Hill Harper's "The Wealth Cure"

If you're looking for prescribed, step by step ways to kick start a healthy relationship with money and wealth, then Hill Harper's "The Weath Cure" is not your type of book. Initially when I read the book, I found it rather strange because of the way the book is structured. There are 5 big parts to the book, which each part having a couple of smaller chapters that is related to the parts. But here's the thing - I don't see the relation at all. Perhaps I had been to used to seeing other financial related books that are usually more straightfoward. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, it's just different. 

Halfway through reading the book, I realised that this is a chicken-soup-for-the-soul kind of book. Each of the smaller chapters are actually stories written in the point of view of the author himself. I thought it's a very refreshing way of looking at financial related stuff. The chapters are not written in the typically sermon like way, "You must do this..." or "you should do that...". Instead, the chapters are really just reflections of things that had happened to the author as he lives his life. Like chicken soup for the soul, this book can be re-read again and again. Depending on your situation at different points of your life, I'm sure you'll get different perspective from the stories. Same story, different life stage, different interpretation and meaning. That's why this book is a keeper - it's not something that you should just read and never pick it up again. 

I don't like all the stories, to be honest. Some of them are inspiring, some are just puzzling. The inspiring ones touch on the key points of important ideas without giving you too much details. Thankfully, there is a bibliography at the end of the book for readers who wish to dig more into the subject matter. This makes the book an easy read, without all the (boring) details and leaving the motivation to find out more solely on the reader. The puzzling stories are those that I think shouldn't have a place in the book. It's either because I do not have the life experience to appreciate the reflections that ought to follow after each story, or I simply don't see the point of the story. Fortunately, such puzzling stories that leaves you duh and speechless are few and far between.

If you've read about other financial related books, you'll find familiar concepts and principles. How many new ones are there? But that's not the point. What I liked about the book is that the same old concepts are put into fresh new perspectives - the author's perspectives - and that makes this book an interesting read. I don't really know the author as a celebrity (sorry, but I don't watch the CSI : NY at all) and you can't really tell from the style that the author writes. The author writes in a very down to earth, honest manner, which is kind of endearing especially if you know his background as a celebrity. He certainly doesn't seem like those financial wreckball kind of celebrities that the mass media loves to publicize. 

Would I recommend this book? Yes, if you're just starting out on changing your relationship with money and trying to find out more about wealth. If you're looking for more detailed answers, this book isn't your cup of tea. Nevertheless, it's still a good and enjoyable read to see how different people interprets age old principles in their own way. I'll say it reads like a blog, haha!