BOOK REVIEW: THE MOMENTS THAT MAKE US – Pete Evick

Label: Crossroads Publishing

Release Date: June 16, 2015

Rating: 9.5/10

Reviewed by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur

It’s always interesting when a musician puts pen to paper and pours their creative talents into other avenues, such as a book.  In the day and age of tell-all stories from musicians of all genres, I have to admit, I raised an eyebrow of curiosity when I heard guitarist and entrepreneur Pete Evick was putting together a book.  Who knew what direction this project from Evick would take?  Having talked to Pete several times over the last few years, I wondered if he was about to dish dirt on the music business and musicians or give advice on how to become the rocker of your dreams.  The possibilities were endless and only Pete knew where this was headed.

When you talk to Pete, he is gracious and appreciative of his rock and roll heritage.  He loves his children and all they bring to his world.  He enjoys the fans, the music, and the opportunities afforded him.  This book wasn’t going to trash anyone or build anyone’s rock dreams – this was Pete evaluating his life… his decisions… his mistakes… his rewards.  This was his opportunity to work towards the finalization of a process that had begun years earlier when his life started to change without him realizing the change was taking place.  After the dissolution of a marriage, he did what most people do when their life as they know it is uprooted and changed.  He started looking at what he did, how he could have changed it, and how he can adapt and move forward.  Realizing this was no ten-minute exercise, Evick started to analyze, for better or worse, different moments in his life that created a cause-and-effect reaction that would cascade through his life.  As he went through the pain of recognizing various moments that altered his perception of life and relationships, he did what any good song writer would do – he started documenting the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Pete once told me: “I think the thing I’m most proud of is that I’ve been able to show my children that dreams can come true without having to sell your soul.”  This book is a lot of soul searching and an inspired look at his character.

Evick will be the first to tell you this isn’t a self-help book or a pity party.  This is simply his take on his life and the way others decisions and actions affected him, and therefore his life, his relationships as an adult, and his relationship with his children.  He realized that there are more influences on our lives than most of us think about on a daily basis.  Through the pages of the book, you can feel the elation and the pain as he moves from thought to thought and analyzation to realization.  The feelings and emotions flow through the book as if to demonstrate, if nothing else, that it is natural and normal to feel what you feel – regardless of what others believe you are or are not entitled to feel.  One of my favorite quotes in the book was recently posted to Pete’s Facebook page.  I love this quote, not only because it seems fitting for someone who has had some of the same feelings and broken moments, but it truly comes from Evick’s heart: “The rainbow is the pot of gold.”  Sometimes the journey is more important and rewarding than the end game.  Will this book help you survive a divorce or personal tragedy?  Will this book teach you how to fix yourself?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  What I found this book will do is teach you to look at the whole picture and its causes and influences no matter the situation, search your soul, and look for resolution, rather than blame and anger.

PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON

PETE EVICK LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

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Category: Book Reviews, Other Reviews