Fierce Beauty--a Book Review

Title: Fierce Beauty
Author: Kim Meeker
Published Date: 2011
My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:
True beauty is not about how you look…
but how you live.

Women are constantly bombarded with the lie that how we look is far more important than who we are. It’s time for a clarion call back to the truth.

Journey with gifted storyteller Kim Meeder as she encourages women to see that true value is defined by our Creator and that our worth has a purpose of eternal proportions.

Real beauty isn’t a look, it’s an action. It can be found by making one crucial, life-defining choice—to lay down personal ambitions and selfish desires, pick up your sword of encouragement, and fight for those who are losing their battle for hope. As you do, fierce beauty is revealed—along with lasting value, fulfillment, and joy.

In Fierce Beauty, Kim shares inspiring true stories from her own life of adventure, love, and loss—including her parents’ shocking death when she was nine years old and her struggles with self acceptance, knowing God, and standing for Him. Through it all, you’ll discover life lessons about trust, transformation, surrender, forgiveness, and genuine purpose.

Ultimately, life comes down to one question: Will you serve yourself or your King?
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My Take:

Sometimes, a book is an enjoyable read. Other times it is a convicting read. But then, there are the times when a book leaves you "on the fence." The latter was the case for me and Fierce Beauty. Don't get me wrong, there was a lot of good....yet there was also a lot of the annoying in it.

My favorite thing about this book were some of the stories told to communicate Ms. Meeker's point. You felt like they were being shared together over a cup of coffee. The ones with animals broke my heart--because I don't understand how anyone can abuse an animal--and you were happy to see them beat the odds. You grieve for the individuals who have struggles in everyday life--and you are thrilled when the Lord comes to their aid or teaches them major lessons. The ending gives us an "after the story" tale of what happens to each person mentioned--THAT was cool.


But the stories also make for one of the annoying things. Occasionally, the stories are tedious or completely unnecessary. Sadly, these usually, with one or two major exceptions, are ones from Ms. Meeker's life herself. It could sound as if she is tooting her own horn as she regals us with stories of her travels and her athleticism. Ms. Meeker writes with beautiful imagery (and it made the Pacific Northwest come alive, something this girl who lives in that vicinity appreciated). I just don't know if we needed four pages giving every little detail about a ski race. =P

The lessons Ms. Meeker wanted to impart are fantastic--yet nothing I haven't heard in another way before. Leslie Ludy is an author who comes to mind. So, it begs me to ask the question. Will anything really stand out to me from this read? That remains to be seen.

Disclaimer:

I received this book free from Multnomah in exchange for a review. This is my opinion =)