How many lies do you tell every day? Yes, we’re counting the “white” ones. Could you go an entire year without telling a lie? Neither could the author, but he made an effort. The results are quite as extreme as in the Jim Carrey movie “Liar, Liar”, but they’re pretty hilarious just the same.
The real impact comes from the author’s honesty with himself and his readers, although he does have some interesting experiences with friends and family. We get to read about his PacMan addiction, his email conversations with a spammer, and his obsession with Mormons. I’m not sure when I last read a book that made me laugh out loud (many times) and cry. I’ve never been entertained and convicted quite like this. To Be Perfectly Honest isn’t just about telling those around us the truth. It’s about trusting God and being honest with him and ourselves.
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. All opinions are my own. ( )

Phil Callaway is a veteran author of more than 20 books and public speaker. To be honest: I didn’t know him or his books before this one. As Christian and humorist, taking up a one-year vow to live in perfect honesty was certainly no joke, though Callaway seemed to have suffered that much. To Be Perfectly Honest takes you through his diary. Successes, recovered friendships, paid dues, but also a lot of failures. Yes, jokes are all around when Callaway listens to the songs that he and his fellow church members sing in Sunday services. Are you honest when singing about surrender, lifting up hands, shouting, dancing, leave everything to God’s will?
Less fortunate is Callaway’s financial investment strategy. Somehow it landed in this book as part of the year behind him, but I wouldn’t miss it, when it wasn’t described. The loss of his mom is tragic, but has little to do with his experiment. Near-successes are his answers to numerous intrusive questions from friends and strangers, once they discovered that Phil planned to be honest about everything. Funny are his e-mail conversations with an atheist and cheaters, his encounters with Mormon evangelists and enemies that were to be forgiven. And as a real Pac-Man addict, Bible and Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis have to wait.
And yes, grace is abundant. Without grace it wouldn’t be possible to live on. Phil Callaway is clear about it and never poses his quest to honesty as an obligation to others. But don’t be surprised to frequently ask yourself what would happen if you’re honest about what you see, think, observe, watch at or do in your daily life. After his experiment Callaway notes that he deserves a vacation (from honesty?): “By all counts, I deserve it. While unforgettable, the year has also been exhausting.”
Callaway’s lessons learned are:
I’m more honest in prayer. This thing about trying to impress God was laughable.
How far short I land trying to rig things on my own.
I’m much more aware of my flaws and weaknesses.
Not all of his diary notes are that interesting. Maybe you, and a small group are better off trying yourself. To Be Perfectly Honest has a multi sessions discussion guide about each chapter as well. ( )

When I began this book I laughed out loud several times as I thought what Phil was saying was incredibly funny.
Maybe as I continued I got use to some of his encounters or maybe I was stretched to think deeper about being honest
and how that plays out in life.
I felt like this was a very well written book, one that allowed the reader insight into Phil's life as well as the
opportunity to see oneself and see how honest and forthright one truly is.
I'm not sure I would want to write a book as such, but glad Phil did.
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. ( )

TITLE: To Be Perfectly Honest
Author: Phil Callaway
Publisher: MULTNOMAH BOOKS
Genre/Market: Christian
Publication Date: 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59052-917-1
Book Length: 216
Price: $13.99
Soft copy
4 Out of 5 points

Headline for Book Review: Is telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God, easy?
Blogging for books has given me a free copy of Phil Callaway’s book for my honest review. He has always been a funny and entertaining man and especially with his sense of human in his books. The book he wrote before “to be perfectly honest” is “Laughing Matters.”
Phil Callaway took on the challenge not to tell one lie for an entire year. He wrote this book which is more like a journal to help the reader along his journey into tell the absolute truth and how he did it or did not do it.
On day one he states, “things are going excellently well. Have yet to tell a half truth, skirt the perimeter of a lie, or fudge at all. Haven’t lusted, coveted, stolen, or even entertained an angry thought.”
When asked if Phil would ever be able to lie again after the “truth” challenge he replied, “I don’t think I can lie again without a sense of sorrow and a longing for the joy and peace of an honest life.
While Phil wrote this book he faced disastrous financial investments, fielded hundred of intrusive questions from family, friends and strangers, attended a 30 year class reunion and waded into possibly those most revealing and funny situations he has ever documented!
If you wish to learn how to tell the truth please pick this comedian of a man’s book up today!
© 2012 Jackie Paulson (April) http://www.amazon.com/review/RN948OAGKA72J/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
http://getreadingnow.org/2012/04/17/to-be-perfectly-honest-by-phil-callaway/ ( )

Dear Family and Friends,

I just wanted to let you know that for the next year I am going to be completely honest. I will not tell a lie. I will not be deceptive. I will tell you when those pants make you look fat. I will be truthful about who left a teaspoon of milk in the milk jug (it was Brandt). When you ask about that time that thing happened to you and who really was behind it, I won’t change the subject … or run away. I may laugh though.

OK, I’m not really going to spend an entire year being completely honest (I do try), but I did enjoy reading about Phil Calloway’s journey to do exactly that – spend an entire year without telling a single falsehood.

Phil writes with a style that is humorous and engaging. Written as a daily journal, each day brings something new and yet ties back to previous stories. The people Phil meets and talks with know they can ask him anything (because he told everyone what he was doing) and everyone seems to take him up on it.

Phil’s struggles with addiction (Pac-Man, calm down people), anger, disappointment and loss of a loved one are on display for all the world to see. He hides nothing from the reader. Phil shares his most personal thoughts – things I don’t know any other man on Earth would share, so he is very easy to relate to. I felt as though I truly knew Phil and his life by the time I finished the book.

I had a personal revelation while reading about Phil’s difficulties with evangelism. I too struggle with talking to people about Christ, but now see how talking about Christ is really just talking about what’s happened in my own life.

Phil includes a study guide at the end of his book with questions related to lessons learned in his year long experiment. The questions can be used individually or in a group.

To Be Completely Honest is a wonderful light read with revelations to be revealed in your own life long after you’ve finished the pages.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review through their Blogging for Books program. The opinions expressed here are my own. ( )