Product Description

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #717049 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-18
• Released on: 2008-03-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

From Booklist
What Grierson dubs a wake-up call others may deem a religious epiphany. Either way, it means the call to live an authentic life. For this richly anecdotal book, Grierson interviewed dozens who have heard such a call, religious or otherwise. He asks why wake-up call recipients make U-turns in their lives, and about forming, creating, and sometimes reinventing one's identity. Some of those he profiles are famous (e.g., astronaut Edgar Mitchell, who underwent a profound religious experience in space), but as many and perhaps most are ordinary men and women who dared to turn their lives around, such as the Harvard psychologist who, in an afternoon, completely changed his mind about his life's work and how he wished to spend the rest of his life. Grierson also looks at the neuroscience behind what he calls the aha moment. What all the U-turners he presents seem to have in common is the ability to take a leap of faith and make a commitment to an uncertain future. June Sawyers
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
Praise for U-Turn:

“Grierson adds a wide range of commentary from philosophers, psychologists, researchers and theoreticians to his discussion of personal change. With careful attention to detail, as well as scrutiny of numerous stories that crumble on examination, he writes both credibly and broadly. He’s informative without being stuffy and thorough without being boring.”—Vancouver Sun

“Nuanced and informative.”—Publishers Weekly

“U-Turn is a very smart, grounded, wise, well-written, and important book…Here is a map that offers guidance to anyone tempted to take a detour en route to who-knows-where.”—Parker J. Palmer, author of A Hidden Wholeness, Let Your Life Speak, and The Courage to Teach

“In his fascinating, balanced, thoroughly researched and readable look at the ‘U-turn,’ Bruce Grierson gives this phenomenon its due. His view of the ‘wake-up call’ as the secular equivalent of the religious epiphany is brilliant…this book is essential for anyone contemplating meaningful change.” —Jon Katz, author of Running to the Mountain and A Good Dog  “Read this book for the tales it tells, for the inspiration it imparts, or for the knowledge it so generously gives.”—Lauren Slater, author of Welcome to My Country

About the Author
Bruce Grierson has been nominated for eight Canadian National MagazineAwards, and is the coauthor of Culture Jam. He lives in Vancouver with his wife and daughter.

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Customer Reviews

"U-Turn" inspired my own change of direction.
After hitting forty in 2006 I had the usual male "mid-life crisis." Buying a Harley three years before hadn't headed my mantastrophe off at the pass, and I began to ask various questions: Am I doing what I should be doing? Do I really believe in the faith of my youth? How come forty doesn't look like I imagined it would be at twenty? I looked for some good books to help me with my angst, and when I laid eyes upon "U-Turn: What If You Woke Up One Morning and Realized You Were Living the Wrong Life?" I eagerly grabbed it. I'm glad I did, because it was a catalyst for a major quest that resulted in a momentous U-turn.

Bruce Grierson indicates that a strong gut feeling is a sign that a potential U-turn is on the horizon. Symptoms can include anxiety, asking deep questions, and perhaps even an epiphany. However, we have to decide whether or not to acknowledge the gut feeling. If we put our head in the sand, then the U-turn can be smothered. But if we run with the gut, then we're on the path to course correction. In my case, it appears that the alarm of my "social clock" was blaring at full volume. I wasn't where I'd hoped to be, so I had to get there somehow - and I was ready to take a chance (an important aspect of the process). However, I wasn't sure what specific steps to implement. So for awhile, I kept reading, pondering, and arguing with myself over my next move.

As I continued through his book, I was afraid that Mr. Grierson's thesis would peter out and I'd be left high and dry. I'd had that happen before in books where the author's point merited an essay at best. Thankfully, that didn't happen with "U-Turn." He was able to propel his subject matter forward using different and interesting perspectives in each chapter. For example, "The Likely Candidate" asks if there is a U-turn "type"; "The Change of Heart" looks at emotion's role in change; and "The Parole Board's Dilemma" differentiates true U-turns from bogus ones. Page after page I found gold, and as I read I became surer that I needed to obey my gut and act decisively. But what should I do?

Eventually, the answer came to me within the text. Mr. Grierson mentions how taking a life-assessment time-out at the age of forty benefits a man. "U-Turn" was one of two books I read that discussed this idea, and it seemed like a sign. So in the summer of 2007 I took a leave of absence from my job to walk the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain, a trek I had long considered doing. I stepped off from St. Jean Pied-de-Port on July 14th, and 500 miles later on August 24th I walked into Santiago, Spain. The Camino was worth the risk and effort because it stripped me down to a basic level and gave me plenty of time to silence my social clock and work through my pressing issues.

After I returned, I felt like I had completed an important quest. I'd done something arduous that people write books about, and I wasn't the same person as when I left. And what about my own U-turn? Well, the Camino led to that too. The major problem I wrestled with on the Way was my waning Christian faith. Over the years I had struggled with various problematic doctrines, infernal dogmas, and the disparity between faith and experience. Ironically, walking a religious pilgrimage trail served to lead me away from my long-held Christianity. Soon after returning from Spain, I left the Church and became an agnostic.

My fortieth birthday led to a couple of critical events, and reading "U-Turn" was an integral part of that process. It was one of the most helpful life-alteration books I read during my mid-life crisis. Another significant one was the humorous and insightful "Fat, Forty, and Fired" by Nigel Marsh. I recommend both titles for anyone who is reconsidering his or her life's road and looking for the off-ramp.

Moving and absorbing examples of change
I'm still moved by the story about Kevin Kelly and his "second" chance at life. I'm a regular Wired magazine reader (which Kevin Kelly founded) but I didn't know this tidbit about his life. This is just one of the fascinating and often inspiring stories profiled in U-Turn. This book will at the very least make you question how sure you are about everything. Given all the intractable but hopefully not insurmountable problems (healthcare accessibility, climate change, dwindling natural resources) it would be beneficial if everyone questioned at least one long-standing view, even if just to reaffirm their commitment or get a spark for a new idea.

Really Good!
I enjoyed this book a lot. He covers the "phenomenon" of making big personal changes from every possible angle. The examples he relates ( with extensive quotes) make me want to find out more about these interesting people! The last chapters are quite interesting in relating that these personal epiphanies do not always happen in a vacuum... and that social and historical conditions of the time feed the personal changes and contribute to more social change, be it for good or bad, in a cyclical way. I would definitely recommend this book... a great topic to explore even if you are not (yet?) on the road to Damascus.