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Rating: 
Summary: I wouldn't give it another shot.
Review: Another Shot by Joe Kita, I listened to on
the way to my vacation. In this book, the author tries to relive, or correct his regrets.
The book made me wonder about my own regrets. I dislike that word. Regret implies
that I would change something in my past. Each thing that happened to me, each
decision, lead me to the place I am now. I try to actively design my life and I am
intensely happy and pleased with my life. So although I am sometimes curious about
"what ifs" in my life, I can't truly regret any decision, because any minor change may
have altered my present. In spite of disagreeing with the author's premise, I still enjoyed parts of this book.
The chapter about his mother is hilarious. Is it worth it to read the whole book? I
don't know. The book is written in a hokey way, which can be a bit cloying. http://home.att.net/~bunsonmars/
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Disappointing is the word that comes to mind having read this book. I loved the premise, and even some of the specific regrets, such as trying out for the high school basketball team again, and living like you're filthy rich for a week. My amusement ended quickly, as the author began injecting his own share of disfunctionality into the book. I quickly found out that he's a fallen catholic, doesn't get along with his mother, never made peace with his father, and varoius other "issues". Before long, I could no longer relate and stopped reading. I did finally finish the book, but it wasn't worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I saw Joe Kita on Oprah and was inspired enough to read his book. It is very well written although I could have done without the lust remarks, such as with the babysitter and the cheerleaders, etc. I have been so motivated by his words that I am actively pursuing my list of regrets.
Rating: 
Summary: Inspirational Read
Review: I saw Joe Kita on Oprah and was inspired enough to read his book. It is very well written although I could have done without the lust remarks, such as with the babysitter and the cheerleaders, etc. I have been so motivated by his words that I am actively pursuing my list of regrets.
Rating: 
Summary: Prompted me to make my own life "do-over" list!
Review: I've always loved Joe Kita's feature pieces in Men's Health and Bicycling magazines and I was really happy to find his new book. My friends and I read this book this week and can't stop talking about it. We spent an entire evening talking about our own regrets in life and what we'd do if we had another shot. The conversation was hot and heavy and rapid fire as each person's regret prompted another thought by another person. After seeing Kita on Oprah today, I made my own regret list and plan to try really hard to whittle the list down regularly. This book made me laugh and think and I can't stop talking about it. I highly recommend it, especially for book clubs. It's a real conversation starter!
Rating:
Summary: The big prize, the old car, and the quest for washboard abs.
Review: Kita decides to relive his life by re-confronting experiences in his life that he has regrets about. He tries out for his alma mater's basketball team, tracks down a car he once owned, looks up an old girlfriend, attempts to develop "washboard abs" and relives a number of other events. Fun, but overly long and self-absorbed at some points (the insights wear out eventually-there's only so much you can say about living your life again...) Some of the events (winning the big prize at the carnival, for example) I just couldn't relate to. I agree, though, that it did make me think about what I would do again if I could. And how I can avoid making decisions now that I will regret later.
