Scan barcode
au_conn1's review against another edition
I didn’t read the description and didn’t realize it was religious
kathymarie7's review
3.0
I thought this book had good information about boundaries. The only thing that wasn't for me is when I bought it I didn't know it was VERY religious. There are parts of this book where they will talk about god a lot. I am a Buddhist so while this was interesting it just wasn't really for me.
sheilayouu's review
5.0
One of the best books I have ever read. I took notes on almost all the chapters. I have no boundaries so this really gave me a lot of insights.
betanine's review against another edition
A lot of good information here. But after almost a year, time to restart.
shermreads's review
how is it that nobody told me that this book is incredibly christian? like quoting-two-verses-of-scripture-every-line kind of christian? I could see how this framing of boundaries (ie: honoring that your god-given talents deserve to be respected) could be helpful to someone, especially since I know at least a handful of people who are exactly like the over-committed christian woman they describe in the introduction, but I am so totally not that audience.
DNF: 20%
DNF: 20%
desireejohnston's review against another edition
The constant insert of Bible versus as if you have to justify every sentence was incredibly annoying
sydneyalexis119's review
3.0
I couldn’t finish this book even though I got 75% of the way through it. The concept is great: set boundaries in your life.
But the authors repeatedly used scripture completely out of context to make their points and it was very frustrating.
Here are a couple examples I noted:
“To put [a four-month-old] on the parents’ schedule instead of her own for holding and feeding is to ‘condemn the innocent,’ as Jesus said (Matt. 12:7).” (Pg. 187)
“But another explanation for the cessation of crying is infant depression, a condition in which the child gives up hope and withdraws. ‘Hope deferred makes the heart sick.’ (Prov. 13:12).” (Pg. 187)
“The responsible mother, however, will strive to get her own closeness needs met by other adults in her life. She will encourage the ‘hatching’ of her baby, knowing she is preparing him or her to be equipped to ‘leave and cleave.’” (Pg. 188).
These all felt like huge reaches to back up their psychology with scripture. It was as if the authors Google searched “Bible verses about hope” and then picked the one that fit best or something.
This and other annoyances (like anecdotes that were super long winded and not relatable at all) made this book unreadable for me.
But the authors repeatedly used scripture completely out of context to make their points and it was very frustrating.
Here are a couple examples I noted:
“To put [a four-month-old] on the parents’ schedule instead of her own for holding and feeding is to ‘condemn the innocent,’ as Jesus said (Matt. 12:7).” (Pg. 187)
“But another explanation for the cessation of crying is infant depression, a condition in which the child gives up hope and withdraws. ‘Hope deferred makes the heart sick.’ (Prov. 13:12).” (Pg. 187)
“The responsible mother, however, will strive to get her own closeness needs met by other adults in her life. She will encourage the ‘hatching’ of her baby, knowing she is preparing him or her to be equipped to ‘leave and cleave.’” (Pg. 188).
These all felt like huge reaches to back up their psychology with scripture. It was as if the authors Google searched “Bible verses about hope” and then picked the one that fit best or something.
This and other annoyances (like anecdotes that were super long winded and not relatable at all) made this book unreadable for me.
dullshimmer's review against another edition
3.0
Some books you hear about long before you ever get the chance to read. If what you hear is positive you begin to look forward to getting a copy or finally getting to the copy you already have. Boundaries is one of these books. Sadly, for me I felt that it was not a book that lived up to the expectations I had for it. Not that it is an entirely bad book, but that it is a mixed bag of positives and negatives.
On the positive side I do believe that this book has a useful message. That we all need healthy boundaries and that it is okay to say no, to break patterns of being taken advantage of, and essentially that we can't do everything that others may want us to. The book even goes so far as to say that we need boundaries so that we can better serve those around us. If we're always exhausted by saying yes to everything or resentful because of what we said yes to that isn't really helping us as people or as Christians.
On the negative side, the book can feel a bit too formulaic at times. If you do this, then your life will improve and boundaries will save every aspect of your life. This just feels a bit fake, particularly in the contrast between the opening chapter and the final chapter. Maybe some will experience such a drastic shift, but I can't help but wonder if that will be the majority, or it things may be a bit more difficult for some.
It also seems a bit formulaic in the usage of Scripture. Now as a Christian I have no problem using Scripture, but some of the references seemed to be a stretch and at times I felt they used verses too rigidly not acknowledging the verses that maybe went against the point they were trying to make. I felt that this added a subtle manipulative layer to the book, well Scripture says this, so you should be doing things this way. Which just felt a little weird in a book about boundaries, as if they were encroaching in their own way.
Maybe you won't find the negatives to be a big issue for you. They weren't huge for me, but I felt that the did diminish the usefulness of the book. I still think it's a decent book about boundaries, but has enough faults to have me rate it as an average book.
On the positive side I do believe that this book has a useful message. That we all need healthy boundaries and that it is okay to say no, to break patterns of being taken advantage of, and essentially that we can't do everything that others may want us to. The book even goes so far as to say that we need boundaries so that we can better serve those around us. If we're always exhausted by saying yes to everything or resentful because of what we said yes to that isn't really helping us as people or as Christians.
On the negative side, the book can feel a bit too formulaic at times. If you do this, then your life will improve and boundaries will save every aspect of your life. This just feels a bit fake, particularly in the contrast between the opening chapter and the final chapter. Maybe some will experience such a drastic shift, but I can't help but wonder if that will be the majority, or it things may be a bit more difficult for some.
It also seems a bit formulaic in the usage of Scripture. Now as a Christian I have no problem using Scripture, but some of the references seemed to be a stretch and at times I felt they used verses too rigidly not acknowledging the verses that maybe went against the point they were trying to make. I felt that this added a subtle manipulative layer to the book, well Scripture says this, so you should be doing things this way. Which just felt a little weird in a book about boundaries, as if they were encroaching in their own way.
Maybe you won't find the negatives to be a big issue for you. They weren't huge for me, but I felt that the did diminish the usefulness of the book. I still think it's a decent book about boundaries, but has enough faults to have me rate it as an average book.
havegoodkarma's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Loved reading this book. It was a great reminder of the growth I have done as well as growth that is still needed. I love learning and growing into the person God created me to be. There is always potential for improvement 🤍