THE CHOICE

by Og Mandino ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1984

From the best-selling author of The Greatest Salesman in the World: an autobiographical fable with an awesomely self-congratulatory aroma. The narrator here is Mark Christopher, who at 36 gives up his super VP job at Treasury Insurance--in order to spend more time with his family. (""I'm going to stop this silly rat race I've managed to get myself into, count the blessings I already have, and let the rest of you keep running in your non-stop marathon to the rainbow."") Mark sells his house, moves to a lighthouse, does some manual labor for much-needed money, enjoys his wife and sons--and concentrates on writing a great self-help manual. (""Writing a book, I discovered, was on a far different dimension than preparing and delivering a speech."") There's ""heartache and frustration"" when the manuscript is rejected by one publisher after another. At last, however, A Better Way to Live is published, ""on its way to the top on every bestseller list in the nation and I was close to becoming a millionaire! A miracle indeed!"" Somewhat reluctantly, Mark becomes a media celebrity. (His wife says: ""You've got to come out of your tower and let the world see you, know you. . . and love you."") He gets a multi-million-dollar new contract from Goliath Books. But then, after a series of mysterious preliminary messages, Mark is visited by a messenger from God--who tells him that his son Todd is scheduled for death. The loophole? Because Mark has made the world ""a much better place"" with his book, God is giving him a ""rare option"": he can save Todd by agreeing to die in his place. Mark agrees, of course, reaffirming his belief in A Better Way to Live's principles. And, also predictably, God changes his mind at the last minute, sparing Mark: ""It has been decided that you are to remain as you are. . . so that you may continue to share, unselfishly, the key to a better life with all humanity."" Even those susceptible to inspirational sugar-plums may find this a bit too narrow for uplift; students of literary self-aggrandizement, however, should find it fascinating--and often unintentionally hilarious.

Pub Date: April 1, 1984

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Bantam

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1984

Categories: FICTION