A review by arielamandah
How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community by Mia Birdsong

4.0

3.5 stars. This book adheres to the philosophy of, “Family is what you make it.” It offers views of close circles and communities that differ from the “traditional” nuclear family. If you’ve never been exposed to other ideas of family- and community-making, this may be surprising and eye-opening. However, I expect that for many readers, these arrangements feel familiar — if not personally, than at least known. I hoped to find more in this book on strategies for building more intentional communities and connections. Instead, “I found mine in a church” or “with people I already knew” seemed to be the message. “Be courageous!” felt like the closing suggestion. Don’t misunderstand me: I liked this book and it kept my interest. There is much here that’s really, really good. I kept wanting it to make that final, extra leap into tools and research; had it done so, it could have been outstanding.