The Mystery at Midnight (Servant Books)

The Mystery at Midnight is the fourth book in the highly successful Chime Travelers' series from Lisa Hendey. In this book the protagonists, Katie and Patrick Brady, are about to celebrate their birthday. They have a family tradition of birthday parties, but they are convinced they are too old for this lame party. Part of this has to do with the influence their friends have on them. Katie's friends want to have a nail and hair party. Patrick's friends want to have an all-night pizza and video game party. This not only sounds expensive (since they are twins and would need to essentially have two different parties), but it also sounds complicated. Before they can plan out the details of their party, Vocations Day occurs. While spending time at a monastery, Katie is transported back in time (aka chime travels).

In a happy turn of events, she is transported back to Assisi in the year 1212. If you remember, this is the exact place Patrick last chime traveled to, except he was there in 1205. Instead of meeting St. Francis, like Patrick did, Katie instead meets a young woman named Clare. Those of you who know your saints know that this is none other than St. Clare of Assisi, one of St. Francis' most devoted followers. Clare is a beautiful girl whose family wants to marry her off, like was the custom in those days. Clare has other ideas though. She wants to give up everything, leave her lifestyle, and follow St. Francis. To do this, Katie and Clare must take on a dangerous escape that nearly cost them their lives. When Katie returns, she tells Patrick of her adventure, and they plan a new twist on their family tradition of a birthday. I'll leave that for you to discover.

This fourth installment of the Chime Travelers' series introduces us to another popular saint in Clare of Assisi. Lisa Hendey has done a nice job picking the saints she chooses to write about. By giving men and women equal spotlight in the first four books, she has made this a series that will appeal to boys and girls alike. Her books have a nice pace to them and have just the right amount of holiness mixed with real world kid drama/attitude. The protagonists are not perfect saints, but their willingness to learn and grow from each of their adventures shows they are on the right path, and will provide your children with good role models. For those of you who keep asking if the Brady twins will ever chime travel together, I'd like to go ahead and assure you that it does happen in Book #5 The Strangers at the Manger. If you are a parent, teacher, or librarian, you'll want this series on your bookshelves!

This book was provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review.

When You Suffer (Servant Books)

When You Suffer is the second book from Jeff Cavins in his recent "Biblical Keys" series. The first book was entitled Praise God and Thank Him and focused on a joyful life. This latest book focuses on hope and understanding for moments of suffering. With that theme and the purple book cover, this book screams LENT! So I figured, that would be a good time to read through it and share it with you. The book begins with a chapter on the notion of an "ideal life." That concept is hard to grasp, so he narrows it down to an ideal day. After thinking about your ideal day, which involves doing things you enjoy doing, he broadens us back to an ideal life, which involves a predictable life, comfort, and one that reflects your gifts. Unfortunately, real life is never like the ideal life. Real life is uncomfortable and full of suffering.

This leads to the next chapter, which discusses the meaning of suffering. He doesn't dive into the weighty Scripture on making your suffering mean something, but instead gives us two concrete examples of people (one being Pope John Paul II) who took their suffering and made it matter. Chapter Three takes us all the way back to Adam and Eve to show how and why they suffered. He then provides us with a few brief pages with examples of suffering all throughout salvation history. Chapter Four provides different purposes for suffering, i.e., punitive, probative, and disciplinary. Chapters Five and Six detail the concepts of supernatural suffering and Jesus' suffering and our participation in it. The final chapters are the most practical/beneficial as they focus on practical things you can do when you suffer, such as prayer, confession, and, trusting that God will never put you through more than you can handle.

We are all fallen human beings in a state of sin. This sin leads to suffering, and this suffering is something that will never leave us until we reach Heaven. Fortunately for us, suffering isn't the end result, but merely a spiritual tool we can use to grow closer to God. So let Jeff Cavins easy to understand writing style and his vast Scriptural wisdom be your guide to this difficult concept. You might also want to get a second copy, because with a topic like this, it's sure to be a well-borrowed book.

This book was provided to me for free by Servant Books in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

Adventures in Assisi and Jonah's Whale (Franciscan Media and Eerdmans Books for Younger Readers)

Welcome back to this special week on my blog where I am only reviewing children's books. Monday I featured two Orthodox books, and today I am featuring one Catholic book and one Christian book. They are titled Adventures in Assisi and Jonah's Whale and can be found at Franciscan Media and Eerdmans Books for Younger Readers, respectively. Let's not waste time and get to the heart of the matter!

