Start Here

Wow, I was going to say "it's been about a year," but when I looked back, it's been about two years since I read and told you about Do Hard Things by Alex & Brett Harris. (Time flies when you're potty training.) It was such a super-inspiring book (even to non-teens such as myself) that I bought one for my sisters' kids and our youth pastor (maybe both of them? I bought a stack, but I don't remember now how many and to whom they were all given).

Do Hard Things was written by teens for teens, but was ever so applicable to anyone that I assumed that Start Here would be more of the same. And it is, to a degree. They give you permission to join other people with their hard things and world changing ideas. They remind you that small hard things can be hard also and lead to bigger hard things. They mention that obeying your parents is a pathway to harder responsibilities in the future. It's good. It gave me some good ideas to import into my own hard things. But it isn't Do Hard Things (the book that could change the world). It's a good companion to Do Hard Things (the book that could change the world). And it seems even more geared towards teens. So I gave it to my niece, who has read Do Hard Things more than once and seems to be on track to change the world. (She does Hard Things.)

Here's what she (b/c I forgot to ask if I could use her name) had to say:

Start Here is an excellent follow-up to the book Do Hard Things. For me, Do Hard Things acts as the “inspiration” book - the one that makes me want to get out and, well, do hard things. Start Here, on the other hand, is more of a practical “how-to” guide. It doesn’t inspire me as much, and I don’t think it’s supposed to, but it is very handy when you’re at the point of desiring to do hard things for God, you just don’t know how to start. Start Here gives tips for discovering what God wants you to do and how to get going. It also tells how you can deal with bouts of overwhelmed-itis, cramped schedules, and other such things that come along with doing hard things. But it doesn’t talk only about the in-your-face mammoth ventures that appear on magazine covers and television. It also touches on the importance of the “little things”, such as reading your bible daily, getting your math homework done, and helping your mom clean up the kitchen. Start Here is a superb “How-To” guide on doing things for God.

So, clearly I (Jamie) am just getting too old. That, and I no longer do math homework. Evidently Start Here is just as good, in a different way, than Do Hard Things. That said, if you are more, ahem, OLD, you may not need Start Here, but if you are OLD and buying for your chillen, you may want to pick up both.

A bit about the book:

At the age of eighteen, Alex and Brett Harris wrote Do Hard Things—and launched a movement that would change a generation. Young people around the world were ready to be inspired, ready to move beyond complacency, ready to rebel against society’s low expectations.

Now the highly anticipated companion book, Start Here, answers the questions Alex and Brett have received from thousands of teens on their worldwide conference tour and popular online community: How do I get started? What hard things does God want me to do? How do I keep from getting discouraged or burned out? What is the best way to inspire others?

Filled with stories and insights from Alex, Brett, and other real-life rebelutionaries, Start Here is a powerful and practical guide for young people who are ready to take the next step and blast past apathy. Let the rebelution continue.

Alex and Brett Harris are the coauthors of the best-selling book Do Hard Things, which they wrote at age eighteen. Today the twins speak regularly to audiences of thousands on The Rebelution Tour, maintain a hugely popular online presence through their blog, TheRebelution.com, and have been featured on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and in the New York Times. Raised in Portland, Oregon, the brothers currently attend Patrick Henry College in Virginia. 

And, as you may have surmised, this book was provided for review by the Waterbrook/Multnomah Publishing Group.