I'll have a normal blog post soon. It's brewing, I just have to write it.

Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader's Eye-Opening Journey across the Life Line by Abby Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Rating: 3.5 stars

Plot (mild spoiler warning):

The subtitle for this book pretty much says it all. Abby Johnson started as a volunteer for Planned Parenthood. She had a great desire to help women, prevent them from getting in crisis situations, and to decrease the number of abortions. A recruiter working a Fair at Abby's college convinced Abby she would fulfill these desires by working with Planned Parenthood. As time progressed, Abby moved up the Planned Parenthood ladder until she was director the Planned Parenthood clinic where she started. After participating in an ultrasound-guided abortion, she saw abortion for what it is: the termination of a baby. She has several epiphanies and eventually crosses the literal and proverbial fence to seek help from the local pro-life chapter. And, that is where she is now.

My opinion:

The book was...good. It was engaging--I had a hard time putting it down. I rejoiced in Abby's enlightenment. However, I don't really know if this book is great by any means. It is an account of Abby's reflection. But I kept feeling like I was reading a drama. Perhaps I am too familiar with her story (I vaguely remember when the climax of this book happened). I do not discourage anyone from reading this book. It would be really good for people struggling with whether they are pro-life or pro-choice since Abby discusses both sides fairly. I also see radical pro-lifers (people who cannot understand how anyone can be pro-choice) benefiting from this book for the same reason. However, since the target audience for this book is the average pro-life Christian (I first heard about this book from Focus on the Family, then from Tony Perkins, and then from LifeWay Christian Books, and then Amazon picked up on me being a White, Anglo-Saxon Protestant), she is preaching to the choir.

Bottom line: good book, amazing story, but I feel like the marketing strategy is more to make money than to inspire people. Perhaps this book will get better with time and maybe after Abby has added a few chapters about what she's been doing since leaving Planned Parenthood.

This book did have a comforting Scripture reference in it:

It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. Isaiah 65:24






View all my reviews

Ravi Zacharias's I, Isaac, Take Thee, Rebekah

I, Isaac, Take Thee, Rebekah: Moving from Romance to Lasting Love by Ravi Zacharias

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Rating: 3.5 stars--I liked it, but it just was not as good as it should have been.



Generally Speaking: While working through Focus on the Family's The Truth Project, I became aquainted with Ravi Zacharias. I found him to be brilliant, intelligent, and insightful. I decided to rediscover the public library and borrow some books on a variety of subjects. I borrowed two by Zacharias and one edited by him. When I picked this one out, I was expecting it to be a commentary on Old Testament culture. When I got it home, I read the subtitle: "Moving from Romance to Lasting Love." Oh. I decided to read it since I had been contemplating reading some books on the subject of love and marriage anyway. So, I eagerly began reading this book...and was pretty much disappointed until I reached the second half.



My beef: I had hoped this book would enlighten me on the subject of how to grow a "romantic relationship" from one of mere attraction to one of lasting love. Except for a few quotable moments, the first three chapters of this book (it has 7) could be summarized into one sentence. "Marriage is more about your resolve to stick together than romantic feelings." I felt that Zacharias was saying it didn't matter who you married, or if you even liked the person, much less loved them. If you were willing to dedicate yourself to making it work, it would work no matter what. Now, this is not necessarily bad advice. If a person goes into marriage with the mindset it will be all sunshine and roses, they are just plain wrong. I'd like to think that my marriage to someone I loved would have a better chance than one with some random guy I just met on the street. But I digress. Zacharias does bring up the point how finding the favor of God your relationship is important. But he repeats the "all that matters is determination" mindset to the point of losing all his other points. Perhaps this focus is because he grew up in an Indian culture where arranged marriages are common (his marriage was not an arranged one, though). The dedication needed to have a successful marriage in that situation is great indeed! I imagine the Western view of lovestruck marriages with cherubs singing and puppies frolicing in meadows looks silly to him. Perhaps he felt we needed his point drilled into our heads. If that was is goal, he achieved it.



The Good Parts: After we got into the later chapters of the book (particularly the last two), it became apparant Zacharias does have a romantic bone in his body! He also dealt more with the actual romance of Rebekah and Isaac, drawing the parallels which I had waited for the whole book. He also included a lovely hymn at the end to reiterate his point about God being the ultimate one to consult in your relationship. Zacharias also talks about the things one should do in his or her life to prepare for marriage and to be ready for marriage and life: a prayer life, an ongoing personal Bible study, and being involved in a local church. But that was an odd thing about this book. For it supposed to be about love and marriage, there was a large focus on how to live a personal Christian life. Perhaps that is the point. We must be fully grounded in our faith both individually and together.



This book was definitely thought provoking. But not about what I thought Zacharias's point was. I had a lot of thoughts about prayer. About Bible study. About outside perspective. Etc. My thoughts inspired by this book regarding entering the state of marriage?



1.) Surrender your life to God.

2.) Surrender your romance to God.

3.) Do not enter a relationship without God's consent.

4.) Make sure your parents are on board (hopefully that is an option)

5.) Keep the romance alive by doing the little things for each other.

6.) But remember, when the going gets tough, dedication is a major part of love.



View all my reviews