Harold PhiferCritiques

This title intrigued me and didn't disappoint. In 'Surviving Chaos' by Harold Phifer, an impactful storyline takes us on a roller-coaster ride, following the author as he grows up in a dysfunctional environment. He is constantly manipulated by a controlling relative, abused by a mindless sibling, and shamed by his schizophrenic mom and absent father. Catharsis for Harold came in the form of an explosion in Afghanistan which helped him regain focus in his life and enabled him to bravely recount his past experiences at a beach bar where his peace was finally realised.

This highly emotional but insightful, and at times, humorous read ensured my engagement from beginning to end. The sadness endured by Harold growing up defies understanding. As his life unravelled, he remained in control and I commend the author for his bravery and tenacity throughout his life ordeal. It took the author over fifty years to open up and reveal his past, a past that was unknown even to his closest friends.

This book has many unfolding emotions. It was an emotional roller coaster for me. I expected it to be a normal narration by a person, just a normal, chaotic life, and it's ranting. But it was more than that. During a war at a place, Harold got a chance to open up and express the darkest fears of his life, which involved his mother, miserable aunt, absent father, and brother. He revealed the upbringing he received. His idea of life at that moment and what kept him moving even with so many adversities.

The author has the power to drive emotions. I was feeling like crying at many moments and felt like hugging Harold; he must have had a hard time and must have cried alone. I was highly impressed by the writing style, which keeps the readers soaked in sentiments and engrossed with the plots.
I recommend people read it and understand the significance of accepting true emotions.

One very common issue that goes around in our world seemingly more common than ever is child abuse. It happens everywhere and it is something that is terrible and unfortunately won’t stop. We learn through his reflections that author Harold Phifer does his best to survive his controlling aunt, abusive big brother, and his schizophrenic mother for more than fifty years. His childhood living conditions remained a secret until one day an explosion in Afghanistan triggered his memories and brought them all bubbling to the surface.

The story of Harold’s road to recovery began at a bar in Thailand where he divulged his past secrets to a total stranger, and then began to find some peace.

The story itself is one of hope, motivation, sadness, struggle and survival. It is well-written and the book highlights the issue of mental health and importance of finding help and dealing with your emotions. Harold suffered right through his childhood at the hands of people in his family who may have been suffering from an unknown mental illnesses of their own (apart from his mother who we know was schizophrenic). As a very different type of book I think this is well worth a read.

Oh boy, where to start with this one? Well, Surviving Chaos: How I Found Peace at A Beach Bar by Harold Phifer was a really intense read for me, Harold Phifer, the author, begins this book telling his childhood, and how even at a time when his family was completely dysfunctional, he managed to survive that part of his life, experience new chapters and travel, and well to be honest he survived only to land in a more intense adulthood. His time in Afghanistan forever changed him, he was in a massive explosion while working. Overall, the book is truly a rollercoaster of emotions, memoirs of a survivor, a brave one who bares his soul and his past to share with the rest of us. I totally recommend this book, is fascinating and inspiring.

Surviving Chaos: How I found Peace at A Beach Bar is one of those books that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. This is an autobiographical book, written in short stories, that will captivate, inspire, and uplift you.

In Surviving Chaos, Harold Phifer is sitting at a beach bar in Thailand sharing his life's story with a stranger. I loved this layout and thought it to be a wonderful way to tell his story. His life began with such challenging and often manipulating circumstances, he had so much to overcome as a child, it broke my heart. I was impressed by his experiences, his accomplishments, and his disappointments.

I found myself rooting for him, celebrating his accomplishments, and feeling his disappointment when things didn't work out. This is an enjoyable, well-written, page-turning read that (overall) made me smile and feel happy. You can't help but feel inspired!

I cannot recommend this book enough! I feel that his way of sharing his life is incredibly creative... I mean haven't we all found ourselves sharing thoughts/stories with a stranger at one time or another...? It seems easier, maybe less fear of judgement? Whatever the reason, it really worked as a tool to share his life's story. If you enjoy a writer who has the ability to bring you into the story and allow you to feel what he is feeling, then this is definitely a book you should pick up.

I'd have loved to be sitting at that beach bar...

How’s your emotional stamina? Would you characterize yourself as being a good counselor? Because while these memoirs are interesting, they can also be mentally and emotionally fatiguing. It’s hard to listen to or read about a person’s life story, and that’s what this book is. The author even says toward the end that this conversation he has telling his stories to a new friend has been like one long therapy session.

If you’re the type of person who likes hearing about other people’s experiences, you’ll be glad you read this one. If not, this book isn’t for you.

Author Harold Phifer graduated from Mississippi State and Jackson State Universities and became a highly specialized air traffic controller, living and working as an international contractor serving numerous tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Surviving Chaos is his life’s journey and it opens in his words in the “tropical Southeast Asian country of Thailand, where I took refuge after the blast in Afghanistan. I was living a carefree life with no worries or drama. By happenstance, I came across another lost soul. He was hiding from life, just like me. Dylan took advantage of my drunken state and easily coerced me into divulging my life's history. He opened a door that led us both on a whirlwind tour neither of us expected or imagined. Many of these stories may stick with you like nothing you have ever experienced, read, or heard before."

Although the book contains heavy subject matter I found it to be be quite an uplifting and inspiring read. At some moments I cheered for Phifer, and during others I cried for Phifer. What this guy suffered as a child is unbearable and it is no wonder that as an adult he still carries the scars. Add to that his experiences in Afghanistan and surviving a huge explosion there’s no surprise you have a man suffering with a terrible case of PTSD. If you love reading true life stories/memoirs then I recommend giving this book a read. Not only is it an eye opener but it is also very satisfying to see someone come through the other side.

Dylan, a retired banker, is willing to pay for several rounds of beers and wanting to stay up late while carefully listening to the lives of others.

Harold is tired of everything and sits in the middle of a beach in Thailand, looking at the sea. At first suspicious when Dylan calls him "friend" and sits by his side, Harold begins to unfold his memories and tell Dylan the story of his life, from his very complicated childhood in a dysfunctional southern american family, to the terrorist attack that almost ended his life in Afghanistan, where he was led by bankruptcy, loneliness and general disappointment.

Harold, born in Mississippi and raised a detached mother and a possessive/abusive aunt, tells, in the first person and with a very pleasant way of narrating, a handful of episodes that marked his childhood and youth, and that do a recount of the small and large issues that marked his life: sweets, bicycles, marbles, bullies (both young and old), schizophrenia, broken friendships, racism, first jobs, fights, justice, loyalty, luck, girlfriends, repressed feelings, abandonment, cars, love and loss, career, prejudice, overcoming and success.

This is an effectively written book with a very well use of narrative resources. It is evocative, fun and different. Personally, I would have liked that the episodes were not that short and that they didn't end so abruptly, because I always want the conclusions to problems to come with greater detail.