Customer comments on this selection.
 Wow! What a ride
I finished "Somewhere Fast" yesterday, In fact, I started "Somewhere Fast" yesterday, just couldn't put it down, Wow, what a ride. From the first chapter to the last, I was on that ride. For me, the two toughest parts of the read were focusing on the next line through tears, and finding my place again after laughing out loud. I had a wonderful day yesterday and really appreciated our time together. Thanks Bob.
 Insightful, but flawed
The protaganist in this novel has screwed up his life by having an utter meltdown while pastoring a church, eventually divorces his wife, has several affairs, then comes to a point where he hops on his Harley for a road trip to try to make sense of it all, and somehow in the process come to an epiphany about his life. I suspect that this "novel" is a distillation of a Bob Beltz seminar, nevertheless, I was engaged by and identified with much of the main character and plot. I agree to a large part with the psychological/theological premise, that is, the masculine striving to "ascend", the "crisis", and then the "descent" (which reminded me for some reason of Bill Hybel's Descending Into Greatness). It is flawed, however, for it's simplistic and contrived nature, which could be forgiven perhaps as literary devices except for the seriousness and complexity of its topic. There is for instance a rather one-dimensional take on the central theme. Although an elongated "crisis" stage is hinted at, the crisis described by any of the male characters in the book is of a brief and cataclysmic nature. It would have been interesting to have some insight into a more complex and, as I said, elongated and less cataclysmic "crisis", which in my opinion is perhaps more common. Another strange, and perhaps petty issue I have, is that all the characters from whom the protaganist seeks advice - are unmarried. Accidental? Or is Mr. Beltz trying to say something subliminally? I could not tell. The book is well worth reading however, and probably inspiring for many.
A TERRIFIC RIDE...AHEM, READ!
Bob, a wonderful read that provides an insight into the male psyche - and a wonderful spiritual journey all on the seat of a Hog! I want a sequel.
 A compelling and insightful read
Bob Beltz tells a compelling and unpredictable story that seems to capture the yearning so many of us feel but wouldn't know how to articulate. His characters ring true and his prose is visceral and insightful. I'm no motorcycle fan, but I believe this story works for everyone who has realized that life truly is a journey - with quite a few unexpected bumps along the way.
Christianity and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Bob Beltz tells a story that probably sounds a lot like his life, and definitely sounds like my life. I'm three years older than him, not a former Presbyterian minister, and I'm not into motorcycles. But the rest of it is so written to me! There is talk in the book about the "man's journey," which I've never really been into either. There was something weird about thinking of my life as going through the same twists and turns of all men. Well, OK - I get it now.
Beltz's character, John Calvin's life is a mess in his mid-forties. He does what many men have done, a long road-trip on a Harley, to try to get some perspective on it. He's got a list of people his friends have recommended, who might be able to help him in that project. He's messed up his marriage, his relationship with his kids, his career and his relationship with God. John is also a former Presbyterian minister, so that last one is really important. He roars from town to town and learns a lot. But it's in the events following a completely disorienting experience that bring him down so low he can decide exactly how to crawl back up.
I think I'm not alone, among middle-aged men, in being in a crisis stage myself. This book took me into the crisis in a way that nothing has been able to do before. His observations are true. It's definitely a Christian book, but there's nothing preachy about it. Real people talk about real things, including God.
"Somewhere Fast," is now officially one of my favorite books of all time. I'll be loaning it out a lot and giving it as birthday presents. Maybe someday all of us Holy Fools will get together and throw a party for Beltz. He deserves it. This is a great book.
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