BOOK REVIEW: NECESSARY ENDINGS
Necessary Endings: The Employees, Businesses, and Relationships That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Move Forward
Author: Dr. Henry Cloud
Publisher: Harper Collins
Date: 2011
The title of the first chapter carries forth what I believe to be the theme of the
book, “Endings: The Good Cannot Begin Until the Bad Ends.” The metaphor of
gardening and pruning is used to lay forth the premise that change and transition take
place only when we are ready to let go of those things holding us back. In fact,
Cloud would argue that failure to prune leads to stunted growth and even death.
Cloud discusses how to analyze when the need for pruning exists and how to discern
that which is diseased and that which is healthy. I personally found chapter 7 (The
Wise, the Foolish, and the Evil: Identifying Which Kinds of People Deserve Your Trust)
to be absolutely profound. This chapter opened up for me an understanding of many of
my life events. I found the chapter to be both therapeutic and challenging.
If anyone is interested in joining in a blog discussion of this book, let me know, and I will
get it set up. THIS IS A BOOK TO TALK ABOUT.
