Unfinished Business: One Man's Extraordinary Year of Trying to Do the Right Things

Written by Lee Kravitz

Narrated by Kevin Foley

After losing his job, Lee Kravitz, a workaholic in his midfifties, took stock of his life and realized just how disconnected he had become from the people who mattered most to him. He committed an entire year to reconnecting with them and making amends.

Kravitz takes listeners on ten transformational journeys, among them repaying a thirty-year-old debt, making a long-overdue condolence call, finding an abandoned relative, and fulfilling a forgotten promise. Along the way, we meet a cast of wonderful characters and travel the globe-to a refugee camp in Kenya, a monastery in California, the desert of southern Iran, a Little League game in upstate New York, and a bar in Kravitz's native Cleveland. In each instance, the act of reaching out opens new paths for both personal and spiritual growth.

All of us have unfinished business-the things we should have done but just let slip. Kravitz's story reveals that the things we've avoided are exactly those that have the power to transform, enrich, enlarge, and even complete us. The lesson of the book is one that is applicable to us all: Be mindful of what is most important, and act on it. The rewards will be immediate and lasting.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: May 11, 2010
• ISBN: 9781400187249

Lee Kravitz

Lee Kravitz was Editor-in-Chief of PARADE, the Sunday newspaper magazine, from 2000-2007. Before that he was the Founding Editor of REACT, a magazine for teens, and served as an Editorial Director of Scholastic Inc. As a journalist, Kravitz has traveled on assignment to dozens of countries. His mission as a writer and editor has been "to tell stories that connect emotionally to everyday Americans, moving them to actions that improve their lives, nation and world." Kravitz is president of Youth Communication, a publisher of writing by and for inner-city teens and youth in foster care. He is also active on the boards of the Public Education Network and The League: Powered by Learning to Give. A graduate of Yale College and the Columbia University Journalism School, he lives in New York City and Clinton Corners, New York, with his wife and three children. Parade Magazine

Reviews for Unfinished Business

[srtsrt_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book was hard to finish. The only reason I didn’t give up was to write this review. Lee Kravitz is a nice guy and he turned a negative (losing his job) into a positive (making amends) but his story, published as the memoir “unfinished business” just didn’t keep me interested. Several times I felt that this memoir was simply an excuse to revisit his youth and not really about doing the right thing for people from his past.

[readingfiend_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lee Kravitz was fired from his job as editor in chief of Parade magazine and started to do some soul searching about business left unfinished - with his family, old friends, mentors. He mended fences with his family and between family members, repaid a debt he was sure had soured a friendship, visited a mentor and made a condolence call on an old friend.It wasn't a quick read or always an easy one but I finished it and enjoyed it. It will make you think about unfinished business of your own.

[nancynova · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

rabck from HI77; after being fired from his job and not sure what to do next, the author made a list of Ten Things that he considered "unfinished business" and gave himself a year to complete them. Some really resonated with me - making a long overdue condolence call, connecting with a long lost family member and meeting with a long ago teacher/mentor. One of the author's friends had become a monk, and it was an enlightening chapter on spiritual awareness. Do you need a year off to do these things in your own life? Probably not, but the year deadline gave the author a limited timeframe to complete the items, instead of putting it off.

[staffoa · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A great lesson for us all to take to heart. Lee Kravitz was lucky to have the time and resources to handle all of his unfinished business in his life. Most importantly, he was able to realize and accept all he needed to go back and handle. Most importantly, I hope (though it was not really touched on) that he learned to put his immediate family first. He was running all over the country taking care of his business, now that he FINALLY had time, yet it appears his wife and children continued to be left out--waiting at home for him. It would be interesting to know if Lee returned to work still able to balance his family life and his work life, and whether he still maintains his friendships, etc. I would hope Lee's journey was not for nought.

