1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Unique Approach towards Biblical Study, January 22, 2010
This review is from: Kim's Confessions (Paperback)
Have you ever been in the middle of a large group and wondered what the people around you were thinking? Maybe you were at a conference for work and tried to decide how many others were hoping that it was almost time for a lunch break. Perhaps you were attending a debate between two candidates running for the same local office and you hoped to catch the eyes of your neighbors to see if you get a read on their opinion concerning each politician. In his new release, Kim's Confessions, author Wilson Awasu offers his readers this very opportunity--to get inside the mind of one woman who is witnessing the same event as many others. When his title character reluctantly attends a seminar at her church that causes her to question the depth of her faith, an insightful inner dialogue is the resulting product.
When we meet Kim, she is operating under the belief that her faith is beyond reproach. She is a ninth-generation Presbyterian and she is the choir director at the church that her family helped to found. She believes that these credentials speak for themselves and she uses these labels as an excuse not to think about her faith and personally test its strength. When a pastor is welcomed into her church to share a series called "Radical Growth," Kim instinctively puts up her guard and warns her friends not to fall for the brainwashing schemes of this stranger. We soon learn, as does Kim, that her defensive posturing is simply a cover to mask her own doubts and insecurities.
Awasu creates in Kim a woman to whom many readers will be able to relate. She is accomplished in many ways and carries herself with confidence, but still holds onto a nagging sense of self-doubt that she does not want others to see. Whether connected to our faith, our profession, or our personal relationships, I know that most of us have an area of our lives that we do not want to question out of fear for the answer. As the book evolves and Kim comes to accept that she still has so much to learn and embrace, perhaps you will allow Awasu's words to provoke some personal soul searching as well.
In many ways, Kim's Confessions reads like a Bible study. Kim takes us through each concept that is being taught in the seminar and shares direct Scripture passages that are used by the pastor to emphasize his message. When a reader comes upon an element that he or she wishes to study more beyond the pages of Kim's Confessions, as trust or loyalty, these Biblical reference points will provide further context. For those who are not Christian and may be apprehensive concerning the focus of the book, Kim's Confessions still offers great insight into how any belief system is developed and strengthened in our minds and spirits.
Kim's Confessions by Wilson Awasu is a well-written, concise book that serves as a guide to one life-changing weekend for its main character. The content is well-researched and the characters, from the church elders to the pastor to Kim herself, are believable in their positive attributes as well as their flaws. Mr. Awasu has done a nice job of putting a new spin on the popular idea of Biblical guidebooks by allowing a fictional character to host the thought process, and I believe this unique perspective will lend itself to future study topics if the author so chooses. If such publications are made available, I certainly will be one of their readers.
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