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Making It Home: Finding My Way to Peace, Identity, and Purpose
Growing up in the murky space between Gloria Steinem and Martha Stewart has left a whole generation of women struggling to define and embrace the meaning of home. There is constant pressure to do things a certain way and often intense criticism from those who think you're doing it wrong. But what if home isn't really about whether or not you homeschool or have a career or make your own artisan bread?
What if home is more about who you are than what you do?
Former subversive Emily T. Wierenga takes you on an unconventional journey through marriage, miscarriage, foster parenting, and the daily struggle of longing to be known. In this soul-stirring quest for identity in the midst of life's daily interruptions, she shows us that homemaking is much more than old-fashioned tradition; rather, it's a timeless and essential art requiring mind, body, and spirit.
"Emily Wierenga is one of those rare and extraordinary writers willing to lay it all out there. Making It Home is nourishment for the heart, clarity for the eyes, and divine comfort for the soul."--Rachel Macy Stafford, New York Times bestselling author of Hands Free Mama
"Emily gently reminds us that a home is far more than a house. When we open our doors and hearts to others--both far and near--we create a precious space where God and humanity reside richly together."--Margaret Feinberg, author of Fight Back with Joy
"Making It Home absolutely captivated me. Emily Wierenga is a brilliant writer who shares her journey with refreshing vulnerability. Her prose is poetic and raw, and the door to her spiritual life is held wide open for the reader."--Jennifer Dukes Lee, author of Love Idol
"Emily Wierenga has a gift for taking readers on journeys of the soul. If you need hope for the future, courage for the next step, and an insightful, honest guide to walk with you, Making It Home will help you find your way."--Holley Gerth, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of You're Already Amazing
Emily T. Wierenga is an award-winning journalist, columnist, artist, author, and blogger at www.emilywierenga.com. Her work has appeared in many publications, including Relevant, The Gospel Coalition, A Deeper Story, Christianity Today, Dayspring's (in)courage, and Focus on the Family. The author of Atlas Girl, she is the founder of The Lulu Tree, a nonprofit serving mothers in Katwe, Uganda. Emily lives in Alberta, Canada, with her husband, Trenton, and their three children.
What if home is more about who you are than what you do?
Former subversive Emily T. Wierenga takes you on an unconventional journey through marriage, miscarriage, foster parenting, and the daily struggle of longing to be known. In this soul-stirring quest for identity in the midst of life's daily interruptions, she shows us that homemaking is much more than old-fashioned tradition; rather, it's a timeless and essential art requiring mind, body, and spirit.
"Emily Wierenga is one of those rare and extraordinary writers willing to lay it all out there. Making It Home is nourishment for the heart, clarity for the eyes, and divine comfort for the soul."--Rachel Macy Stafford, New York Times bestselling author of Hands Free Mama
"Emily gently reminds us that a home is far more than a house. When we open our doors and hearts to others--both far and near--we create a precious space where God and humanity reside richly together."--Margaret Feinberg, author of Fight Back with Joy
"Making It Home absolutely captivated me. Emily Wierenga is a brilliant writer who shares her journey with refreshing vulnerability. Her prose is poetic and raw, and the door to her spiritual life is held wide open for the reader."--Jennifer Dukes Lee, author of Love Idol
"Emily Wierenga has a gift for taking readers on journeys of the soul. If you need hope for the future, courage for the next step, and an insightful, honest guide to walk with you, Making It Home will help you find your way."--Holley Gerth, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of You're Already Amazing
Emily T. Wierenga is an award-winning journalist, columnist, artist, author, and blogger at www.emilywierenga.com. Her work has appeared in many publications, including Relevant, The Gospel Coalition, A Deeper Story, Christianity Today, Dayspring's (in)courage, and Focus on the Family. The author of Atlas Girl, she is the founder of The Lulu Tree, a nonprofit serving mothers in Katwe, Uganda. Emily lives in Alberta, Canada, with her husband, Trenton, and their three children.
226 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2015
6 people are currently reading
407 people want to read
About the author
Emily T. Wierenga
14 books87 followersEmily T. Wierenga is a wife, mother, daughter of Abba, and the author of eight books including the new memoir God Who Became Bread (Whitaker House, 2024). She is a columnist for Christian Courier, and president of The Lulu Tree (www.thelulutree.com), a non-profit preventing tomorrow's orphans by equipping today’s families through the local church in Africa, Asia and South America. To learn more, visit www.emilytwierenga.com.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 5, 2015
"Making It Home" by Emily T. Wierenga is a book about the authors different stages in her life. I don't know why I chose this book to review I did not like one of her other books but I probable thought maybe I would like this one but I didn't at all. I had a hard time getting into this book. Plus some of her theology just did not seem good not sure how to expand on it but just seemed off. Also the way the author wrote the book I just felt if I knew her in real life I would probable avoid her as she seemed like the type that gets offended very easily. Seriously I am having a hard time just writing a non positive review of this book cause I feel if she reads it she might get offended and play this person is mean thing cause they didn't like my book. It was all over the place in the writing but I will say that it was an quick and easy read once I could get into it. I have no recommendation for this book.
I was given this book from BakerBooks a division of Baker Publishing Group for my honest review and was not required to give a positive review.
I was given this book from BakerBooks a division of Baker Publishing Group for my honest review and was not required to give a positive review.
January 1, 2020
I liked how personal she was in this book, by the end I felt we were friends. I picked up lots of new perspectives that I’m going to use in my life.
June 8, 2022
This book was not quite what I expected it to be. Based on the description, I thought it sounded like a book about "modern homemaking." And I suppose I can see that as a loose theme, but this is not journalism, or even social commentary. It's a memoir. And that's fine. I just had to adjust my expectations after starting.
I vacillated between liking and not liking this book. And I feel kind of awkward critiquing a memoir because it's so personal, and it can be difficult to evaluate the work without also feeling like you're judging the author by default--but that's not what I'm trying to do. I'm just talking about the book.
For starters, this may not really be a light, pick-me-up, joyful kind of read, at least it wasn't for me. Which is fine, because all books can't be like that. But the subject matter is certainly melancholy at times. The author recounts major events in her life, including her battle with anorexia, her mother-in-law's cancer, a miscarriage, her adventures in providing foster care, leaky plumbing, a trip to Africa, her desperation to become a published author, and also tidbits from everyday family life.
