Glen A Gerreyn’s book Hope is a book written to motivate and empower people to “succeed” in life.

Glen draws on his own personal experiences to encourage and inspire others. Glen was a champion athlete whose dream of Olympic “success” was shattered when he was diagnosed with a debilitating ongoing illness.

He changed his focus to community development and was recognised for his pioneering efforts as Young Australian of The Year in Queensland and with other awards.

He founded the Oxygen Factory in 2004 and now addresses thousands of people annually both within Australia and overseas. He provides motivation, leadership, values and personal development training seminars for secondary school students, teachers, parents and business people.

Glen uses his story and the stories of others, to inspire people to lift themselves out of difficult situations and even excel. The foreword contains testimonial reflections from participants in his "Day of Hope' seminars where he articulates many of the challenges faced by young people and offers solutions so that people can live their lives to their full potential and “make their life count". Clearly he has touched and inspired many by his words.

In the book Glen clearly outlines the difficulties in circumstances which people face, both individually and on a larger scale. These difficulties have the potential to rob people of hope, but Glen offers some solutions, as well as citing people of hope like himself, to provide guidance and enthusiasm to continue on and make choices that will ultimately lead people out of these situations.

Glen's zeal and enthusiasm are strongly based on a new-found self belief which in the real sense of encouragement "put courage" in "you". He imparts a sense of strong expectation and empowerment. Each chapter has a short summary at the conclusion and an informal study guide to put into action.

The language of the book is simple, upbeat in style and very positive in self-talk. There is no clear articulation of the basis of the values espoused, or the part that others can take in the journey. It somewhat typifies an individualistic approach of overcoming adversity and facing life with a hope in self and a self boosted by purpose, power, perceptions and pursuits of a positive, non self-limiting nature. I found the book a little lacking in substance with more hype than real God-based gutsiness.