Review: Unstuck by Robert Reynolds

 

Book Description:

''This book was not written by a General Authority. In fact, it was written by a run-of-the-mill sinner. Are you going to keep reading?'' Robert Reynolds, an entertainment attorney and manager of Grammy-nominated band The Killers, refreshingly tackles the why-did-I-do-it-again? cycle that entraps many of us. Reynolds explains that whether we find ourselves reluctant to let go of our ''favorite sin'' or exclaiming in frustration, ''Dang it! I did it again,'' the Savior and His Atonement can change our desires and set us free to become better and stronger. With a fresh, relatable voice, Reynolds provides insights into the why behind the things that tempt us. He also shares the hope we can have in overcoming even the most alluring of sins through reliance on the Lord s grace. Learn how to find and maintain a mighty change of heart and discover a rich increase of spiritual power, joy, and peace in your life.

Rorie's Review:

I started reading this book thinking that it would be full of real-life anecdotes from the author, based on the description of the book. I was wrong. It does give some examples, but not too many of them. That disappointment aside though, this is a really good book. My copy has almost more pages dog-eared than not, something I did whenever I read something that I really stuck out to me. 

The main premise of the book is that we all have sins - some big, some small - that we can't seem to let go of. The book guides us through how to acknowledge what these sins are and how to go about getting rid of them. The most important part is that we have to have the desire to let go of these sins, and then we have to turn away from them. As the author states, "He (the Lord) is not going to help you rely solely on Him if you'd rather keep one foot in Babylon."

This is definitely not the type of book you read in one day. It is much better read slowly, taking in the advice, pondering it and seeing how you can utilize it it your own life. This is definitely a keeper.

Andrea's Review:

I love reading fiction, and if I had to guess I'd say well over 90% of my reading time is spent there. It has always been my preference, even though for years I've thought I really should broaden my horizons. I've given efforts here and there, but being entertained often wins out over *gasp* learning. However, when I was given the opportunity to review Unstuck the pitch struck a chord, and I decided to give it a try.

I was expecting it to be full of experiences from the entertainment industry, and while it does have some of that (along with other experiences from the author's life) it wasn't quite what I expected.

That said, Unstuck is the kind of book that makes you think. The real life examples the author used were probably my favorite parts, but there is a lot more to the book. I'm not sure how many years it has been since I pulled out a highlighter and marked up a book, but my copy of Unstuck is no longer pristine. And maybe that is fitting given the topic. We are all sinners. None of us are "pristine" anymore. And the only way to get back to our Father in Heaven is to take advantage of the Savior's Atonement. We need His help daily to get past our sins. We have to want to overcome them. I love the part that says, " . . . the Atonement wasn't intended for me to simply repent over and over for the same sins but instead to remove my very desire to commit sin." Being able to remove a desire is so appealing. We all have our vices, but none of us have to be stuck.

I'm not a fast non-fiction reader, and it took me several weeks to read this book. I'd read a few pages here and there. But once I buckled down, I read the last half of the book in an evening (highlighter in hand). I'm not sure if I'll re-read the book in its entirety, but I can definitely see myself re-visiting the Key Points at the end of each chapter (and my highlighted sections).

Tarah's Review:

I loved this book! (Which is saying something considering how I generally feel about non-fiction reads.)  If I read a non-fiction it's normally, "Oh, that was good, but..." However, this book was exciting to me. I would read a section and go find my husband and excitedly tell him all about it.  I've even brought it up in my book club and tried to explain it.

I like that it just made sense. It was laid out in a way that wasn't pretentious, that wasn't "look how much I know", it was down to earth and real. One example in particular had me in tears because of how I could relate, and the hope that it brought to me. Most importantly, it made me excited to start working on some things. It's kind of fun too, that while reading the scriptures I found verses that would coincide with the chapter that I was reading.

My copy is completely marked up and highlighted, and I can't wait to pass it on to family and friends so we can all talk about it after they've read it.  I intended to have some quotations from the book in my review that I really enjoyed, but there were just too many of them to chose from.

 I really wish I had the words to express exactly why I liked this book, but since that isn't my strongest suit I'll just say that I will probably re-read this and that is the highest recommendation I can give it, especially considering I don't ever re-read non-fiction.

 

Title: Unstuck
Author: Robert Reynolds
Publisher: Deseret Book Company
Published: December 2015
ISBN:  1629721158
Source: We received copies from the publisher in exchange for a review.

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