I couldn’t put this book down. The lessons learned and taught in this story are deeply profound, insightful and inspiring. All readers will be able to relate in their own way, ask questions personal to their own lives and experiences, and reveal their own truths. Highly recommended read.
Loved this book! It is a page turner and very inspiring! I would recommend it to anyone wanting to read an uplifting story of courage and hope!
Some novels have their decided beauty in them, this is one of them.
I confess that Because was not an usual read for me. I had my own insecurities and uncertainty that if I can read it and I’m glad that I made a choice to read it. It was a mesmeric effect on me. I found myself reading it day and night. Fantastic plot and engaging narration keeps telling me to be rooted to this book.
It is not only a motivational novel but it also tells you to go beyond your limits without making one sentimental. Dialogues are apt and precise. There’s no beating that. It touches you. It uplifts you. It moves you. I kept myself relating to the characters one time or other. It has a fair sense of spirituality attached to it. The Best part? Well, I can get a message out of it what I wanted and at the same time, the message you’ll get could be completely different. I think this is what makes a book commendable.
The cover starts to make sense and everything falls in its place. Beautifully narrated story, unforgettable characters, their spirits and enthusiasm lifts this one up in the top lists of Best Non-Fiction novels. His writing style is gripping and intriguing. There is no hesitation in reading the future works by the author.
Many novels come in your life. Some you forget and some you can’t forget. But every single one of them have this common property : They change you, somehow. You can’t explain how and what, but they do. ” Because ” has the same outcome. A better and positive outcome. It has impressed me to the core.
I would recommend ‘Because’ highly.
Deeply and Imaginatively Crafted!
I had been traveling for a long time and I couldn’t find much time to read. But once I did, I was unstoppable. The book didn’t let me put it down for a while.
And when I did finish reading it, all I felt was – invincible.
These invincibility notions can be created only by innovative books like it!
It is narrated in different timelines but it doesn’t seem as a barrier to the plot rather it was the strongest and thoughtful theme that made it an excellent narrative.
In between these perfect shifts from past to present, the author has portrayed many engaging events that fueled my excitement all the while. His work is commendable.
It was a perfect blend of inventiveness, creativity and raw emotions. Something you rarely get to see. Another thing that I adored about it was how believable the characters were! I kept relating myself from one to another.
because is the book that truly demonstrates that the author has an exceptional talent for storytelling. I appreciated his writing style very much. Engaging and arresting.
In the end, I feel overwhelmed to have read a book of a life-time. I would suggest it to everyone who are searching for an inspirational and thought-provoking read.
This is the kind of book that demands your attention and asks you to contemplate about your thought process and way of living.
The cover is designed miraculously. If you are the person who judges a book by its cover, then in this one, you’ll never go wrong.
I’ve always been a fan of books that give me the feeling that I’m reading something extraordinary.
This book functioned really well for me. And I had nothing in my mind but to enjoy it.
It was an experience beyond explanation.
Jack A. Langedijk I read you loud and clear.
It’s needless to say that I am inclined to see more of the author’s work.
Verdict : You must not miss a powerful and moving story like this.
e-Scribes is a website in UK that offers editing, proofreading and book reviewing services. We applied for a free review in August and because was chosen based on merit among many other submissions. Here’s the review that was posted a few days ago on their website:
It was a natural thing to want to read and review this book; the first pages were compelling, the perfect start to any good read—it drew me in, so there was no way I could avoid completing it.
The struggle and emotional battles implicit in loss of mobility and loss of ‘former life’ or self, are well-known to me from seeing someone close lose his mobility, and this author puts the sentiments across as expertly as anyone.
The book didn’t even come across as fiction; if someone had said this was factual, I’d have bought into it; so real were the situations and, most of all, the portrayal of shifting, agonized emotions as the bleakness of the situation is unveiled.
Characters, especially the protagonist Robert, are drawn with acuity and remain three-dimensional.
The relationships between Robert and his therapist Seema, also between Robert and his wife Monique, are so keenly drafted that they offer up more than a handful of edge-of-seat moments, and others where you’re going to claim the excuse you have dust in your eyes. The development of the psyche in the face of adversity makes for an interesting, enthralling and colourful ride as we see Robert not only come to terms with his ‘disability’ but rise above it and make it into a learning, positive experience.
