The                                          The                                        The                                                The                                             The                                           The                                           The                                            The

How do I describe this book? On the one hand, it’s a fantastic, mystical adventure filled with all the adventure one would hope to get out of a fictional story. On the other, it’s about a journey to seek the highest Truth. The line between art, philosophy and spirituality gets so blurred here that perhaps it’s best to say nothing at all.

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The general plot of The Author revolves around six fictional literary characters and a fictional representation of their author.

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Six characters, seeking Truth.

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Six characters, fighting for their lives.

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Along the way, deep existential topics are explored as well as the creative process itself. It will open your eyes to perspectives you have not considered. Are you ready to begin?

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Why it’s Awesome

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There are many amazing things I could say about The Author. The sheer creativity of the story alone is shocking. Or we could look at Raganato’s incredible use of language and his ability to blend a fictional story with philosophical wisdom. All of which have been noted already by other reviewers.

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Because of the theme of my blog, I’m going to approach this boo from a self-development perspective, rather than a literary critic. As much as I like this book, we have to ask ourselves the hard question: will this book help someone make practical changes in their life?

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The answer is yes, which is why I gave it such a high rating. This book is as good or better than reading many traditional self-help books I see.

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When I read this book, I see the entire journey someone takes over personal development career. It’s the whole path laid out with clear precision for someone with the wisdom to see it.

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Raganato has stated that The Author took over 10 years to complete. The reason being that he was exploring many of the ideas that we’ve been exploring on this blog. What is Meaning? What is Truth? In essence, Raganato took a personal development journey of his own over those years, and this book is the result.

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Let me break down why I see this book as personal development map WITHOUT giving away too much of the plot. You’re going to want to read it for yourself.

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The story begins with a description of Nothing. You could say this is a reference to the opening lines of The Bible, but you could also just say it represents before a person is born. The six characters are then “birthed” into existence by The Author and start having very human experiences.

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Life, it seems, is against them. They have been thrown into this experience without permission and are now expected to deal with it. Not only that, but the experience is far from pleasant. They are at the mercy of The Author who is intent on making them fight for their lives.

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Is that not a perfect description to how most people feel when they begin their personal development journey? They didn’t ask to be born, and yet they are now forced to struggle to survive against an uncaring and indifferent world that they seem to have no control over.

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The characters, realizing their plight, begin asking questions. Why are they here? What’s the purpose to all this? What are the house rules to this strange reality they’ve been thrown into? Slowly, the picture begins to fill itself in as they learn and make discoveries.

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This phase largely represents someone in the middle of their personal development journey. They start figuring out that they have more control than they may have imagined, and that perhaps the world isn’t inherently against them.

Finally, our characters seek Truth itself. I won’t spoil the story here with what that means or how, but needless to say this is where some of the more advanced, spiritual concepts in personal development become relevant.

For someone who is new to personal development this book is therefore almost like a broad map of where you may be going. The specifics will be different for everyone, but it gives a nice overview.

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When it comes to higher truths about life, sometimes the best method is to apply metaphor. Things get abstract and it often heavily relies on personal experience. Therefore, you’re forced to explain what it’s like because you can’t really explain what it is.

That’s The Author in general. Raganato is trying to take some very nuanced and complicated ideas and bring them down to a level everyone can get a taste of. Of course, a taste will never be the real thing. But it can at least point you in the right direction.

 

Why Does It Suck

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The only concern I might have for someone who is reading this book for personal development purposes is they may end up being very confused. If you just picked this book up off the shelf and started reading, it wouldn’t at all be clear that you could use this book for personal development.

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And although metaphor is useful, it has its drawbacks as opposed to clear, definite communication. This allows me to say exactly what I want and there tends to be less room for interpretation. So the message may not be altogether clear for most people by reading The Author.

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The Wrap Up

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The Author truly is something special. Every creative should read this book just to see what is possible with the artistic process. It will entertain, challenge and force you to examine yourself. Buy it now with no regrets.