Finally my review. This took longer than it should have. I could easily have read the book cover to cover in an hour or two, but I am also in the middle of my annual re-read of the entire Harry Potter series, so it was sidelined a bit.
The Jedi Mind opens with a two page “lesson” about the Jedi Code, followed by an exercise for Mindfulness. From that point, it is divided up into 46 small “lessons,” each paired with a quote from Star Wars, and a little exercise. Interspersed are several very nice illustrations of characters, and a few free standing quotes that receive their own page.
The Good:
- Each of the exercises are actually pretty decent. There is nothing too difficult, and they definitely have practical application.
- Almost every movie is represented, as are some books and comics.
- I am really happy to see the Jedi Apprentice Series quoted (although only once), as it is one of my favorite storylines.
- Many different Jedi are represented, including Chirrut Îmwe.
- I love the illustrations. I kind of want to see if I can find them as prints to hang on my wall.
The “Eh”:
- *There is a definite lean towards the newer movies released by Disney. Of 46 lessons, they are distributed thus:
- -Prequels: 5
- -Original Trilogy: 8
- -Sequels: 13
- -Rogue One: 4
- -Solo: 0 (expected, since this is the only movie that has not dealt with the Jedi directly in some way)
- -Clone Wars: 6
- -Rebels: 5
- -Resistance: 0 (expected, more about pilots than Jedi)
- -The Mandalorian: 0 (also expected since we have limited Force users so far)
- -Comics: 2
- -Books: 3
- *Here is how they lay out per character (in order of first quote):
- -Yoda: 7
- -Obi-Wan Kenobi: 7
- -Qui-Gon Jinn: 5
- -Luke Skywalker: 2
- -Ahsoka Tano: 5
- -Anakin Skywalker: 1
- -Leia Organa: 2
- -Jocasta Nu: 1
- -Chirrut Îmwe: 3
- -Rey Skywalker: 2
- -Kanan Jarrus: 1
- -Lyra Erso: 1
- -Aayla Secura: 1
- -Bendu: 1
- -Ben Solo: 1
- -Finn: 1
- -Maz Kanata: 3
- -Asajj Ventress: 1
- -Mace Windu: 1
- *There are some…odd choices of quotes. Like for instance the fact that Maz Kanata gets three quotes, which is more than actual Jedi Mace, Anakin, Jocasta, Rey, Kanan, Aayla, Leia, AND LUKE. Or the fact that Ben Solo and Asajj Ventress are included, both of whom spend the majority of their story time as Dark Siders.
- *Not all the quotes make sense for the lessons/exercises, several are really a stretch, or completely unrelated. It is more likely the author had those exercises, and found quotes that she could force to fit them.
- *Some quotes…show simply bad examples of the Jedi. This could be seen as learning from others mistakes, but it is not shaped that way. Jocasta’s quote is here haughty reply to Obi-Wan that “.” Even worse, Ben’s quote is the words he says to Han before plunging his lightsaber into his chest. (Don’t you dare call spoilers on me, the movie came out five years ago.)
- *Some of the exercises are a bit redundant. Like the one about Savoring is just another form of Mindfulness (there were several that fall into this category, but Savoring just happens to be the one my book is open to at the moment).
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to any Jedi. I am a little tempted to attempt my own sequel to the book though, and use some of the better quotes. I think the last I tracked, I had around 250 quotes written down. If I can ever find my notes, that may just be a future project.
In the meantime, I am going to go back through the book one exercise at a time and try them out now that I have read it cover to cover.
What are some of your favorite quotes that you wish a book like this would focus on?
Jedi Journeyer 
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