[paradiseporch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What would you do if you suddenly lost your high-powered, high-pressure job in a declining industry, and received a year’s severance pay? Hit the pavement? Take up a hobby? Stay under the covers?The author of Unfinished Business: One Man’s Extraordinary Year of Trying to Do the Right Things, Lee Kravitz, faced just such a situation in his mid-fifties. After taking stock of seemed to be a very successful life, he decided to spend that year reconnecting to the people in his life. As he says: As good as my life looked on paper, it was sorely lacking in the one area that puts flesh on meaning: human connectedness. We all have the kind of unfinished business to which Kravitz refers in the title of his book—emotional loose ends: old friends we’ve lost touch with, promises we made but didn’t keep, family we’ve grown apart from, things unsaid that need saying.By the time we reach our fifties, most of us have accumulated a long list of such items, partly because we think we’ll get to them later, we need our own time, we’re busy with other things, or it’s just too difficult to or embarrassing to carry through. It’s true that as Kravitz says, If we remembered how we could be separated from our loved ones at any moment, we would accumulate a lot less unfinished business.But knowing that and finding the time and energy to apply it every day are two different things.In Kravitz’s year of making amends, he set out on ten ‘journeys’, including catching up with a loved aunt who had drifted out of his life, making an over-due condolence call, paying a 30-year-old debt to an associate, looking up a mentor of his youth, and visiting a high-school friend who is now a Greek Orthodox monk. Along the way, he gains insights into himself and into what really makes a life – his and ours.Reading this book has made me aware of the emotional loose ends in my own life, but being aware and taking the time and effort to do something are two different things. Kravitz recognized how much of a struggle it would be to keep up the rekindled relationships on an on-gong basis once he ‘re-entered his life’. He determined to make time, and so should we all. I would be interested in a follow-up from Kravitz: how has he handled that intention?Of course, you’ll relate to this book if you’re a baby-boomer, beginning to question the value of what you’re achieved thus far in life, but don’t wait until then. Read this at twenty, thirty, or forty and perhaps you’ll prevent some of the regret that comes of losing touch over the years with the people you care about. After all, as Kravitz says: Life goes fast. Click. You are fifteen. Click, click. You are fifty-five. Click, click. You are gone. And so are the people who loved and nurtured you.

[jlafleur_12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found this book inspiring and thought provoking. The stories of his attempts to repair some long standing family feuds were particularly moving. Well done and definitely recommended. My only reservation is the realization that most of us can't afford to take a year off to do such soul searching. Perhaps if one writes a bestseller like "Eat, Pray, Love" (which I found very, very saccharine by comparison, BTW) one can afford the time off for this.

[michellereads · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I'm finding it hard to write a review for this book. The author sounds like a wonderful fellow, the premise of the book is excellent, and I really wanted to like it. It was somewhat inspiring, and the last chapters of the book, offering other real-life stories, and practical suggestions for tackling one's own unfinished business, were helpful. However, I really didn't enjoy reading the book. I found the early chapters somewhat clumsily written, and the later chapters dealing with spiritualism I found somewhat difficult to understand. I guess, in the end, I would have to say that I am glad that I read the book, it was a book that perhaps people SHOULD read, but it wasn't one that made me go "Wow - I've got to get everyone I know reading this book".

[hammockqueen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although I no longer desire to read any self-help books, I found this title intriguing enough to request it. I read it with delight as Lee Kravitz told of his experiences that were quite doable. One doesn't have to travel to Burma or shave their head to do some goodness in their life. I would highly recommend this book and especially for those in midlife or beyond when goals are no really looked for. Doing some or all of Lee's suggestions, could bring much joy to a life if one choses to to try them. Success is probably very likely. I hope this sells many copies.

[nancyjak · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lee Kravitz was fired from his job as editor in chief of Parade magazine and started to do some soul searching about business left unfinished - with his family, old friends, mentors. He mended fences with his family and between family members, repaid a debt he was sure had soured a friendship, visited a mentor and made a condolence call on an old friend.It wasn't a quick read or always an easy one but I finished it and enjoyed it. It will make you think about unfinished business of your own.

[ellenh_28 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lee Kravitz's, Unfinished Business begins like many of us, with an unexpected job loss. Where he goes with his is an admirable trip to make amends & attempt to redo his past. He picks up the pieces, looks at himself very honestly, and begins anew. A little bit at a time. I marked several spots...but the most meaningful to me was his conversation with a monk talking about spiritual perspective, looking inward...."people can get so easily disturbed by social, general, and universal evil that they ignore the evil inside themselves...........find social activism that is not accompanied by internal transformation troubling." pg 160. I keep coming back to his own inner searches and found them in me too.Not a quick read, but a provoking one.

