The Wealth Cure

August 22, 2011
In this motivational title, Emmy Award-nominated actor Harper (Letters to a Young Brother) wants to help readers redefine success and reset their priorities about money. To do so, he draws on his professional experiences: his leap from Harvard Law graduate to successful actor; his recent diagnosis of thyroid cancer; and how he dealt with the unsettling news. While Harper's own narrative and stories of his friends and family prove captivating, the book loses much of its steam when the discussion shifts to monetary wealth. The advice that Harper doles out is rudimentary at best: "Credit card interest payments are the dumbest money of all." Chapters on household budgets and car purchases offer few new insights. The reader will be left with insights on Harper's personal perspective, but little inspiring or engaging information to facilitate their own financial growth.

August 15, 2011

Simple, inspirational pointers on how to manage money and discover the true meaning of wealth.

After being diagnosed with thyroid cancer, Harper (Letters to a Young Brother, 2007, etc.) boarded a train for a meditative, cross-country journey. Along the way, he encountered a number of fellow passengers who inspired him. Here he recounts their stories, alongside his own journey and a few resonant history lessons. All this combines to provide readers insight into what it means to be wealthy in contemporary America. Despite adding his own practical tips on how to manage finances, from prioritizing spending to the pitfalls of credit cards, the author encourages others to seek out wealth beyond money—in relationships, in health and in pursuing one's passions. He defers to his uncle on this point: "If you are making any decision solely based on money, then it's the wrong decision." It's a motto Harper has applied to his own life; the author, who earned a law degree from Harvard and stars in the TV series CSI:NY, writes extensively about his decision to act instead of practice law. Although much of the advice is useful and has practical applications, his writing abounds with clichés and often feels stilted—but it's not without its merits. The strongest parts are the historical biographies, including those of Pullman Porters and the "Real McCoy." In the end, the author underwent a successful surgery and remains cancer-free.

Money helps, but it's not a panacea. Harper demonstrates how redefining wealth can make readers all the richer.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

April 15, 2011

Harper's books sell around the 100,000 mark in hardcover or paperback; his Letters to a Young Brother won ALA's Best Book for Young Adults Award. Here he wants to talk about wealth in all its forms and put money in perspective as a means and not an end. Good inspiration where Harper's other books have been popular.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2011
We are programmed to believe that money and acquisition are our keys to happiness, success, and well-being. But the national debt crisis has exposed how the detrimental effects of materialism and the pursuit of money have caused us to have unbalanced relationships with ourselves and others. Harper, an NAACP Awardwinner, bestselling author, and star of CSI: NY, was forced to reevaluate his ideas about wealth after the shock of being diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Through a series of stories about family, friends, and his experience in coming to terms with his diagnosis, he takes the reader on a journey to examine the sources of true happiness while giving practical advice for getting one's financial house in order and achieving greater peace of mind and a commitment to higher goals. While most books on finance treat the subject as simply a set of rules to follow, Harper looks more deeply into how to build a healthy financial foundation while maintaining greater perspective on the values and relationships that are really important in life.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)