A Review of Kevin Gerald’s “Naked and Unafraid”
Dealing with Criticism
I have a hard time with criticism, sometimes. I’m getting better at it — someone can leave a nastygram for me on Medium or wherever I write, and, for the most part, I can take it. However, I suppose that as I’ve gotten older, I prefer to put myself out there less and less and enjoy life without my 20-year-old ego wanting to be famous. Fame, man, is not what it’s cracked up to be. I should know. I had an article published online back in my music reviewing days that called me the “most delusional music writer in the world” or some such thing. Ouch. That one hurt — and it still does. So when I came across Kevin Gerald’s new book, Naked and Unafraid, whose subtitle proclaims that it will help you overcome criticism, I was all in. Surely, there would be some good tips here that I could apply to my life.
However, I should caution readers that the whole book isn’t about overcoming criticism — rather, it’s just part of a larger canvass that encourages readers to have more self-confidence. Basically, Gerald spends a good deal of this book building up readers so that they will go out of their comfort zones and take more risks. Dealing with criticism just comes with that territory. Thus, if you’re looking for a book that will help you overcome slings and arrows throw your way — as I was — you may walk away a tad bit disappointed. Plus, there’s nothing in this book that couldn’t otherwise be filed under “common sense.” A lot of what’s here seemed rather obvious to me. Granted, some may need to get the whole package and come out of their shell a little bit, so maybe the book will serve its purpose.
There are things that I liked about Naked and Unafraid, even if it didn’t tell me how to let go of criticism — aside from advising you to just let go of it. For one, Gerald doesn’t go for the tried and true in relating Bible stories — yes, this is a Christian book — which is refreshing. I felt that I was learning new bits of the Bible and colouring in what I already knew. That was nice. Two, I felt that Gerald portrays himself as an apt cheerleader, and you’ll be boosted emotionally just by reading this. Three, Gerald does make some good points about the difference in being a critic (which is what I am and why you’re reading this) as opposed to offering critiques. For the latter, it all boils down to offering good advice in your criticisms that are meant to build up and not tear down. That was some food for thought for me.
In the guise of making Gerald’s future works even better, I will then offer my critique. For starters, I really felt that Gerald could have leaned a little more on the personal stories that pepper this book, rather than treat them as one or two paragraph one-offs. I wanted to know more about the people he was talking about — whether they were from his nondenominational church or his family — so I would gently advise Gerald to slow down and sniff the roses a bit more. The other thing that sticks out with me about this volume is that it is, at times, too unfocused and repetitive. I can honestly say that I don’t know the solution for that, aside from perhaps suggesting that subtlety can go a long way in making a point. (Though, given the subject matter of the book and who it is directed at, it could be argued that sometimes Gerald had to belabour a point just to make it stick with the reader.)
All in all, I found Naked and Unafraid to not be the book I was looking for — and maybe what’s here could have been a book that I could have written if I had the time and inclination. That’s not to say that it’s a bad or horrible book — far from. However, I was expecting a work that would tell me how to bounce back from an article on the Internet (and subsequent articles that popped up in its aftermath) telling people that I was delusional and crazy without resorting to launching a libel suit (which is a moot point for me for a lot of reasons I won’t go into). This book really isn’t that book. That all said, if you are small and are trying to live a life that is as stress-free as possible, and are in need of a good, swift kick in the pants to get you up to the life that God wants you to live that is vulnerable but strong, then, yes, Naked and Unafraid might be the tonic you’re looking for. It’s kind of too bad, though — this book does play a little bit like a missed opportunity. I really felt that Naked and Unafraid could have been split up into four or five other books and expanded upon quite easily. There was an opportunity here to go deeper, but I wonder if the author kind of missed the net without a goalie on a breakaway rush.
Still, I hem and haw here. As suggested, the book is by no means terrible. It has some good advice, even if some of it seems kind of apparent. I believe Gerald has good intentions — while he may hang out with the likes of Joel Osteen and his family, he’s remarkably even-kneeled and hasn’t written anything in the book that would offend anyone from a more progressive mindset such as myself (save for one minor instance where he goes into the Jesus died for your sins bit). Put it this way, this book probably serves a need and consider that need fulfilled with Naked and Unafraid. People who want to grow bigger on the inside without sacrificing their relatability to other people will have a lot to learn from this book. As for me, I guess I still just have to wait until someone writes the ultimate guide to dealing with criticism. For now, I’m sure I’ll just amble through. Gerald has given me an idea or two, at least.
Kevin Gerald’s Naked and Unafraid: 5 Keys to Abandon Smallness, Overcome Criticism, and Be All You Are Meant to Be will be published by FaithWords on February 4, 2020. The publisher graciously provided a review copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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