Book Review: Good Enough by Kate Bowler
I already know I like Kate Bowler’s writings from reading her previous books, No Cure for Being Human (And Other Truths I Need to Hear) and Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved.
Kate Bowler has now published a new devotional, Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection with Jessica Richie. It brings me joy to read her short anecdotes of why it’s okay to not be okay all the time.
Kate helps us all feel better.
I like the format of this book for the 40ish chapters:
- a devotional,
- followed by a blessing,
- ending with “A Good Enough Step” to put into practice, such as,
“Plan a funeral for something you are grieving—an imagined future or the death of what could have been. Set aside a time and a place for your grief to be named and expressed.”
The only thing I don’t like about the book is it has a co-author. It doesn’t affect the quality of the book’s content—Jessica Richie is an excellent writer too—but it makes it harder to follow who is talking. It also feels clunky switching back and forth: “I (Jessica)…” or “I (Kate)…”.
With that only caveat, a few favorite lines from the book are:
“Your illness or grief or despair or addiction is not too much. It’s just your humanity showing. And blessed are we who get to see it up close.”
“Pain should unite us, as fellow sufferers, as fellow humans. Regardless of who feels worse, we need each other.”
“The structure of a good day is simply this: your biggest loves find their way in. God. Friends. Meaning. Family.”
“We are not the bad thing. We are simply living our beautiful, terrible days.”
So once again I recommend another Kate Bowler book. As her other books, this one is also encouraging, authentic, and meaningful.
Have you read any Kate Bowler books? Share in the comments.