Elijah's Coin: A Lesson for Life
Author
Steve O'Brien
Publisher
A & N Publishing
2 Review Copies Left
Steve O'Brien has crafted a new work of fiction that successfully negotiates the tricky balance between entertainment and instruction. Overtly didactic in some ways, Elijah's Coin is also a highly suspenseful story that introduces us to characters we come to care about. The content is edifying and thought-provoking, but the story never becomes dry.
Elijah's Coin is the story of Tom, a young man who has suffered a tragic loss and is spiraling out of control. He's angry, anti-social, and rapidly descending into a life of crime. Then, during a night of folly, as he brazenly commits burglary, Tom encounters the night watchman Elijah King, a mysterious figure with a shrouded past. Elijah, unexpectedly, doesn't turn Tom in but instead becomes a stern and rather cryptic mentor to him. Rather than laying his lessons out in a straightforward manner, Elijah gives Tom an enigmatic coin and sends him on a mission of self-discovery.
The remainder of Part One of the story chronicles Tom's quest to find three powerful, respected men - an entrepreneur, a courtroom lawyer, and a philanthropist whose lives were forever changed through their own encounters with Elijah. Each step of the journey enriches Tom's sense of the world and of the contributions an individual can make to it, so that through searching for others he ironically comes to know himself. Each meeting also provides a piece of the puzzle that is Elijah and his give-to-get philosophy. Nonetheless, Tom becomes increasingly desperate to find Elijah himself again. The few clues he pieces together ultimately disclose a shocking truth.
In Part Two, Tom lives the message, learns to trust his own instincts and uniqueness, and becomes himself a mentor to other individuals on the verge of being lost. Each new, unexpected arrival, directed Tom's way by Elijah, presents its own difficulties. In dealing with these challenges, Tom is forced to discover resources within himself he had never suspected. A serious conflict between his new values and a thirst for vengeance arises, however, when Tom finds himself face-to-face with the darkest figure from his own past....
Author Steve O'Brien is an experienced litigator and international businessman who serves as General Counsel for a global consulting company. He has written and provided perspective for such prestigious publications as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. With Elijah's Coin, he turns his hand to fiction and draws upon his business and legal experience to create convincing scenes with corporate and courtroom settings.
Engaging, thoughtful, and ultimately profound, Elijah's Coin is a rare example of a work of fiction that aspires to transform its readers. As the great German poet Rainer Maria Rilke once wrote: Du musst dein leben andern ( You must change your life ). Elijah's Coin poses the same challenge through a story about inner growth that will inspire readers everywhere.
Reviews
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This is a story a young man, Tom Wagner, who is experiencing a tough time in his life. He lost his mother and became very angry. While getting in to trouble one night, Tom meets Elijah King. Elijah mentors Tom and sets him on the right path.
I enjoyed how this book was written in two parts. Part one discusses the problems Tom is facing and how Elijah helps him. Part two of the book shares how Tom uses the information he learned from Elijah and helps others who need help in life.
This book is very inspiring and motivating. The message the author is trying to convey can be used for anyone’s life.
Reviewed on 02/11/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Krystal Ringley
Tom Wagner was in trouble. He had just been caught trying to rob a store by a lone security guard, who introduces himself as Elijah King. Elijah offers to not turn Tom in to the police if Tom agrees to meet with him three times. Elijah tells Tom that he’s going to learn a lesson about life. Tom thinks the guy is nuts but will do anything to keep from getting in trouble with the cops.
Elijah tells Tom that he helped three other guys learn this same lesson and now they are very successful. One is a big-time lawyer, another is the CEO of a Fortune 500 company and the last one works at the city mission. While Tom doesn’t understand how the last guy is in the same category of success as the other two, he realizes that Elijah’s lesson could be worth learning. After all, it would be great to be that rich and powerful.
When Tom goes to meet Elijah for the third and final lesson, Elijah has seemingly disappeared. Tom can’t find him anywhere, but he wants to finish learning the lesson so he can be successful. So, Tom sets out to find Elijah. His search leads him to the three men Elijah had mentioned mentoring.
Steve O’Brien has created a character that many teenagers and young adults will be able to identify with. Tom is not perfect; he’s made mistakes. When the reader first meets Tom, he’s in a bad place. He is still very angry about his mother’s death and that anger leads him to make some bad choices. Elijah’s lessons make Tom realize how he can be a better person and make a difference in the world.
Although this is a life-lesson book, it isn’t preachy. O’Brien was able to create characters and situations that demonstrated the lessons he wants his readers to see without lecturing or talking down to them. Even if you’re not looking for a life lesson, it’s a good story.
During the lessons, Elijah asks some tough questions and encourages Tom to think for himself and to dig deeper into the answers. While Elijah was confusing sometimes, I didn’t feel bad for not understanding him because Tom didn’t get it either. Eventually, Tom does understand what Elijah was saying, then he explains it to the reader.
Reviewed on 11/09/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Nicole Mahoney
