Rating: 
Summary: What Should I Do With Po's Ego?
Review: This book was a terrible disappointment -- rather than thoughtfully exploring existential questions, Bronson supplants his subjects' stories with his own, constantly injecting his successful-millionaire-writer-who's-lost-his-way angst into anecdotes that might be insightful or instructive otherwise. Really, a waste of time.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic! Has the power to be life-changing...
Review: I'm pretty shocked by the negative reviews of this book, and can only ascertain it's because the true-life stories do stir some uncomfortable feelings - namely, they may cause you to truly look at yourself, at your career choices and ask - is this what I was put on this planet to do? Am I here (in this job) just for the money/status/security/promises made to others? Can I make ends meet and still enjoy what I do?
I don't think these questions are just asked by the idly rich or middle-class, or by, as one other reviewer put it, "trust-fund babies". To think that is, frankly, classist. Everyone, regardless of whether you're a have or a have-not asks themselves these questions, wants to feel their life wasn't in vain, hopes to make some kind of mark, and this book illustrates people from all walks of life trying to come to terms with just that.
If you're looking for a book that will help you bury your heart, and turn a blind eye to your dreams and dread everytime you punch in at the time clock, then this is not the book for you. If you're open to change, possibly yearning for it, this book may come at precisely the right time in your life.
Some of the reviewers have labeled the author pretentious/cocky/self-righteous. I found an author with a passionate set of opinions and a skill at conveying them clearly, and plainly, without metaphor or frou-frou. It saddens me to think we may be living in age where we crucify those authors willing to put their ideas in print...
If you really want to know what this book is like, look at the first few pages, which are letters that readers have felt compelled enough to send to the author. If these letters resonate with you, buy the book. It means you're ready and not afraid of change.
Rating: 
Summary: Answer: Spend it doing other things than reading this book!
Review: The title is what makes this book sell well, not the content. I was intrigued by the hope for personal stories that added insight to figuring out one's path. This book is so obviously a self-indulgent journey for Bronson, who often interjects his own advice to the subjects throught their stories. From they way it is written, one would think Bronson has all the answers and that each person written about is so glad to have gained such wonderful knowledge from him. I have never experienced an author come across so cocky. What makes him a guru of how to choose a career path? While some of the stories were slighty interesting to read, the lack of any useful information along with the grandiose way in which the author views his own opinion, I would recommend spending your time on something more productive.
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Summary: This book changed my outlook on my boring career!
Review: I read this book while on vacation at a resort in Mexico, a trip made possible by having a successful career - a career that I despise. I was extremely inspired by this book. It's a collection of stories about real life people and how they found the careers they were meant to find. The really inspirational part is that these aren't people who walked out of their current careers one day and went to live on an Amish farm - they are people like you and I, who have to pay a mortgage, who have kids, families, car payments, and other responsibilities who can't just up and quit what they are doing right this minute. What these people did was to start small - perhaps a volunteer project, or a part-time job, or just a few times a week working toward their dream - more all the time, until they were able to make a life out of it. Some worked their dream lives into their current careers, and most used the skills they'd been building in careers they hated to actually succeed in things that they love! The very next week, I signed up to volunteer for an English as a Second Language program once a week, and the first time I went, they let me teach for a couple of hours. I love it! I am still working at my old career that allows me to keep my house, but I am inspired by this book to believe that some day, I'll be able to teach ESL full time and still live comfortably. I can't wait!
Rating: 
Summary: Provocative Book That Makes You Think
Review: This book is provocative in that there are no easy answers for the people the author interviews, nor are there really any easy answers for most of us, in my opinion. Some people know from an early age what they want to do with their lives, learn to do it, are happy doing it, and never think about changing; this book is for those of us who are NOT those people. There are many career books written to help coach you with questionnaires, advice, and other direct methods. This is not that type of book. It is a series of interviews of various types of people from all socioeconomic groups and what the author Po Bronson learned from talking with them. I found it helpful as I read along, because I would visualize myself talking to the interviewees and Po and think of how I might respond in the same situations. Quite a view of the people interviewed were still confused about what they were doing, still didn't have the definitive answer they wanted. This is realistic, too, in my opinion. Some of them made false starts. All of them learned a lot about themselves in the process of their search/journey, and this is the point of the book. If you have already been through the "What Color is Your Parachute?"-type of books (excellent books, of course, but not like this one) and need a different, less structured way (sans "exercises") of finding out the best work for this time in your life, I would recommend this book.
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Summary: This book is inspirational.
Review: I have been at a cross road in my career for a long time and this book helped me to muster the courage to make a change. When I read that other people in worse positions did it, I realized that if they could do it so can I. Don't expect this book to be a how-to book, just let it motivate you to take the next step. I recommend two books for the how-to part: Optimal Thinking: How To Be Your Best Self which helped me to define my ultimate purpose, put the optimal plan together, take the best steps and make the most of every situation. And, What Color is Your Parichute is a wonderful book to help you go right through the process of job change from resume to interview.
Rating: 
Summary: Suggestion for a sequel
Review: Have each person interviewed read Rick Warren's "Purpose-Driven Life", then come back a year later and interview them. Seriously. They are looking for answers...but appears they are not asking the right questions. On the surface, problems always seem complex. But upon closer examination, the source of the problem is usually simple.
Rating:
Summary: Is Po Bronson Clueless?
Review: Is he clueless to not only what he dubs 'his generation' - generation X - but to society in general? The people he includes in his book are rich, part of the 2% of people that benefits from GW Bush's tax cuts. There's his story of the dot-com millionaire who went to find himself for a year and traveled to Italy... hmm tough. His book is filled with stories about a woman born from a family of doctors or a thirty year old on the fast track to becoming an ambassador... what? How can I relate to these people? I can't. There's a line in one of his stories that really got to me, about a couple who gave up the corporate life to buy a tree business. "I suspected Nancy's dad had helped her... because he's wealthy." Doesn't he realize that even though he didn't help her, it's still a huge pyschological advantage, knowing she has a safety net w/ her dad?? As one reviewer said, this could have been such a good book. I want to know about people that had nothing, but still followed their hearts to make their dreams come true. Against all odds kind of stuff... those are the stories that inspire. I can't believe he had such a golden opportunity to speak and inspire people and he chose stories that only a marginal percentage of people can relate to. I'm giving it two stars b/c there's a smattering of interesting stories.
Rating:
Summary: No easy answers - Just questions
Review: OK, let's get this straight, this book does not answer the question it poses. Rather it provides case studies of how ordinary people approached this question. The purpose of this book is to help you think about 'What you should do with your life?'. The case studies are fascinating and not all end well. Some of the people find their bliss, others keep on searching or compromise. That's just the way real life is. I would recommend this book to you if you are at a point in your life where you are pondering what you should do next or if you are wondering if there is more to life. This not the book for you if you are basically content and feel that you have achieved what you need to achieve.
Rating:
Summary: For me, it was a page turner
Review: I was surprised to find this book such a page turner. I wanted to keep reading it, and in fact, read it from front to back in stolen moments within one week. Some of the stories really hit a chord with me. If you are looking for an exact answer to the question this book is titled with, you won't find it here. What you will find is how other people struggle with the question just like you are. In following these people's stories, I found glimpses of truth, and life, and fate in the choices people made. I am able to stop, and feel, and think of all of these people, as I make my choices. I can't explain in a few paragraphs what Po Bronson was able to explain and discover throughout this book. Read it, be there with open mind. Listen to others. Discover. Thank you Po.
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