A Book Review: The Hardest Peace

      Hi, everyone! I hope you're having a good week so far. This week I'm reviewing one of the *few* books that has actually been recommended to me by someone else. I really enjoyed it and hope you will too! This is also my first time doing a full review of an autobiography, which I think is really exciting.

    This book review has no spoilers!

Title: The Hardest Peace

Author: Kara Tippetts

Series: This is the first in an autobiographical series written by Kara.

Targeted Age Range: Adults

Synopsis: Kara Tippetts knows the ordinary days of mothering four kids, the joy of watching her children grow ... and the devastating reality of stage IV cancer.

In The Hardest Peace, Kara doesn't offer answers for when living is hard, but she asks us to join her in moving away from fear and control and toward peace and grace. Most of all, she draws us back to the God who is with us, in the mundane and the suffering, and who shapes even our pain into beauty.

Language: None

Violence: The author touches on abuse she and her siblings experienced as children and how that impacted her later years. Various medical treatments for cancer are mentioned, as well as a family friend dying of cancer. Kara mentions that her grandma lapsed into dementia from a stroke.

Romance/Sexual Stuff: The author mentions being in some not-so-great relationships as a teen. She also writes about meeting and marrying her husband, mentioning her thought that sex after marriage means they are together forever. Chapters in the book deals with married life and Kara's love for her husband.

Spiritual Elements: A huge part of The Hardest Peace is deepening your (and seeing Kara deepen her) relationship with God. Bible verses, Biblical terms, and struggles like pride, impurity, and rebelliousness are mentioned.

Magic: None

References: There are references to P.D. Eastman's Are You My Mother?, Girl Scouts, the movie Harley Davidson and the Malboro Man, the Beastie Boys and Pearl Jam, the Puma brand, the books A Severe Mercy and The Prayer of Jabez, Disney's Brave, the movie The Avengers, iPods and iPads, Stevie Wonder's song You Are The Sunshine of My Life, The Westminster Confession, Bright Eyes' song First Day of My Life, and various medical terms.

There are also quotes from the books, authors, and historical figures The Ragamuffin Gospel, Morning by Morning, Little Women, From Fear to Freedom, Disclose or Be Exposed, One Thousand Gifts (book and devotional), Holding on to Hope, A Prayer Journal, Hidden Art, Hinds' Feet on High Places, The Fellowship of the Ring, Heaven Is Waiting, Objects of His Affection, Till We Have Faces, The First Epistle of Peter, A River Runs Through It and Other Stories, To Be Told, Winnie The Pooh, Dan Allender, Jean Anouilh, and John Blase, as well as the Bible.

Other Issues: Beer, cigarettes, and pot are mentioned (in a negative way). Kara shares memories from her past about her family's emphasis on physical beauty and various guys' reactions to her large chest.

Where To Buy: The Hardest Peace is available on Amazon, eBay, Barnes & Noble, Abebooks, Book Depository, and Alibris. There is also an audiobook version via Audible.

My Age Range: I think kids aged 14 and up would understand this book the most. However, please use your own discretion when deciding if interested young readers should be allowed to get into The Hardest Peace.

Read Aloud: I think this book would be better read alone. However, there is a ton of material in here that would be great to talk with others about.

My Opinion: I first heard about The Hardest Peace through participating in Top Ten Tuesday (you can find my post ). One blogger shared seven quotes from this book, and I found myself really inspired by them. Hoping that reading it would be an encouragement to me and my family, I reserved it from my local library.

    Honestly, I'd just skimmed through Becky Johnson and Rachel Randolph's Nourished and thought it would be a similar ride. A few emotional moments, maybe a few quotes to add to my mentally inspired list. A halfhearted promise to myself to check it out a few months or years from now. Instead, what I found was more raw and heartbreaking, but at the same time wildly beautiful.

    Instead of offering us advice or rattling off a list of resources that has helped her to live better, Kara meets us where she is. She courageously tears down all her walls, all the subtle disguises that scream "I'm fine", or even "I'm here to help you, not the other way around". She writes openly and honestly about the struggles she's faced, both in the past and now, and continually gives us a message of hope, in the midst of pain. Through Kara's words I was both reminded of how short life truly is, and of the wondrous love of God. His care despite the hard in our lives.

    Cancer, and living through it, is a difficult subject to tackle. I'm not going to make any specific recommendations today, knowing that everyone's story is different, and everyone will react to Kara's words in a unique way. But if you still feel led to read this, it's so worth all the discomfort and brokenness that comes with reading a book like this, sharing about it, and learning how to live with your own walls down. Maybe, through Kara's journey you'll find peace in your own one too.

Discussion Questions:

-What was your favorite part about The Hardest Peace? What was the most difficult part to read about?

-What were some of the things Kara struggled with as a young woman? Did you relate to any of her struggles? If so, how?

-Kara mentions how her relationship with her husband helped her to grow up, and how his love for her led her to understanding the Lord's better. If you're married, did these sections inspire you? Why or why not? If you're not married, can you still find ways to use what Kara shares in your life?

-In her foreword, Joni Eareckson Tada shares how Kara has inspired her through her writing and life. Do you think her foreword helped you understand The Hardest Peace better, or not? Why?

-How did getting cancer give Kara a new perspective on life? Did her thoughts on this change your perspective of life in any way?

-What are you struggling with right now? Is it something more external, like the effects of COVID-19, or internal, like pride or anxiety? How can the topics The Hardest Peace touches on help or encourage you?

(There are also some great discussion questions at the end of each chapter.)

    Thanks for checking out The Hardest Peace with me. Have you read this book already, or another book like it? What did you think of it? I'd love to hear what you have to say about them.

    Do you have a book or book series that you want to see me review? If so, check out my Review Policy page, and then let me know about the title/series name. I'd love to get more requests!

    Next week, I'm thrilled to post another interview, based on a book I mentioned last month. Which author do you think it'll be? If you have any guesses, post them below...you may have the right answer!