Summary, Analysis, and Review of Shauna Niequist’s Present Over Perfect

PLEASE NOTE: This is a key takeaways and analysis of the book and NOT the original book.

Start Publishing Notes’ Summary, Analysis, and Review of Shauna Niequist’s Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living includes a summary of the book, review, analysis & key takeaways, and detailed “About the Author” section.

PREVIEW: Those familiar with Brene Brown’s Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, or work on shame, vulnerability, empathy, and resilience, might wonder if Shauna Niequist read Brown’s book and immediately sat down to write her own book, Present Over Perfect. Then a more astute reader might go back and read the forward, from Brene Brown. Niequist calls Present Over Perfect a love story about letting us be loved with all our imperfections.
Self-help Christianity might be the best classification of this book: an honest, heartfelt sharing of one woman’s realization that she can’t have it all and the deliberate process of redefining her life. At thirty-six, Shauna Niequist was a successful writer, speaking at colleges, retreats, and churches; she was also at her breaking point, stressed to the point of physical ailments. She had tried the external tricks of busy moms—better time management, having the cleaners come more often—but when reaching out for guidance, what spoke to her most was her mentor’s suggestion that she remake her life from the inside out. Niequist chronicles her 3+ year journey in a series of vignettes, many crafted while on vacations or retreats, that focus on what she had to leave behind to make her life more meaningful, connected, present, and deeply grounded in God’s love.