The NerdHerd Reads: Let's All Be Brave {by Annie F. Downs}

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20307010-let-s-all-be-brave

Title: Let's All Be Brave: Living Life With Everything You Have

Author: Annie F. Downs

Genre: Christian, nonfiction, memoir

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Received from publisher

Annie Downs admits she s not exactly the bravest girl in the world. She still cries sometimes when she leaves her parents home in Georgia, she s never jumped out of a plane, and she only rides roller coasters to impress boys. But Annie knows that courage resides inside each and every one of us, and she s on a mission to triumph over her own fears while encouraging the reader to do the same. As a single young woman, writer, speaker, and blogger, Annie Downs shares her journey toward bravery with honesty and humor. Using wonderful stories from her own life, contemporary real-life examples, and fascinating historical and biblical references, Annie encourages readers to grab hold of the brave life that they desperately desire. How often does fear hold us back from the very things we most want to taste, touch, and experience? The call to be brave isn t just for one person---it s for everyone. Let s All Be Brave is more than a book, it s a battle cry. Annie challenges us to live boldly, she calls us to step into those places that require courage, and she gives us the help to take the next step forward---even when it s scary.

It took me a while of sitting here to figure out how to review this book. I'm still not sure how. See, this isn't my usual type of book. Yet, something about this one spoke to me, drew me in.

Annie wrote with open honesty and vulnerability typical of these kinds of books. She shared things from the deepest parts of her life. Her hopes, her dreams, her fears. She illustrated these points with stories from her life, or with stories from Scripture, which I thought was exceptionally well done. However, Annie is first a blogger, and that showed, as I think her writing style didn't completely translate into book writing.

The timeline also jumps around quite a bit, which really confused me. Each chapter has when and where she wrote that particular chapter, so that jumps around. But even in those sections she may be talking about something that happened in the past, or "two weeks ago".

But ultimately, this was one that spoke to me. It saw straight through me, told me that I am not alone when it com to some of the things that I face. Which, to me, makes it hard to rec. Because if it doesn't speak to you, will you not like it as much? Yet I do recommend this one, a lot. It was full of truth and wisdom and, of course, some Annie humor.

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