[bookangel_a · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lee Kravitz was a workaholic. When he suddenly lost his job, he decided to take some time off and reconnect with the people he cared about. He also got to thinking about all those letters he always wanted to write, people he had lost track of, old family feuds that were never solved…He thought “Why not clear up all this unfinished business?” He made a list of all the things he’d been putting off, tackled ten of them, and wrote about his journeys in this book.His unfinished business took him all over the world, and into some deeply personal territory. He makes the argument that sometimes the business we keep putting off is exactly what we most need to address, and after reading this I’m inclined to agree. (On one occasion he’d wronged someone. He felt guilt and dread of that person for 30 years, only to find out now that the person has no memory of it. Interesting.)I think this account of his unfinished business will be a wonderful gift to his children, since it includes a lot of their family history. For the rest of us, I think this book is meant to be an inspiration to tackle our own unfinished business. The back of the book includes a guide to help us in that regard, and more personal experiences from others who have done the same. Recommended.(I received this book from LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers Program.)

[mochap_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as part of the LT Early Reviewer program, and so far I have liked this book the best of those I have received. That being said, I felt ambivalent about the book. The basic premise is that Lee Kravitz, former editor of Parade Magazine, is unexpectedly fired at age 54, after years of workaholism. While going through old boxes of "stuff" he has collected over the years, he is reminded of various issues/relationships/situations that he has neglected to address over the years, items which weigh on his mind/heart for various reasons. He decides to use the year following the loss of his job to address 10 items of "unfinished business" in his life, in the hopes of becoming a deeper, more authentic person, not just someone who lives to work.While the idea of righting past wrongs, or cleaning up old messes has understandable appeal, I was ambivalent about his efforts for a number of reasons--primarily, it can be self-serving to open up old "wounds"--particularly ones that involve other people who may not want to have those wounds reopened, just so Lee can feel better about how things turned out. However, fortunately, it seems that everyone with whom Lee wanted to make amends was open and happy to reconnect with him. And he has a fascinating group of friends/family/acquaintances. Those alone make the book worth reading.So, suffice it to say, I would recommend this book with slight reservations. But it was an engaging read, and one hopes that the goals Lee set for himself over the year of his quest will bear fruit in his current life so that he does not find himself in need of writing a sequel!

[acornell_13 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A few years ago I did an early review on a memoir very similar to this one. Do-over by Robyn Hemley was the author's take on 10 separate incidents in his life that he did poorly, and in the memoir he did his best to recreate the scene and do it all over. I found the narrative to be entertaining because it was a childhood memoir combined with a stunt memoir. It worked on both levels for me.Unfinished Business follows a year in the life of Lee Kravitz, a work-a-holic editor who finds himself without a job. While he is trying to get his life together, he makes a list of 10 things that he should have done that he never did and sets about to right a bunch of (mostly social) wrongs from his past. The book started off with a bang. The voice held my interest, the story seemed enough different from Do over, and I began reading quickly. Now that I am finally finished after two weeks, my honest reaction is that it was a very good effort, but it felt like it would have better filled 10 short essays for Sojourners magazine rather than one long memoir. Mr. Kravitz would introduce the piece of unfinished business, describe how he finished it, and then was philosophically about it for 20 pages. In a nutshell, taking care of all his unfinished business: writing a condolence card, eulogizing his grandmother, paying an old debt, finding a long lost friend, changed him for the better. The two chapters I found most interesting were the first, where he sets out to find a favorite and long lost aunt who has been locked away in an institution for many years and the second to last where he uses his reporters research skills to corroborate a family story that involved Eliot Ness and bootleggers in his hometown of Cleveland.This paperback version of the book comes complete with your own guide to unfinished business. How do you right some of the wrongs that you committed when you were young? Seems cheaper than therapy.

[psychomamma · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another free book from the Library Thing's great Early Reviewers program! Lee Kravitz was a raging workaholic, right up until he got laid off without warning at 54. Sinking in a depression, he decided to spend a year going back over his life and finishing some unfinished business, instead of going right back into the workforce. I expected this book to be pithy, lacking in substance. But it's really remarkably thought-provoking. There's even a guide at the end to help you review your own life and to spur you into your own crusade to resolve unfinished business. Very good!