Adventures in Assisi is a story about a brother, Lorenzo, and sister, Gianna, who are spending the day in Assisi with their uncle, Brother Antonio. Like most siblings, they tend to bicker and fight a lot. To make matters worse, they find Assisi to be completely boring with nothing for them to do. And while Assisi is a lot slower-paced than Rome or Florence, it has beauty all around it if you know where to look. Luckily for the two children, their uncle does know these places. To stop the petty bickering, he invites them to play a game with him with the winner getting a special treasure. The game involves showing the children various places throughout Assisi and having them guess what St. Francis did at each particular location. In this game, they are cleverly taught history, geography, and the life of a great saint. They also learn the meaning of love and sacrifice. Books by Amy Welborn have yet to disappoint me, and this one is no different. In addition to a great story and beautiful illustrations, there are also sayings of St. Francis on every other page. Truly a masterful story!

Jonah's Whale is a richly illustrated retelling of the Biblical story of Jonah. It's a pretty well-known Biblical section, but it involves a reluctant/disobedient prophet named Jonah who is trying to escape God's plan for his life and the city of Nineveh. This children's book takes a twist on the Biblical passage by telling it from the whale's point of view. In it we learn that the whale has a family, likes to play, and loves to sing. One day he was swimming by a boat during a great story and heard Jonah say to throw him overboard. God spoke to the whale and told the whale to swallow Jonah and save him, so the whale was obedient and did so. He swam around with Jonah for three days and kept listening and hoping to hear God tell him what to do with Jonah, because he did not like having him riding around inside of him. Finally, God told the whale to spit him on dry land, and the whale and Jonah were both relieved. This was a cute take on a classic story, but it was the illustrations that made this book. I am a huge fan of Giuliano Ferri, and it is the illustrations that bring this book from a 3 out of 5 to a 4 out of 5.

These books were provided to me for free by Franciscan Media and Eerdmans Books for Younger Readers, respectively. If you found these reviews helpful, please click here and/or here and hit Yes!

Fighting Mad (Franciscan Media)

Fighting Mad is a book by Dr. Ray Guarendi, which is billed as "Practical Solutions for Conquering Anger." I have a lot of vices, like any person, but I can thankfully say that anger is not one of them. Nonetheless, I am a Dr. Ray fan, so I thought I would read this book a chance. The book has 22 chapters, each about seven pages in length, with questions for each title. Some of the titles are, "Trait or State," and "Ally or Adversary." In "Trait or State," Dr. Ray compares and contrasts trait anger, which is something that makes up your personality and state anger, which is anger in certain environments. He then offers solutions for each. "Ally or Adversary" explains how anger can be channeled into something positive or it can be channeled into something negative. Each chapter builds on the previous one and there is a conclusion at the end with a summary paragraph on each chapter. I found that very helpful as it helped to condense and crystallize the material into an easier to remember form.

As someone with a degree in psychology, I found this to be a fascinating read. It was practical and filled with a plethora of examples both real and fictitious. The tone was casual. The humor was present, but not over the top. It was just what I'd expect from a Dr. Ray book. I would recommend this book for anyone dealing with anger, either personally or with children. It is no substitute for actual therapy/counseling, but it is an excellent starting point on the subject. I leave you with my biggest take away from this book, and that is that true forgiveness can wipe away the most corrosive effects of anger. So if you find yourself angry at someone, truly forgive them. It's a lot easier than not forgiving them.

This book was provided to me for free by Franciscan Media in exchange for an honest review. If you found this helpful, click here and hit Yes!

Made for Love, Loved by God (Servant Books)

Made for Love, Loved by God is the latest book by Fr. Peter John Cameron. In addition to being an author and editor of Magnificat, he is also a playwright with a Master of Fine Arts degree in playwriting from Catholic University of America. In this book, Fr. Cameron uses Scripture, primarily the Gospels, to explain God's love in a way that the reader can easily understand. He also addresses common misconceptions about God's love and impediments to letting God love us.

