A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller

I’m usually not one to like what everyone else likes.  I didn’t think “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” was especially funny.  I hated “The Shack”.   I laugh at things many people consider strange.  I like musicians most people have never heard of.

Donald Miller is the exception.  A lot of people love Donald Miller.  I do too.

It also seems like fans always say that a musician or writer’s most recent piece of work is his or her best.  This isn’t always the case.  Donald Miller is, once again, the exception.  After his success with previous books, I’m certain that this one will receive a lot of hype.  This deserves all the attention it will garner.

Miller writes about what makes for a good story.  Using these same concepts, he also writes about what makes for a good life.  He is funny.  He is honest.  He is insightful.  He is challenging.  He is comforting.  He has something to say.

So many books are intolerably boring.  This book is intolerably awesome and opens up an ache for more.  I looked forward to every page.

I needed this book.  I need things that help me see life in a more beautiful light.  I need to be reminded about the point of it all.  I need help making sense of things.  Donald Miller may not be for everybody.  All I know is that there are very few writers who I deeply connect with.  He may not be for everybody, but he is for me.

I won’t spoil the book, but I will give away a key concept.  Any great story involves great conflict.  The bigger the obstacles, the greater the potential.  If your heart is crushed, your spirit broken and and nothing ever seems to go right – your personal story has the potential to be that much more beautiful.  And, your life need not read like an intolerable book.  It can once again be worth living.

By way of some criticism, I wasn’t as crazy about the final few chapters.  Some of the stories he tells earlier in the book seem to be dropped without a conclusion.  For example, I never found out what came of the movie that was being made about Miller’s life. Overall, though, this book had me completely engaged.

Rating: 5/5 (Love it.)

I paid for this book.  To purchase on Amazon, click here.

To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. – Revelation 2:17

Category: Reviews