A Worthwhile Life by Michael Westover
A Worthwhile Life
Author: Michael Westover
Genre: Non-fiction | Self-Help
Format: Physical ARC provided by the Book Launchers team
Publish Date: March 2023
Read: February 2023
Favorite Quote: The cult of the self prioritizes the needs of the individual while disregarding the needs of others.
Synopsis: Westover’s book, A Worthwhile Life, examines the concepts of meaning and purpose. After facing his own existential crisis, Westover channeled that energy into finding answers for himself, then writing this book to help others. The result is an interesting look at responsibility, accountability, meaning, and purpose as it relates to the self, the community, and humanity.
Why does this book beguile? I was curious but guarded when I received this book. The Book Launchers team reached out to me to potentially review this book, and I enthusiastically agreed. I tend to love self-help and self-improvement books, so this is right up my alley. I was guarded, however, because sometimes these types of “life-meaning” books fall on the side of preachy or even overtly mono-theistic in nature.
While Westover is a practicing Christian and there is an undercurrent of Christian mono-theism in the book, Westover does an excellent job of balancing his personal experience with examples from other faiths and including atheism examples in purpose and meaning as well.
A Worthwhile Life comes in at 140 pages, making it a quick read. Due to its brevity, it’s important to note that Westover does not cover every nuance or perspective on his topic, but writes from his point of view and draws from his direct experience or the experience of those close to him. This is not a bad thing! I appreciate when non-fiction authors write what they know (and cite their sources, which Westover does).
One of the values in my life is “serve.” The central theme of A Worthwhile Life is that to serve is to love, and being able to love, whether a person, animal, or plant, adds meaning and/or purpose to your life. Overall, A Worthwhile Life carries an uplifting message for its readers.
Rating: 4.5 / 5