The book begins with Fr. Cameron discussing how we all long for love...love from others and love from God. He then goes on to explain God's love for us, and that He loves us the way we are. The chapters on mercy and suffering were the most interesting to me. Fr. Cameron says, "To experience mercy is to be loved when we deserve love the least." He then presents us with St. Peter and St. Paul and how they received mercy. Finally, the chapter on suffering puts suffering in perspective. Cardinal Ratzinger tells us that we cannot have love without suffering. We also are reminded in this chapter that we are willing to embrace suffering as long as it has meaning.

Overall, I'd give this book four stars. There were parts which were very profound, like when Fr. Cameron drew from Scripture, the Church Fathers, and recent popes. There were parts that were personal, like when he referenced experiences in his own life. There were also references to movies and plays, which Fr. Cameron admits no one should bother watching. I felt the point of the book could have still been made by removing those references.

This book was provided to me for free by Servant Books in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

Praise God and Thank Him (Servant Books)

Praise God and Thank Him is the latest book by Catholic Biblical scholar Jeff Cavins. I must admit the subtitle "Biblical Keys for a Joyful Life" gave me pause, but I trusted the author enough I gave his book a shot. Before I continue with my review, let me dispel any fears, and assure you that this book is not "prosperity gospel" at all. Instead, this book looks to teach the reader the keys to joy, not happiness, which is a shallow emotion, but true joy, which comes from God. Mr. Cavins reminds us in the introduction that there will always be problems. We can choose to respond to these problems negatively, or we can "Praise God and Thank Him!"

The book is logically divided into two parts - Praise and Thanksgiving. Each part is five chapters long and closes with a section of "Ten Tips." Mr. Cavins could have taken many approaches with this book. He could have done a strictly Biblical approach to this book, and it would have worked for me. However, he chose to add in some personal stories, Catechism references, and Patristics (always a plus) to give a more complete picture. Overall, I think the most interesting chapter to me dealt with the many Hebrew words for praise. We all know that there are several words for love in the Bible, but very few of us (myself included) know that there are many words for praise in the Bible. They are yadah, halal, shabach, barak, zamar, todah, and kavanah, There are also many postures for praise including standing, kneeling, and falling down to name a few.

Hands down, the most useful sections of the book are the "Ten Tips" at the end of each part. You'll be given tips like, "Start seeing qualities and deeds in others that are praiseworthy," and "Voluntarily fast from something you take for granted." With reflection questions at the end of every chapter, the book is structured in a way that you can use this for individual study or small group study. There are also appendices with Bible verses on praise and thankfulness. You'll have to look them up to read them, as just their citation is in the book, not the actual verse, but I recommend reading through them and finding a couple to memorize. They will prove most useful when life's problems want to weigh you down. I recommend this book and hope that I can take some/all of the tips to heart, so that I can live a more joyful life filled with praise and thanksgiving to God.

This book was provided to me for free by Franciscan Media in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

When the Church Was Young (Servant Books)

When the Church was Young is a book about the Early Church Fathers and the latest book from Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio, also known as Dr. Italy. The book covers more than 500 years; both Eastern and Western Fathers; and men from Asia, Africa, and Europe. Some of the big names in this book are St. Augustine, St. Gregory the Great, St. Jerome, and St. John Chrysostom. However, there are many other names in this book including St. Basil, Terutillian, and St. Cyprian.

Dr. D'Ambrosio begins the book by trying to determine which Church Fathers to include in his book. It is definitely a tough list to trim and one that many people have had to wrestle with. He decided on the definition of "great Christian writers who passed on and clarified the teaching of the apostles from the second through eighth centuries." He then divides them into four periods - 1. Apostolic Fathers (50-150 A.D.), 2. Apologists (150-325 A.D.), 3. Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers (4th and 5th Centuries), 4. 6th through 8th Centuries (didn't see a name for this period).

We then take a chronological adventure through the Fathers starting with St. Clement of Rome and ending with St. Gregory the Great. The chapter which I really enjoyed was the one on Origen. The chapter begins by telling us about the piety of Origen's father Leonidas. In the middle of the night, Leonidas was taken away to be martyred. We learn about Origen's brilliant mind, him taking over the School of Alexandria, his many writings, his composition of the Hexapla (six Bible translations side-by-side). Unfortunately, we also learn that all his teachings weren't orthodox. He believed in ideas such as pre-existence of the soul and salvation for all. Of course these were wrong, but at his time, many of these doctrines weren't defined yet. It is because of these beliefs that many of his works were destroyed after his death, and it is also the reason that he is not a saint, which is a shame in my opinion.

