Taking Stock: A Soul’s Journey thru Life,
Death, & the World of Investment
By Michael Norwood 253pp., Paperback, $12.95, ISBN 0-911649-02-8, Global
Publishing
This is an unexpectedly profound and moving story of a young chiropractor’s
experiences centering around the final two years of his father’s life. In the summer
of 1991, John Norwood was diagnosed with stomach cancer and given 3 months to
live. He lived well for another 18 months and during that time imparted his 11 step
stock investment system to his son Michael.
Michael travels through time. He goes back to his youth and the death of his sister,
and then through his training as a chiropractor, his travels abroad, and his
encounters with the master healer, Solihin. Concurrently he gives details of the
recent past and the progression of his fathers illness by describing his investment
lessons. Michael utilizes this intriguing narrative structure to tell many stories, reveal
many layers.
The reader moves along with Michael with increasing ease as the story unfolds. We
get used to his pace and find ourselves immersed in his story. A real highlight is the
beautifully written chapter (Chap.26) wherein he describes his sister’s funeral. This
is the chapter one returns to many times after reading the book. I dare not do it
injustice by paraphrasing here.
Michael’s story concludes around his weekly trips to his father’s home where his
father is suffering great pain and yet refusing all medications and tenaciously holding
on to life. Here every personality and event stand out in high relief. There is a
wonderful episode where John heroically plays the piano for Michael’s friends, and
another where, realizing that he can no longer follow the stock market, he tells
Michael that its time for him to take over.
Solihin’s Call But the true highlight and climax of the book is a phone call from
Solihin which takes place at a time when John is in tremendous pain and agitation,
when Michael and family are spending most of their time comforting and
encouraging him. I will not divulge the nature of the call, but it takes Michael’s work
with his father to a new level where he no longer has the need to direct his father,
but follow him. In the ensuing days life takes on a new quality of quiet attentiveness
from moment to moment. And then, in his sleep, his father quietly passes away.
I realized after reading this book that Michael had to write it. He had to share his
father’s wisdom. But the way he writes and the insights he conveys are remarkable.
Spend some time with this book, there’s more here than meets the eye
