“This book is a wonderful thought-provoking book. The author presents a relevant topic. The way he explains how our self talk can affect us negatively or positively. It really made me think. There were very good exercises that the reader was able to do.”
Lisa Thomason
“I rarely read this type of book, but a friend asked me to read it so we could discuss it. I am glad I read it! While I did not follow all the book, I really need to read the NO parts. I hope everyone reads this work and finds the parts they need to improve their mental health.”
Lesheath
“One of my favorite outtakes of this book is the promotion of a positive attitude of gratitude. Just acknowledging and being thankful for the good things in your life can turn you towards the right direction. If you're headed in the wrong direction, change courses! Negative thoughts are the intruder. OOPS stands for Other Options Possible Solutions.”
Mary
“This was a fantastic read. I loved the author's main message: it's all about you. Self-motivated people will take this one as fuel. I am a bit worried the book and all its wonderful messages can come off as toxic optimism sometimes. But with the numerous exercises within the book, this one will get you motivated and started on that journey to the new you. I enjoyed how the author structured this book. He breaks down the negative behaviours you have adopted, shares how to overcome them, and then gives a bit of foresight into what comes once those interventions have been fully implemented. This is simply the best self-help book I have ever read.”
Ntokozo Joy
“I love this book because it helps me to see myself as having the ability to define my destiny. I would recommend anyone who struggles with believing in themselves to read this book.”
Burnette
“The Maestro Monologue effortlessly guides you to reconnect with your inner strong self and to take control of the process of your thoughts. You will learn to identify your negative thoughts and feelings, the ones that stop you from achieving your goals. It is a brilliant book, well-written and easy to read. You will find in it quotes from various known resources from Shakespeare to the Bible.. you will also find many jokes, real life examples, poetry...”
Yasmine Zaki
And Then I Met Margaret
“The author did a great job on motivating the readers to change their mindset become a positive mindset. There are many step-by-step ways to see ourselves as a worth person and we can break those rocks that get in our way to reach our goals. An interesting book in self development.”
The Maestro Monologue
““And Then I Met Margaret” is an uplifting book by Rob White. He relates anecdotes of meetings with gurus that range from the popular to the lowly. His stories are quick to read and engrossing. I read one a night before bed and used it as a way to wind down and reflect on the humble “gurus” that I have met in my own life.
Heidi Austin
The first story of his dear Aunt Margaret and how a kind thing she did in his childhood led to his first teaching position. It was a circuitous road from being a child of five playing cards with Aunt Margaret to teaching, but that is the joy in each of White’s tales. He might not know for a very long time how one good deed translates to a miraculous occurrence or lesson in his life, but he paid close attention. He starts each tale with “The Myth I Believed” and ends with “The Reality I Discovered.” Many of his stores center on the idyllic small town in New England where he grew up. However, the stories grow with him and progress to his adult life when he began a real estate business. He writes about this time in his life when he sought out adventures like fire walking, parachute jumping and breaking boards with his bare hands. Throughout this part of his life White continues to reflect – to pay attention and learn that every event in one’s life holds a lesson. He leaves that small New England town of his childhood, but finds the same heartfelt life lessons all over the world.
I honestly think that he does the smartest thing leaving the story of Margaret for last. It was worth the wait. This is a book that begs to be left on the bedside table for morning or evening reflection. The writing is clear, honest and touching. The stories can be read over and over and in any order…but I suggest a first read-through.
Don’t miss this one!”
“This book starts with a chapter titled "Gurus in our midst", which prefaces the rest of the book by talking about the regular people or situations that can teach us invaluable life lessons. The rest of the book is 21 chapters, each a short story that begins with an old and faulty belief and ends with a new, mature, better belief. The author has the wonderful gift of being able to see a positive life lesson in some really tough situations.
J gannotti
This book is autobiographical, but not dull! The author Rob White beat the odds and left a tight-knit blue collar mill community to become college educated, a teacher, then a real estate developer, restaurant owner, author and inspirational speaker. His overall message in this book is; do the right thing, work hard, do your best, believe in yourself, and treat others well. Cheating, selfishness and laziness will not get you very far in life! His lessons will inspire you to be as adventurous, open minded and confident as he is.
My favorite chapter was the one titled "Craving a Lilac Mint". In this chapter the author talks about a chance meeting, when he was a college student, of Rose Kennedy. Mrs. Kennedy taught him a lesson in the importance of self-confidence. Believe in yourself! Don't settle for less than what you really want out of life. You are not limited by finances or social status. What a great lesson!
I was so inspired after reading this book and I looked up this author to find that he regularly posts inspirational quotes on robwhitemedia.com. What a great resource, along with this book, to remind the reader to live their best life! Share it with others as well...this would make a great birthday or graduation gift!”
“And then I Met Margaret is a book about life lessons and how those lessons can come into play over and over again throughout your life. I like the way this book is broken up. Each chapter starts with a myth the author believed. I think this is important because it shows how one experience can change your mindset about something and if you pay attention and learn that lesson you will be better off for it. After the myth, the authors shares a personal anecdote so you can walk through the lesson learned with him. At the end he gives you the myth he believed as well as the lesson he learned. There are some very good lessons in this book. I like the format so much that I can see a reader using this as kind of a self study. You can think back to a time when you may have believed something like that was true and when perhaps something changed your view. Then you can see how your view changed and if you came to the same conclusions as the author.
DeAnn B.
I like books that make you think. You do not necessarily have to agree with the outcomes that the authors have come to but you can get insight into a different train of thought and do some self introspection. Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who is inspired by non-fiction books. Take a little break from the chaos of the world and dive into some time from the past where soda and coffee were fifteen cents, this baffled me. But it also shows these lessons are timeless.”
“The author, Rob White, achieved monetary success but realized at the pinnacle of his accomplishments that monetary fortune was not making him happy or satisfied. He turned to many "happiness brokers" and motivational speakers such as Deepak Chopra and Marianne Williamson, and although he learned valuable lessons from them all, nothing fulfilled his emotional and spiritual cravings.
Pastamom2
He is not afraid to admit that the answer to his long pricey search for spiritual guidance and meaning to a life that contained everything in the end was free.Hence, the title, a remark from a young girl named Margaret, whose question while on a field trip to his restaurant, sheds light on the path for him to follow.
The book has a folksy,direct tone and engaging stories from the author's life that are seamlessly woven into his philosophies and talking points. Each chapter leads with a 'myth' about life that he used to believe, for example "some folks are superior-lucky them" and the reality he now sees, "We're all superior-lucky us." As he is given random advice through the years, he then passes it on when appropriate to others, along the lines of the expression "Pay It Forward"
This is a must read for fans of self help or inspirational books. The tales from his growing up years are the most relatable and inspiring although a bit pat and superficial.That is the issue with his portrayals of most of his encounters, the ends are all neatly tied up and serve the purpose of each talking point in a given chapter.
Overall, this is an enjoyable and easy read.”
“Author Rob White is brilliant. Let me just get that out of the way first. The book takes the reader on a walk throughout the author’s life, and the various different lessons he has learned from different people throughout this journey. The entire book is segmented into different parts of Mr. White’s life in the form of short lessons that are thoughtful, funny and sometimes sad, but that always left me nodding my head and thinking about my own life situations that I had been through in a different light. The lessons start with a myth that the author had believed at the time, and then at the end of the segment show the myth the author believed as oppose to the truth the author learned. Possibly one of my favorite segments throughout the book is one where the author speaks about a myth called, “Only the few are selected to win.” In this lesson, the author tells the story of feeling someone out of place as an event with a number of those who are considered affluent and most likely to succeed. A woman at the event describes to the author her view that the people the author took to be Ivy league and destined to do well in life were just as nervous and stressed out about the future as anyone else. The woman, who turned out to be Rose Kennedy made the author realize that the ability to succeed was entirely in the author’s hands, regardless of the author’s station in life. This is the kind of story that I would feel comfortable ready pieces of to my own children in an attempt to open their eyes a bit to their own self worth before they go into the world. The author did brilliant, the formatting was wonderful, and this will remain a favorite book of mine.”
Dremel22