Book Review

This book wasn’t written for grouches, so I’m sorry that the words can’t wiggle into the grooves of your brain and tickle you with insight. Maybe that’s why you find no pleasure in the delightful descriptions or quirky quips. Yes, that’s it. You’re a grouch.

This book wasn’t written for the tame, so I’m sorry that the energy exhausts you. I’m sorry that you cannot appreciate the way the passion, personality, and positive spirit seem to splatter across the page. Maybe you should read something quieter, something with less life oozing out of it. It might fit you better.

This book wasn’t written for philosophers, at least, not the regular kind. But it wasn’t written for the mindless, either. It will challenge you to view everyday life—the moments of clarity, the times you failed, the nights you almost peed because you couldn’t stop laughing—as something meaningful, beautiful, and spiritual. I’m sorry if you’re looking for dull theories or tired metaphors on the Christian life. You’ll have to read something else.

When Shauna Niequist wrote Cold Tangerines she wanted to reinvigorate the way we think about blessing. She wanted to reveal something hopeful about the world through her personal stories. She wanted to be honest with her readers about faith, family, and the messy parts of life that we all try to hide in our basements or junk drawers or closets—because those are things worth writing about. If you don’t want a book that infuses you with joy from the ends of your hair to your crooked, big toe, don’t read this book. If you don’t want to celebrate the gift of life, put this book back on the shelf. I’m sorry. I just don’t think you will like it.