The Runner and the Path: An Athlete's Quest for Meaning in Postmodern Corporate America

By Dean Ottati

Book Overview

Dean Ottati is an Everyman in this modern fast-paced world: trying to balance career, marriage, family, and personal happiness. He's a young corporate executive who seeks real meaning in his life,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1891369822
• ISBN13: 9781891369827
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Breakaway Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

I want to run with Dean and so will you!

I really enjoyed and highly recommend The Runner and the Path. Ottati takes the reader on a wonderful journey. Whether it's facing down real coyotes on the running trails of Mt. Diablo or facing off against paper coyotes on the paths of corporate America - Dean covers nearly all the difficult facets of balancing one's life in today's America.The focus of The Runner and the Path is Dean and his fascinating network of running partners who provide and provoke Dean's insights into the spiritual struggles of living in Post-modern America. From his faithful dog Izzy, to hot-shot corporate execs and of coruse, the inscrutable Closet Magician - Dean has run with them all. And from the first chapter on, you will want to run with them too!The Runner and the Path has much to offer for both runner and non-runner alike. I have run sporadically over the years and Dean has renewed my interest in heading out on the trails. More importantly, having spent fourteen years in corporate America, I very much appreciated Dean's insights into the challenges of managing one's values against the frequent pressures in corporate America for results at almost any cost.Dean's writing style is easy going and mature. He had me involved in serious introspection one minute and then laughing and grinning the next with his often Twain-like wry anecdotes.The old Bulldog of Britain, Winston Churchill (who probably did not do much running in his life) once said:"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened."We should all thank Dean for not hurrying off! At least not without writing it down first.I certainly look forward to his next work.

A great read!

I'm not a runner and I'm not in to New Age anything, mystics, spoon benders or waterless hand cleaners, so I picked up this book with some trepidation. As a terminal businessman though, I was attracted by the title and wondered what he could possibly mean by a quest for meaning in "postmodern Corporate America"? If you're a runner, there is a lot here that you'll find interesting, and even wonderful about this book. Read it for the great descriptions of running as a part of your life. I have to admit that I was (almost) tempted to put on some shoes and head off down the road. While I've never had even a glimmer of the draw to running that many people have, this book provided clear insights into the athletic attraction as well as the unexpected near-spiritual aspects of running.This book really hit home for me on the business stuff. There are some very engaging anecdotes. You'll particularly enjoy them if you have a technical or telecomm background. Business books are usually devoid of any entertainment value, or even entertaining presentations of ideas; this book is compelling. Ottati is easy to read. He has some straight-forward ideas that he gently introduces, then illustrates and expands on with stories and analogies that make clear, targeted sense. Later chapters build on ideas and stories introduced earlier. Ottatis' thoughts are clearly presented. Interesting thoughts. Universal thoughts. Are they all entirely unique? These are mid-life ponderings that all of us have when we've gotten 20 years away from college idealism and are wondering, late at night, what it's all about. What is unique is that he has presented them in original fashion, with actual thought involved (!), and descriptions of how he adapts the way he lives his life in response to the conclusions he arrives at. It helped me formulate my own thoughts about these issues. I was somewhat curious when I read that this was a first effort at writing, and wondered if I'd find weak writing, clichéd style, etc. Not to worry at all. This is a well-written book. The ideas or philosophy parts are clear and coherent; the anecdotes are very entertaining, and above all, there is a point! Go figure, there was a reason to write this and he stuck with it all the way through. If this is his first book, I'm anxious to read his next after he's gained this experience.

Extraordinarily deep, beautiful running book

I sat in the parking lot before a sport injury prevention workshop and read a chapter in Dean Ottati's new book and came close to weeping. It's a wonderful book in many ways: first because it is so easy to relate to Dean's experiences. He's a runner just like the rest of us. Second, because he has a way of giving us hope, that we can find beauty and meaning and realize our ideals. And third, because he encourages us to carry forward our search for meaning and soul. It's a book to be grateful for.Disclaimer: I edited Dean's book. I've been a runner for thirty-four years and, in the early 1970s, served as assistant editor of Runner's World. I mention this because I'm familiar with runners' dreams, and in my view, no one has ever expressed them better than Dean Ottati.

Inspiration for the masses!

This book is filled with gems of truth and you don't even have to be a runner to find them. Ottati takes us on a journey of self exploration in which his ever increasing awareness of the sub-conscious weaves the delicate connection between work, family, and play. Ottati is both humurous and revealing and sure to inspire the reader to hit their own path...

Intelligent, entertaining and compassionate

I read this book on the recommendation of a friend and came away deeply impressed with Ottati's story and style. A thoughtful book that's equally powerful for runners and non-runners, Ottati's work left me thinking long after I'd read the last page. His style is easy and engaging and he's a wonderful storyteller. It's not often that such an important book is also such an enjoyable one! This is Ottati's first book but I hope it's not his last. We need a lot more like him in this world.