Walking With Jeffrey Archer

Sadly, I didn’t have Jeffrey Archer in person accompanying me on my walk this morning. I had his voice on my iPod in the form of a podcast from the Barnes & Noble‘s Meet The Author series.

In the podcast, Mr. Archer talks about his book A Prisoner of Birth which was published in 2008 and was the current release when he was interviewed. Currently, Mr. Archer’s seminal work Kane and Abel has been released in a special 30th Anniversary Edition. Waiting in the wings is Only Time Will Tell with an August release date.

I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Mr. Archer, not only because of his elegant British accent, but also because of the wisdom he imparted, much of it gained from his own experiences. After all, one hopes that if one ends up in prison, as he did, that one gains wisdom about life that will prevent making similar mistakes.

Premise

We are all prisoners of birth because no one can decide who their parents will be. Fortunately, we all have the ability to free ourselves from captivity, that is, whatever fate others may perceive is ours or what we ourselves may think we are destined to live.

I hadn’t read A Prisoner of Birth. After hearing this podcast, I think I must add it to my bookshelf. Again, I recommend this Podcast series. Each episode has been a delight.

Takeaway Truth

Hearing an author discuss the writing of a book, along with life insights gained from real world experience, adds another layer of richness to the reading of a work.