By: Sabina Jansson
“And so in time the row boat and I became one and the same – like the
archer and his bow or the artist and his paint. What I learned wasn’t mastery
over the elements; it was mastery over myself which is what conquest is ultimately
about.” (Bode, Richard, First You Have To Row a Little Boat; Reflections on Life andLiving, New York, 2012,
p.13)
I think this quote is saying a lot about Richard Bodes view on life and achievement. It is a quote in the book’s first chapter and the quote sets the tone for the rest of the book.
Photo: http://davidporcel.blogspot.com/2011/08/young-man-once-dreamt-of-owning-his-own.html
Richard Bode grew up in Long Island in the state of New York. Mr. Bode
graduated with a Master in Fine Arts from Columbia University. After graduating
Mr. Bode worked within the PR field, however the direction of his career
changed in 1969 when he decided to start working as a freelance writer. As a freelance
writer Mr. Bode authored three books before he died in 2003.
Photo credit: Barnes & Noble
I think that the book might be hard to understand if the reader has no
knowledge about sailing. I believe that Mr. Bodes metaphorical language is the book’s
strength and weakness at the same time. For a person that is familiar with
boats do the metaphors add an extra layer to the story however for a person
that has no relationship with boats the references becomes an obstacle and
something that makes the book fairly hard to understand.
I think that it is a beautiful written book that convey Richard Bodes thoughts in a unique and personal way.
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