From what I can see, this book is an attempt to weave together the various strands of her past, and more current ideas about what her home should be like, and as the subtitle says "Finding my way to peace, identity, and purpose." Does she find it? I'm not sure -- the "finding" and the "not finding" seem quite bound up in each other, but perhaps that is the idea.
What I liked:
The author is certainly a good writer. The writing style is a bit similar to that of Ann Voskamp, at least in terms of the continuous present-tense description. Some past events are recounted in past tense, but then you come back into the present, primary narrative, which is all "I am running," "I glance," bringing you into the scene rather than recounting it later. Most of the time I think this works well for the subject matter. She is very good with details and metaphors. Her ability to communicate the setting of a scene, especially as it relates to powerful emotions, can be very moving. She sees, smells, experiences everything, and helps you to do it too.
In addition to her writing style, I appreciated that the author does not pretend to have it all together. I sometimes felt uncomfortable reading about her insecurities, but I feel that she generally avoids the "holier than thou" attitude that sometimes characterizes writing about motherhood (though that's only a piece of what she writes about). She's quite honest about the fact that she and her family are not perfect, and that life is about having to navigate the storms, sometimes one right after the other.
The portions of the book that resonated the most with me were her descriptions of her home and everyday family life, as well as her time providing foster care, and her honesty about the challenges involved in suddenly taking on two extra children. Also, the story of the leaking toilet. Nasty, but real life, and she captures vividly the logistics and frustrations of these kinds of episodes without making it sound like marriage/parenting is horrible.
Her description of her miscarriage is also quite moving and sad, as well as her processing of the grief in bits and pieces even after the major event. Even just the little things--getting e-mail updates about her baby's progress long after she has died--things you probably would not think about if you hadn't gone through it. Once again, she uses the seemingly ordinary sensual details of life to communicate her grief. I felt like I was right there in the room.
I also appreciate her willingness (briefly) to be honest about (in a very metaphorical, non-explicit way) some sexual difficulties she has had, because this is not something that is often talked about, and yet it happens, and she doesn't hold back in order to make herself look more savvy.
What I didn't like:
Sometimes I didn't really know what to make of the author's insecurity. She dedicates a couple chapters to her story of finding a publisher to finally realize her dream of becoming a published author, which is nice, but also adds an unusual degree of self-consciousness to be included in the book, even if this is not *the* actual book she first published with them. I'm not saying that it's like "Here's a book about how I became an author!" because there's a whole lot more than that, but I wonder if those scenes may have been more appropriate for a blog.
I also see traces of self-pity--her love letter to her husband is almost more "I'm sorry you have to put up with me" than really about him, but again, the only way she can show him to us is through her eyes, and at least she doesn't sugarcoat things.
The spirituality in this book is another aspect that sometimes had me scratching my head. I suppose I must be from a different denomination/background than the author. She recounts several "visions" and things God told her, including when she says that God tells her, while she's in the early stages of a miscarriage, that "As surely as the sun is shining, I love you--and your baby will live." But the baby doesn't. She has a miscarriage and the baby dies. Then she gets an e-mail from a friend telling her that every word God spoke to her stands. Huh? I really have no idea what to make of any of that. She does eventually have another baby who is born safely, and I'm very glad for her. But this whole bit was confusing to me, and seriously, this story would still be just as tragic/beautiful without that promise/confusion, because all good things come from God anyway.
Anyway, in summary--there is some beautiful writing here. I love the author's descriptions and the way she draws you into the scene and makes you feel like you are walking right along with her. Seeing what she sees, hearing what she hears, watching her loved ones come in and out of the narrative, and trying to understand the pain of her past and how it still affects her in the here and now. I appreciate her honesty and candor, and I think this book works well as a memoir of a broken but surviving person who is trying to learn how to become more secure.
Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers www.bakerbooks.com/bakerbooksbloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wa....
I vacillated between liking and not liking this book. And I feel kind of awkward critiquing a memoir because it's so personal, and it can be difficult to evaluate the work without also feeling like you're judging the author by default--but that's not what I'm trying to do. I'm just talking about the book.
For starters, this may not really be a light, pick-me-up, joyful kind of read, at least it wasn't for me. Which is fine, because all books can't be like that. But the subject matter is certainly melancholy at times. The author recounts major events in her life, including her battle with anorexia, her mother-in-law's cancer, a miscarriage, her adventures in providing foster care, leaky plumbing, a trip to Africa, her desperation to become a published author, and also tidbits from everyday family life.
From what I can see, this book is an attempt to weave together the various strands of her past, and more current ideas about what her home should be like, and as the subtitle says "Finding my way to peace, identity, and purpose." Does she find it? I'm not sure -- the "finding" and the "not finding" seem quite bound up in each other, but perhaps that is the idea.
What I liked:
The author is certainly a good writer. The writing style is a bit similar to that of Ann Voskamp, at least in terms of the continuous present-tense description. Some past events are recounted in past tense, but then you come back into the present, primary narrative, which is all "I am running," "I glance," bringing you into the scene rather than recounting it later. Most of the time I think this works well for the subject matter. She is very good with details and metaphors. Her ability to communicate the setting of a scene, especially as it relates to powerful emotions, can be very moving. She sees, smells, experiences everything, and helps you to do it too.
In addition to her writing style, I appreciated that the author does not pretend to have it all together. I sometimes felt uncomfortable reading about her insecurities, but I feel that she generally avoids the "holier than thou" attitude that sometimes characterizes writing about motherhood (though that's only a piece of what she writes about). She's quite honest about the fact that she and her family are not perfect, and that life is about having to navigate the storms, sometimes one right after the other.
The portions of the book that resonated the most with me were her descriptions of her home and everyday family life, as well as her time providing foster care, and her honesty about the challenges involved in suddenly taking on two extra children. Also, the story of the leaking toilet. Nasty, but real life, and she captures vividly the logistics and frustrations of these kinds of episodes without making it sound like marriage/parenting is horrible.
Her description of her miscarriage is also quite moving and sad, as well as her processing of the grief in bits and pieces even after the major event. Even just the little things--getting e-mail updates about her baby's progress long after she has died--things you probably would not think about if you hadn't gone through it. Once again, she uses the seemingly ordinary sensual details of life to communicate her grief. I felt like I was right there in the room.
