ANDY Andrews is the bestselling author of several books that are meant to stimulate readers to think, and to make their lives better than what they are. In The Final Summit, the protagonist is David Ponder, who, after a massive failure, succeeded in rebuilding his life and fortune by following seven wise decisions. But now he is old and heart-broken because his wife Ellen has died, and the work on his projected book has come to a halt. In this state of mind, he is visited by the angel Gabriel, and given the responsibility of organising a summit conference.
The summit is meant to “examine the accumulated wisdom of the past” for saving the sinking humanity of the present. Gabriel puts it precisely in the form of a question: “What does humanity need to do, individually and collectively, to restore itself to the pathway toward successful civilization?” David is allowed access to eminent people of the past, the time traveler’s, to discuss the issue and to find the answer. He is joined first by Winston Churchill, who takes a key part in the discussions that follow.
Andrew’s book is a first-rate narrative in which some of the best minds of the past are made to talk about their engaging lives and their enlightening ideas. It also provides well researched details about people whose lives and achievements, though quite remarkable, are not too well known. The Final Summit is a wise and thought provoking book and deserves to be read by all of us.
(Jaico Publishing Hose, A-2 Jash Chambers, 7-A, Phirozshah Mehta Road, Fort, Mumbai – 400 001, www.jaicobooks.com)
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