A bracing and heartfelt call to abandon false humility in favor of the genuine article.
A spiritual work offers an examination of authentic Christian humility.
Many people, writes Seah, including myriad Christians, misunderstand the quality of humility. They see it as a lesser value, focusing instead on things like grace, kindness, or love. Far too many folks, he asserts, consider humility a weakness and take offense at the suggestion that they should learn to practice it themselves. The author’s inquiries into the subject revealed to him the workings of related concepts, like proud, boastful false humility. To Seah, true inner humility is based on an internal assessment of an individual’s own personal strengths and weaknesses and manifests itself on different levels, which he deftly explores. In order to illustrate the various pitfalls people can encounter along the way, the author presents both real figures like Jim Jones and fictionalized characters, such as “Mister Numb,” who exemplifies some of the worst results of false humility (“Left to himself, with no social interaction, Mister Numb will develop a toxic and vicious cycle of dark thoughts”). Since the 1970s, Seah writes, “rising trends of the self have turned many toward self-fulfillment, self-gratification, and self-indulgent behaviors.” By embracing these trends, numerous people fall into pride and false humility. But through his Christian beliefs, Seah was able to unravel the important facts about “True Humility,” which he characterizes as a “fun, meaningful, and collaborative process” while admitting it can feel daunting, especially if attempted alone. In his earnest work, the author’s thoughts on the broader subject of humility are intriguing and simply written, and it won’t only be his Christian readers who will benefit from a plea for greater mindfulness and less braggadocio. As a timely antidote to the ubiquitous “humble bragging” of today’s social media culture, the book’s many gentle calls for a low-key, unassuming perspective that gives as much credit to others as it claims for itself are both relevant and refreshing.
A bracing and heartfelt call to abandon false humility in favor of the genuine article.Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-63299-442-4
Page Count: 208
Publisher: River Grove Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In this highly learned yet accessible book, Robinson offers believers fresh insight into a well-studied text.
A deeply thoughtful exploration of the first book of the Bible.
In this illuminating work of biblical analysis, Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist Robinson, whose Gilead series contains a variety of Christian themes, takes readers on a dedicated layperson’s journey through the Book of Genesis. The author meanders delightfully through the text, ruminating on one tale after another while searching for themes and mining for universal truths. Robinson approaches Genesis with a reverence and level of faith uncommon to modern mainstream writers, yet she’s also equipped with the appropriate tools for cogent criticism. Throughout this luminous exegesis, which will appeal to all practicing Christians, the author discusses overarching themes in Genesis. First is the benevolence of God. Robinson points out that “to say that God is the good creator of a good creation” sets the God of Genesis in opposition to the gods of other ancient creation stories, who range from indifferent to evil. This goodness carries through the entirety of Genesis, demonstrated through grace. “Grace tempers judgment,” writes the author, noting that despite well-deserved instances of wrath or punishment, God relents time after time. Another overarching theme is the interplay between God’s providence and humanity’s independence. Across the Book of Genesis, otherwise ordinary people make decisions that will affect the future in significant ways, yet events are consistently steered by God’s omnipotence. For instance, Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers, and that action has reverberated throughout the history of all Jewish people. Robinson indirectly asks readers to consider where the line is between the actions of God and the actions of creation. “He chose to let us be,” she concludes, “to let time yield what it will—within the vast latitude granted by providence.”
In this highly learned yet accessible book, Robinson offers believers fresh insight into a well-studied text.Pub Date: March 12, 2024
ISBN: 9780374299408
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
SEEN & HEARD
An easy reading book of supportive encouragement to follow one’s dreams.
More than 40 career-changers tell their stories.
Introduced by Facebook executive and founder of Leanin.org Sheryl Sandberg, Lewis’ second cousin, the book offers exuberant advice for people who want to make a leap—daring or modest—from one career path to another, just as he did. At the age of 24, working for the investment firm Bain Capital, the author felt restless and dissatisfied. “I began to realize,” he writes, “that I wanted this life mostly because I thought I should,” but he heard “a very distinct if faint voice” urging him to try something “very different.” As he considered following his passion to become a professional squash player, Lewis sought advice from others who made similar jumps: a banker-turned-cyclist, for example, and a journalist-turned-politician. From them, and the others whose stories fill the book, he came up with the idea of the Jump Curve, a process of four key phases: listening to your inner voice, making a practical plan, believing in your own good luck, and rejecting regret. “You will come out stronger,” Lewis insists, even if your initial plan fails. “I keep coming back to the idea of agency,” said a man who made a move from corporate hospitality service to restaurant ownership: “the difference between life happening to you versus you making life happen.” Among the individuals profiled are a nurse who, at the age of 50, became a doctor; a football player–turned-writer; an investment professional who became coxswain of the U.S. Paralympic Rowing Team; a PR executive who found her calling as an Episcopal bishop; and a lawyer who sued the New York fire department to admit women firefighters—and then became the first woman hired. “Harassment, discrimination, death threats,” and physical abuse dogged her 25-year career. But, she says, “this was a jump worth fighting for,” a sentiment that Lewis underscores. Changing careers is risky, but “there is a risk to not taking a jump at all.”
An easy reading book of supportive encouragement to follow one’s dreams.Pub Date: Jan. 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-12421-0
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Oct. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2017
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