Tyndale Book Review: Confessions of a Raging Perfectionist Learning to be Free by Amanda Jenkins

This is a book review on "Confessions of a Raging Perfectionist" (learning to be free) by Amanda Jenkins.  You can find the book from Tyndale press for $14.99.

Amanda Jenkins, the author, is a Bible college student who graduated with a degree in biblical studies and communications.  The author is open and honest about every area of her life and writes in detail about how significant experiences affected her attitude of being a raging perfectionist. She talks about her marriage, her parenting, her friends, life, death, and tons of life events in between.

The book I reviewed is a 209-page paperback book that includes study questions in the back that would be great for Christian groups or self-study.

She did not intend the book to ever be a book.  It was her personal journal.  She begins each chapter much like the movie "Bridget Jones's Diary" where she began each day by listing her statistics such as pounds gained or cigarettes smoked, things she was interested in, how many wrinkles she has on her face or calories she took in.

There are 12 chapters and each one is approximately 10 to 15 pages long.  She covers a wide gamut, from money, recognition, relationships, parents, personal testimony, obedience, Diet Coke, happiness and freedom.  The author is an open book as she expresses how God pointed out areas in her life that he wanted to perfect. The entire book is, in essence, a document journal of her journey to being a perfectionist and learning to let go to allow God to perfect her flaws along the way.

I was fascinated with how transparent the author was.  She lays out her personal journal diaries that were never intended to become a book.  The Author's Honesty Will Have you Laughing and Crying and Changing your Perspective on Life.  She walks through events in her life, setting forth her goals and expectations and failures.

The book will take you full circle, from raging perfectionist wanting full control to learning to allow your creator, God, to take control and mold you perfectly into His Will and design.

The author's transparency weeds throughout the entire book in and out of true stories about her life.  She shares honest feelings about the events and scriptures that relate to calling her back to focus on the perfection of God's face.

Read an excerpt from the first chapter here.

Perfectionist Cover 978-1-4143 7870 1 by Tere Scott

Find out more about Amanda Jenkins in this Author Q&A Session.

PerfectionistQ&A by Tere Scott