Scary Close by Donald Miller

From the publisher:

After decades of failed relationships and painful drama, Donald Miller decided he’d had enough. Impressing people wasn’t helping him connect with anyone. He’d built a life of public isolation, yet he dreamed of meaningful relationships. So at forty years old he made a scary decision: to be himself no matter what it cost.

From the author of Blue Like Jazz comes a book about the risk involved in choosing to impress fewer people and connect with more, about the freedom that comes when we stop acting and start loving. It is a story about knocking down old walls to create a healthy mind, a strong family, and a satisfying career. And it all feels like a conversation with the best kind of friend: smart, funny, true, important.

Scary Close is Donald Miller at his best.

________

I first discovered Donald Miller because my brother is a huge fan.  After reading A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller I was certain I wanted to read more of his work.  I am so glad that I was given the opportunity to review Scary Close.

I finished this book in a little over a day.  I couldn't stop reading it.  I now want to go back and re-read each chapter more slowly and let the ideas sink in.  But the first time around I had to keep reading, keep seeing where it was going. 

Recently God has been trying to teach me about vulnerability and relationships and I believe He placed this in my hands to read.  Life is about relationships, the good and bad ones.  Relationships are what makes up the adventures and pivotal times in our lives.  Casual, business, family, etc.  Each has an important part to play in our lives.  Donald Miller is vulnerable about his weakness and selfishness as a human.  He tells a memoir that will resonate with you in one way or another.  Your story won't look exactly like his but you will be able to glean wisdom about how to have intimacy in relationships in a healthy way.  And also how to look for healthy people to have those relationships with.

In the acknowledgements section he says that his goal was to tell a collective story that would connect us to one another.  To me that is exactly what happened in this book.  I don't know Donald Miller but through his book I was able to connect to his story. In so many ways it is my story.  And your story.  He wrote that the connection of the collective story has been healing for him and he is thankful.  What I want to say is that the story was healing for me--and I am so thankful.  

I highly recommend this book.

I received this book free from BookLookBloggers in exchange for my honest review.

If you pre-order Scary Close you will get Blue Like Jazz audio book FREE as well as the Scary Close soundtrack FREE.  Even if you didn't get those for free it would be worth it.  Go pre-order it now!