Customer Reviews

Read & Grow Rich: How the Hidden Power of Reading Can Make You Richer in All Areas of Your Life?

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

 

 

A wealthy friend of mine turned me on to this book because it summarized his thoughts on reading. Everything we read changes our outlook on life. Burke Hedges talks about how reading changed his life and how it has changed the lives of hundreds of people like: Ophra Winfrey, J.W. Marriott, Wendy's Restaurant Owner - Dave Thomas and others.

Learn more about the Readers & the Read Nots Vs. The Have's & Have Nots in Chapter 5. What we read is as important as reading itself. This is a book for those who want to learn how to read and change their life.

I believe this book, as simple as it is, to be a powerful book for people who want to bring about change in their lifes. For those who say "I don't have time to read", this book tells why they must choose to have time. It's the only way to change those thoughts in your head to new and different ones. Read Mr. Burke Hedges book! It will change your thinking.

The author talks about the importance of reading, and how it differs from simply watching TV or listening to the radio. Straight forward approach, with individual human examples, of how a person's life can change for the better by reading.

There is also an interesting comparison (that may even be eye-opening) between the people who choose to read and the people who know how to read and choose not to.

This should book should be required reading for every high school senior or college freshman. Mr. Burke has certainly done his homework. Never before have I read a book that so vividly describes how Reading can transform ones'e life and contribute to one's success. Five stars for Read and Grow Rich!

Burke Hedges wrote the delightful little book on how one can grow rich and fulfilled by reading good books. He illustrates several excellent examples of wealthy people who credit their prosperity to a great idea that was picked from a good book. There are hundreds and thousands of books out there but the author cites some classics which from my own experience and reading, can attest to their greatness. These include inspirational/motivational books like Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz, The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale, The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale, Acres of Diamonds by Russell Conwell and The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino. The right book at the right time can make a huge difference to one's life.

The right book depends on one's goals in life. If in management, one needs to seek the right management books to be guided to success, such as management books by gurus like Peter Drucker. Many people complain of busy lives with no time for reading. However, the author shows that one only needs to spare about 15 minutes a day for reading and this can make a tremendous difference. He also gives tips about how one can read more effectively. From reading a good book, we can talk to great men and women who give us their valuable thoughts and insights.

Whole cultures have been changed by some compelling books. The author cites ten such books which most would agree that they changed the world to a significant extent. These include The Bible, writings by Greek philosophers like Plato, Socrates and Aristotle, The Magna Carta of 1215, The Gutenberg Bible, the 95 Theses by Martin Luther, the plays and sonnets by Shakespeare, the American Declaration of Independence (1776), the US Constitution and Bill of Rights, the Communist Manifesto and Hitler's MeinKampf (my struggle). No doubt, we can think of many more.

I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to enrich his/her life through reading. Remember that reading should be life long, not just to pass some examination.

If you read only one book in the next year,may I suggest that this be the one.
This is a very astute book and anyone who spends a couple of hours reding it will get more benefit from it than anything else you could receive for the time spent.
This book is so good the rewards from reading it can come to a person in their teens,in their mid-life,in their retirement years,and that goes for someone with minimal or extensive education;successful or still struggling.
The book is loaded with comments from people of all walks of life and sayings that one can adopt to guide them in success and happiness.
A couple of sayings are indicative:

"You are the same person today as you will be five years
from now, except for two things:
The people you meet
and
The books you read."
"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over
the man who cannot read them."
I have been an avid reader as long as I can remember.At home we has a set of The Book of Knowledge,consisting of 24 large volumes.I devoured the whole set,and much of more than once,before I finished school.While in the Army ,one summer, I found "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck and by the end of summer ,I'd found and read all his novels.I have continued to read ever since and am now in my retirement years and read about 150 books a year.I have a personal library of about 7000 books and fully agree with the saying "So many books and so little time".
This love of reading has rewarded me throughout my life,and Hedges has beautifully covered the benefits of reading in this 'Gem' of a book.
I'd like to add a couple of my favorite 'book sayings' to the ones in this book:
"There is no frigate like a book,to take us lands away."
"Those who are happy enough to have a taste for reading need
never to be at lost for amusement."

Despite the kind of cheesy title, I actually
really liked this book. The Author, Mr. Hedges
was not a big reader, but reluctantly decided to
read a self-help book that his sister-in-law had
recommended. This book not only inspired him to
read more books, it actually inspired him to change
his life, to make the changes necessary for him
to grow rich, both materially and spiritually.

Reading self-help books, although very helpful
for many people, is also considered kind of
declasse. This is ironic since traditionally,
studying the humanities (including Literature)
was considered a form of self-help, a respected
way to understand humanity and oneself.

This is something Mr. Hedges touches upon when
he lists a number of historical self-help books
such as Pilgrims Progress and Walden. Popular
self-help books, that are also considered Literature.

The author also stresses the importance of
self-education through reading, and gives
some examples, including:

- Abraham Lincoln who went to school a couple of
times a week when he was 7 years old (a total
of 18 months according to Wikipedia), and that
was it. The rest of his education he got from
reading widely.

- Frederick Douglas, a slave with no formal education
(he learned to read by listening while the wife
of his owner taught her children to read).
He was self-taught through reading, and became
a major force in the abolitionist movement.

What I particularly liked about this book was
the author's sincerity in wanting to spread the
word on the benefits of reading, which he does
is a very lively way.

Where the book lacked, was that the author neglected
the importance of reading for enjoyment. After all,
the more you "read for pleasure", the easier
reading becomes (practice makes perfect). And the
easier reading becomes, the more likely the reader
will stick with and comprehend more instructional
books.

I also really enjoyed the historical references
that Mr. Hedges makes. It's obvious he did his
research, and I definitely learned a lot!

I'm all for reading. A reading advocate for all seasons.

But this is a short book that can't even fill its short pages with any message more specific than: Reading Is Good Not Just Because Your Teacher Said So, But Because It Will Increase Your Chances Of Success In Life.

Really! What a surprise!

If you don't already know that, you ain't gonna be reachin' for this book in the first place.

P.S. I was hoping to, and still hope to, find a book linking certain books/magazines and certain reading habits with certain successful people, so as to draw conclusions as to the best things to read and the best reading habits to have if you want to "B" "E" "Successful" (or at least to pretend you have a chance).