[3wheeledlibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book. Lee Kravitz has an eye for characters, and he is at his best when describing some of the most influential people in his life, most of which he feels he has neglected in a high powered career. When he loses his job, he takes a year off ... taking a page from recovering addicts ... and attempts to reforge some of the human connections that he has lost over time. i don't know if I buy his premise that we all have unfinished business, but this book is sure to give an extra boost to those who do. In closing, I will acknowledge that I wish I knew the end of the story. Was he able to find new work when his year off was over? In some ways the author is a poster boy for all the boomers (complete with adolescent drug experiments) who are now being laid off,struggling to compete. Many have discovered over time that they were barking up the wrong tree. Our true value as human beings is in our relationships with each other, not in the bottom line.

[2chances · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Oh, such mixed feelings. I think I will let some of my multiple personalities submit their thoughts.Trustful Me is delighted with the premise of Lee Kravitz's book: after he is summarily fired from his prestigious publishing job, Kravitz examines his life - a life that has been all work and no attention to family and friends - and decides it is time to address the many areas of his life that he has let slide. He visits the schizophrenic aunt whom he has ignored for 15 years; he finally writes a condolence letter to a friend whose daughter has been killed; he pays a 30-year-old debt. And to his joy and wonder, each time he does the right thing, marvelous results occur! How nice! cries Trustful Me. How good! Doing the right thing brings happy sunshine to all!Skeptical Me is rolling her eyes. Wait a second, she says. Lee Kravitz had this wonderful loving aunt who was institutionalized when he was in his mid-thirties, and he NEVER ONCE sent her a card? Called her on the phone? Even knew which hospital she was in?? And now he goes to visit, and she welcomes him with joy and no recriminations, and he gives her a birthday party and he is somehow a big hero? Uh-uh. Can't give him a pass on this one.(I think Skeptical might have persuaded me.) I couldn't get past the feeling that Kravitz spent a lifetime doing the selfish thing, and doing the "right thing," in the end, cost him nothing. The $600 debt he owed as a twenty-something to another twenty-something? In terms of financial sacrifice, at age 50, it is meaningless. In every chapter, doing the "right thing", at long last, makes Kravitz a hero. But what he never examines or thinks about is that truly doing the right thing - paying the debt on time, visiting his aunt once a week for 15 years, sending condolence notes on time - would have been unremarked by anyone, and certainly not worth writing a book about. In fact, they would have been the same tedious, slogging jobs that most of us do every day of the week.That said, the book is smoothly written and the stories are interesting. It's a pity that I was left, in the end, with the feeling that Lee Kravitz had actually learned very little from his year of completing Unfinished Business.

[momofthreewi · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Unfinished Business is the story of one man's attempt to take care of some things that have been nagging at him for years when he finds himself unexpectedly laid off from his job. These aren't small things, like finally cleaning the garage. Most of his unfinished business revolves around other people that he felt he had let down over the years...a beloved aunt in a nursing home who hadn't had a visitor in 14 years, a friend to whom he owed money, another friend whose daughter was killed in Iraq, etc. The book did make me think of some of my own unfinished business and how we often let daily life get in the way of doing those things that REALLY matter for whatever reason...we think it will take too long, we don't know the "right" thing to say to someone so instead we say nothing, we get busy and then it feels like it's been too long so we keep putting it off. We've all been there, right?Some of the chapters felt like they went on longer than necessary and the writing didn't always keep my interest. I enjoyed some of the stories very much, but had difficulty sticking with others. However, I imagine this book would impact each reader in a different way. The stories that touched me the most might be completely different for someone else and perhaps that's the best part about this book -- I can see there being something here for everyone. I'm not sure the individual stories in this book will stay in my mind for very long, but the overall lesson is a good one and will likely make me think the next time I need to offer someone my condolences or thank someone for their impact on my life. I hope I'll remember Lee Kravitz's book and not turn those things into my own unfinished business.

[auntangi · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as an Early Reviewer and was hoping to read a book that inspired me to get my ducks in a row…to tackle MY unfinished business. This book did not disappoint. Mr. Kravitz certainly made me think and I did start compiling a list in my head. I especially enjoyed the chapter about how Elliot Ness might be the ticket to reuniting two brothers. I did not particularly care for Mr. Kravitz’s writing style/voice which did not keep me reading and, at times, led me to skim. I am sure he was an excellent editor in his day, but he is not the greatest of writers. Luckily the stories, his honesty (he turns a very critical eye on himself, which could not have been easy) and journey are enthralling enough to have kept me reading, even when the writing was a bit bland. All in all, a great book if you want to start thinking about your unfinished business…and want to figure out how to finish it.

