The Seat Beside Me (ISBN 1590528956)

Influence:
Others may write reviews with details of the characters of the book, but I think that this book is more than the sum of its parts. The book is fascinating, the characters are more than likeable (except one) - that is, we all know all of these people. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hated putting it down at night; but I couldn't wait to finish it so that I could loan it to others. All in all, I think the theme is that we can never know the effect we each individually have on someone else. Whether we sit beside someone for just a few moments and speak only one sentence or we are best friends for a lifetime, we do exert some influence. Similarly, they influence us. Sounds a bit simple, but it truly is profound to realize the possibility of the influence we have, one-on-one.

Pass on this one:
I was not really impressed by this book. The characters were not developed enough to really care about. The plot line seemed forced and some of the dialogue was not believable. At the risk of sounding like a complete idiot, I have to admit that at times as I was reading and a character was mentioned, I had to go back to remember what that person's particular situation was. It was like a bad made-for-TV movie. I would feel much safer in recommending Terry Blackstock's books instead.

Great message, good story:
An airplane crashes and the few survivors question why they lived while others didn't. One man COULD have made it, but chose to save others instead. His sacrifice leads the others to take a hard look at the decisions they made (or avoided making) in their lives. Ultimately, the book's premise is that each of us has an impact on the lives around us.

Excellent, thought provoking book!:
The Seat Beside Me was a book that kept me wanting to go back and read, read, read! I was sorry when I was finished with it. I felt as if I got to know the characters and felt the tension, cried and rejoiced as events progressed. I have loaned it to different friends, who have loved it, too.

The Seat Beside Me:
This book is a very well written account of a plane crash and how it affected the lives of the survivors. The title comes from the impact that pre-crash conversations with the people in the next seat had on the survivors. It is a thought provoking book that really makes you think about the impact you can have on others and also the life altering changes something traumatic like a plane crash can have on your life. I would strongly recommend it to everyone.