As part of my New Year's resolutions, I am trying to read at least 12 books this year. I mentioned in this post that I was reading 7 by Jen Hatmaker a while back. I finished it and the study guide a good while ago, but just hadn't put up a review. After coming back from Nicaragua, several of the things mentioned in the book were fresh on my mind so I thought it was about time to write it out.
7 is basically a journal Jen Hatmaker kept during her self imposed seven month fast. Each month she challenged herself in a different area of excess: food, clothes, possessions, media, waste, spending and stress, in order to cut back and focus on what's truly important. For example, one month she only ate 7 foods, she only wore 7 articles of clothing for a month, she gave away 7 items everyday for a month, etc.
While the book is good, I thought the study guide was great, and would never recommend the book without the study guide. The study guide answers the so what? to the whole thing. It challenges the reader to fast for 7 weeks (a week per area v. a month) and gives alternate ways to do this if Jen's fast is too extreme/not practical. During each week of fasting there are questions to work through, to help focus and make the most of the experiment. It's amazing how going without something can emphasis how unimportant it is in the big picture. This process actively fights against a never satisfied culture that cries, "more, more, more!"
Full disclosure, there were a few things I disagreed with in the book. I think most of it comes from the fact that I didn't like Jen's sarcastic humor and several of her jokes rubbed me the wrong way/I thought were in poor taste. With that said, several of my friends read it and found it hilarious. So just like with any book, you take the good and leave the bad.
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