Book "The Fourth Fisherman" by Joe Kissack

About the Book: We each came to a moment of brokenness; what we found there was God. And he was enough.
It was the subject of headlines around the world: Three Mexican fishermen in a small open boat without any supplies, drifting for more than nine months and 5,500 miles across the Pacific Ocean. Through blistering sun and threatening storms, they battle starvation, dehydration, hopelessness, and death. Their lifelines? An unwavering faith and a tattered Bible.
Thousands of miles away, Joe Kissack, a successful Hollywood executive, personified the American dream. He enjoyed the trappings of the good life: a mini mansion, sports cars, and more. He had it made. Yet the intense pressure of his driven and high-powered career sends him into a downward spiral, driving him deep into suicidal depression, insidious addictions, and alienation from his family. His lifelines? A friend and a Bible on the table between them.
Thoughtfully told with candor and humor, Kissack weaves together the incredible true voyage of fishermen adrift in the sea and his own life’s journey as a man lost in the world. It is a story that will buoy your spirit and renew your hope and faith.

About the Author: Joe Kissack is a pretty regular guy. He is also a speaker, author, screenwriter, publisher, film and television producer, executive,and an entrepreneur. He has worked on a farm, cleaned out refrigerated swinging beef trucks, pushing cow hearts, kidneys, and lungs into a drain, been a senior executive at Sony Pictures, and served as CEO of major internet content company now owned by a cable network. He has lived out many of his dreams and lived through some of his worst nightmares.
Kissack wrote The Fourth Fisherman based on his own life's journey, and his interactions with the Tres Pescadores during hundreds of hours spent with them. He researched the circumstances surrounding this story, sat in on every major interview involving Tres Pescadores, and recorded dozens of hours of video material. He didn't want to write this book himself, but soon realized no one else really could write it, but him.
He wrote a screenplay based on this story before he wrote this book. The film is titled ALPHAOMEGA, and Cannes Film Festival award winning director, Spiros Stathoulopoulos has signed on to direct.
As a 20+-year veteran of the television, entertainment, publishing, and multimedia worlds, Joe has a diversified wealth of knowledge and experience. Known for his creativity, knowledge of sales and marketing, relationship building, and family values, he has founded and entertainment company, Ezekiel 22 Productions, partnered in the publishing world with the award winning storytelling company, August House Publishers, overseen a multi media company, HowStuffWorks, managed domestic sales and marketing efforts of dozens of nationally syndicated television shows and feature films, including the multibillion dollar assets of "Seinfeld" and hundreds of motion pictures.
Currently, Joe divides his time between family, speaking and writing his next book, and working with North Point Community Church. He lives in Atlanta Georgia with his wife of 26 years, Carmen and their two daughters.

My Review: This is a very inspirational book, where the author describes in parallel his own story and the incredible story of three Mexican fishermen who were lost at sea for almost 10 months before being rescued. The parallel he describes is strong and can be applied to many lives, probably including mine. While the fishermen were lost at sea, they had their faith supporting them every moment of their ordeal. While the author was safe in his home and with his job, his lack of faith make him feel completely lost and delusional in his own world. He goes from a red carpet reception on an important event, to suicidal depression and addiction to prescription drugs.
And after his experience with God, the author had an unique opportunity of interacting with the three fisherman and that experience changes his life forever.

This is a very well written and touching story that deserves to be in the permanent library of any Christian person. The author divides the story in 40 short chapters and an epilogue, making the reading very easy and enjoyable. It took me approximately 7 hours to read this book.

This book was written by Joe Kissack and was published in March of 2012 by WaterBrook Multnomah Books. The publishers were kind enough to provide me a copy for reviewing through their Blogging for Books Program.

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