Destiny Control was written by David Garrahan and published by Pageturner Press and Media in 2021. It can be purchased on Amazon/Kindle and you can visit the author on Amazon.
This is a memoir that the author felt he needed to write in order to "preserve a record of anguish and accomplishment" in his life. It's certainly a book that others should read to gain inspiration and to understand the power of two words, Destiny Control, and how the meaning of just those two words alone could impact their own lives.
From being a impoverished child in the 1940's, David Garrahan told of how he and a friend would fish for quarters through a subway storm grate using a string, Vaseline and a padlock. Two dollars was a big haul for two young boys in those days and they used their hard earned money to buy a baloney sandwich and a Coke for five cents each. There can be no greater poverty than to have soles separating from your shoes; so much so that you would put rubber bands around them so they wouldn't flap and cause kids at school to laugh at you. Despite the horrific conditions that were presented to him, this kid would not wither away; he worked hard at selling newspapers and he also became a shoe shine boy. The odds were also stacked against him at home. His father was abusive and his mother once told him and a sibling, “I love you, but I have to kill you..." However bleak his life was, David took control of his destiny and went on to numerous accomplishments in his life, which included positions in the highest tiers of education where he worked to help others understand poverty: "the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of the impoverished; spiked with empathy; and empowering the powerless from a locus of control perspective."
The author's life is certainly a very interesting one and my only wish is that he would have had the book professionally edited as he freely admits, he didn't, in the beginning of his book. There seemed to be a lot more telling than showing as he chronicled his childhood and this took away from what could have been a great presentation of his life. Being that I only gave this book a three star, I have to say, it only fell just short of a four star and if it had been professionally edited, I'm fairly certain it would have reached the top or close to it, in my view.
I applaud you, David Garrahan! You controlled your destiny and you should be proud of all that you've accomplished.
I give Destiny Control 3 out of 5 stars.
Comments