My 3 star rating is only due to the accessibility of all readers. If you're in the field this book could be much higher for you.

The flow and editing of this book was engaging. There were interesting concepts from a variety of authors and different perspectives. The topic is one that is debated and has a lot of different angles to engage with. This book is only a broad discussion of a few of those facets. As I read the book and currently look at the advanced praise for this book I notice that it is a book with some heady ideas.

The book is praised by PhD’s and directors at seminaries, people in the academy, not those who are simply wanting to understand faith more deeply. This book has a market but that market is a very specific group. Instead of not recommending this book to the audience here I will say read this book if you are a deep thinker who is interested in identity and identity formation from a very academic Christian perspective.

This was a really great collection of essays of views of the self. I enjoyed the variety of ideas presented and the quality of writing.

This is an intersting book, particularly in light of recent events in the world. How do we view ourselves through the lens of our chosen religion? How do we, or do we in fact, view ourselves seperately? The questions that are addressed in this book are important ones for anyone to ask, I think, regardless of your standing on faith and personal belief.

This is one of those books that is highly thought-provoking and will leave you questioning things when you have finished reading. Jenny McGill has done an excellent job of arranging the material in such a way that it allows the reader to contemplate what is being said, without trying to force a blanket idea on them.

I was impressed with the research that went into this book and the knowledge that you can gain from it, as a Christian, or in my case, an unaffilliated believer in God. I don't think you have to be part of a certain religion to understand the core concepts of this book, and that is a refreshing change.

Overall, this is a great book with a lot of qualities that make it worth the time to read.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.