Misfit to Maven Book Review
- Sarah Gai
- Jun 9, 2016
- 5 min read
So... I have been sitting here for hours. Tapping my fingers against my chin wondering what i'm going to write about my experience with this book. I sit down, stare at the screen, get up and make my umpteenth coffee and repeat the process. Why am I, a writer having so much trouble on what to write for this book? First of all I usually write reviews for fiction. I tell you all the things I love about characters, plot lines and how that piece of fiction made me feel. Now... I have to tell you the story of a woman, Ebonie Allard and her very REAL life! her Journey, her history, her present and that is actually really scary for me. Did I mention this is all real!!! So pulling in a deep breath and taking a leaf from Ebonie's own story and going with open honesty I begin to write.
When I first picked up this book I felt a little giddy. Being a independent entrepreneur I thought I was going to learn some new skills about running the business side of my creative outlets more efficiently. Oh boy, was I wrong. What I got was so much more than that!
Now, let me say this before I go any further. I would not recommend this book to you personally if you were looking for something on growing your business. What I would sell you this book on is learning to love yourself, Accept yourself, accepting your past,then leaving it behind and building on loving who you are now, which in turn can make you more authentic in running your business. What you can truly be and achieve if you work through this book. The blurb on the front cover, From 'Argh to Ahhh' is absolutely right and as I read this book I actually found myself saying that.
The start of the book was frightening, not in a horror film kind of way but it was as if I was reading my own life story. I had to remind myself that Ebonie was in another country, even though we are the same age, same wild imaginations,the parents and their ideals, the moving, the know it all attitudes, the way we dealt with the emptiness inside that at young ages could consume us, make us want to fit in, ignore our quirkiness. Yes, I felt as if she was telling my story. So back to my point....
The start of the book opens with the history of Ebonie Allard,her Birth, toddler years, teenage years, all the way up to college. By this point in the book I had been expecting a brief bio and then on to how she began her career and soon moved onto being an entrepreneur. That didn't happen and I began to pout thinking " I don't want to read anymore about Ebonies life!" . But I kept on reading. The story began to get deeper, tragic choices happened and I have to give a shout out to Ebonie because there is no way I would ever have the courage to write those choices in a book. To be that open and raw with a reader takes a certain kind of strength. HUGE BALLS! Did I agree with the choices... no! But it's not my life and I tell you all now. Do not judge her because my respect for her honesty has made me an ally for life.
Halfway through the book we are still reading Ebonie's up's and downs. Mistakes to boot, enlightenment, repeated habits, her struggles with weight, relationships, alcohol and drugs, sex and boy her life is a rollercoaster with them all. Let me tell you that as you are reading, you feel as if you're on the ride with her. The way she dealt with life wasn't that far from my own in younger years. By this point I just had to keep reading, I had to know if she got her life sorted out at all. I had to have hope that business advice was coming in somewhere. Sure she mentions her Girl Friday business but there was nothing there that gave me hope in her business advice. I was getting desperate for this book to have a happy ending to see where she was now.
Ebonie Allard is a certified Coach, a Misfit turned Maven, and an Adventurer who dedicates her days to inspiring and enabling misfit freelancers, business owners and entrepreneurs to feel less ARGH!! and more AHHH!!
Then the story shifted and so did my mind....
Two thirds of the way into Ebonie's history this book becomes more than just a story. She blossoms, comes out of her cocoon and flutters like a beautiful butterfly. The idea of me reading for business advice is just ludicrous. What I got from this book was unexpected and so much more than what I could ever imagine. This book gave me a fresh look at my own life. As Ebonie begins to walk you through her eight steps and you begin to ponder and think about the questions she is asking you.... oh dear girl, you start thinking of yourself in a whole new light. You start to realise that who you are is what matters. Self acceptance, to embrace your qualities and take a good long look at yourself in the mirror. So going back to the bio that was originally sent to me about this book I actually took a good long look at it and sighed. It didn't so much say it was about business. This is what it did say!
'Misfit to Maven' is intended to encourage people who feel like they are ‘misfits’ (different, ashamed and alone) to embrace who they are, trust themselves and know that they are never too much and always enough.
The target audience is self-employed ‘Creatives’ who feel as though they are on the edge, both men and women, from 26 to 56. They are innovative, geeky, creative and too full of heart to clock in and clock out of a job and/or life.
So what would I rate this book?
Yep, that's right a big 5 stars!!! This book is absolutely worth your time. It may have seemed as if in the beginning you weren't sure where I was going with this review. To be honest as I read this book I wasn't sure where i was going. But I tell you now when you have a book in your hands you can't tear your eyes away from and even if the start doesn't capture in five minutes. I'm so glad I continued reading. I learn't so much from Ebonie. How to stop what I was doing and sort through my life, priorities. I have struggled with my weight for a long time and this book even made me take a good long hard look at accountability.
Ebonie Allard is a once in a lifetime coach. She doesn't preach at you, she shows you warts and all that she's been there and can help you. Reading this book is like having a personal conversation with your friend.
To wrap up my first non- fiction review. Would I recommend this book to others? HECK YEAH! I'm going to make sure my friends and family read this book. Keep it in a safe spot to re read and reflect upon in times of doubt. This is the book they will be receiving in their santa sacks. A book I will be recommending through out the year across IndieLove Magazine and Sarah Gai social sites. I would absolutely love another book written by Ebonie on business, because I think I could learn a thing or two!
To know more about Ebonie Allard and how she can change your life check out.
http://ebonieallard.com sign up to her email list where you can gain great advice updates and right now if you
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