Do you love John Pavlovitz?

Then, it's pretty clear you'll find much to love about Pavlovitz's "Worth Fighting For: Finding Courage and Compassion When Cruelty is Trending."

Are you on the other side of the fence? You really kind of can't stand the guy? "Worth Fighting For" isn't going to change your mind.

"Worth Fighting For" is a relatively brief yet meaningful collection of Pavlovitz essays past and present. It's a collection that could easily be said to feature Pavlovitz's most important writing from the past several years along with some new essays. You'll get the Pavlovitz we've always known - bold yet empathetic, angry yet hopeful, and fiercely opinionated yet open-minded.

While there's little denying that "Worth Fighting For" finds much of its thematic inspiration from "the years of Trump's hate-mongering campaign and presidency," Pavlovitz is is more concerned with inspiring us to love our neighbors and strangers than he is going on an actual attack.

As a Christian writer who leans toward the progressive end of Christianity, there's absolutely no denying that those who flat-out dismiss progressive Christianity won't find much to appreciate here as Pavlovitz laments the rolling back of rights for women and transgender people, grieves discussions about Black history being silenced, and expresses more than a little concern about the rise of gun violence.

In other words, this is John Pavlovitz being John Pavlovitz.

For those who follow Pavlovitz regularly, there are pieces of "Worth Fighting For" that will be familiar given the presence of past essays and writings. However, "Worth Fighting For" assembles them all beautifully and the entire collection builds into a hopeful and encouraging collection for those seeking to find courage and compassion during this time when it often seems like cruelty is not only trendy but actually rewarding.

At less than 200 pages, "Worth Fighting For" is a fairly breezy yet substantial read that I had little difficulty reading within a 24-hour period. Engaging and enlightening, "Worth Fighting For" is a reminder that all of us are, in fact, worth fighting for even when it feels hopeless.