Wonder Women by Kate Harris - Book Review

If you're a woman, you're probably familiar with the idea of "having it all" and "doing it all". How do you find the balance between working, having kids, and taking care of yourself? This is what the book Wonder Women discusses. The book is part of the Barna Frames series of books that offer big ideas in small books, perfect for your fast-paced life.

The Barna Group did research to find out how women felt about their commitments to church, family, career, and community. What the researchers found was that most women are generally satisfied overall but are dissatisfied with life's little details. This is distressing, especially because Jesus says that we are made to live life to the full (John 10:10), but most women do not feel full or whole. Only 24% of women under 40 with no kids feel they are making the right choices in life.

This book caught my eye because as a working woman I find it difficult to achieve a work-life balance, which is one reason we don't have a kid yet. I was hoping this book would offer some insight, especially from a Christian perspective on this very common struggle.

This book is more than just careers and kids, though. It touches on main areas of women's lives, including church and friendship, two areas that unfortunately take a backseat in most women's lives to be replaced by other time-consuming things such as family and work. I find that really sad because it means that just over half of all women don't feel they have a strong support network and 35% of women say they feel lonely. Even the church doesn't offer women enough support, which is troubling.

The statistics in this book are eye-opening not only for what the research shows but for helping women see that they're not alone in the way they feel. 

There were two things that stood out to me. The first was the idea that we all have constraints, but you have to be creative and work around them so that they free you and not hinder you.

The second was the statement that God always make provisions for things He calls you to pursue. Going back to the "am I making right choices" question, this left me wondering if the things I wanted to pursue but was having trouble making work were not things God was calling me to do.

I liked that there are questions in the beginning of the book for you to answer before you read the book, and then questions at the end of the book to help you think about what you read in the context of your own life. Hopefully, this book can provide a starting point for changing the conversation in society and the church.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”