes some of his personal legal battles and provides some of his philosophy of life and ideas of how to make our country better, is probably the most passionate part of the book it is also the one section of the book that seems out of place. It's juxtaposition at the end of the author's life tale makes it seem like a footnote that probably should have been worked into a completely different work altogether.

Overall, I enjoyed reading ONE IN A HUNDRED MILLION. Unlike part of the disclaimer at the beginning of the book, I feel that the author's story is quite believable and worthy of reading or listening about. Though some of his life's events are extraordinary, they are not really that far-fetched or uncanny. Many of them are interesting and some are inspirational.

However, there is one major overarching flaw in ONE IN A HUNDRED MILLION. In the disclaimer at the beginning of the book, the author makes it a point of saying that, "This is a book in my own words and not the words of some professional writer looking to candy coat or embellish on the truth I have to tell." I usually don't have a problem with the typographical and grammatical errors of first time authors and self-published authors and though there are some of those in this book they are easily overlooked. What really can't be overlooked is the overall structure of the book. The first third of the piece flows easily enough, but afterward it begins to jump around and by the end things are all over the place. I understand an author wanting to stay true to their voice, but even the best of writers need an editor from time to time and ONE IN A HUNDRED MILLION needs major editing. Though the author's voice is completely in tact, the overall flow and structure of the book is terrible which makes the book increasingly difficult to read as one progresses from each chapter. Therefore, readers beware. Though ONE IN A HUNDRED MILLION is full of interesting stories that can give people hope and encouragement, the manner in which it is told makes the actual reading of the book a major obstacle in and of itself.

Well, I must admit that when I saw the cover of One in a Hundred Million, I didn't know what to think at all. Now, having read it, I can honestly say that the description on the back cover is quite accurate and that those incidents and stories illustrated on the cover aren't even the best of the bunch. It really doesn't do the book justice and completely overlooks all of the childhood stories which are truly delightful.

This autobiography is composed mostly of stories about events in Mr. Urichich's life and they are some of the funniest stories I have ever read or heard, and by far. I laughed so hard I had to stop reading every few pages because my eyes filled up with tears and I simply couldn't see. The interspersed illustrations really help you picture the people in the book and some of them are downright funny on their own, such as "Tata Help, Tata Help". Yes, there are all kinds of accidents and tragedies and mishaps--and the x-rays to prove they really happened--but there are also the triumphs and successes, and most of all, the humor and wonderfully optimistic and inspiring spirit throughout.

One in a Hundred Million is also the chronicle of a Croatian immigrant family's experiences as well as a very personal account of much of the twentieth century in the United States.

The author cautions at the beginning that he is not a professional writer and that is certainly true but the lack of professional technique is part of the art here and makes this book the truest expression of his personality that one could imagine. It is a very honest and earnest work and I wouldn't change it one bit with the caution that some of the language and stories might not be appropriate for young children--although some of those are the best ones!

This book would be great for interrupted reading (waiting in line, at bedtime, etc.) because of the mostly short and relatively self-contained chapters.

I can't imagine that someone could read this book and not thoroughly enjoy it or think that they had not put their time to good use. My only regret is that I never had the opportunity to meet Mr. Urichich except through this book. I highly recommend it as a great pleasure to read.

The Kindle version doesn't seem to be linked to on this page but it can be found here: Autobiography One In A Hundred Million

Having a sense of humor adds a dimension to life that can help explain why Nietzsche on opium, Freud on cocaine, and John Lennon on heroin felt themselves to be great. I love the feeling myself, but when I read, I can be savage about finding so much in other people that humor standing alone, like Al Franken trying to get respect from Republicans in the US Senate, tends to fall flat on its face. Among the many words on the cover of the paperback copy of ONE IN A HUNDRED MILLION by Marion Urichich, a doctor administers the wrong serum for stingray wound, and a corrupt legal system prosecutes a man for not lying. Being lucky enough to brag about how awful things are is another pleasure I frequently indulge in, but trying to study this kind of life makes me feel like literary life is a high horse eating its way through a lot of hair with the hope that a thoroughly digested hairball will be good fertilizer for the future.

Because I then had to review it. I promised. How I wish i hadn't.

Marion is a good man. Of that there is no doubt. Kind, generous, tough, hard-working, diligent, persistent and defiant, he calls 'em like he sees 'em. Unfortunately, none of those qualities are sufficient to guarantee a good book. And, though I hate to say it, this is a bad book. A very bad book.

