I had not read long before I realized that she directly addresses the women of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I found that the information applies to men also, and so I read on.

"President Gordon B. Hinckley ... “You are good. But it is not enough just to be good. You must be good for something. You must contribute good to the world. The world must be a better place for your presence. And that good that is in you must be spread to others” (BYU Speeches of the Year, 1996)." (5%)

"Playwright Maxwell Anderson put these words into the mouth of the French peasant girl Joan of Arc: “Every woman gives her life for what she believes. Sometimes people believe in little or nothing, nevertheless they give up their lives to that little or nothing. One life is all we have, and we live it as we believe in living it, and then it’s gone” (Joan of Lorraine, act 2)." (5%)

"There are many kinds of darkness that can come into our lives. Loneliness, discouragement, and disappointment can cause us to feel a kind of darkness. Betrayal and pain can do likewise. When we make foolish mistakes or succumb to sin, we can expect to feel varying degrees of darkness, depending on our motive and intent as well as on the light and knowledge we have enjoyed previously. But there is one source of Light that pushes away all darkness, as the Lord taught the Prophet Joseph through revelation: “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day. . . . And I say it that you may know the truth, that you may chase darkness from among you” (D&C 50:24–25)." (9%)

"Consider these words from Elder McConkie: “All Israel . . . have it in their power to gain exaltation; to be like the Son of God, having gained his image; to be joint-heirs with him; to be justified and glorified; to be adopted into the family of God by faith; to be participators with their fathers in the covenant that God made with them; and to be inheritors, to the full, of the ancient promises. Implicit in all this is the fact that they are foreordained to be baptized, to join the Church, to receive the priesthood, to enter the ordinance of celestial marriage, and to be sealed up unto eternal life” (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, 513)." (20%)

"Satan of course knows how spiritually potent the knowledge of our divine identity is. He hates women of the noble birthright. He hates us because he is almost out of time, while we are en route to everlasting glory and a fulness of joy. He hates us because of the influence we have on husbands and children, family and friends, the Church and even the world. It is no secret to him that we are the Lord’s secret weapon."

"Thus it should not surprise us that the master of deceit is going all out to keep us from comprehending the majesty of who we are. He offers an array of seductive but sorry substitutes—everything from labels and logos to titles and status—hoping to preoccupy us with the world’s artificial identifiers. Not long ago a book listing The 100 Most Influential Women of All Time caught my attention. Mary, the mother of Christ, was mentioned—though not prominently. But Eve, the Mother of All Living, the woman without whom any of us wouldn’t even be here, didn’t even make the list. Come on! I won’t reveal who was number one because I refuse to mention her name in the same context with Eve and Mary. This pitiful list demonstrates how absurd and skewed the world’s view of women is—a view orchestrated by Satan."

"In a prominent news magazine, a recent cover story titled “The Quest for Perfection” promoted a definition of perfection that was disgusting and, frankly, evil. It listed every available bodily lift, tuck, and augmentation, while not so much as mentioning virtues or values, marriage or motherhood or anything, for that matter, that matters to the Lord." (21%)

"For indeed, this life is a test. It is only a test—meaning, that’s all it is. Nothing more, but nothing less. It is a test of many things—of our convictions and priorities, our faith and our faithfulness, our patience and our resilience, and, in the end, our ultimate desires. In the long run, as Alma taught, whatever we truly desire, we will have. “I know that [God] granteth unto men according to their desire . . . ; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men . . . according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.” (Alma 29:4).

"Thankfully, our experience here is an open-book test." (36%)

"Men and women who sell their birthright for a mess of pottage almost universally confess that their demise began with something small, with some seemingly insignificant breach of integrity that escalated." (80%)

I read this book with considerable interest, and highlighted many passages. The above are enough to give a flavor of the book. ( )

I loved this book! Sheri Dew addresses it especially to LDS women, but I think that any woman feeling overwhelmed and underappreciated would get a lift from this great book. I put a bookmark in and wrote the page numbers of my favorite quotes. I will share a few.

"You are good. But it is not enough just to be good. You must be good for something."

- Gordon B. Hinckley

"Noble and great. Courageous and determined. Faithful and fearless. That is who you are and who you have always been. And understanding it can change your life, because this knowledge carries a confidence that cannot be duplicated any other way."

Sheri Dew ( )

If you’ve ever listened to Sheri Dew speak and enjoyed it at all, you will love this book. Written true to the form in which she speaks, this book is full of scripture references, stories from her life, and encouraging words and insights. It flows nicely from topic to topic as she touches on strengths of the LDS gospel and challenges you to find your knowledge and testimony of these as well. When I read it I heard someone who understands my questions, concerns and love of the gospel. ( )