[countrylife_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The cover infers “deep water here”; the well, however, was shallow.The basis of the book (page 11): “There are acts and nonacts that prosecute you from within. They trouble your soul and cast aspersion on your character. … I was ready to make a plan. Instead of rushing out to find a job, I would devote an entire year to tying up my loose emotional ends.”The author goes on to share his experiences in that tying up of “ten things that really matter”, with each chapter chronicling one of those “things” - a long-lost relative, condolence call, overdue debt, old grudge, family mendings, etc. Commendable activities each, with enough of a story line to continue reading, but not gripping as to action; not touching as to life changing experiences; not convincing as to depth of transformation. Lessons learned felt forced and leaden. All the religious and psyche-ish mumbo-jumbo was a turn-off for me. Ancient Egyptian, Buddhism, Catholicism, Judaism, Christianity, karma, TM, especially the parts where he tries to interpret it for his readers and gets it wrong. There was too much jumping to conclusions with all those “he meant”s; with the few that I found, it makes me question his interpretations of all the rest. Personally, I would have been much more trusting of and interested in reading about his experience in his own faith of Judaism. I’d hoped to like this. Recently laid off, we’re in the same boat ourselves right now. Well, not exactly the SAME boat. Ours is more of a leaky paddle boat. While his, with two homes and the financial means to take a whole year off without missing the income, seems more like a luxury liner to me. And I couldn’t identify with the author - having to grow up at the tender age of 29, international traveler, with a high powered job. We’re not coming from the same place. Yeah, we were both laid off, and I suspect that most people have “unfinished business” in some quantity. Still, for me, it was ultimately unsatisfactory.One excellent take-away from this book was a quote from an old teacher from Kravitz’s youth, remarking on Mark 13:33: “Take heed, watch for you know not when the time will come.”:“We are all on death row. And if you seek to discover the meaning of your life, you have to begin with the one and only thing you can say for certain about your life: You will die. We are all on death row and we are all dying. And that reality should awaken in each of us a sense of urgency.” For the urgency, Mr. Kravitz, I thank you, and add another star. 5/10

[motivatedmomma · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved the idea of this book -- which is basically about taking care of the unfinished business in our lives. Kravitz , a workaholic, loses his job and takes stock of his life. He realizes that he has unfinished business with several people in his life. Whether it was owing somebody some long overdue money or healing a family feud, Kravitz had me thinking of the people I need to reconnect with. Worth a look, especially if your at an age where you're old enough to have more than a few regrets.

[goodlit · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“…unfinished business…,” by Lee Kravitz, is the story of one man’s personal redemptive journey. Kravitz was editor in chief of Parade magazine, and his writing style is straight-forward and very readable. For me, his story was both an enjoyable read and an inspiring account of one man’s quest to reset his life priorities. For him, I have the feeling that writing the book was a cathartic exercise.After losing his job, Kravitz decided to spend a year addressing what he deems most important in his life: making amends and building and maintaining valued relationships. For fans of the TV show, “My Name is Earl,” Kravitz’s story is a sort of real-life version of Earl’s karmic quest to make things right with those he has wronged. Having lost my job and embarked on my own personal spiritual mission, the author’s story resonated with me. Kravitz’s writing motivated me to consider making restitution for my own transgressions through renewing, repairing, and rebuilding my important personal relationships, and other readers may find the same inspiration. His honesty about what worked for him and what did not, and his down-to-earth, realistic approach to these personal matters, encouraged me to believe that addressing unfinished business is both achievable and genuinely fulfilling.

[stacyprince · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is inspirational and valuable to those who have unfinished business, whether it be with long lost relatives or your current debt. The author is writing with good advice and good intentions about things that are relatable to many different kinds of readers.I give this book 4.5 stars.

