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A Place to Start: Stories and Essays from Down the Road Kindle Edition

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 11 ratings

We all go through tough times. When we do, it can be hard to find the silver lining, the happy ending, the lesson learned.

It can be especially hard to find the bright side when you're not an optimist – and Jim Grey is not an optimist. When his always difficult marriage finally ended in a brutal, protracted divorce, it nearly crushed him. He wanted to run away and lick his wounds.

But he had two young sons who needed their dad. He had to stay in the game. He started writing as a way of processing everything that happened. He published his writing on a blog and let friends and family know. It was a double accountability check: he'd keep writing if people knew to expect it, and he'd avoid telling terrible stories on his ex-wife. He sensed that wallowing in his pain and lashing out in anger were not going to help him recover. If he could weave all that had happened into a narrative that pointed to a better future, perhaps he could heal while still being there for his sons. His blog was a place to start building a happier life.

This book collects the best stories and essays from the blog's first two years. They're ordinary stories of an ordinary life, well told. Every ordinary life is interesting; it's all in how you tell it.
Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jim Grey makes his living in the tech industry leading software developers. He writes and makes photographs in his spare time. He started blogging his words and photos in 2007. In time, and to his surprise, his blog became popular. It only encouraged him to write and photograph more. Jim lives in central Indiana with his wife. They have seven children beteween them, all adults. The empty nest is in sight! You can contact Jim through his blog, Down the Road, at blog.jimgrey.net.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08MLB74C2
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Midnight Star Press (November 2, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 2, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 36128 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 190 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 11 ratings

About the author

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Jim Grey
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Jim Grey makes his living in the tech industry leading software developers. He writes and makes photographs in his spare time.

He started blogging his words and photos in 2007. In time, and to his surprise, his blog became popular. It only encouraged him to write and photograph more.

Jim lives in central Indiana with his wife. They have seven children beteween them, all adults. The empty nest is in sight!

You can contact Jim through his blog, Down the Road, at blog.jimgrey.net.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
11 global ratings
Life Lessons from the Road
5 out of 5 stars
Life Lessons from the Road
There are only two reasons to read a book of essays: either for enjoyment or for learning. "A Place to Start" provides both.Jim Grey's book collects 49 short essays about roads, bridges, relationships, adventures, and lessons learned. He groups his essays in three sections: Stories, Essays, and Faith. Many of his stories include dazzling color photos of the off-beat locations where they took place.The stories are mostly autobiographical, but like all good biography, they contain lots of insight about life. One insight that recurs in several stories is that, as the saying goes, "wherever you go, there you are." To fix some of our problems, we first need to fix ourselves. We can learn from his experiences, just as he did.Other stories are just fun to read, such as "Adventures to Come" and "Wanted by the FBI" (spoiler: he wasn't really in trouble).His "Essays" and "Faith" sections give challenging reflections about his experiences with other people and with God. He laments the fact that modern business often cares less about quality than short-term profit. He finds that God provides inspiration and strength but that He won't solve our problems for us. God expects us to do our part.Overall, the book provides an inspiring sojourn through good times and bad with a person who thinks deeply about what they mean. It doesn't provide all the answers, but it's A Place to Start.Full disclosure: I used to work for Jim Grey, and he is one of the finest people I've known. Nevertheless, I've made this review as honest as I can because Jim would want nothing less.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2020
There are only two reasons to read a book of essays: either for enjoyment or for learning. "A Place to Start" provides both.

Jim Grey's book collects 49 short essays about roads, bridges, relationships, adventures, and lessons learned. He groups his essays in three sections: Stories, Essays, and Faith. Many of his stories include dazzling color photos of the off-beat locations where they took place.

The stories are mostly autobiographical, but like all good biography, they contain lots of insight about life. One insight that recurs in several stories is that, as the saying goes, "wherever you go, there you are." To fix some of our problems, we first need to fix ourselves. We can learn from his experiences, just as he did.

Other stories are just fun to read, such as "Adventures to Come" and "Wanted by the FBI" (spoiler: he wasn't really in trouble).

His "Essays" and "Faith" sections give challenging reflections about his experiences with other people and with God. He laments the fact that modern business often cares less about quality than short-term profit. He finds that God provides inspiration and strength but that He won't solve our problems for us. God expects us to do our part.

Overall, the book provides an inspiring sojourn through good times and bad with a person who thinks deeply about what they mean. It doesn't provide all the answers, but it's A Place to Start.

Full disclosure: I used to work for Jim Grey, and he is one of the finest people I've known. Nevertheless, I've made this review as honest as I can because Jim would want nothing less.
Customer image
5.0 out of 5 stars Life Lessons from the Road
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2020
There are only two reasons to read a book of essays: either for enjoyment or for learning. "A Place to Start" provides both.

Jim Grey's book collects 49 short essays about roads, bridges, relationships, adventures, and lessons learned. He groups his essays in three sections: Stories, Essays, and Faith. Many of his stories include dazzling color photos of the off-beat locations where they took place.

The stories are mostly autobiographical, but like all good biography, they contain lots of insight about life. One insight that recurs in several stories is that, as the saying goes, "wherever you go, there you are." To fix some of our problems, we first need to fix ourselves. We can learn from his experiences, just as he did.

Other stories are just fun to read, such as "Adventures to Come" and "Wanted by the FBI" (spoiler: he wasn't really in trouble).

His "Essays" and "Faith" sections give challenging reflections about his experiences with other people and with God. He laments the fact that modern business often cares less about quality than short-term profit. He finds that God provides inspiration and strength but that He won't solve our problems for us. God expects us to do our part.

Overall, the book provides an inspiring sojourn through good times and bad with a person who thinks deeply about what they mean. It doesn't provide all the answers, but it's A Place to Start.

Full disclosure: I used to work for Jim Grey, and he is one of the finest people I've known. Nevertheless, I've made this review as honest as I can because Jim would want nothing less.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2020
I’ve been a fan of Jim Grey for many years after finding his blog, Down the Road, while searching for information on a camera I was interested in. That blog is a wonderful resource for photographers, camera collectors, old road aficionados, road trippers and history buffs. Peppered in amongst those usual subjects are blog entries in which Jim ponders deeper subjects and his journey down the road of life. Many of those stories have been collected, edited and presented in A Place to Start. While I’ve seen many of these stories on the blog, it was nice to have them assembled this way and I found myself opening my Kindle every opportunity I had to read more of the book. Indeed, the end came too quickly. Thankfully, Jim shares his wit and wisdom 6 days a week at Down the Road so I know there will be more stories of his journey there. If you’ve never encountered Jim’s writing, I recommend both the book and the blog. The stories from his journey of life and faith are the stuff that can help weary travelers find the wherewithal to continue their own journeys.
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2020
I ran across Jim's blog online, liked what I saw and started following him. What struck me was his style of writing, descriptive, and very capable of painting a picture of the subject he's sharing. Whether of an abandoned or little used road, one of his cameras and how he uses it, or the experiences encountered as he's traveled through life, he tells it in a way that brings empathy from the reader. At least it did for me. And through it all, he tells of his relationship with God, in a manner that I certainly identified with. It's a great collection of stories, of growing up and maturing, and all very relatable.

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