“Helpful for a specific audience”
This short book touches on several of the things feeding into our modern loneliness problem. Abbott addresses the “solutions” we often turn to in an attempt to numb the pain of loneliness—solutions that ultimately aggravate the problem or are sinful responses that lead to shame and guilt. Throughout the book, Abbott points readers to Christ.
My thoughts:
I appreciated much of what Abbott said, but none of it was particularly new to me. I realize I’m not his target audience, as I’m in my late twenties with a husband and children, and the book is very much aimed at college-aged students and young adults. Overall, I found the content fairly basic, though I could see it being helpful for those who are newer to this topic.
He does offer some good practical advice, such as being plugged into a local church and cultivating deep, authentic relationships where vulnerability is possible. One area of concern for me, however, was his chapter on what he calls “gospel empathy” as the solution to polarization and anger. In the previous chapter, Abbott discusses how polarized our culture has become and how this has damaged communities and relationships. He makes some helpful points about humility while still holding to truth, but I found some of his language in this section to be a bit concerning.
His emphasis on empathy as the solution felt slightly off to me. While I think he makes some good observations, I disagree that empathy itself is the solution. I believe compassion would have been a better and more precise term. That said, the book remains very generalized and geared toward a young adult audience, and overall, it wasn’t one of my favorites.
*I received a copy of this book for my honest thoughts.
