Name: Mended
ISBN: 9781433676604

Angie Smith

Discusses the forgiving nature of God and asserts that no one's imperfections are too numerous for Him to turn into good.

Pieces of a Life Made Whole

Mended

Sarah Vaughan

I have mixed feelings about this book, as I usually do about many self-help books written by Christian women. On the one hand, I love reading books on religion and spirituality. I generally find them to have meaningful and helpful advice when it comes to living out a life of authenticity and love. On the other hand, many of these books seem to be lacking authenticity. I have no doubt that Angie Smith is a wonderful person who has been through so much and yet has persevered. But her flowery language is sometimes so over-the-top and dramatic that the real message gets lost behind the words. Instead of "a friend of mine," one often finds phrases like "a sweet friend" or "a precious friend." I feel these phrases have been tirelessly overused and sound so cliquey. I can't think of any other specific examples right now, but I know that there were several instances while I was reading this book that I nearly put it down and walked away simply because it made me feel like I was talking to a teenage girl about clothes rather than a fellow Christian about faith. When a writer uses cliches more than she uses her own words, I'm left feeling like she is more concerned with trying to be relevant and cool than honest and authentic. While there were many things in  Mended  I liked - I did find myself making notes and highlighting certain passages - a lot of her language was just not to my taste, which prevented me from fully enjoying the book.

Mended Pieces of a Life Made Whole

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