Sunday, December 21, 2008

Book Review: Randy Jackson's "Body With Soul"

I admit it. I snickered when I heard that Randy Jackson was writing a diet book.

But “Body With Soul” is not a diet book. It’s a change of lifestyle book. And it’s obvious from the first page that Randy is on a mission to save peoples’ lives.

That’s because Randy’s own life was in jeopardy when he found himself in the emergency room with a blood sugar reading five times the normal level. Randy had type 2 diabetes and that diagnosis was exactly the wake-up call he needed to change his lifestyle and eating habits.

The book tells the tale of how he got to the ER (as well as to 350 pounds) and how he got to where he is now, which is 100 pounds lighter and taking no diabetes medication. That includes not only personal stories of Randy’s life on the road, but also his favorite healthy recipes and exercise routines.

But even though Randy is passionate about getting people to change, his conversational writing style makes everything sound more like a friend talking to you than someone preaching at you. And because Randy is struggling with these issues everyday, you can relate to what he has to say. But he also has doctors and experts offering their advice and personal stories to back him up.

From time to time, Randy does throw in an example from “American Idol” to illustrate his point, but he doesn’t dwell on the show. And that’s because that’s not the point of this book.

The point of the book is for Randy to use the popularity and celebrity he’s earned from “Idol” to get people to see the error of their ways before it’s too late.

And as Randy himself might say, that’s a’ight…

“Body With Soul: Slash Sugar, Cut Cholesterol, and Get a Jump on Your Best Health Ever” is available in stores and online now…

Photo Credit: Penguin Books