The Battles

A Fabulous Odyssey Seeking The Secret of Success and Positive Thinking

Non-Fiction - Motivational
202 Pages
Reviewed on 12/29/2016
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Author Biography

Christiane Agricola is a globetrotter born in Germany in 1966. After her studies in energy and process engineering, she worked in environmental protection but soon discovered that a life as an employee wasn’t compatible with her personality.

She changed her career and became a self-employed nutrition and wellness tutor. Since a very young age she took a vivid interest in nutrition and weight control. Now, her coaching includes not only nutrition but also healthy lifestyle, goal-setting and self-improvement.

She has traveled all over Europe, passed two months in the Himalayan region, and visited Africa, North, Central, and South America. Throughout her life, she relocated to many places such as Greece, France, Argentina, and Paraguay.

She’s a proud mom of two twin cats and a charming greyhound girl.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

The Battles: A Fabulous Odyssey Seeking The Secret of Success and Positive Thinking is a non-fiction inspirational allegory written by Christiane Agricola. Drawing on the influence of motivational authors and New Thought Leaders, Wallace Delois Wattles, and Napoleon Hill, Agricola presents a series of lessons designed to help readers lead positive lives and achieve success. The allegory is set in the future; a grim future where the earth is in peril. Most of the planet's wildlife has become extinct, and a consortium called the Big Five controls and manipulates everyone's lives. The people's health and well-being have been dulled down by a diet devoid of nutrients and rich in sugar and processed food, and exercise has been proven to be injurious, resulting in a sedentary, alienated populace. Magnus Battles is the being who receives the wishes people send to the Universe. It's a frustrating job to have with the superficial wishes that come his way. One night, he's visited by a prophetic and terrifying dream of a future world where all civilization has disappeared, save for the few survivors now living in tribes in the wasteland. Magnus knew he had to stop this from happening, and he had an idea just how to do it.

Christiane Agricola's allegorical self-help book, The Battles: A Fabulous Odyssey Seeking The Secret of Success and Positive Thinking, presents a six-lesson course on success and positive thinking in an allegory of a reality show format that's really quite entertaining. This device allows the author to show how different people can approach the guidelines set out and craft their own plans for success. I especially appreciated the Key Takeaway sections at the end of each lesson which summarize the points covered, suggest ways to implement the material and assign challenges. Each lesson is clearly defined and presented, and the reader also gets to see as each of the contestants presents his/her own versions of success through their finished assignments. Agricola's characters are, for the most part, appealing and representative of a good variety of everyday people. And while some may continue asking the Universe for their desires, Agricola's book offers concrete ways to make those desires happen for yourself. The Battles: A Fabulous Odyssey Seeking The Secret of Success and Positive Thinking is highly recommended.