book review: The Blessing of Adversity

Book review: The Blessing of Adversity.


This is not a book that I would have bought, and if there had been other choices, I might not have even gotten this one. And frankly it just about met my expectations.

I could relate to some of the things that Admiral Black wrote about. I was that kid that got picked last, I’ve not always done my homework and someone else had to point some things out to me. I’ve had bosses that didn’t like me. And I survived. Maybe not to the point that Admiral Black did, but…

We learn that the family was poor, that the author lost his mother and in the process got angry at God. And he got over that anger – lots of people do.

I think that if this book were to be reformatted, edited and sold as a daily devotional it might do well, but in its current format, it seems to be in an in between zone: almost devotional/meditation book -almost memoir- almost textbook; but it doesn’t quite measure up to any of them.

There are some poignant moments, and as a hospice chaplain and pastor, I certainly understand some of the points that Admiral Black was making, and some of the lessons learned, but while I was reading it, it seemed like I was hearing a series of sermons from a first semester seminary student. Make a point then find several scripture references to back it up; another point and several more scriptures.

By pushing, I can rate it a 3 out of 5.

I received this book free from Tyndale House in exchange for the review.