I also appreciate her willingness (briefly) to be honest about (in a very metaphorical, non-explicit way) some sexual difficulties she has had, because this is not something that is often talked about, and yet it happens, and she doesn't hold back in order to make herself look more savvy.
What I didn't like:
Sometimes I didn't really know what to make of the author's insecurity. She dedicates a couple chapters to her story of finding a publisher to finally realize her dream of becoming a published author, which is nice, but also adds an unusual degree of self-consciousness to be included in the book, even if this is not *the* actual book she first published with them. I'm not saying that it's like "Here's a book about how I became an author!" because there's a whole lot more than that, but I wonder if those scenes may have been more appropriate for a blog.
I also see traces of self-pity--her love letter to her husband is almost more "I'm sorry you have to put up with me" than really about him, but again, the only way she can show him to us is through her eyes, and at least she doesn't sugarcoat things.
The spirituality in this book is another aspect that sometimes had me scratching my head. I suppose I must be from a different denomination/background than the author. She recounts several "visions" and things God told her, including when she says that God tells her, while she's in the early stages of a miscarriage, that "As surely as the sun is shining, I love you--and your baby will live." But the baby doesn't. She has a miscarriage and the baby dies. Then she gets an e-mail from a friend telling her that every word God spoke to her stands. Huh? I really have no idea what to make of any of that. She does eventually have another baby who is born safely, and I'm very glad for her. But this whole bit was confusing to me, and seriously, this story would still be just as tragic/beautiful without that promise/confusion, because all good things come from God anyway.
Anyway, in summary--there is some beautiful writing here. I love the author's descriptions and the way she draws you into the scene and makes you feel like you are walking right along with her. Seeing what she sees, hearing what she hears, watching her loved ones come in and out of the narrative, and trying to understand the pain of her past and how it still affects her in the here and now. I appreciate her honesty and candor, and I think this book works well as a memoir of a broken but surviving person who is trying to learn how to become more secure.
Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers www.bakerbooks.com/bakerbooksbloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wa....
February 10, 2024
As a mom, there was a lot to relate to in this book as Emily wrestles with all the emotions that come with the conundrum of wanting to create something of your own - for her it was writing- and taking the time to cherish what you have already created - your children and family.
At times the story jumped around and dragged, making it hard to follow and a lot of complaints. Aside from this I loved her relationship with God. If there was anything worth taking the time to read, it was all of her experiences with heaven. The visions she was shown, the personal revelation and all the love that God gave her along her journey in motherhood.
At times the story jumped around and dragged, making it hard to follow and a lot of complaints. Aside from this I loved her relationship with God. If there was anything worth taking the time to read, it was all of her experiences with heaven. The visions she was shown, the personal revelation and all the love that God gave her along her journey in motherhood.
January 13, 2022
I normally love memoirs, but this book felt disjointed and all over the place to me. It was honestly a struggle to finish reading.
October 5, 2017
I love Wierenga's style ( and cool name) and her coming to what matters in life. We are all broken, but we can find a safe place to fall. This concept of home not being the house we live in, but inside of our own hearts hits home with me. She wants us to see blessing in the mundane. In loving those in need even when it is hard to do. We can get the idea if the house is bigger, more prestigious address, we will have more peace and find belonging. She shows all these to be irrelevant to where home lies.
January 24, 2018
Gorgeous, moving writing. Read it slowly and deliberately so I could saver every word.
December 21, 2015
I'm not sure I've ever read a true memoir before, and when I picked up "Making It Home" by Emily T. Wierenga, I wasn't really aware that it was a memoir. I don't feel like the description on the back made it quite clear, but I dove into it and was immediately struck by the beauty of Wierenga's writing. I could tell pretty quick that it was going to be good.
Wierenga shares bits and pieces of her life story through this book, including her struggles in her relationship with her dad, an eating disorder, and the stories of two babies that she lost. I am always amazed when someone can take all these pieces of their life and weave them together, thread by thread, into this cohesive book, and that's exactly what Wierenga does. I didn't really know anything about her before reading this book, but she makes her story interesting and compelling and relevant.
Her writing - it is just beautiful (it reminds me a bit of Ann Voskamp's writing, except Wierenga is a bit more literal, which is the perfect balance to me). She has a poetic bent to her writing that makes ordinary descriptions sparkle, and it really was joy to read for that.
Doctrinally, the book generally seemed solid, which was a relief to me, because sometimes I think when writers get overly poetic they can tend to make the gospel confusing. I didn't feel like that was a problem with this book.
The one part that I didn't like was a point in the book (Chapter 18) when Wierenga makes a comparison between the Trinity and the family unit - comparing God to a father, Jesus to a "brother", and the Holy Spirit to a mother. This didn't bother me by itself, because there are often analogies like that in Scripture and theological studies. In the Bible, God is referred to as a Father, and Jesus does call us His "brethren" in Hebrews. The part I wasn't sure about, and would like to look into further, was comparing the Holy Spirit to the mother in the family unit, in that the Holy Spirit "nurtures and guides". To my recollection, that comparison is never directly made in Scripture.
What really made it uncomfortable for me was when Wierenga followed that comparison up with a poetic description of a vision/dream she had in which she interacts with the members of the Trinity. Wierenga refers to the Holy Spirit as a "she" in the word picture she draws. I didn't like that. All three members of the Trinity are referred to in a masculine sense in the Bible. I feel like Wierenga was trying to be poetic with her word picture and tie in the Trinity/family unit comparison, but I think it is unwise to change the pronoun when a feminine pronoun is never used to describe God in Scripture. God does not have a gender, but when He uses words in the masculine sense to describe Himself in His word, that is for a reason, and I don't think we should discard it for analogy or poetry's sake.
This is a sidetone, but I also get a bit uncomfortable in general with writers trying to describe God the Father and the Holy Spirit in human terms anyway. Of course one member of the Trinity, Jesus, did become a man, but to try to paint all three members of the Trinity into a mortal, more manageable picture doesn't sit well with me. It can be done well, but it is so often done poorly, and it is a fine, nondescript line to walk, in my opinion. I prefer more literal descriptions of the Trinity that are solidly backed up by Scripture - I'm not very poetic when it comes to that, because something as unfathomable as God in Three Persons cannot be adequately described through some poetic word picture.
