Keith Maginn

(This review can be found on my blog The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl).


As a former sufferer of depression and anxiety, this book was something I really wanted to read. While it wasn't the best memoir I've ever read, it was still alright.

I like the title of this book. It fits in well considering Keith turns his life around. It's super fitting.

The cover may be plain, but the one picture works well especially when it comes to any kind of disease whether mental or physical.

I found the pacing of this book started off at a decent pace. However, the second part of the book slowed way down, and I found myself skimming over some of the paragraphs and pages.

It was interesting to read about Keith's tumultuous relationship with Mary. My heart went out to both of them, and I found myself relating to a lot of what was happening. I wanted Keith and Mary's relationship to work, I really did. It was interesting to read about how Keith coped when he came to Mary.

The second half became a bit too spiritual for me, and I found my interest waning. When I say spiritual, I don't mean godly. To me, it focused a bit too much on meditation. Plus, it became too quote heavy. It seemed that Keith was quoting a book or movie on almost every page. I'd rather have just read Keith's words as he's quite a good writer judging by this book. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Keith was able to mostly overcome all the negative in his life, and he made some really good points and gave good advice, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Overall, Turning This Thing Around is a decent read. I think those that are into spirituality and possibly those that are in the throes of depression and anxiety would benefit the most from this book.


(I received a free paperback copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review).… (plus d'informations)

While many of us dream of taking an unscheduled road trip and many of us dream of making the world a better place, author Keith Maginn did both. With his friend Emily, he traveled through the Southeastern US with stops to volunteer and give away money to deserving strangers. In Goodwill Tour, Keith tells their story and the stories of those they helped.

I was a bit nervous starting this because it had no Goodreads reviews. This meant that my opinion would be the only opinion and what if I didn’t like it? I would feel pretty bad. So I was thrilled when I could tell within the first few pages that this book was going to blow me away. The author’s description of family car trips and his longing to just drive around the country really resonated with me. The writing reminded me of classic adventures like The Swiss Family Robinson in which the writing is plain but still has a poetic ability to speak to the human spirit.

My only complaint about this story is that it included many quotes and many descriptions of food for such a short book. In general though, the author’s use of quotes and detailed descriptions worked for me. I liked that the author included a number of e-mails he and Emily exchanged. I also enjoyed the personal idiosyncrasies, the rough patches, and the small details he shared. Together these things brought the story to life and made me connect with the author and Emily as real people. I feel a bit strange saying that about non-fiction since it is real, but fiction or non-fiction, not every author can achieve that!

Actually I lied… I do have one more complaint. I wanted more! I loved the way the author wrapped up, with thoughtful but not sappy reflection on his trip and the people they helped. I thought the whole thing had great emotional impact and packed a punch for such a small book. That said, I enjoyed this book enough that it could have been twice as long and it only would have made me happier.

This review first published on Doing Dewey.… (plus d'informations)