In this story, David Ponder is brought to a Final Summit taking place in a conference room located in heaven. He is tasked by the archangel Gabriel to lead a group of fellow travelers (those whom Gabriel helped during their lifetime to become better leaders by visiting with past leaders who had to overcome great adversities in their lives) to solve the question “What does humanity need to do, individually and collectively, to restore itself to the pathway toward successful civilation?” David and his fellow travelers (including Joan of Arc, Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, King David, Eric Erickson, and more) explore the possibilities on how to solve this question. The consequences for humanity were grave, according to Gabriel, if they failed to solve the question.
I liked this book a lot. The questions posed prompted me to think about issues that are easy to forget about at times. The overall theme of the book was hopeful and positive, and left me motivated to take the messages to heart. I do caution those contemplating this book as your next “to-read” that David Ponder is the main character in Andy Andrews’s previous book The Traveler’s Gift. I had listened to a radio interview recently featuring the author where he claimed it was not necessary to read his first book to appreciate this second book, The Final Summit. While I liked this book and am glad I read it, I did feel lost for the first third of the book, and never quite felt like I was “in the know” as to what these travelers were referring to and how they were communicating. I really wish I had read the first book before tackling this new release.