While sharing some of her moments of struggle in her faith, Wierenga does share the gospel through these pages - in bits and pieces, not all in one chunk, but I appreciated that she did. Ultimately she brings the book back around to a message of hope and trust in God and His plan for our lives.
In terms of stars, the writing definitley deserves five, overall I would give the book four stars, with one more taken away for that one improper gender description. Except for the above chapter that I took issue with, I did very much enjoy this book.
Note: I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
- See more at: http://www.throughcloudedglass.com/20...
Wierenga shares bits and pieces of her life story through this book, including her struggles in her relationship with her dad, an eating disorder, and the stories of two babies that she lost. I am always amazed when someone can take all these pieces of their life and weave them together, thread by thread, into this cohesive book, and that's exactly what Wierenga does. I didn't really know anything about her before reading this book, but she makes her story interesting and compelling and relevant.
Her writing - it is just beautiful (it reminds me a bit of Ann Voskamp's writing, except Wierenga is a bit more literal, which is the perfect balance to me). She has a poetic bent to her writing that makes ordinary descriptions sparkle, and it really was joy to read for that.
Doctrinally, the book generally seemed solid, which was a relief to me, because sometimes I think when writers get overly poetic they can tend to make the gospel confusing. I didn't feel like that was a problem with this book.
The one part that I didn't like was a point in the book (Chapter 18) when Wierenga makes a comparison between the Trinity and the family unit - comparing God to a father, Jesus to a "brother", and the Holy Spirit to a mother. This didn't bother me by itself, because there are often analogies like that in Scripture and theological studies. In the Bible, God is referred to as a Father, and Jesus does call us His "brethren" in Hebrews. The part I wasn't sure about, and would like to look into further, was comparing the Holy Spirit to the mother in the family unit, in that the Holy Spirit "nurtures and guides". To my recollection, that comparison is never directly made in Scripture.
What really made it uncomfortable for me was when Wierenga followed that comparison up with a poetic description of a vision/dream she had in which she interacts with the members of the Trinity. Wierenga refers to the Holy Spirit as a "she" in the word picture she draws. I didn't like that. All three members of the Trinity are referred to in a masculine sense in the Bible. I feel like Wierenga was trying to be poetic with her word picture and tie in the Trinity/family unit comparison, but I think it is unwise to change the pronoun when a feminine pronoun is never used to describe God in Scripture. God does not have a gender, but when He uses words in the masculine sense to describe Himself in His word, that is for a reason, and I don't think we should discard it for analogy or poetry's sake.
This is a sidetone, but I also get a bit uncomfortable in general with writers trying to describe God the Father and the Holy Spirit in human terms anyway. Of course one member of the Trinity, Jesus, did become a man, but to try to paint all three members of the Trinity into a mortal, more manageable picture doesn't sit well with me. It can be done well, but it is so often done poorly, and it is a fine, nondescript line to walk, in my opinion. I prefer more literal descriptions of the Trinity that are solidly backed up by Scripture - I'm not very poetic when it comes to that, because something as unfathomable as God in Three Persons cannot be adequately described through some poetic word picture.
While sharing some of her moments of struggle in her faith, Wierenga does share the gospel through these pages - in bits and pieces, not all in one chunk, but I appreciated that she did. Ultimately she brings the book back around to a message of hope and trust in God and His plan for our lives.
In terms of stars, the writing definitley deserves five, overall I would give the book four stars, with one more taken away for that one improper gender description. Except for the above chapter that I took issue with, I did very much enjoy this book.
Note: I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
- See more at: http://www.throughcloudedglass.com/20...
September 7, 2015
What does it mean to have a “home”? Our cultural Christian life revolves around children and home, but what if life is much more than that? Emily Wierenga explores these questions through her memoir Making It Home: Finding My Way to Peace, Identity, and Purpose.
This book did not meet my expectations, and I mean this in a good way. This is the first book I’ve read from Wierenga, so I wasn’t familiar with her writing or her blog. After reading the description, I assumed the book would be a practical exploration of the tension between homemaking and career. The back cover even says “what if home isn’t really about whether or not you home school or have a career or make your own artisan bread?”. I expected a work similar to Courtney Reissig’s Accidental Feminist, but it’s much more personal and revealing than Reissig’s book.
Wierenga takes us on a journey of her life from August 2011 to September 2014. From the outside, her life seems pretty normal. She’s a mother of two (now three as of May 2015), wife to a wonderful husband, and works as a writer in between taking care of young children. Yet she describes the struggles many women face in day to day lives.
She writes with honesty and integrity. Wierenga has struggled with an eating disorder at a young age as a result of a strained relationship with her father. She also writes about her desire to be a good wife and mother yet still trying to find significance through her writing. She fosters two boys for almost a year, taking care of a total of four boys all at once. During this time, she struggles with her faith in God while suffering through a miscarriage. She finds a renewed faith in God through establishing a non-profit in Africa while recently giving birth to a baby girl.
Needless to say, Wierenga had a lot on her plate. With all that said, I absolutely could not put the book down. Her strongest asset is her captivating style of writing. She’s rediscovered a lost art in writing within Christian circles. Most Christian books are written in a self-help or instructional manner: it assumes the author has knowledge of a particular subject and wishes to impart that knowledge on to their readers. This is not the case for Wierenga. Her writing is reminiscent of Anne Lamott, even down to the description of her dreadlocks. Making It Home is pure storytelling at its finest.
I give Wierenga a lot of credit as a writer. However, I have found a huge theological concern with one section of the book. Wierenga describe’s her relationship with God as Abba Father, and goes into great detail about the significance of God as Father in our lives. She moves on to describe Jesus as the Son and the Holy Spirit as a “mother”. She writes, “And in my mind’s eye I see Jesus, the Son, preparing tools for me to take on a journey. He is handing the tools to the Holy Spirit, because she is going with me. And there they are, my family: my Father, my Brother, and my Mother” (pg. 155). The description of the Holy Spirit as “mother” has become a popular trend in Christian books in the past few years.
