In the audio version of this book, Mathew McConaughey goes through the history of his life talking about those special moments where the Universe gave him a "Green Light".

After awhile his charming southern drawl got a little annoying, and after a time the book felt a little performative. (Performative is a term I've recently picked up from my kids, and started over-using. :) )

As he went through his charmed life, trying to impart his grand wisdom on the masses, it was really all about him.

Hidden within is an ego bursting at the seams, hiding behind his charm.

There's really no special wisdom to be had here, in my opinion.

Work hard, try to recognize opportunity when you see it, and have the courage to follow it.

There's not a lot here for the everyman. 

I'm not recommending this one.

I devoured this book on audible during my Walt walks.  I put aside all podcasts and focused just on this because it hooked me in immediately.

It's a classic existential threat to humanity and planet earth fiction novel. It gets really good when the protagonist meets an alien while he's on the suicide mission he was forced into, without his approval.

The description of how a human would have to "learn" to communicate with an alien with it's own unique culture, language, and biology far different from ours was very well thought out.

The whole thing was captivating from the beginning.

And of course, it was filled with feel good moments as the relationship between Rocky and our human protagonist deepens.

It was quite a ride, from the story of how the main character ends up on this suicide mission, the specific existential threat facing planet Earth, the solution discovered by Rocky (the alien) and the human by working together, and the end.

There's always something hooking you into the next chapter to see what happens next.

Highly recommended.  Walt got a big more walking time because of this one!

If one wanted a deep and complete definition of the word "subversion" as it applies to the human spirit, this book is it.

The completeness of the picture Orwell paints of a society drained of everything it means to be "human" left me feeling uncomfortable, to say the least.

A demonstration of the "Big Brother" machination is on full display in the complete dismantling of every last shred of humanity within the main character Winston, is brutal.

No matter how clever one may seem, in the end, Big Brother is at least 1 step ahead of every individual on the planet.

Even the word "individual" loses it's meaning in the world of 1984.  Even more, I'm certain the actual word "individual" has been erased from the language, along with any other words/phrases that could potentially be used to rally a resistance to the suffocating control the great "powers that be" maintain over the world population.

From modifying the dictionary, manufacturing lies, changing history and erasing the fact that history has been changed, allows the mysterious, shadowy group (many of whom likely don't know who else they are working with) near the top of Big Brother to maintain a seemingly eternal stranglehold on the hearts and minds of society.

However, this isn't just about controlling the hearts and minds of the general populace.  This is not about killing those who oppose Big Brother, or even "think" something is wrong with society.

It's about keeping them alive, and launching an invincible psyop against higher risk individuals, or those that have been captured by the ever present monitoring of the "thought police", and truly making them believe (not just say they believe), but to truly 100% believe in everything Big Brother wants them to believe.

On the theoretical spectrum of a governments control over society, this book attempts (and succeeds) to paint a perfect picture of the most extreme possible version of population control.  The heart has been hijacked... dismantled.  The mind distorted, with no baseline reality to hold on to.  Inner voice, intuition, gut feelings, all gone.  No options, no choices, just full belief in Big Brother, and all of the beliefs Big Brother wants you to have - including the history Big Brother wants you to accept no matter how often it changes.

This book accomplishes it's aim fully and completely with very few, if any, stones unturned.