Book Review: Permission to Speak Freely by Anne Jackson

I began reading this book on an hour-and-45-minute flight. By the time we landed, I was more than halfway through and immersed.

The author, Anne Jackson, shares her stories of growing up in church, enduring life as a Preacher’s Kid, being hurt by church people, and falling into some dangerous stuff. She had a sketchy relationship with a youth pastor when she was 16. She became addicted to pornography. She dabbled in drugs, alcohol, and promiscuity. The book follows her experiences and her pain and tells the story of how she came out of her “dark years.” Ashamed, but refusing to let fear win, she spoke up and found healing.

Anne blatantly states the purpose of the book in the Introduction:
“The purpose of this book is simple: to share the confessions I’ve received from the Web site or through the mail, as well as stories from my own life and experience, to show you that you’re not alone in your battle with fear and secrets.”

Anne’s blog has become an outlet for others to speak up too. The content of Permission to Speak Freely stems from a question Anne posted on her blog in two years ago:

“What is one thing you feel you can’t say in the church?”

In a very modern and artsy way, the book incorporates a few of the many responses Anne received in addition to sharing her own story of brokenness, fear, and healing.

My favorite part of the book is chapter 24, “The Gift of Going Second.” Anne shares a story from her past in which she takes the risk of being the first to speak up about something messy from her life. She is rewarded for her effort and able to help another young woman dealing with something difficult. This section is the epitome of the book; when one person opens up about ugly, messy sins, they give others “the gift of going second,” the safety of knowing they are not the only one.

I truly enjoyed this book and learned a great deal from it. I know a thing or two about being hurt by church people. I recommend it to anyone who has ever been broken and afraid to speak up.

So, what is your story? What is the one thing you feel you can't say in your church?

*Permission to Speak Freely will be available in stores August 31, 2010!
If you're on Twitter, be sure to follow #SpeakFreely starting August 30 for some great one-liners from the book!

(Disclaimer: While my team is currently working on the marketing for this book, I did not write this review for any reason other than I wanted to. I genuinely think this is a really good book, and it's really pretty. I will never write a blog post just to promote a book we're working on.)