All the key characters develop and grow closer to the reader’s heart, again as if this were factual. Intricacies of relationships, the way the past, present and the anticipated future are interwoven, seem artistic and every small nuance stunningly conveyed; the book made me think about how every small thing, every person, every interaction, has a bearing on who we become and who we allow ourselves to be in times of crisis.
The only problem we had with this book—seemingly echoing the feelings of some readers—is that the flow, natural pace, and insights do come to feel a little disjointed and lost towards the middle, where Robert’s learning journey now allows him to help teenagers with their own personal trials by taking them out on expeditions of their own.
It is a tribute to the immense skill of Langedijk that we feel so immersed in Robert’s own future, we find it too hard to let go of his story, even momentarily, to consider the teens’ own tales; we ache to get back to where we began, which was the total enthralling, engrossing development of Robert’s post-trauma evolution.
Time shifts can be confusing initially, but equally, once we understood them, they made perfect sense; this is a book to inspire deep thought, and the deft dance of relationships and what-ifs tells the story of how each character now relates to Robert and why his role in their life is as it is. From this perspective, there are parts that may need two reads before you will ‘get it’, but we wouldn’t alter it.
We find this a skillful, thoughtful and deeply moving novel, especially in its earlier chapters, and it’s an inspiration to anyone who knows someone in this situation, or whose physical life as they knew it has been unexpectedly curtailed.
There are, of course, many such stories of inspiration but what makes this different is its stunningly-constructed prose and the ability to create a reality in which we really believe, and which becomes more than ‘a novel’ and manages to make us consider our own value and belief system. One of the key questions this book brings to the fore, as uncomfortable—or even painful—as it may be, is: when does life become untenable and what gives our life its perception of value? This is something each of us must answer, and it’s not open to debate, as it’s so deeply personal and subjective. This book is a life lesson from which we will all extract our own, differing, narratives.
It’s presented almost flawlessly, too, with crisp and credible dialogue, many witty moments and excellent editing.
When we write reviews, we also consider what the Amazon readers thought, wherever reviews are available. This was the debut work from Langedijk and it’s clear from the many reader reviews that this work is inspirational on many levels, to most people; we know how very difficult that is to achieve, even for the most seasoned author, but Langedijk accomplishes this naturally and easily. We look forward to his next book.
because is on special promotion this week. Get a copy here!
What an inspiring read! Well written, with compelling characters and locales, I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys adventure and triumph of the human spirit.
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. At first, I liked it but then it just kept getting better and better and I couldn’t put it down because I was so engaged in the characters stories. It was inspiring, heartfelt, encouraging, moving, touching and hopeful. The author moved from past to present, back and forth to weave it all together and it was perfect, not confusing like some books I’ve read that moved around in time. There are actually great lessons for life even though it is a fictional novel. Great book and I’m suggesting it to friends and family!
See Gretchen’s Review on Amazon.com
Here’s another review for because from IndieReader which is a venue for discriminating book-lovers to find and purchase books published by the people who wrote them. According to the site, a 4-star rating means “Very good” 🙂
A mountain climber and his family deal with the repercussions of a tragic accident that cost him his legs.
Robert Sanchez was an inspirational figure, a mountain climber who worked with troubled young people, encouraging them to change their lives in helpful and positive ways. Six months ago, he took three of those young adults, Troy, Nancy, and Philip, up Mount Everest – only to face a catastrophic avalanche that cost him his legs, leaving him unable to climb again. As his loving wife Monique tries to cope with Robert’s depression and self-isolation, and his daughter Jenny reads through his old climbing journal looking for answers, Robert himself feels trapped and wonders if he can go on as he is. But will a chance to give one more inspirational talk give him back his spark, or demonstrate just how badly he’s been crushed for good?
BECAUSE is a deeply moving, emotionally-powerful tale of intertwined lives, and of finding strength to go on in the face of utter despair. There are multiple stories braided into the main plot, as each of the characters has a voice and a tale of their own. Robert’s story, therefore, is reflected in the stories of those he’s helped as well as those who want to help him, giving the book a multifaceted perspective and adding deeper emotional and philosophical layers to the plot. This is a heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting book, and there isn’t a character who doesn’t have a substantial, painful tragedy to wrestle with. At times, the book is almost too chock full of tragedy and inspirational recovery – it can be a bit overwhelming, even occasionally cloying. The encounter near the end also has a flavor of deus ex machina-level coincidence to it, too. Still, the characters’ emotions on the whole have real genuineness and force behind them, and their discussion and analyses of their situations are both thoughtful and compelling.
BECAUSE is a book full of both emotional intensity and real philosophical and psychological insight.
“Because” is an uplifting read. I simply can’t express my feelings about this book in a nutshell. It causes multiple emotions to stir up in the mind and persistently tries to connect you with the thoughts that lie at the core of this greatly inspiring story. I guess I should start with the title. It immediately makes you think unlike some titles which are very self-explanatory. I was curious about it when I started reading the book but I arrived at some kind of an answer only after completing the read. It surely leaves plenty of room for thought and I will not reveal my conclusions here as that might hinder another person’s venture to find the underlying meaning. However, I felt I had to mention the title as I believe it is another positive aspect of this impeccable novel. The story we have here is the story of a person who is robbed of his ability to do what he desires to do. It is the story of someone who wants to keep fighting and who does so with incredible strength and will power. As we read, we confront the different emotional conflicts faced by Roberto. Each time, he impresses us. He is not an infallible hero but he is a hero who takes on life’s challenges very boldly, setting an example for others. This brave protagonist wins a place for himself in our hearts with his never-say-die spirit and passion for helping those that require it. Needless to say, he drives the course of this novel which, in my opinion, is a perfectly executed work.
Moving on to other things, the writing is captivating. Of course, it takes a brilliant writer to give shape to such a strong protagonist. Langedijk has done a commendable job not only with the portrayal of his protagonist, but also with the beautiful description of nature and its influence on human feelings. There are many people who cope with newer struggles everyday like Roberto in this novel. This is a book which is very close to reality and is not in the least far fetched. That being said, I’d like to finish off this review with one last comment–go ahead and read this book if you’re being let down by seemingly never-ending frustrations; if not, read it anyway. This is one of those rare books that truly inspire. If you’re still asking yourself why you should read this–because it will help you believe in yourself, yes, that’s how I am going to reply to that question!
See Saradia’s Review on Amazon.com or The Page-Hungry Bookworm
We just received this letter from The Midwest Book Review today with the following critique:
A deftly crafted novel and an absorbing read from beginning to end, “because” is a compelling and thoroughly entertaining novel that documents author Jack Langedijk’s truly exceptional storytelling skills. Very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that “because” is also available in a Kindle edition ($6.99).
The Midwest Book Review (MBR) is an organization established in 1976 that committed to promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. The MBR publishes a number of monthly book review magazines specifically designed for community and academic librarians, booksellers, and the general reading public.
We sent two paperbacks of because to MBR for a review in April and the book made it through the final cut (according to MBR, only about a third of all books submitted get reviewed) and the review was featured in the Small Press Bookwatch magazine November 2015 issue.
We are very grateful for the organization that supports and gives priority consideration to small press publishers and self-published authors like me. It is truly wonderful to end the year with such positive feedback. I hope you share my excitement and thank you too for all your support along the way. May 2016 bring you an abundance of energy and joy!
I have read hundreds and hundreds of books, and this has become one of my favorites. Robert has two passions in life: helping teenagers overcome personal challenges, most of them self-induced, and climbing mountains. He comes up with an ingenious plan to combine both into one and then tragedy strikes. As I came to the last third of the book, the suspense was so powerful, that I couldn’t wait to learn if Robert could provide help for himself as he had done for countless others. Coincidentally, Robert was also faced with helping employees of three companies that were merging into one to face those challenges, the exact same situation that I have in my life. The author used his life experience and great ability to write to help me overcome my personal doubts regarding this situation. In fact, I am going to pass this book around to my fellow employees to inspire them to overcome our current situation. Thank you, Mr. Langedijk. One thing I found hard to believe: That this is his debut novel. What a gifted novelist. Can’t wait for more.