Generally, I'm all for Life Skills books (I'm writing one myself). And Dave's is extremely enthusiastic and motivating (I’m all about those two driving forces in my life and books as well); however, when "wealth" as in "money" is add to the mix, I get a bit skeptical. The tagline on this cover reads: "Discover the secret treasures of your inner wealth."

To be honest, I didn't even notice the tagline. The book is so juicy, so fat with thoughts, ideas, quips, cartoons and highlighted quotes that I couldn't resist yanking it open randomly and letting Dave inspire me.

And you know what? He did. Moreover, I’d come to the book already pretty inspired, so I think that says a lot. I like a great deal of what Dave has to say about life and succeeding in it. And Dave says it in a relaxed, informal, "big brother/mentor" type of way.

To grossly summarize, Dave is all about each one of us re-evaluating ourselves and our outlook on the world. He'd have us drop those things and “friends” in our life that just drag us down, that folly in the negative. He'd have us recognize that God don't create junk. Oh, yeah, God is in this mix rather solidly. Not an overly religious God, more of a passive creator God. And His mention is independent of any one type of religion. So, I would have to say this is not a religious book, but it does encourage you to assume you were created by a decent God.

And Dave is talking here from personal experience -- so it seems. Therefore aiming at those of you who aren't finding much success at all in life, are messed up in substances, etc. But those who are just leading a ho-hum average life will have plenty to be inspired over as well.

The book is extremely inviting and rather sprawling in it's presentation which I find exciting. The text is so broken up and separated, emphasized with fonts and bolding and smart looking comic strips and illustrations. It's not a book that you'd set out to read cover to cover -- though you could. And it does get redundant. But redundant works for read-in-the-bathroom books like this.

And then there's the talk about wealth. Hmmmm. Well, as I said, I get skeptical when people use God and wealth in the same breath. And I remain skeptical, though I deem this usage harmless, and potentially helpful as long as you bring your grains of salt. Not just for the God/wealth stuff, but Dave tends to cut out any real-world gray material as he talks in extremes. (Which also makes me skeptical.) Still, there are those of us who are ripe for a little simplified inspiration. And even with all my skepticalness -- I still just liked this book.

A quote from Dave’s book:

"Make sure what you ask for is congruent with your values and your goals. Outrageous requests only for personal gain fall on deaf ears. However, if you are living your life to make the world a better place, you will receive more than you ask for."

Read more Book Reviews by Author/Illustrator Ross Anthony.