Book reviews for Summer 2022
Heading Home / Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Heading Home
Naomi Reed (Authentic Media Limited, 2012). 154 pp.
Naomi Reed was a missionary in Nepal. Her first book, My Seventh Monsoon (2007), was a success in Christian circles in her home country, Australia. Each of her books feels like a comfortable conversation with the author at her kitchen table.
Heading Home is the story of her family’s adjustment to life in Australia after six years of service in Nepal. Throughout the book she wrestles with the concept of “home”, something all missionaries can identify with. She writes about being an outsider and how she doesn’t quite belong.
An attractive feature of Naomi’s writing is that she doesn’t hide her faults, doubts, or fears. She ends each chapter with a prayer. These written prayers, like David’s psalms, are full of emotion. For example, the prayer following a chapter about her perceived failure in something she felt God leading her to do reads:
“Lord, we’re all a bit hopeless. Some days we wake up and our legs are weak, our eyes are tired, our necks hurt . . . We can’t speak well, write well, paint well, sing well, cook well or do anything well at all . . . We want to do things that honour you and speak of you, but often we don’t feel as if we can . . . Reassure us that you’ll do something in the middle of our hopelessness—you’ll provide what we need . . . So Lord, help us today to keep walking forwards . . . or keep doing whatever it is that causes us to shake and tremble with nerves, but that brings honour to you. Amen” (p 138).
She suggests that the between-home status that missionaries often experience could be a gift because it causes us to face our status as Christians: none of us are home and never will be on this earth, but we’re all on our way home. After reading this, I wrote on my blog: “But in the meantime, we stop in places and make them home for a while. The places, people, and roles in those times are given to us as gifts.”1
I recommend this book to any missionary, as well as two books that precede it: My Seventh Monsoon and No Ordinary View. They can be read independently from each other, but you’ll probably enjoy reading this trilogy in chronological order.
Reviewer rating is 5 of 5 stars ★★★★★
1. “Heading Home by Naomi Reed,” on the edge of ordinary, May 17, 2015, https://mmuser.blogspot.com/2015/05/headed-home-by-naomi-reed.html
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Angela Duckworth (Scribner, 2016). 352 pp.
Grit provides a revolutionary look at success, pushing beyond the myths of talent and “being a natural” to demonstrate that it is our determination to carry on that makes all the difference in our professional and personal lives. Angela Duckworth begins with her own powerful story as the daughter of a scientist who frequently told her she lacked “genius.” However, Duckworth went on to a thriving career as a researcher, applying advanced degrees in neurobiology and neuroscience to uncover the differences between hard work and inborn talent. Taking inspiration from her own life, Duckworth poses hypotheses about finding success. She tests these with insights from studies and personal stories. Whether these stories come from spelling bee champions, editorial cartoonists, or Olympians, the secret is the unique blend of passion and long-term persistence she calls “grit.”
More than any other factor, grit is the most reliable predictor for who will overcome obstacles, regardless of IQ, social connections, or other advantages. Consistent devotion to endeavors that give us joy and purpose are the keys to true and lasting success. Duckworth delves into a treasure trove of findings that show why effort counts more than talent, how to discover your passion, and why doing hard things is good for us. The best news for all readers is that grit can be learned.
The book is divided into three sections: What Grit Is and Why It Matters, Growing Grit from the Inside Out (focusing on purpose, interests, and passion), and Growing Grit from the Outside In (which addresses how to live and parent as a “gritty” person). While her book addresses a broad audience, Christians will be encouraged by her discussions of calling. She argues that calling, like interests, is developed rather than being something that arrives fully formed. In the same way people can develop grit to achieve goals—rather than relying on pure talent—calling unfolds through practice and intentionality, which means any activity can take on deep meaning. As she says, “A bricklayer who one day says, ‘I am laying bricks’ might at some point become the bricklayer who recognizes ‘I am building the house of God.’”