Book Review: Get It On

I've read over twenty books since my last book review on here.  I'm extremely selective with what I read, so I'm always fairly certain I will at least like a book before I begin.  As a result, none of those twenty have been bad (in my opinion) and some were even very good.  However, none of them were excellent--especially compared to the last book I finished.

"Get It On: What It Means to Lead the Way" by Keni Thomas is one of the best books I've ever read.  Considering that between school and pleasure reading, I've read probably close to 1000 books so far in my life, and even out of the best ones there are very few I'd recommend to anyone and even fewer I'd recommend to everyone.  This is one book I'd recommend to everyone.

It's not just about Keni's experience in the Battle of Mogadishu, and even though many of the lessons are based in Christian faith it's not preachy or inapplicable to non-Christians.  It is a book that has something for everyone, I feel, no matter your interests or ideology.  I've read several books with the same basic message, but none conveys the story so accessibly and in such a concise and to the point manner.  None take a grave situation that was anything but funny, and manage to tell it with appropriately placed humor and levity.

At Belmont, students are required to attend a certain number of "Convo events" in order to graduate.  These are typically an hour long, and most of them involved sitting and listening to a speaker of little importance discuss any multitude of topics with widely varying quality.  It was required, and I can't say that most students enjoyed the majority of the Convo events they attended, so we all just showed up and feigned interest for the hour to get the credit.  Once in a while an event would pop up on the calendar that might seem interesting, so you'd try really hard to make that event but more often than not that turned out to be disappointing regardless.

One day I saw that a pilot from the "Black Hawk Down" incident would be speaking in the library, and I thought that might be kinda cool.  I knew of the incident, but had not seen the movie or know much about it beyond the basics.  To my surprise, I sat enthralled the entire hour, totally in awe of the story that guy told.  Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the man that spoke that day.  But I left campus and drove immediately to Blockbuster, where I rented the movie.  I went back to my apartment, popped in the DVD, and sat on my couch and cried like a baby through almost the entire movie.  It was such a devastating, but moving, story.  I was even more in awe of the man I'd just seen speak, but I could never bring myself to watch the movie again.  It was just too hard to watch.

Then I met Keni.  He had been referred to us by our previous landlord when he needed the engine swapped in his 1971 Dodge Charger.  We were told Keni was a country singer, but I'd never heard of him before, and I'll admit at first I didn't like him too much.  It wasn't that he did anything wrong--in fact, he was a super-chipper, upbeat dude--but people like that always make me a bit suspicious.  I'm too cynical to believe that people can just be happy-go-lucky all the time without being fake or trying to hide something.  Usually, in my experience, the people that seem so nice upfront turn out to be major assholes later down the line. 

The more Keni came around the more I started to like him.  He did seem, after getting to know him better, to be a genuinely nice guy and he was funny.  His engine swap turned out to be rife with problems, but he never got pissed or stressed about it, which is the best kind of customer to have.  I learned that he did USO Tours and motivational speaking, but I didn't know why.  I actually thought that was a bit silly that anyone would pay for a non-mainstream artist to come speak to their group about anything.

Then a friend of a friend told us his story...Keni had been an Army Ranger and fought in the Battle of Mogadishu.  Keni, the super-friendly musician with long hair that kinda dressed like Keith Urban was a decorated combat veteran from one of the most horrific and historic battles of all time--and certainly of my lifetime.  I immediately thought back to the guy that spoke at Belmont, and how challenging just watching the movie had been.  I didn't believe that Keni...our Keni...could have been though that.  One minute with Google proved otherwise.

When we asked him about it the next time we saw him he wasn't afraid to talk about it, but he was so humble about the experience, it was shocking.  But that was the basis for his motivational speaking, and that was the driving force behind his music and all of his work with charities. 

I told him about the speaker I saw at Belmont, but I never pressed him to share his story.  I figured if he wanted to share he would.  We talked more about this group or that group that he'd worked with recently, or his experiences on his last USO tour, or singing the national anthem at Yankee Stadium for the World Series.  So when he told us he was writing a book I was very excited, and ordered it as soon as it became available.  At that point it was just simple curiosity.  I wanted to know what Keni had to say about it.

Coincidentally, after learning his "true identity" HBO ran the movie "Black Hawk Down" for several weeks, and I watched it multiple times in whole or in part.  It was still just as difficult as the first time, but I wanted to better understand the event without pestering Keni about it.  Now I'd get the chance to "hear it from Keni" without imposing on him.

I got so much more than I was looking for with this book.  Even though I personally know him, which meant that I could "hear" his "voice" in so much of the story, the fact that I know him didn't factor much into the impression the book left on me.  His story, and the story of all the men involved in that battle, is inspirational in itself.  Keni's unique take on it, and how it all applies to anyone is very human and relatable.  the added punch comes from the fact that you know it got someone through what is truly the worst of times so it must apply to the small, insignificant battles we all face every day.  Because he shows you that no battle is small or insignificant.  Everything and everyone in life has a purpose, but if you are ready to "fight" you will never lose, even when you don't win.

The most important line, to me personally, was: good is not good enough when better is expected.

That's exactly what the book delivered.