my favorite book of the year

donald miller's brand new book a million miles in a thousand years is my choice for best book of the year. this book has completely changed the way i approach my life, and has given me a new hope and freedom to explore the central characters, plot, themes, and conflict that when combined together tell the story of my life.

a short excerpt from the book:

years after writing a best-selling memoir, donald miller went into a funk and spent months sleeping in and avoiding his publisher. one story had ended, and don was unsure how to start another.

but he gets rescued by two movie producers who want to make a movie based on his memoir. when they start fictionalizing don's life for film--changing a meandering memoir into a structured narrative--the real-life don starts a journey to edit his actual life into a better story. a million miles in a thousand years details that journey and challenges readers to reconsider what they strive for in life. it shows how to get a second chance at life the first time around.

while reading the book, i started a journal so that i could have a place to record my thoughts and keep a log for questions for future processing. these are just the beginning thoughts in the process of recreating my story:

how can i be a remarkable character? "i’ve wondered, though, if one of the reasons we fail to acknowledge the brilliance of life is because we don’t want the responsibility inherent in the acknowledgment. we don’t want to be characters in a story because characters have to move and breathe and face conflict with courage. and if life isn’t remarkable, then we don’t have to do any of that; we can be unwilling victims rather than grateful participants." (p.59)

i must learn to embrace pain & difficulty in my life and view it as a beautiful gift. "the pain made the city more beautiful. the story made us different characters than if we’d showed up at the ending an easier way." (p. 143)

i want to surround myself with fascinating stories - people living out bold stories. "you become like the people you interact with. and if your friends are living boring stories, you probably will too. we teach our children good or bad stories, what is worth living for and what is worth dying for, what is worth pursuing, and the dignity with which a character engages his own narrative." (p. 160)

maybe life is about simply enjoying the experience with god. "you get a feeling when you look back on life that that’s all god really wants from us, to live inside a body he made and enjoy the story and bond with us through the experience." (p. 7)

Comments

[Megan Lee]

alright thats it - im getting my copy now. can't wait in line to borrow. can't wait for paperback.

[Henry Zonio]

I agree! AMAZING book!

[John]

You've convinced me to get it.
I was already planning on getting it after reading about his presentation at NYWC in LA.
I like your reflections.
Thanks,
John