Jackie Hill Perry

"The only constant in this world is God. Gayness, on the other hand, can be an immovable identity only when the heart is unwilling to bow." p 1

Perry's memoir is very honest and unapologetic. She continually points back to Jesus as the most important Lover in anyone's life.

I appreciated what she had to say about singleness and marriage - she does not uphold marriage as the greatest accomplishment in a Christian's life, but recognizes that singleness is good and just as huge a blessing as marriage.

Honestly, the only thing I didn't like was that Perry's writing style is a bit flowery and long-winded. Here's an example from page 23:

A woman, height barely breaking 5-foot-3, with the smile of a million laughs, and the eyes of one whose memories are cold and brutal to touch walked inside the club.

But she's a poet, so I guess that's to be expected.

It's certainly worth a read!… (mehr)

I really wanted to like the book, and the book did have a positive impact on me in my attitude toward God's grace and power in helping believers live like Christ. But I would have liked a more personal narrative instead of the poetic voice the author used. The author's life was recounted using much metaphors and imagery, with murky details. Because of the lack of details, I have trouble understanding the author's life trajectory or sympathize with her experience. The author spent a lot of time stating the content of the gospel and how her life fit into the big picture of the gospel, to the extent that I felt her focus was on the big picture, and not her life. I think this was her exact intention, as she stated in the prologue that this book is not about her but about God. But what I experienced then becomes a 160-page sermon on the gospel stated in a poetic fashion, with very little illustrations except blurry vignettes from different snippets of her life.… (mehr)