Official Review: The Audacity to be Divine

[That Reviewer]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Audacity to be Divine" by Judith Halbreich.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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When someone significantly impacted your life, you'd want the world to know and possibly be affected as well. The Audacity to be Divine is Judith Halbreich's story of her mother, Mary, and the positive mark her mother made in her life.

The story was based on the author's mother and her life experiences. It started from her birth into a dysfunctional home to a failed marriage, the things she suffered along the way, and how she engaged in activities and practices that changed her life. This book also documented her journey through motherhood and spiritual guidance.

The writer intended to relive her mother's life through the pages of this book. She hoped to present her mother’s life experiences, the people that impacted her life, the prison visitations, prayer and study groups, speaking engagements, and the lessons she picked up while engaging in spiritual and life-changing activities. And the author did a great job; people who hadn’t met Mary would feel her impact through this book.

She also did an excellent job with the descriptions. She artistically described events, painting them so vividly that one could imagine them playing on a screen. The way she presented her mother made me feel like I could recognize her if we crossed paths.

Even though the book depicted the catholic faith, it also gave great insight into other religions like Hinduism and Buddhism, alongside the applicable spiritual lessons. It did not talk down or prejudice other faiths. This was my favorite aspect of this book. I've read tons of religious materials that esteemed one religion over the others. However, this wasn't the case with The Audacity to be Divine.

The book is non-fictional. However, the author passed the message using a narrative format, and some of the characters' names were fictional. The author employed the first-person point of view in her narration. She wrote about her dead mother as both the narrator and a character in the book — it felt as though she (her mother) was there telling the story herself.

Although the book is subjective, the author was as truthful and open as possible. She stated things the way they were — both the good and the bad. Her honesty boosted the book's credibility. The good and bad experiences would help readers learn wholesome lessons from it.

Even though the book is short in length, the content is rich with life lessons from Mary's experiences and spiritual encounters.

There's nothing I disliked about the book. The editors did a professional job — I didn't find a single error in the book. I’d give it a four out of four stars rating. The book would appeal to everyone, especially those going through one emotional pain or the other. Christians in need of spiritual guidance would find The Audacity to be Divine helpful.

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The Audacity to be Divine
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[Vogan]

This was a very helpful review, thank you. I don't like non-fiction as much, but this sounds like something I will enjoy.

[Vannaskivt]

Typically books with a religious flare are not my favorite genre. However, this story does sound interesting. Thank you for your review.

[Bookworm101520]

This book sounds well-written and insightful! I like that the author used the first person to describe her mother's experiences. Thank you for a great review.