Customer Reviews

The One (Matrix Book) (Matrix Reprogrammed)

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The authors of this book have succeeded in producing a worthwhile guide to self-improvement via the concepts in the Matrix trilogy.
They draw a convincing analogy between the struggles of the average person to find self-realization to those of Neo, the main character of the Matrix. The "path" they illuminate is compared to the path Neo walked--from struggling with self-doubt and lack of confidence, to gaining self-respect through the help of others, and finally to going outside the sphere of one's own self-interest to focus on helping others along the same path. The most vivid and compelling ideas in the book are actually not so much the "how-to" advice--which sometimes gets trite to the point of cliche, as in the chapter emphasizing the importance of networking and the appendix dealing with a self-guided pep talk--but those ideas focusing on the nature of the matrix in our culture, our society and ourselves. They articulate very well the insidious quality of those unseen forces (cumulatively the matrix) which push each of us toward the path of least resistance, "the constant pursuit of temporary pleasure," and the unconscious desire to conform, resist creative thought and become eternally distracted. The goal, as the authors explain, is to get "unplugged" from this matrix, and the use of the movies is a fresh approach to this journey.

BUT, and this is a big "but," the text is riddled with typographic errors, rather obvious mistakes in grammar and punctuation, and problems with syntax. Though the substance of the book makes for some interesting reading, by the time I got through the first several pages, I was becoming so constantly distracted by these errors that it took great effort to focus on the message (and unplug myself from a kind of "matrix"). I am not exaggerating. There are mistakes on virtually every page, some of them as simple as the misuse of "your" and "you're." Authors, if you reprint or reissue this book, you have to hire a good copyeditor (like myself) to edit your text. I'm available.

The authors have created a fascinating new look at the Matrix Trilogy. Having read other books about this genre, The One creates a wonderful forum that can help, inspire, and guide a person into believing new ideas. Their analogy between the world we (humans (the people reading the book)) live in and the struggle Neo faced is convincing and somewhat helpful. The book is broken into 3 sections (Get Unplugged, Free your mind, and Create your life) each providing a new idea or question to ask before reading the following chapter. Overall the book is a quick, fun read that has some valuable messages of self development and is a great read for Matrix fans.