Book Review - Say Not What If - Andrew Friedman

The author will be giving a copy of this book to one reader at the Halloween Blog Hop starting the 24th of October.
Come back for more details.

Title:    Say Not What If

Author:  Andrew Friedman

Review:    Wow 52 pages of rhyme that tell the story of a man’s life.  What do you do with your time?  We all have the same 24 hours a day and yet we use those hours in many different ways.  An example is that I love to read, I spend more time reading then other recreational activities.  My husband loves to read, but he also loves to watch British Comedies, some funny then others I think.  What so you enjoy?

This little book asks these questions and more.  What would you do if you could bargain to be cured from a fatal disease?  At times the story flow is halted by some of the choice of rhymes, but for the most it is an interesting short look at life and what we can and do with our time.  It made me think about the ways I waste time and with my oldest just having left for college I wish I had spend more time with him playing games and talking.  Time waits for no man, at least I think that is the quote and I can tell you that is a fact.  I’ve yet to regret the time I’ve spent with my children doing things we all enjoy.  


Are you ready to die, are we ever ready to die?  More time is what we all want, more time to do the things we put off for a better time, day, money, etc.  That time is gone and will never exist even if it wasn’t.  Do what is important yes, but make time for all the important things and people in your life.

I think this is a great little book for anyone to read and ponder.  This is filled with things we all need to think about.

Publisher:  Published July 11th 2011 by CreateSpace

Copyright: 2011

Pages:  52

ISBN:  978-1463627317

Quick Review:  4 Stars out of 5. 

Why I Read it:  The author was looking for reviewers.

Where I Obtained the Book:  Sent by the author.

Synopsis:  “Say Not What If” is a short story about a man on death row. The story is written as a long rhyming poem, and its primary theme is that time is our most valuable commodity. As someone once said, “waste anything but time, because we really are promised no tomorrows.” This theme is explored through the life of the protagonist, a man who sacrifices his marriage and everything else for his career. He realizes much too late the terrible consequences of this decision, and then desperately tries to regain those lost years by making a much worse choice. The resolution of this latter choice involves an additional examination of the concepts of accountability and responsibility, redemption, and the morality of the death penalty. The story recognizes that regardless of the reason, feelings of regret and even bitterness for the loss of time are understandable. That is simply human nature. Time is a unique commodity that can never be recovered, regained, or replaced. It exists once and then never again. But excessive regret or bitterness about the loss of time simply magnifies the problem by ruining whatever time we have left. Life is about living. Dwelling on losses of any kind interferes with and can even destroy that purpose. Time moves forward and so must we. I myself have struggled with this dilemma. The story is a product of my own experiences. I lost a considerable amount of time because I grew up with a violent drunk, and then spent many years as the sole caregiver for two terminally ill parents. The story is therefore a reflection of my own struggles with this dilemma, and an attempt to provide an answer for me and anyone else in a similar situation. I have never seen or read an entire story written as a rhyming poem, let alone one that is nearly 10,000 words. The structure of the story is therefore unique, or at least extremely unusual. My hope is that this will help make the story worth reading, and you can in fact read the first five pages of it for free on my website, www.ascensionenterprise.com. But my greatest hope is that if you are experiencing a similar struggle about the loss of time or anything else, that the story provides you with some answers and some solace. We all occasionally need someone to show us a way out of our own darkness. Merely writing the story has been a light and a beacon for me. I hope it will be for you as well. Best wishes.

Author Biography:  Andrew Friedman is an attorney and business consultant specializing unemployment insurance and workers' compensation. He also spent more than twelve years as the sole adult caregiver for two terminally ill parents, and grew up with a violent drunk. These experiences made him realize that nothing is more important or valuable than time.

His first story "Say Not What If" explores this theme through the life of a man who sacrifices his marriage and everything else for his career. The story concludes that dwelling on lost time simply compounds the loss by causing us to miss out on even more of what life has to offer. The entire story is written as a rhyming poem, and is nearly 10,000 words long. The story is nonetheless easily read and understood by anyone, regardless of their educational background and profession. The first few pages are available for free as a sample from Kindle Publishing, and can also be read on my website www.ascensionenterprise.com.

Best wishes, and remember the old adage that we should "waste anything but time, because we really are promised no tomorrows."

Other Reviews:

The Literacy Cafe

Amazon Review page