Worst book of the year so far.
News flash: I don't like books written only for women.
This felt condescending much of the time. It started off okay with a chapter on Gossip and Slander. There were some good points in there, but nothing new (and certainly nothing that I couldn't have gotten out of a book written for men and women). Next we moved on to Idolatrous Emotional Attachments, Manipulation, and Hurt Feelings. Then there was Vanity, PMS, and Legalism. Then Feminism, Roles in the Church, and Trials.
I did like her method of putting off and putting on. She doesn't call it that. Those are my words. She shows what a negative heart response would be and then what a Biblical response would be. That is a great way of addressing any area of sin. There are also study questions at the end of each chapter, which could be useful if you were using this as a Bible study.
If you struggled a lot with one of the topics above, the book seems to have some good points. But I didn't really relate to much of the book. The two chapters, Gossip and Trials, that I read a little more in-depth were okay. But again, there are better resources out there.
On the plus side: This book is formatted WAY better than her earlier books. I am also reading her book The Excellent Wife right now. Wait until I show you pictures of the formatting. It hurts my eyes.
Pages: 183
For the most part, I'm with you with the modern "written for women" books. I'm especially bothered by the ones where the writing is especially "bloggy" and informal. I believe that the editors of these books should ask the writers to stick to common rules such as proper capitalization and full sentences. Even when the points are good, I find that writing style distracting.
ReplyDeleteMy standard for female authors is Elizabeth Elliot and Elizabeth Prentiss, so that's a pretty high bar. I recently read "Hinds Feet on High Places" by Hannah Hurnard for the first time. Have you ever read that? I can't decide if it is something that you would really like or not. It is an allegory, and that type of book is just easier for me to read and understand and apply than some of these other straight-forward-non-fiction books. (Actually I have a really hard time getting through non-fiction books, but I certainly admire the way you do.) Since we have such different learning styles, I'd be interested to hear what you thought of it. It was not "The Pilgrim's Progress" or even "The Silver Chair" but there was some really beautiful imagery in there and I think it is worth the read.
I love Stepping Heavenward. It is on my reread list. Maybe I'll put Hinds Feet in Hind Places. Do you have a copy I can borrow?
ReplyDeleteI love non-fiction! If this were a text message I would fill it with hearts.
Correction:
Delete...on my list as well. Do you own a copy?...
Mom has my copy. I'm pretty sure she is finished reading it though, so feel free to get it from her when she is back in town. :)
ReplyDeleteI personally think the cover picture of this book is poorly done. (:
ReplyDelete- Anna