'Elijah's Coin' by Steve O'Brien

My life, just like, I suspect, everybody else’s, has been filled with many hardships. Some of them resolved and others still lingering. Because of those unresolved misfortunes, I need a lot of encouragement and support to keep going and trying to do the next right thing. Books I read provide me with a certain acceptance and a feeling that not all is lost, and, most importantly, with solutions. Elijah’s Coin by Steve O’Brien turned out to be one such book.

The novel is about a college-age boy, Tom who seems to have lost all hope for a meaningful life the day his mom was murdered. He is now preparing to live a life of a criminal as a way of rebellion and empty showing off that he will become a thief because he can. This kind of thinking takes a 180° turn when Tom meets Elijah King, a night watchman in a sporting goods store Tom planned to rob. Elijah gives Tom a mysterious coin and with that coin and a lesson on meaningful living, he sets Tom off on a journey that will change his life. And Tom’s life changes in ways he never thought possible.

Elijah’s Coin is a short book with a simple message: “Give to Get”. But as I have personally experienced, sometimes complicated people need simple messages. Mr. O’Brien’s style is very convincing and adds a thrill to the story, which makes it that much more interesting. There are a lot of life lessons to be taught but it takes a skilled writer to show us, students the right way to learn them. And I think that Steve O’Brien accomplished this task. Will the book transform its readers? I think that it has that capability but only if the readers are willing to be transformed. As they say, “where there’s a will, there’s a way”, and Elijah’s Coin might just show some people the way. One thing is certain: the book has a lot of spiritual depth and core messages contained within it are meaningful and important. I would definitely recommend this book, whether your life is just peachy at the moment or an absolute hell. It may open your eyes to something that was right in front of you all the time but you simply refused to see it.

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Special Thanks to Paula K. from AME, Inc for providing me a copy of this book.