Read. Write. Repeat.: Killing Wonder Woman

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Title: Killing Wonder Woman: Setting Weary Women Free to Win at Work and Soar in Faith

Author: Tenaya T. J. Tison

Publication Date: 3/13/17

Pages: 264

Genre: Chick Lit / Faith / Self-Help / Nonfiction

How I Found It: TLC Book Tours

Date Completed: 4/15/17

Summary: Tison encourages readers to conquer "Wonder Woman" also known as the unattainable ideal to which so many women find themselves striving.

What I Thought: Book tours are great, but I especially love when I can tell the books came straight from the author. When I got this one, it seemed to have come from Tison's home address and she had written a personalized signature on the title page for me. Authors, my reviews are as impartial as I can make them, but that's a good way to leave a positive first impression of your book.

On to the book itself...

Tison clearly is passionate about her subject matter. She has poured her heart out onto the page. Her enthusiasm for empowering women of faith radiates on every page. She has had a transformative experience and wants desperately to share it. That much is clear.

So what is that experience? Tison defines 'Wonder Woman' as "any ideal, label, or lie you feel compelled to live up to and use in order to define and measure yourself and your worth." Gosh, does that sound familiar as a woman, particularly one of faith. We all do this. We compare ourselves to each other, to some ideal, to our imagined versions of ourselves. And comparison is the thief of joy. So, Tison is here to help us fix that mentality.

As someone who finds herself increasingly pacifistic in her leanings, I cannot say I loved the imagery of killing anything. The chapters on defeating those unattainable ideals felt a little heavy on the violence metaphor for me. Yet, I totally get Tison's point. This cannot simply be a shelving of ideas or images. To defeat these comparisons, they must be fully eradicated. Only then does their influence dissipate.

Tenaya T. J. Tison

Tison relies heavily on her faith to preach her message. This is definitely a book directed at women of faith. She sprinkles Scripture throughout and, ultimately, the bulk of the book is about replacing Wonder Woman with God's plan for your life. I think it's great that she didn't stop and defeating the ideals, but continued on with a plan for replacing them with healthy goals and lifestyles.

I liked her take on Jeremiah 17:9. Tison proposes a very different interpretation of the "heart is deceitful" verse than most evangelical churches. Tison suggests that, yes, the human heart is deceitful and wicked, but we, as believers, no longer have that heart. Our heart, while still capable of wrongdoing, is a redeemed heart. Our heart has become the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. I see both arguments here, but I love Tison's fresh take. We still should be wary of fully trusting our emotions (I teach the same thing in my Critical Thinking class...this isn't an idea unique to Christianity), but our salvation makes us whole and renewed.

I really loved that Tison writes so as to empower women in the workplace. This is a common message in our culture, but within Christian circles, it often still feels foreign. As I continue to read more and more writing by faithful, passionate Christian women, their strength and joy and confidence is contagious. It's such a beautiful reminder that being a wife and mom can be great, spiritual work, but so can working in a traditionally professional sense. As someone who greatly values that aspect of her life, it's a helpful reminder - and one I cannot hear enough.

Ultimately, Tison's message was not a new one to me. Her exuberance for it, though, was enjoyable to read and I so appreciated seeing her pour her passion onto the page. She's not the most eloquent writer, but her words ring with truth and empowerment. It's a good read for any woman hoping to defeat the comparison demons in her life.

*To read other bloggers' thoughts on Killing Wonder Woman, check out the full tour schedule.*

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Will I Re-Read: Perhaps

If You Liked This, Try: Scary Close / Life After Art / Beyond the Label

A Reduced Review: Tison's passion for empowering women radiates from the page in this faith-based book.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours, I'm giving away both a copy of this book and a Killing Wonder Woman t-shirt! Enter below for your chance to win! Come back every day through Friday, May 12 for multiple entries.

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