There are two reasons why I find this problematic. First, the New Testament does not describe the Holy Spirit in feminine terms, not even in the Greek. I don’t see myself as either complimentarian or egalitarian as far as gender roles are concerned, but I want to be faithful to the text. To describe the Holy Spirit as “mother” is adding an element to the text that simply does not exist. Second, Wierenga’s description of the Trinity is borderline modalism. While the relationship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as a three-in-one entity is difficult to describe, the family is not the best example to describe such a relationship. This implies there are three separate entities working apart from each other, which is not the case with the Trinity.
I do not doubt Emily Wierenga’s faith or her journey. As I mentioned before, her writing is captivating and the book is quite good. I recommend this book as a memoir, particularly if you are a mother looking for significance. However, of the theology as you read through this work.
Many thanks for Baker Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book did not meet my expectations, and I mean this in a good way. This is the first book I’ve read from Wierenga, so I wasn’t familiar with her writing or her blog. After reading the description, I assumed the book would be a practical exploration of the tension between homemaking and career. The back cover even says “what if home isn’t really about whether or not you home school or have a career or make your own artisan bread?”. I expected a work similar to Courtney Reissig’s Accidental Feminist, but it’s much more personal and revealing than Reissig’s book.
Wierenga takes us on a journey of her life from August 2011 to September 2014. From the outside, her life seems pretty normal. She’s a mother of two (now three as of May 2015), wife to a wonderful husband, and works as a writer in between taking care of young children. Yet she describes the struggles many women face in day to day lives.
She writes with honesty and integrity. Wierenga has struggled with an eating disorder at a young age as a result of a strained relationship with her father. She also writes about her desire to be a good wife and mother yet still trying to find significance through her writing. She fosters two boys for almost a year, taking care of a total of four boys all at once. During this time, she struggles with her faith in God while suffering through a miscarriage. She finds a renewed faith in God through establishing a non-profit in Africa while recently giving birth to a baby girl.
Needless to say, Wierenga had a lot on her plate. With all that said, I absolutely could not put the book down. Her strongest asset is her captivating style of writing. She’s rediscovered a lost art in writing within Christian circles. Most Christian books are written in a self-help or instructional manner: it assumes the author has knowledge of a particular subject and wishes to impart that knowledge on to their readers. This is not the case for Wierenga. Her writing is reminiscent of Anne Lamott, even down to the description of her dreadlocks. Making It Home is pure storytelling at its finest.
I give Wierenga a lot of credit as a writer. However, I have found a huge theological concern with one section of the book. Wierenga describe’s her relationship with God as Abba Father, and goes into great detail about the significance of God as Father in our lives. She moves on to describe Jesus as the Son and the Holy Spirit as a “mother”. She writes, “And in my mind’s eye I see Jesus, the Son, preparing tools for me to take on a journey. He is handing the tools to the Holy Spirit, because she is going with me. And there they are, my family: my Father, my Brother, and my Mother” (pg. 155). The description of the Holy Spirit as “mother” has become a popular trend in Christian books in the past few years.
There are two reasons why I find this problematic. First, the New Testament does not describe the Holy Spirit in feminine terms, not even in the Greek. I don’t see myself as either complimentarian or egalitarian as far as gender roles are concerned, but I want to be faithful to the text. To describe the Holy Spirit as “mother” is adding an element to the text that simply does not exist. Second, Wierenga’s description of the Trinity is borderline modalism. While the relationship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as a three-in-one entity is difficult to describe, the family is not the best example to describe such a relationship. This implies there are three separate entities working apart from each other, which is not the case with the Trinity.
I do not doubt Emily Wierenga’s faith or her journey. As I mentioned before, her writing is captivating and the book is quite good. I recommend this book as a memoir, particularly if you are a mother looking for significance. However, of the theology as you read through this work.
Many thanks for Baker Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 7, 2015
From a young age, I have been an avid reader. I adore the escape of getting lost in a good book-whether it be the excitement of a fictional world or the enveloping experience of seeing the world thru someone else's eyes via a good memoir. Growing up, it was very common for me to have stayed up half the night to finish that book that was just too good to put down. Then I grew up, got married, had kids and life's demands seemed to outweigh the value of curling up with a good read. But lately, I have intentionally been making time in my life to read, even if only for a few minutes a day. I find I am refreshed and more ready to tackle the everyday challenges of my life when I have stimulated my mind with an outside perspective and other's experiences thru a good book. My latest read has done just that and more- Making it home-Finding my way to peace, identity, and purpose by Emily T. Wierenga had me hooked from page one and I just had to keep reading to see where Emily's story took her.
As a young wife and mother doing my best to follow God's leading in my life and, somehow, be all that my family needs and deserves-I could so relate to Emily's joys and struggles. I found myself chuckling in understanding at the messy joys of motherhood and knowing the pain of wrestling thru some of the trials Emily shares about. I found connection with Emily's story thru our similar backgrounds and even current life chapters.
I really enjoyed the structure of this book-It is broken up into sections that correspond with different chapters and roles of Emily's life. It felt like an even more intimate read, getting to "know" Emily from her childhood onward and watching the journey to who she is today. We both grew up in Christian homes with imperfect, but loving parents who did the best they could to give us the foundation we needed for life. I could relate as Emily shared of having to find your own identity thru and even apart from your family and making your faith your own. She is painfully honest at times, about how even with all the best of intentions, sometimes parents let us down and how we can carry the fear of doing the same into the parenting of our own children. I really appreciated that Emily doesn't just leave the blame at her parent's feet though, but shares of their combined journey of forgiveness, grace and ultimate understanding.
I enjoyed the sweet glimpse into Emily's marriage to a good, Christian man who loves her unconditionally and leads her towards the Lord continually. I smiled as I saw so much of my marriage in their story- two young people, madly in love, growing up and figuring out life together. I saw reality and grace in her sharing of both her and her husband's weaknesses. How they sometimes hurt each other and fall apart but they always find their way back to each other; To me, that is what a good marriage is all about.
Emily's stories from the trenches of motherhood rang very true to me as that chapter of life is very much currently where I reside as the mother to 3 little boys. My heart felt her fears and triumphs as she shared of the exhausting privilege of raising her own boys. To shape little souls stretches you in a way I have never know before and Emily gives that experience a voice all mothers can understand.
