The Incredible Journey


The Young Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews, is an inspirational novel about an incredible journey. Michael Holder, the main character, gets into a very bad car accident after drinking with friends. Michael then had to go to jail. While in jail, Michael, in his dreams, meets with special heroes like President Truman, Anne Frank and Christopher Columbus. Through these dreams, Michael’s heroes inspire him to look at his life in a different perspective.

I recommend this book to both teens and adults because it is an inspiring book. It has a very important theme of making good decisions and choices in life. It teaches the reader to appreciate life and always know that you can make your life better through those good decisions and choices. Your past cannot always predict your future. At first Michael seems to be very down and sad when he says, “I certainly don’t have success or happiness in my life right now.” Solomon, an inspiring character in the novel, profoundly tells him, “That is all in the past. Even the present is constantly becoming the past-now…and now…and now. The past will never change, but you can change the future by changing your actions today. It is really very simple. We are always changing. We might as well guide the direction in which we change.”

My favorite part of the novel is when Michael meets with the heroes. These meetings change Michael’s life forever. They teach him to always remember to follow the right path in life and to always go with your best instincts. It is easy for the reader to become inspired by reading this novel. The novel’s message is clear…overcoming troubling a time is possible when you forgive yourself for your past mistakes and work hard to accomplish your future dreams.