[jenners26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Book OverviewLee Kravitz was a self-described workaholic, who freely admits that he let his job dominate his life at the expense of his family. So when he loses his job as a magazine editor at the age of 54, it is a wake-up call to him. Stunned and shamed by the loss of the his job—the one thing that provided his identity for so long—Kravitz finds himself at loose ends.His wife suggests he attend a yoga retreat to help him deal with his feelings of loss and hopelessness. At the retreat, he realizes that he can take a year to take stock of himself and become the type of person he would really like to be. He ends up realizing that to move forward, he needs to take care of unfinished business from his past. He then compiles a list of ten areas in his life where he has unfinished business to take care of. These tasks include things such as: * finding a long-lost relative * making a long-overdue condolence call * reaching out to a distant friend * letting go of a grudge * healing a rift in the family.Each chapter of the book details the story behind each item of unfinished business and how Kravitz goes about tying up these loose ends in his life.My ThoughtsIt is a shame that I read this book right after The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. Both are inspirational memoirs, but the comparison really ends right there. Whereas I felt uplifted, inspired and awed by hearing about William Kamkwamba's life, I was not too inspired by Mr. Kravitz's story. For one, it was difficult to empathize with him. Although I can sympathize with the feelings of loss and shame that can accompany a job loss in middle age, Kravitz was not plunged into a difficult financial situation. He had money enough to live comfortably for a year—as well as maintain two residences (an apartment in New York City and a country house). Although he might have felt a loss of identity, he didn't want for something to eat or have to worry about providing for his family—a situation uncommon for most people who are victims of downsizing or layoffs.Secondly, much of the unfinished business that Kravitz feels compelled to attend is a result of his own workholism and consistent choice to let his work take priority over everything else. By putting his work before people for years and years, Kravitz is really the architect of many of his own problems. He briefly talks about the impact that his long work hours had on his family and his wife Elizabeth, yet not one of the his unfinished business tasks directly involve spending more time with his family. Although some of his attempts to make peace with his past tangentially affect his relationships with his immediate family (for example, he coaches his son's baseball team as a way of reconnecting with his father and an old friend), much of his unfinished business involves taking trips to various locations to meet up with and make peace with long-lost friends and family members. Part of me kept thinking: "You admit that you ignored your family for years by putting work first and now you are traveling all over the country to visit people you haven't seen for 20 years in order to lay to rest some issues from your past?!? Seems to me like you should start with your wife and kids first." To me, it felt as if Kravitz chose to put this personal project of completing unfinished business before his wife and kids once again.I also didn't get emotionally involved with Kravitz's story. His writing—while competent and clear—just didn't connect emotionally with me. It felt a bit dry and distant. Perhaps his journalism background is to blame. It could also be his emotional make-up is more "masculine" than "feminine," which tends result in a more "this is what happened" approach than "this is what I felt" approach. Although Kravitz is candid and open about his own shortcomings, I didn't feel a sense of connection with him. In a memoir, I think that is essential to truly enjoying the book.I feel like I'm being very harsh on this book, and I'm not entirely sure why. The stories that Kravitz tells are somewhat interesting and filled with good advice and intentions. I suspect that many people will relate to the things that Kravtiz works on throughout the book. How many times have we put off making a condolence call because we felt awkward about it or didn't know what to say? How many of us made a promise that we never kept and then regretted for years afterward? How often do we really go back to thank our mentors and let them know the value of their guidance? I do think there is value in taking care of unfinished business before our time here on earth runs out. I'm sure most of us would benefit from taking some time to think through our own lives to identify our own areas of unfinished business and taking steps to resolve them. In thinking back on my own life, there are a few areas that I would like to tie up into neater packages. But I do think the key is to not let the truly important moments go by and to keep your priorities in focus every day.My Final RecommendationAlthough I like the idea of taking time to resolve any unfinished business in our lives and the book is competently written, I wasn't emotionally drawn into Kravitz's story. However, I could envision a certain type of reader benefiting from this book—for example, an emotionally distant professional male might relate to Kravitz's story and find more inspiration and value in it than I did. In addition, readers who have a lot of unfinished business of their own might find much of value in Kravtiz's journey and approach to tying up his own loose ends.

[angela9vaughn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was pleasantly surprised by the route this book took. I was expecting a little more unpleasant encounters, and a little more space dedicated to each of Kravitz's tasks. I actually got a little out of this book, and plan on trying it in my own life's unfinished business. This is a great feel good book for the summer, and I truly regret not being able to read it on my summer vacation over a month ago.

