"The Relentless Rise" by R.T. Stokes - Break Through The Surface To Reach Your Greatest Self

Author and thought leader R.T. Stokes has written a very personal book that offers lessons from his own experience of almost losing his life and having to resurface as a new man. A U.S. Navy veteran , he draws deeply on his experience as a submariner to offer analogies of how running a submarine is akin to running a life under immense pressures.

After Stokes' car was blindsided by a suspect fleeing the police, he almost died and lost much of his memory, Determined to rise from the depths of despair, he returned to a world that he had known  - the Navy and submarines. Even before his was fully healed, he returned to active duty and reported for his assignment aboard the ship that was about to depart for its mission beneath the waves. As he began to relearn  "principles of operations" that allow a submarine to function under extreme conditions, he began to construct a mental model that the same principles apply in operating a life under extreme pressure. This book is the result of his fine tuning this model and these principles in the form of advice to readers.

The book is organized in two parts - first Stokes shares his own story of sinking and resurfacing, followed by seven chapters that outline Principles of Submerged Operations:

• Position
• Patrol
• Power
• Propulsion
• Periscope
• Ping and Pulse
• Positive Buoyancy

For the most part, the model and the analogies work well. The author does an excellent job of helping the reader to make the connection between arcane aspects of submarine operation and the pressures of daily life. My only criticism is that he seems to work a bit too hard to force everything into an alliterative model, always opting to describe aspects of life in nautical terms. There are times when the attempt seemed forced. Overall, it is an inspiring memoir and self-help book that provides useful lessons for readers who struggle to rise to the surface of life after encountering rough seas and debilitating pressures at the depths.

Enjoy!