At 26 chapters and 300+ pages, you can either breeze through this book or you can take a chapter a day and spend a whole month immersing yourself in the early Church. I did the former, due to my knowledge of the Fathers, but if you are unfamiliar with Patristics, then you will want to take your time with this book. It is a top-notch introduction to the Early Church Fathers and one that I would heartily recommend alongside other books on the Fathers, like those by Mike Aquilina. I hope Dr. D'Ambrosio keeps writing about the Fathers and chooses to write about Fathers from different eras, perhaps Desert Fathers, or just goes more in-depth on these Fathers. I feel like he has a wealth of information to share with us, and we have only seen the tip of the iceberg.

This book was provided to me for free by Franciscan Media in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

The Faith (Servant Books)

I first discovered Fr. John Hardon last year when I had the opportunity to read and review his Catholic Dictionary. It was then that I realized that he had a gift for condensing the Catholic faith into manageable bites and making it easier to learn. Unfortunately, he is no longer with us, but his books are still being published and republished, and his cause for beatification is currently in progress. Today, I am reviewing his book, The Faith, available from Servant Books.

When the Catechism of the Catholic Church was first published, a lot of people were confused as to what to do with this tome. It was well-organized by topic, but wasn't as reader friendly as the old Baltimore Catechism. To make matters worse, Catholics just started treating it as a reference guide. If you have a question that needs answered, simply turn to the index; find the topic; read that section; and put it back on the shelf until the next time you had a question. That is not how the Catechism is supposed to be read, so Fr. Hardon created this book, The Faith, so people would be able to understand the Catechism more fully.

The Faith can best be described as a compendium to the Catechism, though it should not be confused with the USCCB book, Compendium: Catechism of the Catholic Church. In The Faith, Fr. Hardon seeks to break open the Catechism and expose the heart and meat of it. The book is organized in the same order as the Catechism, but it is presented in a Q & A format. Each answer then contains the paragraph numbers from the Catechism which can be referenced for further clarity. Overall, there are 1306 questions and answers. These aren't basic questions with simple answers, but they are technical and deep, while still maintaining an ease of understanding. For example:

517. What is the history of Baptism in the Church?
From the day of Pentecost to the present, Baptism has been the door of the Church. It is through Baptism that a person is purified, justified, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. (1226-1228)

With the recent Year of Faith, proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI, many people took up the challenge to read through the Catechism in a year. If you are like me and missed the opportunity, now is a good time to try again. It doesn't have to be in a year, but if you read a little bit each day of the Catechism and the corresponding Q&As in Fr. Hardon's book The Faith, then you will find a deeper knowledge of God and your Faith and hopefully a deeper love too. May we all strive for that deeper understanding and deeper love. May we also prayer for the beatification and canonization of Fr. Hardon. From the few books of his I have read, he was a great priest and a great teacher, and I can't recommend his books enough.

This book was provided to me for free by Servant Books in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

Christ Our Compass (Franciscan Media)

I'm ashamed to admit that I have been sitting on this book for too long. It ended up in a pile that wasn't my normal review pile, and I just lost track of it. So without further ado, here is my review of Christ Our Compass.

Christ Our Compass is a twelve chapter book which hopes to provide the reader with a guide for making moral choices using Part Three of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as its reference. For those unfamiliar with the Catechism, Part Three focuses on "Life in Christ" and is further subdivided into two sections - "Man's Vocation: Life in the Spirit" and "The Ten Commandments." With the Catechism as his backbone for this book, Fr. McBride devotes the first four chapters to Part Three Section One and the last eight chapters to Part Three Section Two.

