AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Own It by Michael and Haylay DiMarco

As I read it, the book grew on me.  However, when I first started in, Own It by Michael and Haylay DiMarco failed to grab my interest.  It’s hard to put my finger on why this was the case, but I will make an attempt shortly.  First though, the overview:

Own It is a challenge to leave behind “our borrowed faith.”  It’s a very intriguing idea, and in my work with young people I daily face the challenge of getting them to “own their faith.”  The first quarter of the book focuses on what “owning” your faith looks like and why it should be a goal for all believers.  The rest of the book is a description of what a Christian life with an “owned” faith looks like.  For example, “Owning Your Faith Will Change You,” and “Owning Your Faith Will Complete You” are examples of chapter titles.

Now the bad news:

I think one reason this book disappointed from the start is because the set-up in the first quarter falls flat.  It never rises above triteness and cliché.  The challenge to not have a generic faith is delivered very, well, generically.  Apparently this book is inspired by—or appears in—a recent Christian movie, “Grace Unplugged.”  The book itself never references this movie, and I personally haven’t seen the movie (nor do I intend to), but I wonder if the authors are depending on some borrowed emotional impact from the movie to carry the reader through the first chapter?

In any case, the book improves the further you read, and I found the later chapters of the book very helpful and challenging.  One thing that doesn’t improve, though, is the sub-par narration by the authors in the audiobook version.  Usually, I like to hear authors read their own books, but not in this case.  It seems like they are trying to preach their way through the book instead of just reading it.  The impact of some very good passages is diminished by the authors stumbling over words and providing awkward inflection.

It may be worth reading for the good stuff in the second half, so I recommend this book with reservation.

Please Note: This audiobook was gifted as a part of the Christianaudio Reviewers Program in exchange for my unbiased review of this work. This has in no way influenced my opinion or review of this work.  More information can be found about this and other Christian audiobooks at christianaudio.com.