Saturday, March 20, 2010

Book Review: "Start Here"

It's been a while since I had the opportunity to blog about a new book, but this one caught my eye when the publisher sent me the invitation to check it out.  (That being said, I must also post that this book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group, so thanks, guys!)

I was interested in reading this book because I had heard a little bit about the back-story of the authors a couple of years ago, and I was wondering what they were up to now.  Alex and Brett Harris are twin brothers who, wrote a book at age 18 called, "Do Hard Things."  The book was a call to young people everywhere to not give into the idea that they were supposed to just slack-off in their teen years, and get serious once they entered adulthood.  Instead, the book challenged young people to see their current place in life as the starting place, and challenged them to do GREAT THINGS for God right now.  Pretty awesome stuff!

Their latest book, "Start Here" chronicles the next steps in the process, and gives incredibly practical advise to people who feel called to accept the call to step out and do great things for God.  Whatever the task you feel that God would want you to complete, whether it seems great or small in the eyes of others, this book gives young people the practical counsel to achieve those goals and ambitions.  Not only that, but if students are looking for a place to start - maybe not even aware of what type of things God might ask them to do - Alex and Brett offer some great ideas of things others have done in the appendix of the book.

From a stylistic writing approach, the book definitely seems aimed at the teenage or young adult market, but as a middle-aged man with dreams and ideals of my own, I was also inspired by the authors.  The easy-to-read flow of the book is so practical and yet, challenging to readers to stop talking about doing something, and it gives the reader the steps and encouragement to put those dreams into action.

I would greatly suggest this book to anyone interested in investing in the next generation, or to students who want to see God do something great with their life.  Youth pastors and young adult pastors could see this book become a catalyst to helping them take students to another level in living for God and serving Him with their whole hearts.  For that reason, I greatly recommend this book.

If you're interested in buying the book, you can do so in a couple of ways.  
1. You could buy it right here from Amazon.com
2. You could purchase it directly from the publisher's site.
3. Visit any fine retail bookstore and find it on the bookshelf.
A good, quick, practical read.  Get it.  All the cool kids are doing it.

Publisher's Promo Spot:
At the age of eighteen, Alex and Brett Harris wrote Do Hard Things—and launched a movement that would change a generation. Young people around the world were ready to be inspired, ready to move beyond complacency, ready to rebel against society’s low expectations.

Now the highly anticipated companion book, Start Here, answers the questions Alex and Brett have received from thousands of teens on their worldwide conference tour and popular online community: How do I get started? What hard things does God want me to do? How do I keep from getting discouraged or burned out? What is the best way to inspire others?

Filled with stories and insights from Alex, Brett, and other real-life rebelutionaries, Start Here is a powerful and practical guide for young people who are ready to take the next step and blast past apathy. Let the rebelution continue.

Author Bio:
Alex and Brett Harris are the coauthors of the best-selling book Do Hard Things, which they wrote at age eighteen. Today the twins speak regularly to audiences of thousands on The Rebelution Tour, maintain a hugely popular online presence through their blog, TheRebelution.com, and have been featured on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and in the New York Times. Raised in Portland, Oregon, the brothers currently attend Patrick Henry College in Virginia.

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