I’m really excited for the release of Girl Defined, if you hadn’t noticed! I’ve been blasting Twitter with quotes, pictures, videos, and all that lovely stuff that comes with a book’s release.
And for the first time ever, I was part of an official launch team, and I got to put my fangirling skills to good use. (Don’t believe me? Ask Leah, and she will confirm that fangirling is, in fact, a skill – my own personal form of marketing, specifically – and one I’ve been perfecting.) But all humor aside, this book was absolutely fantastic.
My Review
Girl Defined answered questions such as, “What does it mean to be a woman? How should a career fit into our lives? Is one gender more valuable than the other? Is my sole purpose just to grow up, get married, and have kids?”
While the book was written conservatively, it wasn’t wacky or old-fashioned. It challenged the thinking of girls at any stage of life, and stood up to cultural norms to see what the Bible really says.
One of my favorite chapters was chapter 3. In this chapter was one of my favorite quotes.
“God designed us to function best we’re paddling together for a cause greater than ourselves.”
And another favorite chapter was chapter 6, with a quote that sums up one of the most central themes of the entire book.
“Helping others is foundational in God’s design for womanhood.”
I’ve been following Kristen and Bethany’s blog, girldefined.com for quite some time now, and have loved their posts about what biblical womanhood looks like. This book was a fantastic summarization of everything they blog about – from gender roles, to beauty, to identity, to culture, and relationships.
I’ve already convinced some friends to buy it, and it would make a wonderful book for a group study. After each chapter, there is a short study guide with discussion questions and activities.
I loved the format of the book. The chapters were manageably sized and divided, with adorably-styled quotes in the margins, attractive formatting, and a sweet, feminine design throughout.
Though filled with deep concepts and challenging ideals, it was easy to read and never dry or boring.
It only took me a few days to read through, and though I speed-read a bit, the principles stuck with me. I highly recommend this book to girls anywhere from twelve years old to adult, though it’s marketed to mid-to-older teens and young women. Honestly, any Christian woman could benefit from it.
Pick up your own copy on May 17th, 2016!
*aj
Scattered Journal Pages 
This looks wonderful! I now need to go read their blog. I’m constantly wondering how to approach this topic. There seem to be so many different opinions on what a woman’s role in life “ought” to be, whether we’re only meant to bring children into the world (which I disagree with) or whether there is no difference between men and women. (Which I also disagree with.) I’m already excited to read this and find a Godly perspective on where women stand and how we can lead. Great post, Amanda!
P.S. What do you use to design your post headers? Specifically like the one at the very top, the first image in the post. I always love them. 🙂
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Yesssss! Their blog is amazing, and I love the book too (because it’s condensed, and more focused on specific topics pertaining to womanhood).
Oh, I totally know what you mean. We hear so many opposing viewpoints, and it’s so confusing. I highly recommend this book to answer questions like those, and while you could read a chapter a day (or week, whatever), it’s also easy to devour like a novel.
(Reply to your P.S.: I use Canva! I love it so much. There’s a bit of a learning curve in the beginning, but once you figure it out [or watch the tutorial videos, as I did not], it’s super user-friendly and intuitive. The downside is that you can’t add your own fonts, or use it commercially [as in sell anything with your designs on it], but they have a good selection of fonts and such. If you want to add even more (like the flowers I added to my designs), you can get some free from creativemarket.com and freedesignresources.com.)
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Alright, the book’s certainly on my wishlist. I’m usually not one to read nonfiction, but I’d really like to. So when a trusted friend recommends me one I’m all for it. This sounds fabulous.
Yes, exactly! It’s certainly a frustration of mine. One more reason I’m itching to read this.
Thank you! I’m going to check that out. 🙂
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(Oh wait, I misspoke on that last one! It’s freedesignresources.net, not .com.)
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Amazon told me it should be here today! I can’t wait! I’ve learned so much from them already, and I’m excited to learn more.
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Yaaaaayyy! I’m sure you’ll enjoy it! And it’s an easy read, too, so it’s not too much to read a few chapters in one sitting. 🙂
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I’ve had my eye on this book for a little while… it sounds wonderful! Every Christian girl should dive deeper into what it means to be a Christian woman in today’s culture of counterfeit beauty and womanhood. I’m so excited about this book! 😀
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Awesome, Emily! I totally agree with you. You should go read it; it’s fantastic! 😉
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Ooooh, I can’t wait to read this book!!!! There blog is awesome and so this book looks like it will be amazing. =)
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Their blog is awesome, and mainly the reason why the book piqued my interest. It totally exceeded my expectations! You’ll love it, I’m sure. 🙂
Thank you so much for commenting, Hannah Joy!
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One, this book looks good. and two…….I LOVE THE COLORS AND BU@GE*)YHOI#OUGF(Ge
ok it is really pretty, and that button. I’m gonna go change out your old one now
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Thank you so much! I’ve been tearing my hair out all day over the button coding (let’s just say I’m not that great with HTML) and I *just* fixed everything five minutes ago. Yay! I like it too. 😀 Everything finally matches the blue!
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It does look great. and my computer won’t code my button….. I am actually trying again now so it has the code. I am not good with html either.
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This is what helped me do mine. https://amylynnandrews.com/how-to-make-a-blog-button/ It’s a bit of a hassle, but once you figure it out, it’s easy.
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Jonathan helped me with mine 😛 the website generator wasn’t cooperating. but it actually just worked so it’s there now
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Ooh great. Glad it’s working!
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wooohooo, Amanda! Incredible review! 🙂 I am so excited to read this book! And I’m super glad w could be in the launch team together. 🙂 God bless you, girl!
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Thank you so much, Cassidy!
Yes, I’m so glad I could be part of the launch team too. It’s a fantastic book! God bless you as well, and thank you so much for taking the time to comment. ❤
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