Stained Glass Hearts – a book review

This is the Pink book that I mentioned back here. Despite it's shocking colour (to my eyes), it was an interesting book. I love books that are written by people who have had struggles and aren't afraid to admit it. And this is one of those books.

The author's struggles included addictions and being bound by many fears; but the book doesn't major on her story, but more on lessons she's learnt through her brokenness. 

It is neither a biography nor a self-help book, though it does tend towards the latter. She offers ways to help us heal our broken hearts and ways to notice the beauty inside our selves, as well as outside. At the end of each chapter she includes suggestions of things that have helped her – an art gallery of quotes, poetry, music, scripture, artists and more.

I have to admit, though, that her writing style took some getting used to. I got to the end of the book and had to look back through it to get a better gist of what she'd been talking about. She's got some gems of insights, but often they are hidden between stories from her own life and others' lives. So the overall effect is very much like looking at a stained glass window. You get a feeling for an overall beauty and need to take time to ponder the art work closely to pick out the extra beauty. Given the title of the book, the style is probably very appropriate.

Let me quote a couple of great things she says:

"I didn't understand that God had made me with a will stronger than any emotion I could experience and that I could begin to get well by choosing different thoughts and actions . . . I grew stronger inwardly every tie I chose to believe God instead of my fierce fears." p54

and

"We don't know what we need in a crisis until someone provides it. Then sometimes not until later, we realize how significant each contribution was to our sanity and to fan fresh hope into our spirits." p38

This is well worth a read, though probably a strolling read, rather than a sprinting read.

This is another review for http://booksneeze.com/ 

Disclaimer: A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me for review by Thomas Nelson Books http://BookSneeze.com. The opinions I have expressed are my own.