Making it Home is filled with every day snapshots of Emily's life that she weaves together in such a way to convey a much bigger picture of what God has done in and thru her. I really appreciated her humble approach at sharing her heart with her readers. I don't necessarily agree with all of her spiritual views (I.E. God giving her specific, prophetic messages about her life) but it is her story to tell and she does it in a graceful way. Emily shares a quote from Susannah Welsey- "I am content to fill a little space if God be glorified." I feel that was Emily's message in sharing her life's story and it has been an encouragement to me as I am in the midst of filling my own little spaces.
September 22, 2015
Love Them into Being
For the past twenty-one years, my designated occupation on our tax forms and all official (and unofficial) documents has been “domestic diva.” Given the flashy title, my house should look a lot better than it does, but my fierce and steadfast focus within that job title has been to raise four young men to love God, each other, and the values we cherish as a family. Therefore, I’ve been occupied, primarily, with the who and the why of making a home much more than the how, what and where. And it shows.
In Making It Home, Emily Wierenga asks the question that has played like a steady drum beat in my mind for two decades:
“What if home is more about who you are than what you do?”
She answers her own question with a brilliant road map, leading to a destination where “home is not the house we live in, but the people whose pictures line the walls.” For Emily, home is the place where she “loves people into being,” so in chapters that are measured off with delicious epigraphs like road signs pointing to truth, Emily traces her journey toward that place of peace and identity and purpose.
With two active little boys, a patient husband, and a desperate grasp of the truth that it is God who determines the settings on her compass, Emily chronicles days of doing life and finding Christ to be sufficient in the midst of daily brokenness, generational dysfunction, and an eating disorder that has become so much a part of her story that she mentions it casually, almost like a hairstyle: “I was starving myself when . . .”
Although Emily Wierenga is a published author and founder of a nonprofit, she has not larded her memoir with lists of honors, successes, and the names of famous people she meets for lunch. Making It Home includes vignettes of the train wreck collision between cancer and Christmas, the unflattering admission that mothers have temper tantrums too, and the crushing workload that lands on the open-hearted mum who welcomes foster children into an already full life.
If is from this continual pouring out and the parched desert of dependency that the power of God is most clearly seen.
10 If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.” (Isaiah 58:10-12)
These verses from the Old Testament are a timeless reassurance that amidst the Lego obstacle course and the crumbs on the dining room table, in spite of the imperfectly executed birthday parties and the missing library books, mothers are building something important and something that lasts — a path toward home.
This book was provided by BakerBooks, a division of Baker Publishing Group, in exchange for my review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
For the past twenty-one years, my designated occupation on our tax forms and all official (and unofficial) documents has been “domestic diva.” Given the flashy title, my house should look a lot better than it does, but my fierce and steadfast focus within that job title has been to raise four young men to love God, each other, and the values we cherish as a family. Therefore, I’ve been occupied, primarily, with the who and the why of making a home much more than the how, what and where. And it shows.
In Making It Home, Emily Wierenga asks the question that has played like a steady drum beat in my mind for two decades:
“What if home is more about who you are than what you do?”
She answers her own question with a brilliant road map, leading to a destination where “home is not the house we live in, but the people whose pictures line the walls.” For Emily, home is the place where she “loves people into being,” so in chapters that are measured off with delicious epigraphs like road signs pointing to truth, Emily traces her journey toward that place of peace and identity and purpose.
With two active little boys, a patient husband, and a desperate grasp of the truth that it is God who determines the settings on her compass, Emily chronicles days of doing life and finding Christ to be sufficient in the midst of daily brokenness, generational dysfunction, and an eating disorder that has become so much a part of her story that she mentions it casually, almost like a hairstyle: “I was starving myself when . . .”
Although Emily Wierenga is a published author and founder of a nonprofit, she has not larded her memoir with lists of honors, successes, and the names of famous people she meets for lunch. Making It Home includes vignettes of the train wreck collision between cancer and Christmas, the unflattering admission that mothers have temper tantrums too, and the crushing workload that lands on the open-hearted mum who welcomes foster children into an already full life.
If is from this continual pouring out and the parched desert of dependency that the power of God is most clearly seen.
10 If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.” (Isaiah 58:10-12)
These verses from the Old Testament are a timeless reassurance that amidst the Lego obstacle course and the crumbs on the dining room table, in spite of the imperfectly executed birthday parties and the missing library books, mothers are building something important and something that lasts — a path toward home.
This book was provided by BakerBooks, a division of Baker Publishing Group, in exchange for my review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
September 24, 2015
Thank you to Baker Books for providing me with an advanced copy of Emily Wierenga's Making it Home, in exchange for an honest review.
PLOT- Emily Wierenga is struggling. She is married to a devoted husband, and is mother to two young, healthy, happy boys. Her mother has recently become a cancer survivor, and Wierenga herself overcame multiple bouts of anorexia. Despite her blessings, which she is quick to acknowledge, she still struggles with her perceived need to be perfect. She struggles to find the balance between taking care of her family, and taking care of her own needs, which include her dreams of becoming a published author.
LIKE- Wierenga has a big heart and she pours it out on the page. Occasionally, this leads to passages that lean towards the melodramatic, but to put a positive spin on it, I think Wierenga is just a very emotional person. She wears her heart on her sleeve.
As a fellow perfectionist, I could identify with some of Wierenga's internal struggles. I felt a pit in my stomach, and felt the familiar, when I read about her meltdowns over control problems. Her imperfections and struggles make this a complex memoir.
A few stand-out sections of the book, are when Wierenga and her husband foster two boys, bringing their household to four boys under the age of five. Yikes! There is a real sense of kindness in the Wierenga family, even when they are admitting to their fears and problems. My favorite part of the book was Wierenga's trip to Africa, a country where she spent time as a child. This is a life altering trip for her, and this section is gut wrenching.
Simply put, I liked Wierenga's honesty and openness.
DISLIKE- I requested this book from Netgalley and based on the description, this was not the story that I was expecting. A huge component of Wierenga's memoir deals with her wrestling with questions involving her faith and living a Christ-filled life. I'm not religious, but I don't necessarily mind reading stories with a religious bent. Wierenga is Christian, and this is key to every aspect of how she lives her life, which is highly important to the truth in her memoir. It couldn't have been downplayed or eliminated. She talks about it on nearly every page of this book, and for me, it got tedious. I felt a disconnect. If the synopsis had mentioned this aspect of her memoir, I would not have likely requested it.
