Book: Carry On, Warrior

Carry on, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed

by Glennon Doyle Melton

Length: 266 pages

Format: Hardback
Price: Free - checked out from the public library

How I heard about it: from Jolie's review and Lindsey's review

NOTE: I was unsure exactly what format to follow for this book review, since it is a non-fiction book.  So I went back through my book archives to find the last non-fiction book I read and see how I did that one. IN THE GOING ON THREE YEARS I HAVE HAD THIS BLOG, I HAVE NOT ONCE WRITTEN A REVIEW ON A NON-FICTION BOOK. AND SINCE I REVIEW EVERY BOOK I READ, GOOD OR BAD, IT FOLLOWS THAT I HAVE NOT READ A SINGLE NON-FICTION BOOK IN NEARLY THREE YEARS!  I know - pathetic.  Please don't tell anyone that I am a READING TEACHER.

Premise: This book is a memoir of the life of 30-something Glennon Doyle Melton. As a recovering bulimic, alcoholic, and drug user, she has seen her fair share of yuck.  She addresses friendship, idiocy, heartache, faith, love, and nearly everything in between with truth and authenticity. And a fair amount of snark.

My thoughts: Given that this is my first non-fiction book in THREE YEARS (probably longer), and that I wasn't sure how to format this review, I asked Lindsey if I could please copy her format, which is where she picks favorite quotes and comments on them. She graciously consented. So that's what I'm going to do, complete with citations so that I practice what I preach at my seventh graders.

"Marriage is hard and holy work" (7).

I liked this phrase because I have many times heard marriage referred to as "hard work" but never "holy." Just to be clear, I looked up the definition of the word.  Holy is "having a spiritually pure quality."  I like that.

 "The only constant family rule is that everyone has to keep showing up" (83).

This and the section preceding it spoke to me because lately, I've been seriously considering not showing up in a couple of areas.  It's what happens when all the fight goes out of me weakness wins, which seems to be happening more frequently instead of less.  But really, showing up is half the battle.  Keep showing up.

"If I seem noncompetitive, if I seem as if I don't care if I'm the 'best' parent or housekeeper or dresser or whathaveyou, it's not because I don't care about being important [...] Why would I care about competing in any other category when I am already a child of God? Why would I argue over a penny when I have already won the lottery?" (113).

The truth is, I care about being important. I want my husband to think I am the best mother. I want my mother-in-law to think I am the best housekeeper.  I want everyone to think I have it all put together and mastered and down pat, because the truth is that I have NOTHING together and mastered and down pat, but if I look like I do, maybe they will think it's true. Why do I care about what others think? I don't know. I read this and wished I could feel this way all the time. I'm going to try thinking of it this way, because with an eternal perspective like this, it's hard to believe that any of that is of any importance at all.

"Sounds a lot like the Psalms, doesn't it?" (203).  (She is speaking as Jesus to the Christians who are badmouthing rap music.)

This just made me giggle. I personally HATE rap music (even that statement - "rap music" sounds like an oxymoron), but it's for snooty musical reasons, not snooty, religious ones.  I love this point because she was saying that rap is often an expression of confusion, suffering, and angst.  Why yes, yes it DOES sound an awful lot like Psalms!

"I'm not sure that being offended is a luxury that people who've been commanded to love each other can enjoy" (203).

This is something God has been working with me on for maybe ever. I am not good at letting things roll off.  I try, but as it turns out, I am rather sticky.  But here's where I think I am beginning to get on the right track: I understand that I can't simply chalk it up to "Well, that's just who I am. I'm sensitive." Um, no, I am indulging in the luxury of being offended. I NEED TO CHAAAAAAAAAAANGE.  I need to take a bath in some spiritual Goo-Gone and put on the garment of love.  Repeating this statement to myself is a good start. I feel like tattooing it on the back of my hand so I can see it many, many times each day.  Yes.  Peeling off layers of sticky.

"...she's more of an 'ahh, there you are' person than a 'HEY! Here I am!' person" (209). (speaking of a friend)

Those are my favorite kind of people. Wait - those are everyone's favorite kind of people.  And for good reason.

"Because there are things we should do, regardless of whether they are our favorite 'things' or not, because they help us grow and rest and connect with other people" (216).

Preach IT. Like stopping in the grocery store when I am running late and both my kids are screaming and all I want to do is get out of there as soon as possible but I see someone I know from the other end of the aisle and I know I should say hi but I don't want to.  Yep - like that.

And my favorite quote, which was stated many, many times throughout the book:

"Life is hard. But I have found that I can do hard things."

I can do hard things. I can do hard things. I can do hard things.  And if I can do hard ones, I can do medium ones, and certainly easy ones!  What CAN'T I do?  Which reminds me of Philippians 4:13, which I memorized as a child: "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength."  Yes. I can do.

My take: 9.5 out of 10 (scale here)
Overall, I loved this book.  There were moments where I had to say, "I don't agree with this AT ALL." Like when she states that God is "in" all people.  I believe that was true in the beginning, like, the Garden-of-Eden-beginning, but humanity lost the privilege of intimacy with God when it chose the apple.  Our nature is sinful, not divine.  God had to make a way for rightness with Himself through Jesus, and THAT is where God enters into humanity.  There were moments where I was conflicted - very tempted to believe what she was saying, even though I felt it was in direct contradiction to what I believe to be true, like whether to believe ALL of the Bible. But mostly, I felt like she was speaking directly to me, to my heart, to my life, to my soul.  And it was EXACTLY what I needed in this, to use her term, "brutiful" phase of my life.