Author Antwone Fisher gives points for boys in transitioning to men on the importants of life lessons akin to tying ties!
It’s amazing how basic deeds in life an be directives for measures of success. But tying a tie?! So says author, Antwone Fisher who in his book A Boy Should Know Hot to Tie A Tie, he gives concise and fundamental ways to give common bonds in life with ten chapters. Even the subtitle, ‘Other Lessons for Succeeding in Life’ gives fair warning for subjective analysis. In reading this essential work, I came away with awe in how he gave poignant, but clear missives in how boys can get ahead, stay there and use a plain structure for maintaining confidence to be what one would aspire to be. He further surmises that, “the book you (will) hold in your hands is part instruction manual, part guidebook, and part reflection.” And so it is.
As I give you an analogy of this book, please don’t be deterred or turned off by the title. There’s messages therein that I feel are not only important but sorely needed for all young boys transitioning to responsible men should abide by. These life lessons are artfully displayed in the author reliving his past life as a Navy recruit realizing in retrospect how admiration for his foster father and what was instilled in him the premise for this book. But in assessing the aforementioned, it wasn’t until Fisher was enlisted in the military that he realized his detailed-oriented and smartly dressed father had never taken the time to teach him how a first impression was necessary to reflect on the outside the man he needed to become on the inside. This impressionable ideal came to a head when his company commander demanded as a prerequisite that, "A boy ought to know how to tie a tie." The requirement was the navy’s revered half-windsor knot.
The first chapter starts out judicially admonishing the value of self-worth in developing it, learning the tenets of how materialism can ruin the best laid plans, and finally how relative it is to value anything worth achieving for good results. If value is part of the process to get from here to there, then intuition cannot be ignored in this scheme. It’s about making good discernible options for choice to manifest trust and understanding in anticipating deterrents. Chapters three to ten are a cornucopia of different precepts from how to stay groomed, to balancing a budget to developing a plan for life, including inventing/reinventing self and most importantly, creating a spiritual awareness. If the authors intent is to bring a closer edge to boys realizing how identity is apropos for any advancement, he succeeds here as all the "hints and tips" portions of this book are very practical, pervasive and presented in clear and helpful ways where a no-nonsense style is evident. I am impressed and duly cognizant of how this book can help any young man coming to grips with self. As such, I feel that this is a MUST read and recommend this book to boys in every echelon of their growing experience and to other young men who may have never had the opportunity to learn these quality living aspects to foment a meaningful existence for self, family and community. Thank you Mr. Fisher for such an insightful and thoughtful book -- it’s sorely needed!
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