Helpful Score: 9
This is the story of a pastor's wife who realizes her middle class lifestyle puts her among the richest people in the world globally (she lists the percentage in the book, it's something like the top 10% of people on the planet). From there, she decides to make a temporary change in her lifestyle each month to help her understand how good she really has it.
Stylistically, this is a very informal, chatty sort of book. The vast majority of the book's content is also on her blog. I found the book to be a bit naive in a sweet way. It's almost as if she doesn't realize there are poor people in America as well, who don't go out to fancy restaurants or have hundreds of pieces of clothing.
If you're a middle class christian and like Shane Claiborne's writings or the other emergent church/christian simplicity books, you'll like this. If you're already living at the poverty line and have simplified your life, you may find it a bit off-putting. And if you're not sure if you want to read it, start with her blog.
Stylistically, this is a very informal, chatty sort of book. The vast majority of the book's content is also on her blog. I found the book to be a bit naive in a sweet way. It's almost as if she doesn't realize there are poor people in America as well, who don't go out to fancy restaurants or have hundreds of pieces of clothing.
If you're a middle class christian and like Shane Claiborne's writings or the other emergent church/christian simplicity books, you'll like this. If you're already living at the poverty line and have simplified your life, you may find it a bit off-putting. And if you're not sure if you want to read it, start with her blog.
Helpful Score: 1
Next to the Bible, one of the best books I have ever read. Hilarious, eye opening, and deeply convicting. A MUST READ!
Helpful Score: 1
There was definitely some valuable thoughts in here, but overall it fell a little short for me. I think a lot of the author's experience and background felt more like privilege than reality. She has some good ideas on trimming down on excess, and certainly a lot of people could learn quite a bit.
I found this book "convicting", perhaps because some of the author's journey through her simplification and clarification of what it truly means to walk closer to the Christian path are thoughts that have been working in my heart for a while. The realization of how truly rich we are, even when we may not be affluent, is enough to stop me short. Do I own two coats, do I own two jackets, do I have five blouses, or five pants or four pairs of shoes, several changes of underwear, more than two pans, etc. etc. We are so rich and we don't even see it. We have so much food at our disposal and we throw so much of it away. We have cell phones and computers and internet service and cable and go to the movies and take hot showers everyday on and on and on. Things we feel we are entitled to, that are par for the course, accepted as rights - all those things I have begun questioning. What is need in my life? What is greed in my life? These are the things that Jen Hatmaker's book has made me look at with new eyes. I definitely recommend this book, even if only to see her process and the benefits she and her family derived from this journey.
I was exceedingly disturbed with the pretentious nature of Jen Hatmaker and her lifestyle. I found her utterly contradictory of herself and her Christian lifestyle. I feel as though her book was written for vanity reasons rather than for the sake of Christianity. I was deeply disturbed by her boasting and could not finish reading the book. I became intolerant of such Christian hypocrisy and could not fathom her point of view nor her lifestyle any longer.
