As Is, Unearthing Commonplace Glory

The Book
“As Is, Unearthing Commonplace Glory”, was written by Krista Finch and released by Swerve Press in 2009.

Quote
“In the commotion, God still speaks to me, which is all I want in the first place. To hear and be near Him…it is in the mess that He whispers loudest…. (page 104).

The Good
The book was simply written and (mostly) free of pretense. As the title implies, Krista looks for and finds grace in the messiness of life. It would make a nice graduation gift to a college student.

The Bad
The author works a little too hard to achieve authenticity. She uses the word “shitty” on page 1 just so we can see how real she is (remember John Kerry’s use of the F-Bomb in a certain Rolling Stone interview?) This struck me about like the acid washed jeans fad from the late 1980s. It’s calculated shabbiness.

I also did not find in the book a cogent theology of grace. Part of the problem is that the chapters are too short to fully develop the subject matter. Almost all of them start by introducing a mini-crisis (can’t find a used copy of a Madeleine L’Engle book) and end with a too-neat solution (oh good, I found one – what a life changing experience – I think I’ll have a good cry). Genuine insights do come through in some places, but the abrupt, often saccharine pieces are more suitable for the local newspaper’s “Reflections” column than for a book length project.

Finch is also too far removed from her subject matter to offer us compelling meditations. In one chapter she drives by a woman pushing her retarded adult son in a wheelchair. I did not have a particular problem with the insight she offers, but it comes off a little too safe. The person who should have written that chapter is the woman pushing the wheelchair. She does not have the luxury of driving away from the life that Finch views from the safety of her car. I suspect that Wheelchair Woman has earned the right to use words like “shitty”.

The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that the book is quick and enjoyable (like an inspirational “Reflections” column), but a little too cute. I think there’s a writer in there somewhere, and she will likely improve with time, but books on messy grace have been done before and done better by others. Ultimately, Finch’s inexperience is the book’s greatest weakness. She has not raised kids, endured severe financial hardship or cared for a dying loved one – in short, she has not lived enough of life to offer us real grace.