Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire: The Guide to Being Glorious You by Jen Hatmaker Published by Thomas Nelson on April 21, 2020
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New York Times bestselling author Jen Hatmaker, with cheeky candor and fearlessness, guides readers to a deep dive into how they are wired and provides them with the tools to walk in that identity with freedom and guts.
Stuck in people-pleasing or fear, many women hide and pretend, then end up sidelined in their own lives. But what they want is to be brave, to claim every gift, dream, quirk, and emotion inside, to stop performing and start living.
Beloved New York Times bestselling author Jen Hatmaker understands the struggle to find firm footing in a culture that operates from stereotypes and often unreachable expectations. In this new book, she offers women encouragement, challenge, and humor as she helps them identify everything that makes them tick and gain the confidence to live it all out. She leads them through five self-reflective categories—who I am, what I need, what I want, what I believe, and how I connect—and helps them:
• identify the exact ways they pretend, and learn instead how to be genuine at all times, in all ways, in all contexts;
• be empowered to say yes and no without guilt;
• learn to voice both their spiritual questions and convictions; and
• opt out of drama and into healthy adult relationships.With wry humor, earnest passion, and been-there insight, Jen calls women to the life-giving freedom of leaning into the identity, convictions, and community they’ve been given.
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Review:
To me, this is Jen Hatmaker’s best book yet. She really lays out her feelings and her struggles and her experience and her hopes here, and my gosh it is GOOD.
Jen divides the book up into sections like: Who I Am, What I Need, What I Want, What I Believe, and How I Connect. There are a few chapters in each of these sections that talk about things like community, friendship, body image, things like that. Jen makes it very clear that some chapters will resonate with us more than others and that this will vary from person to person, and I 100% agree with that. I also think it may surprise everyone when they find which parts of the book speak loudest to their hearts.
For example, I enjoyed the chapters about community and the value of good friendships the most. I also really loved how Jen describes three different types of women (Mega, Mezzo, and Modest Women) and how the world needs all of us, no matter where we fall along that spectrum.
When I got to Chapter 3, which Jen calls “I Am Strong In My Body”: THIS is the part of the book that I have read a hundred times already, and it has resulted in tears every single time. Apparently I have more feelings about my own physical self than I realize. Jen shares a suggestion by her friend and fellow author Hillary McBride that we talk and think about our bodies with the word “she” rather than “it” and OH MY GOSH. Such a great idea! Such wonderful perspective! What a concept, to be kinder to our own selves! It seems like we should already know this, but we will never stop needing to hear it.
Yes, a lot of the information included in here seems like stuff we ought to already know or things we should already do. But what makes this book special is that this book, these suggestions, are things that Jen has already examined in her life-whether by her own choice or because she was forced to-and so her thoughts and opinions feel real and robust and credible.
Many of us that like to read these Christian nonfiction/self help/memoir books have encountered a few that feel a little hollow on the inside, like regurgitated blog posts. But this one does not. It is really wonderful. I’ve already read it, and now I’m listening to it. I’ve gone back and reread parts. I’ve highlighted SO MUCH, my copy almost looks ridiculous. But I think there is something in here for every one of us.
Audiobook Notes:
The audiobook is FANTASTIC. I added it to my read (print + audio) because Jen Hatmaker reads it herself, and it feels 100+% like she is sitting there talking TO ME. I can tell exactly which chapters resonate with her the most because her emotion was not edited out. Yes, she sheds tears. Yes, her throat catches here and there. The best part? There is a lot of bonus content in the forms of extra short chapters and sidenotes.
Title: Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire: The Guide to Being Glorious You by Jen Hatmaker
Narrated by: Jen Hatmaker
Length: 9 hours, 57 minutes, Unabridged
Published by: Thomas Nelson
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About Jen Hatmaker
JEN HATMAKER is the author of the New York Times bestseller Of Mess and Moxie and the highly anticipated new book Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire: The Guide to Being Glorious You, along with eleven other books, the happy host of the award-winning For the Love Podcast, delighted curator of the Jen Hatmaker Book Club, and a sought-after speaker who tours the country every year speaking to women. She and her husband, Brandon, founded the Legacy Collective and also starred in the popular series My Big Family Renovation on HGTV. Jen is a mom to five and a zealous resident of Austin, Texas, where she and her family are helping keep Austin weird.
About Asheley
Asheley is a Southern girl. She loves Carolina blue skies, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and NC craft beer. She loves all things history but prefers books over everything.
You can find her somewhere in North Carolina, daydreaming about the ocean.
Find Asheley on Litsy @intothehallofbooks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this one so much! Sara @ TLC Book Tours