That said, if you're devoutly Christian, this book might really resonate with you. I can think of several friends that I would recommend Making it Home to. I had never heard of Wierenga prior to reading her memoir, but after the fact, I've discovered that she is a prominent Christian writer, and I think that I might have friends who have heard of her.
RECOMMEND- Depends. I enjoyed Making it Home on many levels, and I'm glad to have been introduced to Wierenga. However, I think that both her overt sentimentality and strong Christian views, could be off-putting to some readers. She may have a specific, rather than a broad, audience for her writing.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
PLOT- Emily Wierenga is struggling. She is married to a devoted husband, and is mother to two young, healthy, happy boys. Her mother has recently become a cancer survivor, and Wierenga herself overcame multiple bouts of anorexia. Despite her blessings, which she is quick to acknowledge, she still struggles with her perceived need to be perfect. She struggles to find the balance between taking care of her family, and taking care of her own needs, which include her dreams of becoming a published author.
LIKE- Wierenga has a big heart and she pours it out on the page. Occasionally, this leads to passages that lean towards the melodramatic, but to put a positive spin on it, I think Wierenga is just a very emotional person. She wears her heart on her sleeve.
As a fellow perfectionist, I could identify with some of Wierenga's internal struggles. I felt a pit in my stomach, and felt the familiar, when I read about her meltdowns over control problems. Her imperfections and struggles make this a complex memoir.
A few stand-out sections of the book, are when Wierenga and her husband foster two boys, bringing their household to four boys under the age of five. Yikes! There is a real sense of kindness in the Wierenga family, even when they are admitting to their fears and problems. My favorite part of the book was Wierenga's trip to Africa, a country where she spent time as a child. This is a life altering trip for her, and this section is gut wrenching.
Simply put, I liked Wierenga's honesty and openness.
DISLIKE- I requested this book from Netgalley and based on the description, this was not the story that I was expecting. A huge component of Wierenga's memoir deals with her wrestling with questions involving her faith and living a Christ-filled life. I'm not religious, but I don't necessarily mind reading stories with a religious bent. Wierenga is Christian, and this is key to every aspect of how she lives her life, which is highly important to the truth in her memoir. It couldn't have been downplayed or eliminated. She talks about it on nearly every page of this book, and for me, it got tedious. I felt a disconnect. If the synopsis had mentioned this aspect of her memoir, I would not have likely requested it.
That said, if you're devoutly Christian, this book might really resonate with you. I can think of several friends that I would recommend Making it Home to. I had never heard of Wierenga prior to reading her memoir, but after the fact, I've discovered that she is a prominent Christian writer, and I think that I might have friends who have heard of her.
RECOMMEND- Depends. I enjoyed Making it Home on many levels, and I'm glad to have been introduced to Wierenga. However, I think that both her overt sentimentality and strong Christian views, could be off-putting to some readers. She may have a specific, rather than a broad, audience for her writing.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
November 8, 2015
Making it Home by Emily T. Wierenga is a memoir- a fact I didn't realize until I was well into the book, perhaps because it doesn't feel like one initially. Honestly, I'm still not sure I'd classify it as such and true fans of the genre may not like that classification either.
Instead I'd rather liken Emily's writing to glimpses into the soul. Where some may read her words and cringe at the seeming passivity in her voice. I found myself drawn in by the honesty and vulnerability, the realness of someone seeking themselves through the lens of faith and life.
When I began reading Emily's book it was the tagline that drew me in "Finding my way peace, identity, and purpose". In fact, as I cuddled up to being reading I muttered to myself how much I'd love to find that because life with two under two is crazy and messy, and illness is tiring, and the last thing I wanted to read was something sad about cancer. Emily doesn't pull any punches though. She's honest about life with 4 littles, the struggles of old hurts that still seek to lure us back, the pain of loss and death. Everything I didn't want in a book.
But also everything I needed . . because Emily is equally open about those little glimpses of God she finds in the middle of that chaos. She's opens the door for readers to meet with her in the midst of her pain and rawness because that's the path that is taken on her journey home and the journey is necessary - it breathes truth and leads to life.
As someone who hasn't always fit in I have a love/hate relationship with this type of book. I hate when books can touch so close to home because it hurts, it brings to light the struggles I read to escape. Yet I love the reassurance that there are kindred spirits out there, people who aren't afraid to struggle and be real and find life in the mess.
This is a book that probably won't be appreciated fully unless you are willing to be vulnerable, vulnerable enough to see life from another's eyes and appreciate the strength it takes to let others in while having the strength to use the book as a chance to reflect on your own journey.
4.5/5 stars
Disclaimer - I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion from Nuts About Books. The views expressed are my own.
March 24, 2016
In sharing her memoir, Emily invites us on a journey of discovery where the journey itself is what shapes and makes us just as it did for her.
This is a faith walk that is not for the faint-hearted. A travelling toward home while we wrestle to live and love well with the ones who inhabit our physical space.
This is one woman's vulnerable heart open for all to see, her brokenness mirroring our own.
It's a painful and poignant look at her life as it really is and at her faith as it ebbs and flows then grows stronger in the face of adversity.
It's a heart-rending tale of miscarriage, misunderstandings, marriage and mess, adorable longed-for children and others adopted into the family, about distress, disappointment and death as it inhabits her and her loved ones lives.
This is also about the power of God's grace and the supreme gift of His love pervading the everyday and making it more than meets the eye.
In following her story we are reminded how similar some of the themes are to our own and how weakness and brokenness don't have the final say in our lives – God does.
We are brought up short by her breathlessly beautiful prose and poetic descriptions of the prosaic.
We find ourselves yearning for a place to belong just as she does, somewhere we can breathe easy and feel safe.
In the end it comes down to our life journey here taking us back to the Father's heart where we have always belonged, taking us to a place where we can rest secure no matter what comes our way.
And look forward to the eternal joy of being in community, the hope of promises being fulfilled and the peace of being in a place beyond all pretence.
As she writes, Emily shares her faith and life with tender openness and a vulnerability bordering on the courageous.
She doesn't ask that we see life or faith as she does, only wanting to point us to the One who invites us to share life with Him here and welcomes us Home with arms wide open, because “It's all any of us ever wants. To know we're not alone.”
This is a faith walk that is not for the faint-hearted. A travelling toward home while we wrestle to live and love well with the ones who inhabit our physical space.
