Whether or not you are a fan of the popular Matrix movies, author Jake Horsley has written a powerful book about how we are all caught up in the matrix of our own making, and how we must awaken to the façade of our existence and break free before it is too late. By combining his love for pop culture and modern film, and his vision of a world where people are living self-actualized lives, Horsley has written the best self-help book I’ve read in years, whether or not he intended to.

Utilizing the Matrix films as the foundation for his philosophy, Horsley shows how our own lives are much like that of the hero of the movies, Thomas/Neo, and how the world of reality is really less real than the real reality – did you get that? By taking the reader on a journey through the plot points of the Matrix movies -- namely the first movie -- the author shows us how Thomas/Neo comes to realize he is living in a world that is not aligned with his true self, how others control him, and how he must awaken and free himself of the matrix before it consumes him entirely. We, like Thomas, must become Neo and become a warrior willing and able to break free from the matrix.

This is part film analysis, part self-help book, yet truly a thrilling and empowering read for anyone seeking to understand the concepts of reality as presented in the Matrix films. It is also a real wake-up call to those caught up in left-brain living, always ignoring the inner voice of the spirit that urges us to stop living in conformity with a world that does not help us, rather harms us. The author, who describes himself as a filmmaker, world traveler and “agent provocateur,” does provoke us to examine the quiet desparation of our lives. Using the main characters and plot points of the Matrix films, we are given the lowdown on how we became so caught up in such a numbing, robotic “humaton” existence (materialism, TV, jobs we hate, pursuing money and sex, fear, greed…), who has enabled us to continue being so numb (our Government, Gatekeepers), and who has challenged us to break free (think Morpheus and Trinity) and see the light of truth about who we are and what we are capable of.

I love the parallels the author finds between traditional psychology and self-empowerment and the various themes of the films he is delving into, and I really got so much out of this book. Although I did catch the message underlying the movies, I found that this book made me think so much deeper about how my own life is nothing but a matrix, and how I myself am longing to become like Neo and be The One. And for anyone who didn’t “get” the messages of these films, this book is priceless. I strongly suggest seeing the films again after reading this book to really get the impact the filmmakers desired but may not have fully achieved.

We are all battling to find our way out of the ruts we have dug ourselves into and to come into our own power in the real world, the one that we make with our own thoughts and actions and dreams. Like Neo, we are forever pursued by those who desire us to keep conforming. Like Neo, we have the power to outrun our pursuers and keep reaching for the world of the Lucid. This book not only helps us to do so, but also shows us how popular culture often leads the way in breaking through the walls of reality -- even as we mindlessly munch our popcorn and sip our Cokes.