by Shauna Niequist
personal copy, paperback 235 pages
genre: NF essays, Christian life
This was recommended by Rachel Culbertson and I ordered a copy for myself from Amazon. Niequist has such a gift for writing! I think I would have *loved* this book as a 30-year-old, but I definitely enjoyed it as a 51-year-old. Some of the essays really impacted me (so I'm scanning two to save and re-read). This is a book to be shared (first with my friend Kim, then with my daughter-in-lay Angela) and given as a gift . . .
page 98 - "One of my deepest secret beliefs is that I am actually not a good person at all, not a talented or helpful person in any way, and that someday everyone will find out . . . " I've been struggling lately with feelings of inadequacy (at work and as a human being) and her experience resonated with me.
page 134 - her sentiments on writing also resonate for me . . . and procrastinating . . . and her final sentence here "After I've been writing for a while, I get sort of sensitive and strange, like a theater kid in high school." I can so relate!
Her essay "Broken Bottles" on pages 139-144 is one that I need to copy, re-read, and keep. It's about a trip she took to Africa and the impact it had on her. What a powerful and personal story!
page 195 - "Writing is about choosing the one narrow thing and following it as far as it will take me, instead of chasing all the snaps and crackles in my head."
"Writing in Pencil" is the other essay that really spoke to me! I think I need to scan and save this one, too. I sure marked it up a lot. I love how Niequist is honest and not a holier-than-thou type of Christian. Clearly, she loves the Lord and her faith is vital to her. But I think her genuine style of writing will resonate, especially with younger people. In the author interview in the back, it sounds as though she's gotten flak for not being spiritual enough . . . but she isn't trying to be someone she's not - she's sharing her joy and struggles and life. Authenticity rings through.
pages 234-5 . . . I want to read this aloud in church. I bookmarked it to ask Pastor Jamie. This is part of her "Cold Tangerines" essay. What a great ending to a wonderful little book!
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