Book Review: Popular

My daughter and I had a unique opportunity to be asked to review the book titled "Popular: Boys, Booze and Jesus" by Tindell Baldwin.

My review:

So many times we read books written by Jesus-loving men and women who seem to have never "fallen".  They have lived the seemingly perfect life of faith and service, which most of us really cannot relate to.  But Tindell Baldwin's book, "Popular", is truly an exception.  This young woman grew up in a Christian home, yet lived a life very apart from Christ.  During her teens, her desire to be accepted, popular, and loved drove her to make decisions about boys and booze that she regretted (during and after).  She writes about these "dark" times with such honesty and openness that make her story not only believable, but you realize she could be talking about any girl.

Tindell Baldwin

But this isn't just a tell-all book about "look at all the bad stuff I did".  It is Tindell's testimony of how a loving and forgiving God can heal the deep hurts and fill the longings with His undeserved grace and mercy.  It is her encouragement that no matter what you have done in the past, our amazing God still loves you and wants a relationship with you.

I was really moved by this book.  I would highly recommend this book for teenage girls, young women, and mothers of either.

Reilly's review:

What a book. When I first started reading it, I was excited about the idea for a mom- daughter study book. This book is certainly not an easy read. She is brutally honest. I really felt like I got taught a lesson. A lot of Christian books will tell you about what will happen if you drink, do drugs, have premarital sex, etc. They do not know from experience. But Tindell has made the mistakes, lived through the consequences, and ended up with a husband, a family, and a loving God.

I strongly recommend this book. There were some parts that were funny and I enjoyed the book. Two thumbs up!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a free copy of this book by Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion.