To keep well-rounded, I try to read both business books and anything else. One book on my list was The Girl From Farris’s by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Set in Chicago in the early part of the last century, it is the story of a young woman who tries to go on the straight and narrow after a career as a prostitute, and the people who try to help and hinder her. My original intent on reading it was due to the references to Chicago’s Loop. And like anything about life, I found takeaways from the book.

My greatest takeaway is that you must follow your dreams, no matter how hard they are. The heroin of the book, Maggie (who’s real name is June), makes the decision to go on the straight and narrow, get a job and make a life for herself. She is lured back to her old ways and as well encounters people who try to help her but are more furthering their own causes. But Maggie persists, moving forward but not forgetting where she came from.

Another takeaway was that it’s a small world. Maggie repeatedly encounters people from her past throughout the story, under varying circumstances. And this was in the day of the manual typewriter! Keeping this is mind will help you in dealing with people you may never want to encounter again the next time you see them.

The Girl From Farris’s is short and enjoyable story, packed with plot twist throughout. If you’re looking for a book for a cross-country flight, allow me to recommend this one.

Book Take-Aways • Diversions • (0) Comments • Permalink