Rating:  Summary: Wild at Heart is a Little Too Much to Swallow Review: The author, John Eldredge, has a wonderful writing style, having perfected the ratio of premise-to-illustration. I found it flowed quite well without becoming boring. Having said this, I have to say that his premise of men supposedly being created by God to be fierce and dangerous, damsel-rescuing, don't-take-guff-from-nobody men cannot honestly be supported by the Bible even though he tries. No, I cannot agree that churches have "emasculated" men. It is the author who is misrepresenting the vast majority of the New Testament instructions to men to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving; slow to get angry and quick to listen; not brawlers; etc. I do understand his point that many men have neglected something inside that longs for exploration, but lets get real. I see a world of men and women, just like the rest of you see, where anger and rage is becoming more of a problem than it ever has before. We don't need any more encouragement.Consequently, I feel this book is a real danger to those who are honestly seeking real answers to spiritual issues. At its core is no basis in biblical truth but rather in feelings and American stereotypes of cowboys and fairy tales.
Rating:  Summary: Not All It Is Cracked Up To Be Review: I would like to start by saying some very positive things. I felt that this book started off absolutely great. There were many valid points expressed by the author. For instance, man longing for a sense of adventure, a man is scared that he will wake up one day and realize all that he has worked for is gone. Lastly, what does it mean to be a man. The author describes the above very well and makes great points. What I did not like about the book was how it starts off great and not much else comes of it. I felt as though the author became distracted through the process. I am a Catholic myself and this is the first Christian book that I ever read. I thought the book did need to talk a bit about God and Jesus but after a while it just seemed that was all the book talked about. I felt that the good points were gone and the book's focus was on Christianity. If you are a Christian reader then I would assume you enjoy this book. Please do not let my review persuade you if you are considering purchasing this book.
Rating:  Summary: Some people just don't get it... Review: Being a REAL man is hard. Anyone who says other wise is kidding themselves. I believe John Eldredge hit the nail right on the head with this one. It changed my life, so it can't be a bad thing.
Rating:  Summary: not what you would expect it to be Review: Eldredge seems to have missed something. I'm oversimplifying drastically, but Religion shows how wicked people are and how they must love god to truly be good people. That's one point of view, and there is nothing wrong with points of view. Another point of view is "Men will be Men, Boys will be Boys, Live according to your own hedonistic desires and get what you want out of life while feeling good about yourself." now if you are from category A or category B exclusively, this book is going to piss you off. If your a little from column A and a little from column B, and you take things with a grain of salt, the book does provide you with a different and interesting point of view to ponder, plus some "feel good about yourself" rhetoric. But it's certainly not a definitive guide to things. And calling it 'Christian' seems a bit of stretch to me to me it seems like Eldredge is "losing his religion" but at any rate, I don't think he is speaking for anyone other than himself. And I'm sure there are some people who he is speaking directly to (see the 5 star ratings). this book would merit a higher rating for what it is... a self reflection about life and masculinity... but as a Christian guidebook... it's misleading in what is proposes, and I can't say good things about that.
Rating:  Summary: Penny Arcade Quote Review: Tycho, from Penny-Arcade says: Every year, my mother gets me a new self-help thing for Christmas to, I presume, salve my failures as a human being. Last year, it was a calendar of daily directives from Dr. Phil, who I firmly believe is a mongrel, more beast than man. What that creature has to tell me about being a good person I could no doubt learn from any mute animal. This year, my mom has managed to combine both her annual insult to my intelligence and her incessant proselytizing with a book called "Wild At Heart: Discovering The Secret of a Man's Soul." You might be thinking that I invented that title in an effort to amuse you - but no. Like AIDS, it is only too real. The author, John Eldredge, apparently suffered some emasculating experience as a child and now believes that all men resemble himself, i.e., they are dry and damaged husks. Then, he suggests a new template to replace these irreparable shells, one that sounds uniformly horrible to me. I would pity him if he had not become so fabulously wealthy selling his man-kits. It is, no doubt, a simplification - but it's no more a simplification than the things he put in his book: there's nothing wrong with a man that a Playstation 2 and a copy of Vice City can't cure.
Rating:  Summary: Let the adventure begin. Review: After years of men feeling like they have been suppressing their very being to conform to society, they can now discover a renewed hope through the teachings in this book. For men (Christian or not) that can't figure out why they cannot commit to the woman they love, why they feel trapped in their career or marriage or why they struggle with addictions such as pornography, this book will feel like a guide to a new life adventure. For woman it will help them understand why men seem to be from Mars. I highly recommend that everyone have this book in their home library.
Rating:  Summary: For men and women Review: This book was very good and long overdue. I highly recommend this book to men and women. Jesus said 'whom the Son sets free is free indeed', we as Christians are not to live bound and linked to our past. If we are new creatures in Christ old things have passed away. Unfortunately for the majority of us this is not the case. We remain deeply tied and bound to our past. This book is the beginning for a new release and freedom for men who have a warped worldy view of manhood, and for the women in their lives. This book would make a good book for a men's Bible study or discipleship class. All women who are looking to marry or are already married should get a copy for themselves. You have to read this book more than once. My only issue- some of the examples are cave manish, but this book is for men so I dealt with it. Other than that, excellent book.
Rating:  Summary: ??? Review: This book is for those faint-hearted, self-centered American Christian men who are spoiled by the comforts of this world. It is an imperfect gift God has used to help us get a little closer to Him, hopefully. However, if we believe we have found the purpose and fulfilment of our life after reading this book, we are deadly wrong. Keep seeking. The hearts and minds of many of us are so conditioned (brainwashed) by the current culture and the education we received that it is almost impossible for us to read anything deeper than this book. Hopefully our hearts can be opened up a little more so that we are ready to receive and be consumed by God's real Gift for us.
Rating:  Summary: It feels good to be a man.... Review: The book "Wild at Heart" is a wonderful guidebook, that will allow its readers to do some serious soul searching, however; it must be read in its entirety. This book, If broken into peices could become an W.M.D. ( weapon of mass destruction ). An adolescent or young man reading this book could self destuct if he did not allow himself to finish the reading and reflect on its message. If this book is read through and through though then readers may very well set their spirit free to fly with the eagles and pursue God with a pure heart. If our schools were truly free to teach children to think and not just learn, this would make an excellent course for both male and female pupils of any age by the way, to more truly and deeply appreciate the longing of a lonely man. Read this book and pass it on. You may very well find the person whom has been hiding for so long and decide you want to drop the facade.
Rating:  Summary: Touched My Broken Heart Review: If you were raised by a loving father who encouraged, prayed with you, and demonstrated true masculinity, this book might not be for you. Wild at Heart touched me deeply because my father did none of those things. Eldredge knows what he is talking about when it comes to wounded men and I can't recommend this book highly enough. It has been greatly helpful to me and I will certainly read his other titles.
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