[debnance_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I’d add this to my happiness books. Kravitz unexpectedly loses his job and finds himself with time to contemplate what he has been doing wrong with his life and ways to make amends. He visits a beloved aunt with whom he has lost contact. He repays a debt from his college years. He brings members of his family back together. He thanks a wonderful teacher. Good. I hope he also decides to spend more time with his children and less time at work. I was very surprised that this was not on his to-do list

[signoraedie_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book from the Early Reviewers Group and since I really enjoy memoirs, I was eager to dig into it. Lee Kravitz was the editor in chief of Parade magazine. When he found himself unemployed and with time on his hands he decides to look at all the unfinished business he has in his life and to take a year off from the workaholic existence he normally leads to tie up these loose ends. Since a good part of it takes place in the Cleveland area…my roots…I was especially inclined to read this book.Each chapter focuses on one of the 10 people with whom he has unfinished business. Undertaking to bring closure to these aspects of his life, Lee also uses these opportunities to reflect upon his own life and the lessons he can learn so that when he “re-enters” life as he knows it, he may be a richer person.The 10 people take him back in time and far in location and the re-connections are both healing and instructional. In the process he confronts his own fears and flat spots and grows into a greater understanding of himself as a person and of his values. Written in a very conversational style, I found it an easy read. At times it felt repetitive and I wondered if the chapters were written as independent essays and then joined together. But overall, I found it to be a motivational and touching memoir.Each of us has unfinished business in our lives and reading the book made me begin to make my own list. As he says near the end of the book, when quoting a friend, “Our unfinished business isn’t about resting in peace…. It’s about moving forward. It’s about optimizing our potential as human beings.”

[joannemepham29_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the concept behind this book, of fully living your life when a turn i lie happens without your planning for it, such as what happens in the book. Suddenly being without a job, and having to reevaluate life and your place in it is challenging. The author writes about the experience, and it sheds light on living life to its fullest, and to a person's fullest potential. I feel the author did a great job doing this, and reached out to me as I read. Great book with great life lessons.

[ekoch_21 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Kravitz's memoir is provakative, engaging and entertaining. The author's quest to simply close the book on broken promises and neglected issues in past relationships leads him to reactivate the essence of his soul. In turn he learns to commit more fully to being fully present for his family and his community. With this new balance in his life Kravitz gains the most from embracing his stronger connections with people. Read it and then-- just do it!

[willowone_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lee Kravitz is an award winning journalist who has held many editorial positions, his most recent with PARADE magazine as the Editor-In-Chief. After being let go from that job after 7 years, he decided to take a journey into his past and find out why things there affected his present. In order to find out why he had lost his happiness and why he approached things in life the way he did, he would need to find people he hadn’t spoken to in many years. He then wanted to try and fix the wrongs he had made and in doing so realized that sometimes it was his own fault things went bad and not the person or persons he had been blaming. For one year he devoted time and effort to what he called Unfinished Business. During that time he focused on love, loyalty, anger, friendship, sadness, death, forgiveness and promises. He found the parts of himself that he had lost or buried and by doing this he set himself free.I enjoyed reading Mr. Kravitz’s journey and like others, I am sure, began to think of my own list. I may not be able to devote one year toward mine, as he did, but I can work through it at my own pace. I think this book shows that we all have things in our lives that we felt we could have done differently or better and it is never to late to try and change them or make amends for them. If you admire someone it is never too late to give them kudos, but never do something expecting praise because that is doing it for all the wrong reasons and you will be disappointed. Mr. Kravitz doesn’t preach in the book, he gives you an account of his journey and what he learned and how it affected him.The book is good and you should take time while reading it. Look at you own unfinished business. Don’t just breeze through, take the time and capture the meaning.

[realbigcat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Let me start by saying I really enjoyed this book and read it fairly quickly. Lee Kravitz lost his job and has decided to make amens and write some wrongs, settle some debts and reconnect with lost friends and relatives. It's what he call "unfinished business." The premise of this book is a great idea and one that everyone would benefit from following. Lee as a workoholic has just put things off his whole life. Each chapter of the book is devoted to one area of his unfinished business. Now my only complaints are how this would apply to the ordinary person. First, If I lost my job the first and only thing I would do is put all my efforts into finding a new job. Apparently Lee could afford to just take a year off from working. He must be rich but it's not implyed in the book. Second, he states how he realizes his workaholic nature has impacted his wife and children yet all he does is hop flights everywhere and is gone visiting everyone. Just another thing an ordinary person without a job wouldn't be able to do. Third, he writes out a check for $600 to settler a 30yr old debt. Who is going to do that when they just lost their job. Overall, this is a very good book and I would highly recommend reading it. It just seems a little embelished to me. However, everyone can take a lesson and make amens on whatever scale you can.