For a small book, Take Heart, Letters of Faith, Hope, and Love, has…heart. Written by 13 ladies and a gentleman, all millennials and, quite appropriately, for millennials.
I initially read 4 chapters (don’t worry they’re short) and my gut reaction was: Why are they feeling this way? Why are they struggling like this? My generation did not react like this (or maybe I was just not aware?). To be honest, for a Generation X person like me, they kind of sounded pitiful. I thought that maybe I shouldn’t be the one to review this book. Then it occurred to me that I also have a millennial for a son, so maybe I can learn something from what they have written to understand young people better.
Reading further on, I started to empathise with them and before I realized it, I was getting touched with their stories.
So I kept reading.
I decided to change my mindset and after that decision, I began to find that the writers are REALLY stating a genuine struggle. So let me tell the “grown-ups” like me: “Pay attention and listen!” Do not just rant about how we think that millennials are emotional, feeling entitled, and privileged species. We need to have a better understanding of them so we can, by God’s grace, guide millennials that we know to a better understanding of God’s grace.
Reading further on, I started to empathize with them and before I realized it, I was getting touched with their stories. I also realized that when I was younger, I went through some of the same challenges that these writers shared. I (and my generation) may have approached our issues differently than them and it should be good to point out that we deal with our problems differently. Maybe the baby boomers thought about us GenXers in the same fashion that we look at millennials and GenZs today.
Moving on, the Take Heart writers wrote each of their chapters like a letter. They start with a greeting that defines who they are talking to. They also wrote in the second person because I think they wanted to elicit a personal connection with their intended reader. I believe these authors were successful in this endeavor. It also felt authentic and straight from the heart. Oh, did I mentioned that each chapter is short and sweet (well, not every chapter is sweet in a strict and literal sense, but you know what I mean).
Take Heart is divided into three distinct categories: faith, hope, and love. Each letter directly relates to one of these categories. Many millennials will definitely relate to their stories (based on what I observed with the millennials around me). I have actually identified millennials in my social group to whom I intend to give the book as a gift. They will surely find encouragement in the many situations that the writers wrote about. For the non-millennials in the crowd, reading this book will give you an inside look at what goes on in the lives of our young people so we can better understand, and hopefully, minister to them.
LIST OF AUTHORS:
- Ivy Micah Y. Amurao
- Rochela P. Bugarin
- Raciele Cabalatungan
- Angelique S. Campos
- Anna Dominique L. Gonzaga
- Mark G. Mirabuenos
- Reba Marice S. Oldan
- Christianne Fayth Ong
- Janella Joyce Rodellas
- Jennifer Ang Sun
- Ruzelle D. Tan
- Joyce-Anne Ticsay
- Alea Toledo
- Vea Candy Versoza
Take Heart is published by CSM Publishing and is currently available at their Book Corner or at their Lazada store for 150.00 each.
