Sep 19, 2017 5 min read Life

Best Reviews of Play for a Living

My new book Play for a Living just went live on Amazon! Ever since our Kickstarter campaign ended, I’ve been eager to get the book into readers’ hands. So far, people seem to be genuinely loving it. On a level that I haven’t seen with my previous books. There are three reviews, in particular, that h

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya / Unsplash

My new book Play for a Living just went live on Amazon!

Ever since our Kickstarter campaign ended, I’ve been eager to get the book into readers’ hands.

So far, people seem to be genuinely loving it. On a level that I haven’t seen with my previous books.

There are three reviews, in particular, that have stood out to me — that Play for a Living is more than just a coffee-table book. Notice how different they are:

A man who got caught in Hurricane Harvey
A 50-year old who hates his job
A 10-year old girl who stole the book from her parents

“Helped me through Hurricane Harvey” from Scott S.

“Charlie’s first book Play it Away convinced me to quit my job and start my own company. This one is just as awesome. We live south of Houston and it arrived just as Hurricane Harvey left. It reminded me to turn a stressful situation into one of joy and play. Ripping out furniture, sheet rock, and carpet became a game and enjoyable. Instead of an event of loss it became one of rebuilding, joy, and helping others find a moment of happiness.”

“Changed my partner’s life” from Harley C.

“I received a copy of your book as part of the Kickstarter campaign and gave it to my significant other for his 50th birthday (September 13). We’ve been together for 25+ years (never married, e.g. doing the Goldie and Kurt thing…haha) and he’s been my best friend since I day met him (way before that).We’ve been through everything together and as his BIG birthday approached, I knew it weighed on him. He is the only person I know that’s been with the same employer since he got out of college. Yeah, that’s a lot of years. Me? I’ve been through more than a couple dozen jobs, a few careers and gotten a couple more degrees along the way. Today, I am self-employed, an authorpreneur, and while I’m not wealthy, I’m doing ok and love the work I do.Him. Not so much. The J-O-B has beaten him into submission.I’ve tried everything I can think over the past several years – encouraging him to make the move elsewhere, pointing out all his values and what he has to offer in the world, asking him what he’d love to do when he grows up and when he comes up with that list and commits to getting serious about it? Two weeks later everything we discussed falls flat…’cause work always comes a-calling.I decided to give him my copy of this book. It was after 11 pm when I gave him his gifts, on a day that had for him started at 4 am…and considering he was bone tired, having worked at least a half-dozen months without a day off, he graciously accepted my meager gifts. When he got to your book…all he could do was whisper….’This is cool. Wow. This is so cool. A guy did a Kickstarter for this book? And these people…created…this art…just for this book…to pair with these quotes?” I told him, yes, they did, each for their own reasons.Being more of an analytical type, he was quiet but nodded.This morning…the book was gone. He had taken it to work with him. He sent me an email around 10 am – unusual for him – asking if I thought we could send copies of these books to others.Absolutely, I responded. What do you have in mind?Well, I know that every single person in my family could use this book. [He also added a couple of chuckling emoticons…also unusual…] But I also know some others that I work with who could benefit just as much…even if they don’t appreciate the gesture.I asked him what had captivated him so much…he’s not much for the creative stuff, after all… He said it was the fact that the quotes had spanned so many important points in history and combined with the artwork that had captured them eloquently, had gotten him the core of his bones…he simply could not stop looking…reading…and re-reading every single page.I’ll admit, this was more along the lines of something that would have come from my mouth, but when this bull-headed, no-nonsense, analytically-minded brute was not only gob-smacked into silence but affected to the point he wanted to share it with the world? One might just be tempted to call that a miracle…Playing for a Living…indeed!”

“My daughter stole the book” from Chris P.

“I’m sitting with my daughter in our living room, and your new book is sitting on the ottoman between us.While we’re talking, she keeps looking at the book. Eventually she’s like, “Hey dad, can I see that book?”She picks it up and says, “Oh my gosh, this is the coolest book ever!” And she’s like, “Play for a Living… Why is it called that?”I said, “Well, my friend Charlie put this book together. He teaches people how important it is to have play time in our lives, because sometimes adults forget, and they get stressed, and they worry too much about the small stuff. And she’s like, “Well yeah, because adults have to go to the grocery store a lot. Is that what it means?”“Well, sort of. You know how mom and I tell you not to worry about things? To just be a kid and have fun? Charlie wants adults to remember that, too. So he created this book to show people that some of the most famous and loved and talented people in the world all celebrated playing, and that you should too, regardless if you’re a kid or an adult.” She’s looking at the cover, and still not quite getting it. So I tell her, “Open the book and let’s look at one of the pages.”She opens to Albert Einstein and goes, “Oh my god, we learned about him at school! He’s famous for being really smart.” I said, “Yeah, and read the quote (which says play is the highest form of research.) He is telling you that playing is basically the best thing you can do in your life. Albert Einstein did what he cared about, and what he loved his entire life. So for him, he never really worked. He played his entire life, which made it enjoyable.”Then she asks if she can read the book in her room. I tell her that’s not a problem. Then she said that after she’s done reading, she was going to go play outside, since she hasn’t done that enough recently.”

To listen to the full testimonial, play the audio file below: