This Thing of Ours

Cammy Franzese has an interesting - and potentially powerful - story to tell. The book is meant to be about how faith saved a marriage that was torn apart when Michael Franzese (Cammy's husband) was put in prison for mafia-related crimes.

The thing is, I found comparatively little about faith throughout the book. Yes, there are references to prayer, and passing mentions of faith, but not much attention is actually given to the process (or perhaps, transformation) of faith. The bulk of the book seems to dwell on the hardships of having a husband in prison and on what a trooper she was for sticking it out in the marriage. While I admire and respect her commitment to her marriage, that seems to really be the overshadowing point of the book.

The writing style also, was not easy to read. It seemed very impersonal and the story jumped from one point to the next, touching only briefly on the emotional aspect of the various situations. It almost seems like the story was written by a ghost writer who had little to no emotional connection to the story or its key characters.

I don't like to give low ratings, but this book left me unimpressed. I love a good biography or memoir, but I was disappointed by this one.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers through BookSneeze - their book review program. I wasn't required to post a positive review. These are my own opinions on this book.

Relentless

I was excited to read this book, but ended up being quite disappointed in it. The premise of the book is great – rehashed by author after author, but great. The point is, rise above adversity, don’t give up, Christians are meant to thrive. This book makes bold claims about offering a “paradigm shift” and “new mindset,” but I found neither.

Bevere seems to be promoting something like a “prosperity gospel” (at least to my understanding of it). His “success stories” tend to be along the lines of fame and fortune as an indicator of success or accomplishment. I just can’t agree with that outlook.

The vast majority of Christian heroes are those who never achieved fame or fortune. From the early apostles to modern missionaries, many who have wholeheartedly committed themselves to God have faced hardship and struggle. This doesn’t mean that they were not “successful” or that they should have been more “relentless.” On the contrary, I think what is outstanding is their ability to be “relentless” in following God through the hardship. To put those who have achieved worldly success as his prime examples is, I think, promoting an imbalance in priorities.

Some of the book is good. It’s an encouragement to strive for more, to not “settle.” However, Bevere’s definition of success (at least what I took from this book) left me with an unpleasant aftertaste.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah through Blogging for Books - their book review program. I wasn't required to post a positive review. These are my own opinions on this book.

The 360 Degree Leader

Yet another helpful leadership book from John Maxwell. As with all his books, I left this one with plenty to put into practice immediately.

It's an easy book to read and understand. While I felt that much of the material was recycled from previous work, what I did like about this book was that it really compiles his leadership advice into one concise book.

Section one covers common myths of middle management.

Section two covers challenges that leaders face.

Sections three through five cover principles of leading up, leading across, and leading down.

Section six covers the value of a 360 degree leader.

I felt it was a very comprehensive look at leadership, and could be a great starting point for anyone starting out as a leader at any level.