This is one woman's vulnerable heart open for all to see, her brokenness mirroring our own.
It's a painful and poignant look at her life as it really is and at her faith as it ebbs and flows then grows stronger in the face of adversity.
It's a heart-rending tale of miscarriage, misunderstandings, marriage and mess, adorable longed-for children and others adopted into the family, about distress, disappointment and death as it inhabits her and her loved ones lives.
This is also about the power of God's grace and the supreme gift of His love pervading the everyday and making it more than meets the eye.
In following her story we are reminded how similar some of the themes are to our own and how weakness and brokenness don't have the final say in our lives – God does.
We are brought up short by her breathlessly beautiful prose and poetic descriptions of the prosaic.
We find ourselves yearning for a place to belong just as she does, somewhere we can breathe easy and feel safe.
In the end it comes down to our life journey here taking us back to the Father's heart where we have always belonged, taking us to a place where we can rest secure no matter what comes our way.
And look forward to the eternal joy of being in community, the hope of promises being fulfilled and the peace of being in a place beyond all pretence.
As she writes, Emily shares her faith and life with tender openness and a vulnerability bordering on the courageous.
She doesn't ask that we see life or faith as she does, only wanting to point us to the One who invites us to share life with Him here and welcomes us Home with arms wide open, because “It's all any of us ever wants. To know we're not alone.”
October 29, 2015
This review is also posted on Book by Book.
I first read Emily T. Wierenga’s writing last year in Atlas Girl: Finding Home in the Last Place I Thought to Look, and really enjoyed her ability to weave a beautiful narrative from her experience. Needless to say, I was delighted to pick up Making It Home: Finding My Way to Peace, Identity, and Purpose and find a similarly beautiful narrative. In this book, Wierenga focuses mainly on a span of a few years and shares stories of her joys and struggles, revolving around the ideas of home, identity, and faith. Inspiring, heartfelt, emotional, Making It Home is a worthwhile read and I would have no problem recommending it to interested readers.
Thanks to Baker Book Bloggers, I received a copy of Making It Home and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.
I first read Emily T. Wierenga’s writing last year in Atlas Girl: Finding Home in the Last Place I Thought to Look, and really enjoyed her ability to weave a beautiful narrative from her experience. Needless to say, I was delighted to pick up Making It Home: Finding My Way to Peace, Identity, and Purpose and find a similarly beautiful narrative. In this book, Wierenga focuses mainly on a span of a few years and shares stories of her joys and struggles, revolving around the ideas of home, identity, and faith. Inspiring, heartfelt, emotional, Making It Home is a worthwhile read and I would have no problem recommending it to interested readers.
Thanks to Baker Book Bloggers, I received a copy of Making It Home and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.
November 15, 2016
Emily’s Atlas Girl was my favorite book of 2014, and her sequel, Making It Home, does not disappoint.
If you love memoirs and have ever felt like you didn’t have a purpose, then this would be a good book for you to check out.
In a nutshell, Emily never dreamed of being a mom, but after a miscarriage and a years-long battle with an eating disorder, she finds herself a mom to two biological sons as well as the foster mom of two other young boys.
This book chronicles her journey of finding peace right where God has her, and Emily’s vulnerable, transparent writing style embodies that of a humbled homemaker trying to find her way home.
If you love memoirs and have ever felt like you didn’t have a purpose, then this would be a good book for you to check out.
In a nutshell, Emily never dreamed of being a mom, but after a miscarriage and a years-long battle with an eating disorder, she finds herself a mom to two biological sons as well as the foster mom of two other young boys.
This book chronicles her journey of finding peace right where God has her, and Emily’s vulnerable, transparent writing style embodies that of a humbled homemaker trying to find her way home.
September 22, 2015
(**I received this book through Goodreads Giveaway program. Thank you so much for giving me the chance to read this!)
DNF - I'm sure this is a perfectly lovely book but it didn't quite match what I thought I would be getting so I didn't finish. The synopsis I read sounds like a pretty good story but the book itself is very different. It's written in a poetic style about different random thoughts and experiences and I felt ambushed by just how much is about Christian perspectives. I'll be sure to pass this book along to someone who might appreciate what it offers but it just wasn't my personal cup of tea.
DNF - I'm sure this is a perfectly lovely book but it didn't quite match what I thought I would be getting so I didn't finish. The synopsis I read sounds like a pretty good story but the book itself is very different. It's written in a poetic style about different random thoughts and experiences and I felt ambushed by just how much is about Christian perspectives. I'll be sure to pass this book along to someone who might appreciate what it offers but it just wasn't my personal cup of tea.
September 16, 2015
This is a transparent & soul-stirring book. Emily reminds us that home is more than the house we live in. It is the very place where God Himself meets our souls and our lives find meaning.
I loved this book and was sad to close the book when I got to the last page. This is a must read for every woman.
I loved this book and was sad to close the book when I got to the last page. This is a must read for every woman.
October 31, 2015
I struggle to rate/review a book (a memoir!) that is so raw and personal--because whether or not I like it doesn't matter, really; it's someone's life and experience. this is an intense story with some beautiful insights. however, I thought I was getting a book about something else....
I don't regret reading it, and I found myself relating to her in more ways than I could have ever imagined.
I don't regret reading it, and I found myself relating to her in more ways than I could have ever imagined.
November 8, 2015
Interesting story about a young mother, marriage, family, the trials of life and her relationship with God.
Her story resonates with anyone who wants a fulfilled relationship with God.
This book was a win from the Goodreads First Reads Program.
Her story resonates with anyone who wants a fulfilled relationship with God.
This book was a win from the Goodreads First Reads Program.
October 21, 2015
I needed this book. I needed to hear Emily's raw account of the ups and downs of motherhood. I needed her to articulate and confirm the pain of being unknown by a father. And I needed to witness her surrender to the grace of her husband and God.
September 23, 2015
I thoroughly enjoy reading this memoir. So great....
September 6, 2015
Such an inspiring story told in unflinching raw emotion. I found myself hurting alongside Emily and praying for my own life battles.
January 27, 2016
Oh Emily, I felt like I was holding your hand on the journey.
March 1, 2016
Personally I preferred Atlas Girl; didn't resonate with this one quite as much.
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