Review 137: Eyes in the Rearview Mirror by Joseph Pfeiffer

Eyes in the Rearview Mirror: Basic Life Lessons From My Father

by Joseph Pfeiffer
Outskirts Press (October 2009)
ISBN: 1432723146
$11.95 Paperback
100 Pages

Joseph Pfeiffer’s book has been on my reading list since he queried us last December.  After reading it, I’d love to save it for a Father’s Day review because the book would be very appropriate for that time, but I didn’t want to make the author wait another four months to read my review.  That being said, take note of this book because it would actually make a great Father’s Day gift.

Eyes in the Rearview Mirror is a brief collection of the wisdom that only a father can provide.  There are 13 chapters in the book, each titled after quotes that Joseph’s father used to always say. So there are fun titles like “When buying a Christmas tree, look to see if there is a knot on the bottom” or “There are three types of people in this world – ones who can count, and ones who can’t.”  There are also more simple and heartfelt titles like “Don’t bring your work home, and don’t bring your home to work” or simply “Never Quit Learning.”

What follows is an explanation of why Joseph’s father said that laced with real life stories and Joseph’s reflection on the matter.  Often humorous and always touching, Joseph’s “back porch sitting on Papa’s lap” approach to telling the stories definitely makes this a book anyone can relate to when it comes to reminiscing about your parents. Joseph admits that he didn’t always know what his dad was talking about at the moment, but it somehow all made sense.

Joseph also perfectly captures his father’s generation of  generous attitude and humble thinking that does not exist anymore.  That’s pretty evident in a chapter called “You Are What You Do, Not What You Say.”  Joseph’s father was a church volunteer and working in a soup kitchen and steps up to help a family with four children who are on the lam and trying to get far away from troubles haunting them in another town.

I nodded my head in agreement with my father and said, “I understand, but I am still a little concerned. Why don’t you just take up golf, like everybody else who is retired?”

Dad said, “Well, I don’t like golf.”

“But you’re a good giving person – you don’t need to put yourself in harm’s way to be a good person,” I replied.

Dad looked back at me and said, “You are what you do, not what you say. This may not be the ideal
situation, but this family needed help, and I was able to give it.”

Too many people today look the other way when people are in need. In my observation, most people would much rather not get involved. I understand many of the concerns of involving yourself with someone else’s troubles; I include myself in the category of not wanting to be bothered by something that doesn’t directly affect me or my family.

I could definitely relate to this incident since my father was well known for stepping up to help others.  He was always a giver, and still is today.  I can recall him spending hours in his greenhouse during the winter and planting three or four gardens come spring, only to raise more vegetables than our family of five could ever imagine consuming.  It didn’t matter.  He gave fresh vegetables to everyone in the neighborhood who wanted any whether he knew them or not.  In the end, nothing went to waste.

Overall, this is a nice “feel good” book that is obviously very personal for the author and his family, but definitely has the appeal to be a great gift book for anyone’s parents and contains “life lessons” we can certainly all relate to.  At just 100 pages, it’s a quick read and while I read the PDF of it, my only real complaint is that the book’s cover feels too much like a textbook.  I’d love to see a “family photo” or memory on the cover instead to give it a warmer touch.