Rating:
Summary: Healthy (If Expensive) Ways to Have a Mid-Life Crisis
Review: Many people in their middle-aged years (often between 35 and 45) decide to recapture their youth. For some, this means divorcing one's spouse and marrying someone much younger. For others, this means taking up sky-diving. Yet others take up landscape painting. In each case, the behavior is a response to the sense that time is getting shorter and that one had better gather some rosebuds while one still can. It was with that presumption about Another Shot that I picked up this book. What I found in this book was different from that sentiment, being rather a kind of desire to seek the perfection that had been missed so far instead of a blind seeking for lost youth. The results as reported here are fascinating. Have you ever wondered what if you had done A instead of B? If so, Another Shot will take you in interesting ways down some of those corridors of second guessing. The book opens with Mr. Kita recounting a story about Jeff Bezos thinking through how Mr. Bezos would look back on his life if he were 80. Mr. Bezos reportedly concluded that he would be better pleased with himself if he had tried great things and failed than if he had never tried very much and succeeded at small things. Mr. Kita was 40 when he had these thoughts about Mr. Bezos's self-examination. In a period of a year, Mr. Kita explored the following "what ifs" (1) He had not been cut from his high school basketball team. (2) He had become very rich. (3) He had asked a beautiful woman who spoke to him out on a date. (4) He had kept his first car. (5) He had kept his hair and its original color. (6) He had had a good relationship with his mother. (7) He had had a strong religious connection to God. (8) He was still at his sexual peak. (9) He had been able to say good-bye to his father, when he died. (10) He had become a surfer. (11) He had not had to work so hard. (12) He had become a target shooter. (13) He had developed his body into a thing of beauty with exercise. (14) He had overcome his fears of heights and lightning. (15) He had won the big prize in the games at a carnival's midway. (16) He had proven he was a "real man" in traditional ways. (17) He had taken better care of his health. (18) He had better cared for his first dog. (19) He had found a hero. (20) He had experienced his wedding more intensely. The book is organized around these twenty thoughts, with an afterword that explains the cumulative effect of these searches. Each section reminded me of a George Plimpton book involving a different sport. Mr. Kita shares Mr. Plimpton's talent for finding unlikely ways to experience what seems unattainable. The efforts were often very expensive and time-consuming. In most cases, he was able to get help with the finances, but he had to quit one job to try being totally without work. Mrs. Kita deserves a gold medal for going through this. Before the year was over, Mr. Kita was hiring private detectives to track down cars, trying out for his old basketball team with teenagers, working out with Jack LaLanne, visiting a psychic, hiring a butler, writing to the woman he had met so many years before (she did not reply), going to a "sexuality playshop" with his wife, taking a grueling survival training course, taking surfing lessons with his son, spending $86 at the carnival, visiting a different church every Sunday with his family, having his whole body imaged and evaluated, going to the gym, going to Hair Club for Men, and retaking his marriage vows at the end of 1999. The results were interesting, but Mr. Kita's observations about the results were even more so. For example, he said that the survival training was so rigorous that he could not really recommend it to anyone, but that it was so life-changing that he felt everyone should do it. I know other people who have said the same thing. In other cases, he realized that you really couldn't go back. But you could go forward and do better in the future. That was true of his relationship with his mother, which improved as a result of sincere efforts by both of them. Many of these lessons will help a reader going through a similar psychological review. Mr. Kita was very concerned about things related to his "maleness" so other men who are concerned about their masculinity will find his example interesting. While on the surface this is a guy's book, I suggest that their wives and children read it, too. You will get a lot of good ideas about what your husband or father may be going through in his own mind. Hopefully, you can be more supportive and understanding, as a result. Perhaps you should even consider giving him this book for Father's Day! After you read this book, you should think about how to change your life so that you make the most out of it . . . the first time an opportunity arises. Otherwise, those missed opportunities can become regrets. Look back on your life with great happiness, and anticipate the next step with enormous excitement and energy!
Rating:
Summary: The PERFECT gift for any man! I loved it too...
Review: This book focuses on one man's decision to take a year and relive parts of his life that he still had regrets abut, major life experiences that he felt needed a "second chance" to get right. They're not always what you might think and range from Not Being Able to Find God to Never Having the Courage to Ask Her Out. My husband and I took turns reading chapters of this book out loud to each other and I am SO glad we did. Our favorite chapter was the one where the author decided to find his first car - and not just the same model but the EXACT same car, right down to matching Vehicle Identification Number! My husband nodded his head in understanding and appreciation when he heard the first car was a silver 1979 Chevrolet Camaro Berlinetta and groaned in envy when we came to the section where the author tested the Camaro Z28, today's version of the Berlinetta. I was surprised, to say the least since my husband isn't exactly an auto buff. Other chapters range from the hilarious (learning to Surf) to the poignant (Never saying Goodby to My Dad). I guarantee that whether you are male or female, you'll love this one.
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