In each chapter, he then highlights three things the Catechism asks us to do. For example, in Chapter Two, "Church as Mother and Teacher," Fr. McBride tells us to "1. Link morality and worship. 2. Appreciate the teaching authority (the Magisterium) of Church leaders. 3. Become a missionary of moral witness." While all eight chapters that focused on the Ten Commandments were enlightening, the chapter which I found the most interesting was Chapter Five, "Rediscover the Christian Sabbath." Fr. McBride begins by telling us the depressing statistics that only 23% of self-identified adult Catholics attend Mass every week. He further goes on to state that any given week, you'll find 31% of Catholics attending Mass, and that this a DRAMATIC drop from 62% in the 1950s. His three key teachings in this chapter are "1. Honor the day of rest. 2. Understand why Sunday Eucharist is essential. 3. Participate more fully in the Eucharist." Number Three really hit home with me. We can't look at Sunday as just an obligation/burden or something to check off. We are getting to see, hear, and receive Jesus. We should LOVE to go to Mass, not dread it.

Like all of Fr. McBride's books, this was to the point and full of wisdom. What is especially helpful in this book is that at the end of every chapter, he provides at least three ways to grow in knowledge and at least three ways to grow in faith. These six-plus ways are not only opportunities for reflection, but growth if you are brave enough to act on the question and make a change for the better. With the ever-growing threat of moral relativism, our youth and young adults are under attack. That is why I believe this book would make a great gift for those graduating high school or college and embarking on the next chapter of their lives. It is also is a useful guide for adults who are looking for simple answers to questions like, "What is a just war?" or "Why is euthanasia wrong?" I definitely recommend this book.

This book was provided to me for free by Franciscan Media in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click the link and hit Yes!

The Holy Land: An Armchair Pilgrimage (Servant Books)

The idea of traveling to the Holy Land has always been something of an interest of mine. To walk where Jesus walked, pray where He prayed, and see the sites of the Crucifixion and Resurrection are my biggest motivators. Unfortunately, I have not made it over there yet. Hopefully one day I will, but until then I have Fr. Mitch Pacwa's The Holy Land: An Armchair Pilgrimage.

The Holy Land: An Armchair Pilgrimage is a gorgeous coffee table book, which highlights significant Biblical places (e.g., Gethsemane and Cana) and churches of importance (e.g., Ascension Chapel). The book is divided into the following eight geographical sections:

1. Bethlehem and Ein Karem
2. Jerusalem Old City
3. Mount of Olives
4. East of Jerusalem
5. Mount Zion
6. North of Jerusalem
7. Western Galilee
8. The Sea of Galilee

When I first opened this book, I went through it and only looked at the pictures. I must confess that if this book included nothing but those pictures, it would be worth the price for the pictures alone. After my surface investigation of this book, I decided to get serious and take the time to actually read the accompanying text. His descriptions and attention to detail make you feel like you are on an actual pilgrimage with Fr. Pacwa. It also makes you wish for even more pictures in the book or perhaps for an accompanying DVD tour. Each chapter then ends with a prayer, which can be used for guided meditation. So far I have only had time to quietly reflect on a couple of these places. I plan to re-visit the book many times in the future though, especially when the places tie in with major feast days in the Church.

My favorite place to read about was a toss-up between The Holy Sepulcher Church and the Church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Holy Sepulcher Church is venerated as the site where Jesus was both crucified and buried. Underneath the altar is an actual rock from Calvary. How awesome this place must be in which to worship. There is a yearly miracle that occurs here, which Fr. Pacwa failed to mention, and that is the Miracle of Holy Fire. I chose the Church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary as my second favorite chapter for Fr. Pacwa's inclusion of an excerpt from "The Book of the Passing of the Most Holy Virgin, the Mother of God." This was incredibly fascinating to read, and it sheds light on questions of "Did Mary die?" or "Why was Mary assumed into Heaven?"

If going to the Holy Land sounds awesome but you currently lack the funds or opportunity, then I would recommend this book instead. While it's not the same as an actual pilgrimage (Really, what is?) it will at least provide you an introduction, a sampling of what is in the Holy Land. When you finish the book, do not casually put it on your bookshelf only to forget about it. Instead, place it on your coffee table or another place where you will see it everyday. It is a book you can visit multiple times throughout the Church Year to meditate with, especially seasons like Advent or Lent, and grow closer to God.

This book was provided to me for free by Franciscan Media in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click the link and hit Yes!

