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Every Breath Is Gold #1
6 Minutes Wrestling With Life:
Get ready to laugh, cry, smile and think.
Twenty-six years ago, my mission in life was to win a New York State Wrestling Championship.
I committed myself to a lifestyle, I made the sacrifices, I put in the time, I starved myself, I even shaved my head.
I had the hunger, the desire, and the determination, but I came up short.
For many years, after I graduated it seemed like I got nothing out of my six years of total dedication to the sport. That the trade-off of what I gave and what I got in return to this sport was way out of whack.
I hated wrestling for it.
To put every ounce of your soul into achieving something and to get nothing out of it in return was beyond my comprehension and I just could not justify it in my head.
Until I had adversity in my life.
And slowly but surely, I started realizing how much the sport of wrestling actually has given back to me.
Much more than I ever knew.
"6 Minutes Wrestling with Life" is much more than a wrestling book.
It is an inspirational book on life, love, loss and belief.
You will never look at life the same way again.
Twenty-six years ago, my mission in life was to win a New York State Wrestling Championship.
I committed myself to a lifestyle, I made the sacrifices, I put in the time, I starved myself, I even shaved my head.
I had the hunger, the desire, and the determination, but I came up short.
For many years, after I graduated it seemed like I got nothing out of my six years of total dedication to the sport. That the trade-off of what I gave and what I got in return to this sport was way out of whack.
I hated wrestling for it.
To put every ounce of your soul into achieving something and to get nothing out of it in return was beyond my comprehension and I just could not justify it in my head.
Until I had adversity in my life.
And slowly but surely, I started realizing how much the sport of wrestling actually has given back to me.
Much more than I ever knew.
"6 Minutes Wrestling with Life" is much more than a wrestling book.
It is an inspirational book on life, love, loss and belief.
You will never look at life the same way again.
- GenresSportsNonfiction
274 pages, Paperback
First published March 8, 2013
27 people are currently reading
600 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 22, 2013
I can't stress enough the value of this book to families, athletes, parents of children with an illness, loved ones, children, adults, teams, and just your average Joe.
Persistence and never accepting no are the two life lessons them play over and over again. These values are corner stones of this family as they wade through the uncharted waters of how to raise your children and celebrate their accomplishments as one is gravely ill.
What would you do? I hope you and I never have to find out, I hope we could do it as selflessly as this father does...
Persistence and never accepting no are the two life lessons them play over and over again. These values are corner stones of this family as they wade through the uncharted waters of how to raise your children and celebrate their accomplishments as one is gravely ill.
What would you do? I hope you and I never have to find out, I hope we could do it as selflessly as this father does...
December 22, 2014
Writing a negative review for a book that everyone else seems to love can be difficult. Writing one for a story written by a parent that has been through hell can be downright daunting. The only other negative review for the book so far was ripped for being incompassionate and rude. I suspect I may be accused of the same, but nothing could be further from the truth. As the father of four kids I cannot fathom what the Passaro family has been through. It makes my stomach hurt to think about it, and selfishly, I don't ever want to know first-hand.
But just because the situation is tragic, or because the circumstances are potentially inspiring, does not make the book a good one, nor does it make the parent a good author. I found the writing style disjointed and pushy, with much rambling. Each chapter is only a few pages, and some of them didn't seem to fit at all.
The book often reads like a self-help book, and consequently, the story itself is pretty sparse. There are sudden story moments "dropped" into the text out of the blue, but the actual narrative itself was not coherent. For instance, there was no word a the end how Jess was actually doing, only that she had been out of the hospital for 1,166 days.
My last criticism I write with much trepidation. I don't know the family, or the kids. Jess' siblings seem well adjusted overall. But, I was a bit surprised by the author's interactions with not only the members of the health profession, but his own family. I'm not talking about aggressively advocating for your child. Believe me, I know all about that first-hand. I'm just talking about the general rudeness and abruptness that permeate so many conversations, as well as his actions he takes with the boys and Jess at various points. He reveals a question Jess asked one time concerning the family's obsessive traits. I'm glad she voiced that concern, because I had the exact same feeling.
Now, this review what *I* got from reading the book. Perhaps the book doesn't show the whole picture, or maybe I am jumping to conclusions. But, I just finished the book today, and this is my honest perception at the moment - I wouldn't read it again, nor would I recommend it to anyone else.
Now be nice. :)
But just because the situation is tragic, or because the circumstances are potentially inspiring, does not make the book a good one, nor does it make the parent a good author. I found the writing style disjointed and pushy, with much rambling. Each chapter is only a few pages, and some of them didn't seem to fit at all.
The book often reads like a self-help book, and consequently, the story itself is pretty sparse. There are sudden story moments "dropped" into the text out of the blue, but the actual narrative itself was not coherent. For instance, there was no word a the end how Jess was actually doing, only that she had been out of the hospital for 1,166 days.
