I finished Wild at Heart this weekend. I must say, it was decent but not the show stopper I kept hearing about.
I feel like I could have written the book – but I say that after hearing many people tell me about the book and probably read several reviews about it.
It was good. It challenged me to live for me and the calling God has placed on my heart, not on other people’s hearts. Not in a selfish way, but I should be living out the passions God’s given to me.
It also challenged me to consider taking more risks. Don’t know what all that might entail at this point in my life but we’ll see where God leads.
I really started Wild at Heart in 2006, so any suggestions on if I should count it towards my 2007 goal? Maybe I’ll chalk it up as 1/2 a book.
I did pick up two other books at lunch.
One that’s been recommended several times and a second I just found on the shelf.
I’m really looking foward to the second, Under the Overpass. I think I may end up reading it first.
Here’s a review from Publisher’s Weekly:
Yankoski’s parents were right: It was crazy to live as a homeless person in six American cities for five months; fortunately, this crazy idea makes for quite a story. Yankoski, a Christian college student, challenges the reader to learn about faith, identify with the poor and find “more forgotten, ruined, beautiful people than we ever imagined existed, and more reason to hope in their redemption.” The journey begins at a Denver rescue mission and ends on a California beach. Along the way, Yankoski and a friend learn the perils of poor hygiene and the secrets of panhandling. They meet unfortunates like Andrew, who squanders his musical talent to feed his drug habit, and hustlers like Jake, who gives the pair tips about how to look and sound more pitiful to get more money. Yankoski tends to moralize: “If we respond to others based on their outward appearance, haven’t we entirely missed the point of the Gospel?” Still, the book features fine writing (“I awoke, rolled over and saw beads of sweat already forming on my arms. Saturday, early morning, Phoenix”) and vivid stories, authentically revealing an underworld of need.
The other book I picked up was Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller.
I’ve heard several people talk about it. Some have loved it. Others have hated it. I’m thinking I’ll be closer to the first. But you never know.
Anyone else read these books yet? Wild at Heart, Under the Overpass or Blue Like Jazz? What’d you think? How were you challenged.
What books are you reading this year?
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