Bambinelli Sunday: A Christmas Blessing (Franciscan Media)

Welcome back to the Children's Corner here at Stuart's Study. I told myself I was only going to review two products a week, but that's not going to happen this month. I have some season-specific products that I need to review, so for at least the next two weeks I'll be back to 3 posts a week. I received this latest book, Bambinelli Sunday: A Christmas Blessing, from Catholic Company's reviewer program. Unfortunately, it seems the program has been suspended at the moment, so that's a bit depressing, but hopefully it will be back in the future!

Bambinelli Sunday: A Christmas Blessing takes places in the month of December in Naples, Italy.  The story centers around a boy named Alessandro who is living with his grandparents temporarily since his parents are away in another country for work. His grandfather has a pretty awesome job (in my opinion). He is a craftsman who makes Nativity figurines. December is an especially busy time for the grandfather both because of his job and because Bambinelli Sunday is quickly approaching. What is Bambinelli Sunday? Bambinelli Sunday occurs on the Third Sunday of Advent, and it involves children bringing their baby Jesus figurines to the Pope (or parish priest) to be blessed before placing them in the manger for Christmas. In this story, Alessandro learns about faith, generosity, love, and the true meaning of Christmas.

This is another wonderful hardcover children's book from Amy Welborn, with beautiful illustrations to boot. The main character, Alessandro, had a very real feel to him. It's easy for Catholic children's authors to portray Catholic children as perfect, angelic beings, but Amy Welborn gives us a character with depth who we see mature and grow in love as the story progresses. She also introduces the tradition of Bambinelli Sunday, which many Americans are unfamiliar with. I spoke with our Director of Religious Education to see if we could get the priests to start doing it in our Church. I recommend you ask your priests as well! I also encourage you to pick up a copy of this book in time to prepare for Bambinelli Sunday with your little ones!

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Bambinelli Sunday: A Christmas Blessing. The Catholic Company is the best resource for all your seasonal needs such as First Communion gifts as well as ideas and gifts for the special papal Year of Faith.

Servant Books: Answer Your Call

I was driving home from work one day, and like most days, I was listening to our local Catholic radio station - Archangel Radio. I forget what program it was, but I heard Dick Lyles being interviewed and discussing his book, Answer Your Call. It sounded intriguing to me, so I knew I had to get in touch with Franciscan Media and see if I could get a copy. Thankfully, they obliged. Here are my thoughts on said book.

With the tagline of "Reclaim God's Purpose for Faith, Family, and Work," Answer Your Call is a both a call-to-arms and a self-help book for the Catholic person. This book is divided into three parts, which include six ways we lose sight of God's Presence in our lives; four ways we lose touch with our God-given gifts; and how to reconnect in our faith life, family life, and work life. The reader is urged not to skip ahead to part three, as the first two parts are designed to "remove blinders and influences that may have constrained you in the past."

I will be honest when I say that I felt the first part of the book dragged while reading it. Luckily, it was only 26 pages, or else I would have been tempted to skip ahead against the authors' wishes. The second part, however, hit home with me. I could definitely see how influence from others, education, path-determinate choices, and stagnation led me to losing touch with some of my natural gifts. It definitely made me feel even stronger about homeschooling our children. I want to encourage their individual gifts and not turn them into cookie-cutter people who pursue education that results in merely financial fulfillment.

Part Three was easily my favorite part, and I'm sure most people reading this book would agree. There is a ton of information and useful graphical representations. For example, there are Venn diagrams showing the three components that make up human perfection - our life, our natural gifts, and God's graces. In one graph he shows how little overlap between the three is, but he then explains that ideal integration should be a complete overlap. That's hard to accomplish, but it is truly a worthwhile goal. There are other such diagrams that show what make up our natural gifts and God's graces.

For me, the most beneficial, eye-opening, and humbling sections were the three self-audits of faith, family, and purpose. A list is given to you in each of the three categories, and you then check whether you are "excellent" or "could improve" with each aspect. Believe me, there were very few boxes I checked "excellent" on. That was disappointing, but at the same time it means that I now have clear and tangible aspects in my life to improve. Overall, I would give this book 5 stars. It is definitely a book I would recommend to high school graduates, college graduates, people starting their career, people burnt out in their career, or anyone looking to answer God's call for their life.

If you found this review helpful, please click this link and hit Yes!