Friday, January 9, 2015

Humbled by the Journey: Spotlight and Giveaway



"I am grateful for the opportunity I now employ to share with you this journey--this journey not only through France and Spain but also through life."
~ Humbled by the Journey, Mike Fernandez

Having seen the movie The Way (2010), and more recently, Wild (2014), I am intrigued by the focus of this book: a long, arduous, and transformative walking journey.   Humbled by the Journey: Life Lessons for My Family... and Yours by Miguel "Mike" Benito Fernandez (with Martin Merzer)--or simply Mike Fernandez--is a memoir about the author's life, which features his 508-mile pilgrimage along El Camino de Santiago, from France deep into Spain.  Miami businessman Mike Fernandez is the founder of MBF Healthcare Partners and Simply Healthcare Plans, and is a major benefactor to Miami Children's Hospital.  In 2013, Mike hiked along El Camino, with a pledge for each mile that raised more than $5 million for the children's hospital.  Humbled by the Journey is Mike's remarkable story, a beautifully-designed book with photographs (and other pictures), which focuses on his family and his walking journey from the French town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago, Spain.  The author hopes his book will inspire others to achieve their dreams and to share their blessings.

Born in the small town of Manzanillo, Mike was 12 years old when his family was exiled from Cuba during revolutionary times in 1964; they traveled to America, and soon moved to New York City.  Through hard work, determination, and perseverance, Mike became a very successful business owner and philanthropist.  His business partner and NBA legend, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, speaks very highly of Mike in the book, whom he considers to be a friend and mentor.  I have not yet read every page of Humbled by the Journey (please stay tuned for my review, which will most likely include several excellent quotations from the book), but I've read enough to say that it's fascinating and inspiring!

I was honored to receive an early copy of Humbled by the Journey from Jessica Jonap. The book will be available later this month, but you can pre-order the book from Books & Books (more than 17,000 books have already been pre-sold).  All proceeds from book sales go to The Early Childhood Initiative Foundation, a nonprofit focused on early childhood education and “school readiness"--making high-quality health, education, and nurturing available and affordable for all children.

Thanks to Jessica and this exceptionally generous author, I'm thrilled to offer a giveaway for this book (U.S.A. only)!

  • To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
  • For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or indicate that you're already a follower.
  • For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter.
  • For yet another chance, include a favorite quotation about walking or hiking in your comment.

Enter by 5 PM PST on Monday, January 26.  One winner will be selected randomly and announced on Tuesday, January 27.  As always, thanks for reading!

17 comments:

  1. What an interesting post! Thanks for posting it.

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  2. How interesting that a businessman and philanthropist would think of first, walking the Camino, and secondly, creating a book from it. I find tales of people walking the Camino so fascinating, even while I know I could never bring myself to walk such a long and involved trail...I stick to walking the metaphorical Camino of my various labyrinths! For some reason, the Camino has been coming up over and over again in conversations over the past couple of months...I know a few people that I'll be sharing the news of this book with -- thanks for highlighting it.

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    1. Melwyk, thank you for your comment. I love to take long walks, and the idea of someday tackling El Camino appeals to me. I know it would be a great adventure! Please stop by again for my review of Humbled by the Journey.

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  3. Great book spotlight Suko. I am a follower of your blog and will tweet this post. The tweet will be displayed on my blog for awhile. I immediately thought of the book: Wild, which I loved! I will look forward to your review.

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    1. Pat, I haven't read Wild but I just saw the movie and thought it was great (Reese Witherspoon is incredible). Thank you for the tweet!

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  4. I am fascinated with this post and the wonderful book. Thanks for this great giveaway. I am an e-mail subscriber. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  5. Inspiring, admirable and extraordinary. A man whose life has been worthwhile, productive and creative. A thought provoking post that has me thinking and is unforgettable. Many thanks for this fabulous giveaway. I am a subscriber. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  6. Thanks for the post. I am familiar with the pilgrimage route of El Camino de Santiago although I've never met anyone who's done it. This looks like quite a story, thanks for the chance to win a copy.
    +1 - I follow your blog by email: carlscott(at)prodigy(dot)net(dot)mx
    +1 - I pinned an image and a link on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/336573772126985195/
    +1 - I looked up some quotes, here's one I liked. “My most memorable hikes can be classified as 'Shortcuts that Backfired'.”
    ― Edward Abbey, The Journey Home: Some Words in Defense of the American West.
    Thanks again


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  7. Great post Suko.

    Stories of walking journeys can be so good and they also can tell us so much about life.

    Walking the Camino also sounds like such a an enriching and different experience.

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  8. Oh, I love reading on pilgrimage - lovely post and generosity - TY!

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  9. @_eHope tweeted
    https://twitter.com/_eHope/status/555029254685986816

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  10. Hi, glad to meet you through Laura's tours. This book looks fascinating. I have a new blog hop called Book Musing Mondays that runs through Friday. Come by and linkup to three family-friendly book review posts weekly! I would love to have you join us. Thanks.

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