Monday, January 16, 2012

Review: The Truth About Guys by Chad Eastham

The Truth About Guys 
by Chad Eastham
Published: January 2012 (ebook)
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Available: Amazon

Blurb:
Okay, it's a fact. God made guys and girls different in more ways than just the physical.

But how different could we really be? After all, we are all made in His image, right? Well, yes, but let's say that guys and girls view the world in such different ways, that it's a miracle we communicate at all. What's worse is that girls this age often think they know what makes guys tick. That couldn't be more wrong!

Chad Eastham tells it like it is . . . to girls . . . from a guys perspective. As a popular presenter at Revolve conferences, he is known for his ability to speak truth and to give girls clearer perspective about guys and themselves as well as understand their own value. Chad explains, "You are incredibly valuable and worthy simply because God created you."


Review:

So, this was an interesting read. When I received the galley copy for review I was really excited. I'm no longer in my teens, but even with a husband there are things about guys that I just don't get. So, I thought this was going to be some great insight for when I'm writing my male characters. Well, not so much.

I was almost halfway done the book before it even started talking about how guys think, and even then it's not much. This is really a book about girls, and how they should act if they want positive, healthy relationships when they are older. It had some great advice on how girls should love and respect themselves, and how they should have the expectation that guys do the same. I would want my niece to read this. I would want my daughter to read this (when she can read, of course). And most importantly I would want to talk to them about it. This is really a group reading book for female teens on respecting yourself and even has discussion/reflection questions at the end of chapters.

Yes, there are small pieces of how guys think, such as if you don't respect or love yourself then neither will guys. But I wanted to be in the brain of a guy, and understand what drives him. There is also a lot about girls having a deep relationship with God, and an entire section on their fathers (Which had absolutely nothing about how guys think, even though it would be a great place to talk about how guys view their own parents). Eastham goes on about guys loving fire, video games, anything dangerous, etc. and I wanted to know what are guys thinking when they're doing these things?  What drives guys to laugh when they have gas? What is up with everything they do?

I don't think this is a terrible book, or even remotely bad, but I do think it is mis-titled. This is not the truth about guys. It is simply a girl's guide to staying unharmed in the dating world of teens and young adults. There were a few funny parts, but overall it didn't really come through for me. I discussed some of the points with my husband and even he was in doubt about the few 'truths' shared about guys.

1 comment:

  1. Hmmm, I would have expected more about guys as well, based on the blurb. But like you said, at least there seem to some redeeming qualities and maybe it would be a good read for a group of girls or even a whole class to read. I wonder if the author saw your review. Sometimes I think authors have very little to do with the blurbs and PR for their books because they don't match the content of the book, in my opinion.

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