Brave is the New Beautiful by Lee Wolfe Blum | Re:View

Powerful and inspiring, Brave Is the New Beautiful will draw you in with true-life stories that showcase real women with real struggles and a real God who is there to heal, comfort, and empower. 

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Lee Wolfe Blum proposes a new and powerful definition of beauty in Brave is the new beautiful. Her focus on "finding the courage to be the real you" is a message all women need to hear no matter their life situation, age, status, or past.

What first intrigued me about this book, aside from the eye-catching title, was the fact that Lee used stories from women that she had known to create the majority of her content. As someone who loves reading biographies and real-life stories, I was really intrigued to see how Lee would incorporate the stories into a book that was devotional in nature.

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Each chapter is titled with a single word like Hoping, Belonging, and Trusting etc., and mingles Lee's personal history in counseling, her mental health work, and personal struggles along with stories from women she's come in contact with. Then, at the end of each chapter, there are "For Reflection" questions which make this a great tool for Bible studies and group sessions.

This book is powerful. Not all of the stories told are wrapped up with a happy little bow on top or told in a way to make you feel good about yourself. Instead, they depict real life and encourage you to ask God the hard questions without fear knowing that He will answer you. I was brought to tears many times during the course of reading this and found myself craving the next chapter to see what else Lee had to say. I think this was (at least in part) due to the fact that Lee is very open in this book, detailing her own struggles with a frank honesty that is refreshing and encouraging.

I think this quote sums up the focus of the book perfectly:

"Be vulnerable. Be real. Be raw and let your naked bravery shine bright. In doing so, you help others see hope. You help others have faith. That is brave. That is beautiful."
(Brave is the new Beautiful, page 215)

I highly recommend this book to all women! It would be perfect in a small group setting (or even a slightly larger group). With a focus on being raw and honest with one another, I think women could truly see lies exposed, walls broken down, and true, beautiful bravery as the result of reading and discussing this book along with prayer and Bible reading.

My rating: 4.5*
Purchase: Brave is the New Beautiful

Book Description
(from Amazon)

In a culture that bombards women with "thinspiration" messages and pressure to "do it all" while wearing the mask of perfection, women are left feeling alone and overwhelmed. How can they stop comparing themselves to others? How can they live out who they really are?

Lee Wolfe Blum offers stories from everyday women who have answered these questions with their lives—and found true beauty in the process. In Brave Is the New Beautiful, Blum weaves reflections from her own journey with inspirational stories from everyday women who chose to take off their masks and live authentically. Through call-to-action questions and ideas, she encourages readers to be brave enough to be who they really are and the beloved that God knows they are.

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I received this book for free but was under no obligation to post a review. I do so under my own motivation and the opinions I have expressed in this review are honest and entirely my own.