Faith without work is dead. If you need to change something about yourself or within your life, you have to do the work to progress toward the goal you're trying to achieve. This is one of the essential takeaways from Jon Cerone's novel Parables: Musings From an Addict on the Journey Toward Wholeness. The author is a former addict who suffered from depression and was addicted to drugs and alcohol, and even contemplated suicide. In his book, he encourages his readers and explains ways they could transform their life by ridding themselves of certain vices or ideas which could be causing them not to live their life to their fullest potential. He details this in four subcategories: Visualize, Discomfort, Perspective, and Hope. He doesn't claim to have all the answers. Instead, he wants readers experiencing difficult times to reflect on what he is sharing in his book and use this information as insights to assist them in their journey, which is vital and something the author appreciates. 

The reader is encouraged to read this book out of order and not at once. They should take their time, study the content, and use the advice presented in the book the way they want. The author's content is authentic, filled with thought-provoking questions, and relatable. He bares his soul unapologetically. The writing is clean, and the book's motivation and passion are apparent as the author persistently expresses how he wants people to transform their lives and pay it forward by helping others. This book details a man's journey from past struggles to healing. It is littered with insightful passages and offers tools for readers to unlock their inner strength, find purpose in life, and uncover their own path to a life they have always wanted.  The dominant themes in this book are self-acceptance, determination, sacrifice, self-love, and kindness. Parables: Musings From an Addict on the Journey Toward Wholeness is a gift of love that is filled with wisdom and insight, a book that teaches readers what it takes to live freely.