Review: David and the Old Man by William Zemba

David Zemba was a young man with a problem that no one seemed able to help him with. He was misunderstood and ostracized by most of his family, with the exception of his faithful brother, Willliam (Bill). Back in the 1960s, anorexia was a relatively unknown disease. If a person had it, no one knew; they just assumed there was something, other than fear of eating or gaining weight, that was the cause.

The book opens with a description of the Zemba family Czech roots and life as a pioneering and farming family. We are introduced to various members of the grandfather's family and finally David's own family, and their transition from a farming family to a suburban family. The author describes the difficulties and stress David's condition caused in family life and how he took it upon himself to be there for his brother and look out for him.

The book describes how each family member came to a christian faith and how this impacted their lives for the better. There are bible verses at the end of each chapter. Those in the earlier chapters do not seem to have much bearing on the content but later on they are quite effective.

Although the book started well, I felt it lost its way towards the end. The latter part of the book seems disjointed and does not flow well. I almost didn't finish reading it as it became quite hard going. I think the author would have done better to stop writing at the end of chapter 10. The author readily accepts he is not adept at writing, and this is his first attempt. I feel he would have benefited from seeking some assistance, particularly with the latter chapters.

This ebook was obtained free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program.

A real person, a lot like you

 Sometimes when we're using computers a lot we can forget we're dealing with a real person on the other end.

Failure is not the end

A little while ago one of my students sat his driving test. He logged the required number of kilometres, practised his three-point turns and parking and rolled up ready to pass. He failed.

Being able to drive the car and park it are not the only considerations when it comes to a test. Points are taking off for things like failing to check the mirrors often enough, forgetting to put on your indicator when turning left at the traffic lights, failing to use the handbrake on a hill start, speeding or mounting the kerb (eg on a roundabout).

The learner's handbook (which all learners need!) states that:

The Driving Assessor will explain to you which areas of your driving did not meet the standard.  The assessment form will clearly show you and your supervisory driver where your performance needs to improve.

The Driving Assessor will give you some specific information on how you can improve your driving before you take the assessment again.

The Driving Assessors don't want people to fail the test but neither do they want incompetent drivers on the road. They are experienced in the requirements for passing the assessment and want to ensure that all who pass are both confident and proficient.  Failure is not the end, but a springboard to better performance.

My student went for his test again yesterday. He passed with flying colours, scoring 100%.  :)