My last criticism I write with much trepidation. I don't know the family, or the kids. Jess' siblings seem well adjusted overall. But, I was a bit surprised by the author's interactions with not only the members of the health profession, but his own family. I'm not talking about aggressively advocating for your child. Believe me, I know all about that first-hand. I'm just talking about the general rudeness and abruptness that permeate so many conversations, as well as his actions he takes with the boys and Jess at various points. He reveals a question Jess asked one time concerning the family's obsessive traits. I'm glad she voiced that concern, because I had the exact same feeling.
Now, this review what *I* got from reading the book. Perhaps the book doesn't show the whole picture, or maybe I am jumping to conclusions. But, I just finished the book today, and this is my honest perception at the moment - I wouldn't read it again, nor would I recommend it to anyone else.
Now be nice. :)
February 21, 2017
I loved the story and I loved the message. That said I agree with the guy that said the writing was not very good. That said I enjoyed it even learned from it.
July 20, 2014
Wild. I got this book as a free kindle giveaway, and I thought it was going to be a book about this guy's wrestling career and maybe a few life lessons he learned from it. I also had a short foray into the world of wrestling as a teenager, so it sounded intriguing. I was surprised at how different the book was compared to my expectations. it's the self-published memoir of this guy who suffered an unimaginable tragedy in his life: his 18 yr old daughter suffered a serious brain injury and was put in a medical-induced coma to avoid death. the book is really about this father's struggle with the ordeal and how the toughness and self-confidence he gained from athletics (mostly wrestling) transferred over to this time in his life when he need toughness and the confidence to make hard decisions. it is an amazing story and I am very glad to have read it. The writing style was incredibly choppy and difficult to follow at times, but just because this guy isn't a professional writer doesn't diminish from the story.
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April 18, 2016For the first time ever I'm choosing not to rate a book and that's just simply because I can't. This book was so good so so many wonderful life lessons. I think that's what kept me reading.
To realize it wasn't even about any of the wrestlers of Passaro family but about their daughter was shocking. To read about the seizure that has left her incapacitated and confined to a bed was heart wrenching. The strength of the family and how they've kept it together was amazing.
I grew a little tired of the constant focus on wrestling though. There were times where John was pushing his sons to compete even while this was going on and it made me shake my head. It did wonder on multiple occasions if they were living there dreams or his. I'm conflicted about whether John Passaro is continuing to living vicariously through his sons.
So the reason I choose not rate this book is because honestly can't decide how I feel about it. His daughter Jess is a fighter in every sense of the words. John and Jess's conversation at "an obsessive gene" might ring true for him though.
To realize it wasn't even about any of the wrestlers of Passaro family but about their daughter was shocking. To read about the seizure that has left her incapacitated and confined to a bed was heart wrenching. The strength of the family and how they've kept it together was amazing.
I grew a little tired of the constant focus on wrestling though. There were times where John was pushing his sons to compete even while this was going on and it made me shake my head. It did wonder on multiple occasions if they were living there dreams or his. I'm conflicted about whether John Passaro is continuing to living vicariously through his sons.
So the reason I choose not rate this book is because honestly can't decide how I feel about it. His daughter Jess is a fighter in every sense of the words. John and Jess's conversation at "an obsessive gene" might ring true for him though.
June 23, 2014
*I won a copy of this book in a GoodReads giveaway*
This is a self-published memoir by a man whose daughter suffered a seizure and went into a coma, and his struggle to cope with the situation. It's pretty riveting, and emotional, despite the amateurish self-publishing layout (it's actually printed on letter size paper and looks like a textbook).
The blurb gave no indication that this would be a medical memoir -- I was expecting something a little less intense, about the life lessons the author learned from wrestling competitively, as I thought one of my nephews might enjoy something like that. Technically, yes, he does apply some lessons from sports, but I wish the blurb provided more of an indication of the subject matter.
This is a self-published memoir by a man whose daughter suffered a seizure and went into a coma, and his struggle to cope with the situation. It's pretty riveting, and emotional, despite the amateurish self-publishing layout (it's actually printed on letter size paper and looks like a textbook).
The blurb gave no indication that this would be a medical memoir -- I was expecting something a little less intense, about the life lessons the author learned from wrestling competitively, as I thought one of my nephews might enjoy something like that. Technically, yes, he does apply some lessons from sports, but I wish the blurb provided more of an indication of the subject matter.
July 16, 2014
Heartwarming story. After reading the digital copies, I went back and ordered the paper backs. I wanted my son to read, reread this story Again and Again. He's a wrestler but I want him to understand that the lessons that he is learning on the mat: his hard work and perseverance, will pay off in life. This is a story of a man, family coping with a unexpected tragedy and how this father fights to stay in the circle.
April 13, 2016
As someone who works with persons with TBI and their families, this was a powerful look into life from the family's perspective with allowing time. Working in rehab is difficult because therapy is at a specific time and for an allotted time. This story made me want to work over night with persons with brain injury.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews