Book Review: Who I Be by Annie Brown

Annie Brown's Who I Be is a call to action for us to live our lives knowing without a doubt that we are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. Tackling issues such as low self-esteem, bullying, prejudice and more, Who I Be encourages readers to examine their lives to see if they are who God wants them to be or if they are simply allowing society to dictate how they are supposed to look, act, and think.

I was approached by the author's publicist to review this book. I readily accepted because it seemed not only in line with the lessons I had been teaching at Sunday school, but also because I have a child struggling with self-esteem issues. I didn't know if I could glean anything that would hit the mark with her, but I knew I wanted to try.

Who I Be ended up being different than I expected. After the Preface and Introduction, the first chapter shares the question every person needs to answer, "Who I Be?" The book then moves on to the physical, emotional, mental, social, and financial aspects of the question. These sections are where the author talks about body image and illnesses, emotional scars, mental illnesses, discrimination and racism, and money issues.

Overall, I liked what Brown had to say and believe others will find her words helpful. I would have preferred the author explain what she meant by each aspect in her own words instead of relying on citing Webster definitions. They felt a bit clunky in an otherwise conversational style. It's a short book, so it can be read in one sitting, and then reread to reinforce its concepts. It made me curious about another of Brown's books, Christians With Pervasive Issues. There's a bonus chapter that includes information from this book at the back of Who I Be.

Author website:  www.anniecbrown.com

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Who-I-Be-Annie-Brown/dp/1432795139/

Ebook

http://www.amazon.com/Who-I-Be-ebook/dp/B009CAHVCE/ 

Annie Brown was born to the parents of Lonza and Daisy Duckett in Alexander City, Alabama. She was the third of four children. Annie is the proud parent of four adult children, five grandchildren, and one great grandchild. She is a licensed minister and attends Joyful Noise AOH Church of God in Sylacauga, Alabama where she serves as the church secretary.

Annie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work from the University of Montevallo and a Masters of Social Work degree from the University of Alabama. She currently works at Lakeside Hospice, Inc. in Pell City, Alabama as a hospice social worker. As a social worker, Annie works with the terminally ill, providing emotional support at the most critical time in an individual’s life.

Annie’s heart desire is that people will learn to love themselves. In order to love themselves a person cannot conform to society’s norms as to what is acceptable but rather believe what God’s Word says.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/annieclara2002

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annie.brown.1804

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/annie-brown/44/a0b/195

I received a paperback copy of this book through the author's publicist. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.