Book Review ~ "Drawing out the Dragons" by James A. Owen

Drawing Out the Dragons: A Meditation on Art, Destiny, and the Power of Choice by James A. Owen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Source: Received to review
Genre: Inspirational (not the boring kind either)

Book Description: I believe in you. You have a great destiny. You are meant for great things. And it s possible to live a wonderful, extraordinary life. That is the promise offered by bestselling author and illustrator James A. Owen in this remarkable and inspirational meditation. In Drawing Out the Dragons, James shares personal stories and the deep truths he learned while navigating past obstacles and adversity toward a life of lasting belief and joy. We all have a grand destiny, but sometimes we feel we lack the power to achieve it. But we always have the power to choose. Every drawing, every life, is nothing but a series of choices and actions. Make your lines. Make your choices. . . . What you create from there is entirely up to you. Drawing Out the Dragons has the power to uplift, inspire, and change your life.

My thoughts:  I usually don't accept books that aren't fiction for review. When I received my copy in the mail, I figured that I must have said yes to it at some point, but don't remember making that decision.

I was floored by the message in this book. It is powerful. It is concise, it gave me a lot to think about. I sat up at night reading this book and then reading the parts out loud to my husband that I was particularly impressed with. I spend quite a bit of time reading out loud to my husband. There are many lessons that he has learned and is now sharing with the world that spoke to my soul and left tears in my eyes.

I loved that as a writer when he speaks to children, he doesn't talk about his books. He talks about perseverance, making choices, and seizing the power to take charge of your own life.

In a school for homeless children, a little girl came up to him and asked him about parts of his story he had just shared with him. I want to take just a part of the conversation and add it here. (p 106)

"So, she said, "you didn't know it would work out, but you just believed that it would?"

"Yes."

"Good," she said with a look of relief, "because I didn't know if things would work out for me and my family, but now I think I believe they can."

He was touched inspirationally as a child and is now inspiring children, showing them tools that help in life. That is amazing.  I hate to admit,  I haven't read his fiction books, or knew about his comic books.  But that will probably change in the near future. :)

This book is definitely not all about inspiring children, It is one that adults should read. I am so glad for whatever it was that nudged me to accept this book. I'm thinking it may have been some form of divine guidance, because I needed this book. I needed to read it and internalize it.

Purchase links:

Barnes & Noble

Deseret Book