A review by kristenshep
A Beautiful Disaster: Finding Hope in the Midst of Brokenness by Marlena Graves

1.0

The concept of the book is unique and thought-provoking. The author grew up in poverty with a mentally ill father. She's experienced a great deal of suffering from a very young age. In the book she weaves in her own "desert experiences" with those of Biblical people and the early church. She talks about the ways that God uses desert experiences to refine us. Without being pedantic, she encourages the disciplines of prayer, solitude, and community -- so important while we are in the desert. As I said, it is a great concept. But after I read it, I was really depressed. In my opinion, there are better books on suffering.