Let's start with the cover. "This guy has more lives than a cat" it proclaims. But what stories from the tale are illustrated there? His shooting par on his first ever hole of golf. Onlookers were amazed. Not sure how that one supports the multiple lives claim. Or the legal troubles? Yep. Bad stuff, no doubt but hardly escapes (in fact he didn't escape all that well) from the grim reaper. He has had some near death experiences. I think most of us have.

Then I opened the cover and read the unnamed author's assistant's dreadful prose. I am sorry, but when an author and his mysterious assistant do not know the difference between "to" and "too" (and use them incorrectly multiple times per page), and do not know how to use apostrophes, it makes this reader tired. Why he didn't hire a high school English teacher to go through this and at least correct the glaring errors I do not know. But it certainly would have made reading it less of a chore.

A good book tells a good story, and tells it well. There are many good stories buried in here. All of them insufficiently fleshed out. All of them surrounded by things of no interest at all. All of them screaming for attention and care and labor. It's like being on an airplane with a talkative guy. "Oh, and another thing..." "Oh, one time this happened..." "Those damn lawyers, let me tell you what they did..." Whiling away a couple of hours trapped in a box with such a character might be fun, but having to force myself to open this book and read every page was not.

The author is a guy with a million opinions. My wife works in nursing homes with people about his age. They all have a million opinions. Just as unformed, just as random, just as scattered. And just as uninteresting. I wish he had told the narrative of his childhood (by far the most successful part of the book; though just a little while ago shoeshine boys are gone forever) and growth to young manhood. How a tough uneducated kid from poverty made a success of himself. How his family's love, often hinted at but never really described well, pulled him through. How he decided to push himself so hard when giving up would have been the reasonable option. there is a great story of overcoming and glory in here. But it is not told. We bounce from story to story, decade to decade, without any coherence or plan. The rambling talk of a guy with too many stories and no ability to distinguish their importance or tell them fully. Unimportant tales crowd out the good ones, and none of them get a full narrative. The Senior Olympics (possibly the tale with the most pages devoted to it) is embarrassing. Telling me you won a race when no one else competed is not what I want to read. Especially when legitimate triumphs were hidden throughout the book. The details about how his sponsored baseball team did? Really? Do you really think your reader cares how this team of old guys did? This tale needed someone to sit down with the author and probe and ask and find out how he felt and why. But no one did. Instead, the very weak first draft of a good book was published. What a shame. Writing is a lot harder than playing baseball. Too many people have told Marion, "That's a great story, you should write it down." Someone should have said, "This needs a lot of work."

I bet I would like Marion and Helen a lot. (Whether he likes me, now, that's another question.) But I didn't like his book at all.

This book is a detailed account of Mr Urichich's life from his birth to Croatian immigrants to the USA in the 1920s, to his present day life as a retiree. Mr Urichich has an interesting life story which I found hard to follow at times because the timelines for many events is not clear.

I enjoyed those parts of the books where Mr Urichich is recounting stories from his past. His love for his family and his desire to do the best job that he could comes through clearly, even though the structure of the book and the flow of the story become increasingly more difficult to follow.

I did not enjoy the last part of the book. The legal battles may have flowed better if they'd been included in the narrative not appended to it. Mr Urichich is passionate about his legal battles, and has also included a range of philosophical views and social observations which jarred because of both content and placement.

Overall, I am pleased that I finished reading this book. It provides an interesting albeit rambling view of a rich and full life. I can only imagine how much better it might have read after some objective editing.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Marion Urichich is a man who HAD to tell this story. Why? Because it is a story that deserved, very much so, to be written down. The antics, the accidents, the lawsuits, the jobs, the relationships and the heroic actions of this amazing man will keep you reading for days.

It was with great clarity and excitement that Mr. Urichich brings to life his biography, using pictures to backup his hard to believe claims. I had a difficult time taking a break from reading "One in a Hundred Million" because I kept wondering what could possibly happen to "this guy" next. Near death experiences, roadblocks and challenges at every turn, and then there exist those everyday events that we've all experienced peppered throughout the story. It is a novel about the human experience and how it shapes our character.

Is this the best book you'll ever read? Probably not. Is this a biography that will keep you reading and then contemplating your own life story and how many valleys you've come out of? Definitely.

A man's life story is the sum of his decisions and his ability to accept the consequences of those decisions. Urichich shows some regret for not spending more time with his immediate family, but he accepts the difficult times in his life as building blocks that led him to be a well-rounded man, capable of offering good advice to others.

