World Without Limit
World Without Limit is a memoir about achieving maximum satisfaction despite constraints.
Alexander Andron’s wise and detailed memoir World Without Limit is about overcoming perceived limitations.
Andron, diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease at the age of thirty-five, found that his marriage and his work as a Wall Street broker became complicated. Struggling with his diagnosis, he divorced and turned to alcohol, eventually reaching rock bottom. Three life-or-death situations make him rethink his new normal: working in New York City on September 11th, 2001; a car accident six years later; and a near drowning while he was deep sea diving. He changed his perspective and started working toward his lifelong goal of summiting the Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii.
The book’s ultimate question is “Who am I?” However, it opens with a discussion about the consciousness versus the id that also muses on higher powers, and there’s not enough context given to understand what’s going on. The conversation between the consciousness and the id also progresses in vague terms, especially when compared to the more concrete details shared in subsequent scenes. The book becomes chronological after its opening, though, tracking Andron’s experiences as he tries to figure out who he is in light of his new physical limitations. His quest is not just about identity; the book also imparts its own philosophical notions, all informed by the recorded events.
Scenes set on Wall Street are underanalyzed; they provide background information but do not contribute to the book’s ultimate message. Details within life-or-death scenes, and Andron’s recorded struggles to accept his diagnosis, better complement the conclusions that he reaches. He emphasizes working within one’s limits, and his illustrations culminate in his trip to Mauna Kea, through which his new philosophy is tested.
The text condenses momentous events and transformations into succinct scenes that convey experiences and explain life lessons with candid language and clarity of thought. Sharp word choices, in particular during Andron’s trip up Mauna Kea on a custom-made trike, brighten the book’s message and convey Andron’s attitude toward life. Describing events in thoughtful terms, the book identifies the difference between accepting one’s circumstances and resisting them and achieves an uplifting resolution that circles back to its ultimate question.
World Without Limit is a memoir about achieving maximum satisfaction within the confines of Parkinson’s disease and the limits of the natural world.
Reviewed by
Aimee Jodoin
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.
