Title: The Easy Way or the Hard Way: Your Productive Life A Memoir
Author: Terry Wayne Williamson Sr.
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 979-8369436271
Pages: 198
Genre: Nonfiction / Memoir
Reviewer: Anthony Avina
Pacific Book Review
Often, a person‘s childhood can be some of the most defining moments in their lives. Whether that childhood is filled with trauma or fulfilling memories, the events one goes through during those formative years have a habit of staying with them throughout their adult lives. The question becomes whether those experiences serve to help and grow those individuals as they get older or hamper their development. That is why it is often known that people are the sum of their whole experiences.
In author Terry Wayne Williamson Sr’s The Easy Way or the Hard Way: Your Productive Life A Memoir, the author touches upon those experiences in childhood which not only shaped his developing life, but the years that followed soon after. After a transformative year between the ages of 4 1/2 and 5 1/2, the author saw a lot of personal changes in life that redefined his understanding of the world around him. Exploring those experiences and how they informed his path becomes the focal point of this memoir, allowing the reader to delve into his personal life and find inspiration for not only overcoming obstacles, but embracing life in its entirety.
A personal and compelling read, the author does a marvelous job of writing in a way which feels accessible and relatable to all readers. The conversational tone of the book allows readers to feel connected to the author’s story and life experiences, and the way the author’s life unfolded served as a great way to showcase the juxtaposition of living life both in a city setting and in a more rural country setting respectively. The author spares no details in this exploration of his life, as the chapters unfold and readers can glean so much information from the experiences in a literal sense, an emotional sense, as well as mental development sense.
Readers who enjoy nonfiction books, especially those that delve into memoir and inspirational style writing styles, will absolutely love this book. The depth of personal storytelling the author brought to light dealt with some heavy themes, from the price of alcoholism and addiction to the impact divorce has on a child – and later in life the powerful force that is love and the ways in which people tackle grief and loss at the same time. The lessons the author imparted to me came across less like he was preaching, and instead was subtly gifted through powerful storytelling, bringing these experiences to life in vivid detail.