"One in a Hundred Million - The Life and Times of Marion Urichich" is a page-turning fun time. I highly recommend this book to all teenage and adult readers.

See ya next review.

Dan Blankenship
Author of THE RUNNING GIRL
www.danblankenship.com

Marion Urichich has a story to tell. In fact he has a lot of them. No wonder, as he suffers from ADHD -- which makes it even more impressive that he has actually taken on the task (and finished it!) to write his memoirs and publish them.

And that's pretty much what this book is. A mix of stories and thoughts, without any structure or obvious order whatsoever. Sometimes entertaining, and always with wit. You can somehow sense that eternal grin on his face lurking behind every story, every sentence. Marion Urichich just loves to share.

The question is with whom. Urichich does not care, as long as somebody reads it. Somebody. In the very (very!) best case, this kind of book finds an audience with those who love to read about the U.S.American Dream (including the political points of view, which unfortunately confirm some of the prejudice that Europeans may have on untravelled U.S.Americans). Fair enough. That was the very best case.

More likely though, the book's audience is a limited private circle (often too private, as it is doubtful whether anybody really wants to hear about Mr Urichich's body functions and malfunctions). A circle that includes family members, and people who have come across him maybe. These seem to be quite a few, fortunately mainly for good and only a handful for worse -- 'cause he has experienced quite a bit in his lively life.

This makes him a bit of a real-life Forrest Gump, a label that is emphasized by his writing which is by all means not very professional. The 'style' and 'structure', or rather lack of both, add to the authenticity and the charm of Urichich's book though. And, like Forrest Gump, there is one thing one cannot take away from him: He had the courage to tell his story, or rather stories, not giving a rat's ass (those would be his words) about what others may think.

Marion Urichich is not my granddad, but is a granddad, and this is a collection of the classic tales granddad's tell. Born to immigrants from Croatia in the 1920s, Marion grew up in a modest family in the Mid-West, worked a lot of different jobs growing up, served as a Marine, and went into car sales. The most distinctive things about Marion are his phenomenal degree of physical fitness (well into his seventies - he'd give Jack LaLaine a run for his money), and his ADHD (by his own admission), and his will to overcome any obstacle.

No one story is incredible, but the collection is overwhelming. This is all the stories of yesteryear that have gotten lost in the 24 hour news cycle, the age of the nanny state and helicopter parents, and the advent of television and home computers. It harkens back to a time when shined shoes mattered, and noone gave a hoot about a kid helping clean in a bar. He's the guy who'd always do the right thing, always look out for his family, always help a stranger, and not brag about it too much. Sure, he boasts a little, but not to excess, and he's certainly earned the priviledge. But here's a guy with a few rough edges and a heart of gold, as demonstrated by his generousity and making it to his fiftieth anniversary (quite an achievement these days, when most marriages don't last a fraction of that).

A neat collection of the kind of tales a granddad tells, by a guy who both is a character and has character.

E.M. Van Court

When Mr. Urichich sent his book to me, requesting a review, I was delighted to oblige. His memoir is written in a colloquial/folksy fashion that reminded me very much of my grandmother telling stories about growing up in the Midwest.

I particularly enjoyed Urichich's stories about growing up in an immigrant family, and the struggles to earn money during the Depression and World War II. It's quite apparent throughout the book that Urichich's entrepreneural spirit was born of both necessity and a good mind.

What caused me to knock a star off of my rating, sadly, was some very poor editing. Mr. Urichich states in his introductory chapters that he is not the most educated guy, and I can understand that. I can also understand wanting to keep the colloquial, conversational style intact. However, there were a number of distracting examples of homonym disagreement and mis-spellings that could have been fixed by using a proofreader.

The editing issue is my only caveat, so if this is something that does not bother you, I think you will find this book very interesting.

PLEASE do not judge this book by its cover but rather by its contents: it is a goldmine. There are enough action-packed adventures, lessons-learned, and inspired story-telling to make a movie of this man's life. And it is all true!!! So, if you want a book that will keep you reading page-after-page, laughing, crying, but always amused, read this book. I'd highly-recommend this as a book you'd take on a trip in order to soak in its down-to-earth revelations about life, death, and beyond. It's an oasis of folk wisdom, a slow, deep drink of fresh water in today's desert of Dr. Phil platitudes.

John Jay Harper is author of Tranceformers: Shamans of the 21st Century - Second Edition Revised and Updated for 2012.