I simply love this book. ON THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED is so much more than a memoir. Ed Hajim has written a book that is fast-paced and begins like a thriller as he writes about how at the age of 3, his father kidnapped him and fled across America on Route 66. A heartbreaking story of a boy being told that his mother was dead. And then being abandoned by a father who went off to sea. Shunted from one orphanage to another, Ed Hajim could have had such a sad and terrible life. But even in his loneliness and in his chaotic life, he decided that he would not be a victim. He would be a winner. He would go to a great college. And most importantly, he would lead a good life. There are places in this book where my eyes filled with tears. And other times when I laughed out loud at his determination and adventures.

Now a highly successful businessman and philanthropist, he shares his story and the Wisdom he has gained over the years. He calls it the “The 4 P’s” for a successful and happy life. A life worth living. A life worth sharing.

I wish every 18-year old would read this book. They will realize how much they have to be thankful for–and how much they can achieve if they set themselves on the right path and with the right attitude. 

I think of Ed Hajim as MR. POSITIVITY. I am so proud that he has been a frequent guest on Joy on Paper.

More about the book:

At the age of 3, a boy Ed Hajim is kidnapped by his father, driven cross-country, and told his mother had died. He presses his face against the car window, watches the miles pass and wonders where life will take him. This is a beautifully written memoir filled with human drama, wisdom and timeless life lessons, Ed Hajim tells his improbable story of how he bounced from foster homes to orphanages, in a daily struggle to survive, to living the American dream as an accomplished Wall Street executive and model family man with great moral fiber and the means to give back to a world that seemed intent on rejecting him.