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Dear Reader,
When I discovered the book, The Beggar King And The Secret Of Happiness, by Joel ben Izzy (our nonfiction selection for this week) it was one of those "perfect timing" moments. Valerie--a woman who previews books for me--found the book and sent it to me with a note:
"Suzanne, this is a book I literally carried around the house and wondered what to do with it. I didn't think it would fit into the book clubs, so I was tempted to just reject it--but a little nagging voice told me to ask you to look at it."
And so I did. When I finished reading the book, I sent Valerie this email:
"Valerie, let me tell you a story. For the last few months--since I found out that my mother has cancer and the prognosis isn't too good--I've been troubled. Troubled to the point of feeling that things were spinning out of control. I just didn't feel connected to anything anymore, and it was affecting my days and my work. Death was on my mind and I walked around worried, waiting for another axe to fall. I even started thinking about what a treat it would be to check out for a day and revisit my friendship with a bad habit that I put away over 30 years ago. I was searching for some kind of relief.
Well, I just finished the book,'The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness and I found what I was looking for on pages 117 and 118.
Here's what I read:
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He shook his head, "Would you knock off the self-pity?" He snubbed out his cigar. "All that you're seeing, your feelings, your confusion--that's how a story looks from the inside."
"But I'm real!" I insisted.
"And that's what makes it a good story. It all makes sense. You walked out of my door twenty years ago and set off to seek adventure. And now, here you are, back again, in the middle of a grand adventure. What more do you want?"
"Out."
"It doesn't work that way. What would happen if a character tried to escape from a story you were telling?"
I thought about it. I had no idea. None of my characters had ever tried to escape from their stories.
"They stay put, right?" said Lenny. "Because if they didn't, they'd ruin the story. And that's your problem. For months now, you've been trying to escape and claw your way out of your own story." He shook his head. "But that's not the way it works. You're in a story. I'm in a story. Everyone is inside a story, whether they like it or not."
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And today, Valerie, you're in 'my' story, because you sent me a book that I needed to read, in order to write the next chapter in my life. Thank you kindly. I know it's a strange email for me to send, but heck, by now you realize I'm a bit off the wall. I just felt the need to let you know."
* If you're not reading at the Nonfiction Book Club and you'd like to sample the book, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/alt/beggar1.html
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
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