Do Hard Things (book review)

On the back cover:

“Most people don’t expect you to understand what we are going to tell you in this book. And even if you understand, they don’t expect you to care. And even if you care, they don’t expect you to do anything about it. And even if you do something about it, they don’t expect it to last. WE DO.”

Book info:

Title – Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations

Authors – Alex and Brett Harris

Publisher – Multnomah Books, 2008

Hardback, 12 chapters, 240 pages

My review:

This is an excellent book….one I wish I had read quite a while ago! Twins Alex and Brett, founders of www.therebelution.com, were “only” nineteen when they wrote the book. The premise of their book, however, is that their age should not keep them – or any teenager – from aiming for and achieving “hard things” (things the culture doesn’t think they can accomplish). Their book encourages teenagers to reject the “myth of adolescence” (that teenagers are too young to do anything worthwhile) and to instead use the teen years as a launching board to the rest of their lives. Alex and Brett offer many examples of young people doing “hard things” and the ways that God has blessed their efforts. They suggest five types of “hard things” that teens can aim for, and they also discuss three components needed for success. Alex and Brett believe that today’s generation of young people is specially equipped and blessed with resources that could make it a generation of movers and shakers – but first, teens must be willing to push beyond what is expected of them: they must do hard things.

Alex and Brett are great writers. The book is simple and easy to read, and it’s a fun book too! Implementing the concepts in the book, on the other hand, requires a revolution in how one lives life. One of my favorite things about the book – something that especially applied to me – was the last chapter: “World, Meet Your Rebelutionaries.” In that chapter, Alex and Brett talk about how a book like Do Hard Things can be a mountain-top experience, and they give practical suggestions for how to start a personal rebelution (rebelution is a word the brothers made up to describe a rebellion against low expectations, which would lead to a revolution in one’s life). I know I often feel like that. I read a great book like this one, and I think “WOW! This is a real life changer! I’ll never be the same!” It’s really not that simple. Reading a book, watching a movie, hearing a speaker, going to a conference, none of those things can change your life. It’s how YOU choose to respond and what YOU do to change your life that changes your life. The book, movie, speaker, conference, etc – they’re just tools. Tools don’t do any good unless YOU pick them up and use them. Even so, you should go read Do Hard Things ;-)