Dear Hartley: Thoughts on Character, Kindness, and Building a Brighter World by Jedediah Bila Book Review

Dear Hartley is a personal book that Jedediah Bila wrote to her son. Each one is written like a letter addressed to Hartley and her goal is to help the next generation. The book contained topics such as health, fitness, family, character, empathy, chivalry, and much more. In the book, she opened up about career changes. She attended Columbia University and had a full intent to finish their PhD program in Spanish literature. She completed their master program then she chose a different path. She shared how she worked for an insurance company and she went on another path when she missed the memo that she was supposed to be in the Twin Tower on September 11. She went on after that to search for meaning in her life. She then wanted to pursue acting. Then, she moved on to teaching at a college and then a Catholic school. She moved on to writing and wound up on TV. She opened up about her being on Fox & Friends Weekend and later on becoming a host of The View. She used these experiences to encourage her son about the lessons she learned along the way. In the book, she also shared about how she met her husband and she tries to leave her son a legacy of letters. 

 

 

I would recommend this wonderful book to anyone who is seeking a positive book about leaving a lasting legacy for the future generation. I liked how she did this book and how it was written in the style of letters to her son. It’s not your typical autobiography book. I loved how she discussed character traits, breathing, empathy, heartbreak, and mindset reset.  One of my favorite chapters discussed her health and how she dealt with acid reflex and how she learned about health and eating right. I really connected with this chapter and how she opened up about finding out she had Lyme disease. In reading her story about it and how she felt. I too at first had fatigue, headaches, numbness in one side of my face, and felt like I was going to die. Many doctors unable to help me but blame it on depression for my pain. I did eventually recover like she did. It was encouraging to read that I wasn’t alone in my health struggles. 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Hachette Book Group/Faithwords for my honest review.”

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Hartley-Thoughts-Character-Kindness/dp/1546001034