The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews

The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews

The Traveler's Gift

Author: Andy Andrews

Pages: 225 pages  

Release date: April 30, 2005 

Content notes: Character building values for YA to adult audiences (Christian tones throughout)

“Until a person takes responsibility for where he is, there is no basis for moving on. The bad news is that the past was in your hands, but the good news is that the future, my friend, is also in your hands.”

 

Brief synopsis:

David Ponder is a husband and the father of a twelve-year-old. He also just lost his job and is overwhelmed with monetary debt/responsibility. His worries cause him to drive carelessly in the snow and as a result he careens into a tree. At that moment, he begins a journey that takes him to incredible places with historical characters who give him advice/insight about what he can win or lose in his life. Andrew’s plainly written book is historically researched and the reader gets to travel along with David as he gains perceptive and instructive points of knowledge.


My thoughts:

This book might make the reader think of A Christmas Carol (by Charles Dickens) or the movie It’s a Wonderful Life.  However, main character David Ponder finds that his life will be a wonderful one if he takes the advice given during the course of this book. AND, this is not just a story to enjoy, rather, it is a self-help book for people who like plenty of fiction added into some non-fiction. It reads as a novel, but make no mistake! You are being instructed and preached-to in this book, and I feel confident that Andrews would unabashedly and totally agree with this statement. He is not too heavy-handed, and his advice is valuable for people who have regular life problems. In other words, people who need a little push in order to get themselves together. In the printed version, there are discussion questions which might be useful for book groups.

People (like me) with middle-class values who get a little “down” when life becomes rough can benefit from reading this book.

However…

This book will not help or be relatable to people with really harrowing problems like very poor health, clinical depression, physical abuse, devastating news about your own child’s future, etc. David Ponder’s problems can be fixed with some money, a tonsillectomy for his daughter, a boost to his confidence, and a direction for his life. This makes Andrews’ story and its guidance seem simplistic but, to be fair, the target audience are people who really need to suck it up and stop whining, because HEY think about it! Maybe you do not have any real unfixable problems and maybe you should make the most of your blessed life.

A side note (what I did NOT like about this book):

One of the historical figures David Ponder “visits” is Christopher Columbus. I feel Andrews should have found a different historical character to help David Ponder explore decision-making and a “decided heart.” We know that Columbus had to be a very determined person, but he is not exactly a person to be admired because of the way he treated the indigenous people after his famous voyage.


In conclusion: 

I am glad I read this book. It is helpful for people like me who are very blessed and need to be reminded of this fact before we waste our precious time and blessings on problems that we/ourselves can and should solve.