A book review by Cool Cleveland reader Tom Perrino

"There are no other cases, this is the case." This is the pivotal moment in the movie "The Verdict" that features Paul Newman's character facing his most bone-rattling fears. His partner and mentor attempts to steer Paul toward the easy settlement, take the money and just forget about the hassle and hard work ahead of him. He has lost all confidence in his former protégé. Newman (in a stunning performance bested only by Ghandi himself, according to the Oscar phonies) has thrust his stake in the ground, deciding he must rise up to the challenge.

Life is a series of these revealing moments. We are offered hints to help answer the deep dark questions of our existence that we either recognize and jump on or miss entirely. Or worse, we ignore them because of our fears or numerous other psychological repressions we may not even understand. We receive a phone call from someone we haven't talked to in years. We suddenly notice something for the first time even though we may have passed the object in question a thousand times. After listening to a song for years we finally understand the meaning or glean a new meaning that relates to a particular situation in our lives. Some life question comes to us and later we stumble upon a book that seems to have some answers or better, asks different questions that advance our quest.

Many people say there are no coincidences in life. If you have read Caroline Myss or listened to her speak, you will recognize this as one of her central tenets. As someone who seeks some answers about his own existence, I agree. The stories in Po's new book would seem to corroborate this very ideal.

The genesis of this book was part personal and part wildfire networking. Once Po floated the idea out on the web of the great human chain, one thing led to another and he sensed a larger purpose for the stories he was collecting.

Traveling to all points of the globe, but primarily up and down the west coast, the book concentrates on people who asked the "ultimate question" about their existence and found some way to follow the voice that answered. Many stories depict tremendous sacrifice and excruciating leaps of faith. Many people came face to face with the proverbial fork in the road and heeded their own personal call. But the common thread is that no one read their future on a billboard or through their horoscope or even through a fortuneteller. In the more than 1,000 people he interviewed for this project, not one claimed their new direction in life came as a life trembling epiphany. Tiny clues, small reminders, a hint of recognition was all it took to help most people alter their journey just enough to get the momentum rolling in a more meaningful direction.

People choose their paths for many reasons. We can all relate to the decisions made by folks in this book. Parental pressures, lack of a real plan, whimsy, keeping up with their peer groups. They never took the time to truly understand themselves, what really made them tick and follow that passion regardless of the payoff or outcome. Po gave up a lucrative sales career ($300,000 a year by just his second year!) because the thought of that existence just did not meld with his true spirit. He had just enough courage to listen to his inner voice to know he needed to go a different route. His call was to write although no one knew this and he could not bring himself to mention this to anyone close to him. His father was a successful salesman and businessman and Po knew when he announced his intentions to his family, he would face intense resistance (the rest of his Father's story goes even further to emphasize Po's point of the book). But he did follow his inner voice although the road to his current position was not quite as easy as I have depicted. Three successful books later and Po is the living embodiment for all of us who dream of something that connects our work with our spirit. Talk about street cred!

Po is careful not to offer any particular story as a road map for his readers. He makes it clear even during the interview process that he did not want to provide any answers to his interviewees. The point was they had to come to the decision on their own. And throughout the book he offers personal insight that shows us he is putting his money where his mouth is. He is open and honest even when discussing the demise of his first marriage and his lack of confidence in the business world.

This book has inspired me to understand my Cleveland brothers and sisters better. What has kept us here? Do we share the Cleveland mental tic of inferiority? Where did this evil seed first get planted and how did we let it germinate? What are we doing to eradicate this cancer once and for all? What's next for us? Our families? What dreams do we have and are we confident we can accomplish these in Cleveland?

And so, The Cleveland Project - my answer to Joe Gould's Oral History - is born. Joe said he never quite got his Oral History project under way but it wasn't because he was too lazy. Up to now, I was too lazy to start this project. But reading this book has inspired me to re-connect with Cleveland and understand how we are all adding to or taking away from our great city by the little things we do each day.

So, what do you want to do with your life? The clock is ticking.

Tom Perrino can be reached at tsperrino@hotmail.com (:divend:)