Book Review: Pulling Back the Shades

     About a month ago,  Icon Media Group sent me a book to review. The first time I had worked with Icon was over the winter, when they had sent me a copy of Beth Moore's newest devotional, Whispers of Hope (read my review here!). I was thrilled when I was contacted again about reviewing another book, and even more excited when I found out that it was the newest book from one of my favorite Christian authors. I have gotten to review Pulling Back the Shades, by Dannah Gresh and Dr. Juli Slattery. This is a book that covers some heavier subject matter. Here is the description that Icon Media sent to me: "Pulling Back the Shades exposes the danger of erotica for both single and married women. Dr. Slattery and Gresh examine erotica from a spiritual and sexual standpoint, providing Biblical teaching, personal stories and testimonies from those affected by erotica to help women navigate this uncharted territory and discover how to embrace their sexuality and spirituality. While the Bible is clear on topics such as adultery and incest, Slattery and Gresh point out where even God is “grey” on sexual matters." Gresh and Dr. Slattery felt that God was calling them to author this book in response to the recent erotica "craze" after the publication of the best-selling book 50 Shades of Grey a couple of years ago. I have noticed that in the Christian community a lot of attention seems to be given to men who have a porn addiction, but I haven't heard of very much for women who might struggle with the same lustful thoughts, so props to Gresh and Dr. Slattery!

     I have been a long-time fan of author Dannah Gresh, so I was interested to see what this book would be like, although the subject matter is a bit heavy. I'll start by saying that this book is very readable, and the two authors did a good job of making these topics as least-awkward as possible! The first couple of chapters focus on the reasons why women (including Christian women) are reading and purchasing erotic literature in such high numbers. Gresh and Dr. Slattery discuss the many reasons that lead to how easy it is for readers to get sucked into the fantasy world that these books and stories create, which can cause addicition to erotica and also for consequences in the readers' real lives.

     The middle chapters discuss what the bible says is right and wrong in regards to sex. Gresh and Dr. Slattery also discuss some "grey" areas which aren't directly mentioned in the bible. A lot of helpful bible verses are cited in these chapters, from both the Old and New Testaments of the bible.

     And the conclusion of the book offers an alternative to ertotica: becoming spiritually satisfied through Christ. The story of Jesus and the woman and the well is shared, and I love this passage that Dannah Gresh wrote at the end of the chapter:

     "An intimate walk with Jesus isn't reserved for 'super Christians.' He promises, 'You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart' (Jeremiah 29:13). You only have as much of God as you really want. So I ask, are you hungry for Him? Are you so thirsty for His love that you would dive headfirst into a well to be satisfied?"


     As will all Dannah Gresh books, I loved this book, and it was so excellent that I think every young woman should read it!! I originally read this book solely for the purpose of reviewing it on my blog, and I was able to get so much more out of it then expected! It definitely made me think a lot about how my media and literary choices affect me (at one point Dannah even writes about how even reading too much Christian romance can be a bad thing if you let it become an obsession). I could definitely relate to that- there have been times in the past when I have turned to reading romance novels because I was so tired of being single, but this book reminded me how that can actually be a dangerous thing to do. I also loved the spiritual content in the last two chapters.

    
     Thank-you Icon Media for sending me Pulling Back the Shades! It was a pleasure to review it.


     xoxo Miss ALK