52 Cups of Coffee: Inspiring and insightful stories for navigating life's uncertainties

by Megan Gebhart

Book Overview

When Megan Gebhart graduated college in 2011, she knew she couldn't resign herself to life at an aimless 9-to-5 job climbing the corporate ladder. So instead, she challenged herself to have a single... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 150060206X
• ISBN13: 9781500602062
• Release Date: August 2014
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

You can probably skip this one

I would be lying if I said this book was more than a 3/5. First off, I want to say that Megan's experience is an inspiring one. I can't imagine going out of my way to meet a different person each week over a single cup of coffee. The further I got into this book, the more I enjoyed reading into other people's lives and seeing how they got there. I also enjoyed seeing Megan grow as a person as the book went on. Who would have thought that she would have had the adventures she had and met the people she met? The experiences are definitely worth the tales. Unfortunately not all is good. I felt as if the writing was a bit rushed in some areas. Most conversations were written in a few pages for people with extraordinary stories. For example, you meet Priotr, and his inspiring journey. His neurological disease doesn't hold him back and he finds the best in every situation. The excitement that Priotr gets when he sees people ball is heartwarming. And in a "small world" moment, Megan is having coffee with Priotr's grandmother in Poland a few chapters on. During her journey, Megan meets a colorful cast of people who all share their own experiences and life stories. Megan even manages to meet Steve Wozniak! But I understand, you can't write a novel for every hour conversation you have over a cup of coffee. Yet, I felt I could have learned more about the people I'm introduced to. Also, every person has some life lesson that Megan learns. Some parts of the book I felt as if the "lesson" did not fit into the rest of a person's story. By forcing "life lessons" into each chapter, I felt as if Megan was fitting square pegs in circular holes. Every conversation doesn't have to be a life changing. Stories could have been better if Megan removed the "lessons" and the reader was to decide their own meaning to each story. That opens the room for self-interpretation that the reader is already going to have. With the short chapters and the forced lessons, I felt that this book stretched itself too thin. I understand if Megan doesn't want to copy Humans of New York or Chicken Soup for the Soul. But this book felt as if something essential is missing. A great idea has missed its mark. The book left me craving for more. What happened to everyone involved? Where is the resolution? Maybe this yearning for resolution will push me to start my own 52 Cups of Coffee adventure. Maybe not.