Reviewed by Tamara Manning
In If You Can See It, You Can Be It: 12 Street-Smart Recipes for Success, Chef Jeff Henderson talks about being a drug dealer at an early age, a millionaire by age 19, and his time in federal prison for his prior poor decisions. With the encouragement and help of mentors along the way, Henderson writes this book to detail how one can make the conscious decision to turn his or her life around and succeed in anything.
From the first page, Henderson grabs a reader’s attention by reminiscing about his youth and the mistakes he made living the fast-money street life. Cleverly written to take on the form of a recipe, this book will be a good read for young adults as well as adults. The language is easy to understand and encourages both introspection and evaluation of those around you.
Henderson uses great motivational words to encourage readers to channel their focus and find their purpose in life. Without a doubt, this book can take anybody from the “have nots” to the “haves” and elevate them to a high--or higher--level of achievement. The intermittent quotes from various people help to set a tone of success from various walks of life, and various industries.
While the size of the book may be visually intimidating, it is easy to follow and broken into subject matter in a way that allows for simpler comprehension. This book is applicable for most ages, any gender and certainly any race. For the person looking for straight, no chaser truth, If You Can See It, You Can Be It is the perfect read. Chef Jeff has done it again and has a winner on his hands.
Tamara Manning is from a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, where she lives with her husband and young son. She is very active in Assembly Baptist Church, and serves Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. as President of Nu Theta Zeta chapter; current Ohio Graduate Member-at-Large; and Regional Representative for Ohio. For fun, she enjoys spending time with her mother (who is also a Zeta), shopping, reading and encouraging others. She is currently at work on an inspirational book.