Illogical: Saying Yes to a Life Without Limits

Acho (Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man), a Fox Sports analyst and former NFL linebacker, encourages readers to think illogically and reject convention in this optimistic guide. After Acho broke his thumb while playing with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015, he made the “illogical” decision to pivot to sports media instead of returning to the NFL, and soon became the youngest national football analyst at ESPN. Pulling from his own life, from history, and popular culture, Acho gives advice on how to buck conventional wisdom, recommending that readers get comfortable with uncertainty and risk, remain open to changing their goals on the fly, follow their gut, and learn to not fear failure. For example, he uses Steve Jobs’s promotion of the iPhone to illustrate the power in believing in oneself, the Wright Brothers’ first flight to demonstrate how one can learn from one’s predecessors, and the biblical story of Peter walking on water to extoll the virtue of being willing to act alone. While most may find Acho’s suggestions unsurprising, his upbeat tone adds spunk and confidence to such self-affirming statements as “You are valuable, worthy, and beautiful.” Though Acho leans on common maxims, this brims with infectious positivity. (Mar.)