A Story on Purpose
Summary
A Story on Purpose is Payton Minzenmayer’s hybrid self-help book/novel. Following the story of Ethan, a young man lost and burdened by feelings of failure and anxiety, the book takes the reader on a journey of mental health through positive habits, advice on managing emotions, and discipline. Written with a warm and inviting style, this book provides genuinely helpful advice to navigating life and taking a proactive role in one’s own mental health, bringing in Scripture periodically for Biblical validity.
Assessment
A Story on Purpose is a heartfelt and intelligent story that combines the purposeful advice of a self-help book with the warmth of a slice-of-life, coming-of-age novel. These two parts of the book are woven together inextricably and smoothly, with the wisdom of the self-help advice presented almost naturally within the character’s life and journey.
The writing style is on the cozy side of things, bridging the gap between the novel and the self-help book quite well. Occasionally the story will get a little exposition-heavy, or a character’s dialogue will last a few too many paragraphs as they explain a key element of mental discipline, but overall the story flows nicely and, typically, pulls itself out of being long-winded well before the reader loses interest.
Light-o-Meter
Writing Style: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Plot: 4 out of 7 Little Lights
Worldbuilding: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Characters: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Theological Message: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Overall: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Talk
The first thing that I want to say about this book is that it is not a piece of fiction in the traditional sense (and therefore I am not going to rate and review it as such). It is what I am dubbing a “self-help novel”, which is part self-help book, part novel. Yes there is a story, but it is only half of the book’s overall picture, the other half is focused on real-world, motivational life hacks, mental disciplines, and tools to help the reader build mental habits that are going to serve them tremendously in the long run. And these two halves are woven together really well.
What sells this book are two things: first is Minzenmayer’s easy, disarming writing style that pulls you into the characters and takes you through the story at an even, steady pace and, second, the self-help advice that he presents. The advice isn’t simply “think all your problems away!”, it provides legitimate advice on discipline, motivation, navigating the ups and downs of life, handling failure, grief, disappointment, and how to stand firm against negative thought patterns. And it does so with both a built-in guide (Don, the mentor figure) and the person who is struggling to build good habits in their life (the story’s MC, Ethan).
Additionally, there is a Christian foundation to the advice that is being presented. Most of the principles can be traced back to Scripture (even if the book itself doesn’t directly reference it) and doesn’t wallow in a self-centered or “manifest your dreams” kind of philosophy. There is also a strong element of discipleship, although that isn’t directly named. Don disciples Ethan throughout his journey, offering advice from his older and wiser perspective. I think the singular bone I had to pick with the story was that in one scene it did paint yoga in a positive light, which I am not a huge fan of. It didn’t go into the spiritual side of things, of course, it just presented it as a good early morning exercise which could be swapped out for anything, so I’ll leave that up to the reader’s discretion.
Overall, I think this is a great book if you are either a fiction reader who can’t bring themselves to pick up a non-fiction book or if you are a self-help book junkie looking for a new narrative frame for some solid advice!
Where to Enjoy
Books-A-Million: A Story On Purpose by Payton Minzenmayer
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