Precious Life
“Life is wonderful if you know how to live.” These words from Nhor Latinovich’s topical tome summarize its main theme and focus. Organized into a series of approximately fifty short readings each on a particular subject the book is suitable for daily meditation or “quiet time.”
Latinovich founder and director of Leisure Living for the Elderly and a professional caregiver clearly displays her passion for living a Christian life based on truth compassion and wisdom. Her concern for others comes through clearly as when she admonishes the reader that “God uses our own painful experiences our own troubles to help us identify with others and enable us to guide these people in need to depend on Jesus for salvation and every daily need.” Her purpose for writing this book is undoubtedly noble.
The book itself however suffers from some major flaws. Problems with mechanics such as grammar and punctuation are apparent on nearly every page. Many of these issues are minor; sometimes however they obscure Latinovich’s entire point inspiring only puzzlement as when she advises readers to “sit or alter on your ego.”
Further the topical readings follow a stream-of-consciousness style that is difficult to follow. Latinovich’s prodigious wisdom and spiritual maturity are hidden by a series of short undeveloped utterances. For example take the statement that people speak obscenely because of “anger anxiety stress” and a host of other sufferings. This window into the world of a difficult person could be a revelation for a reader who has never regarded the toxic people in his life with sympathy and love. However the book instantly changes the subject proceeding to discuss the meaning of obscenity. The opportunity for instruction is lost.
If used in a group setting such as a Bible study the book could certainly serve as a wonderful launching pad for discussions. It includes relevant Scripture readings for each topic making it well suited for this purpose. And as readers notice glimpses of themselves in the text they may find opportunities to develop Latinovich’s thoughts further than she herself does. The fact that the reader must put so much work into applying her teachings is however unfortunate.
As a teacher and spiritual advisor it is likely that Latinovich is superb. As a writer however she would benefit greatly from working with an editor who could help her understand how to properly develop her themes so that her message—which is so important—is not lost.
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
