By Jamie Maletta
I came across author Bob Goff’s Everybody, Always on an Instagram story. I promptly messaged the poster asking if it was any good, and she couldn’t say enough. Without anything else to go on and some faith in the feedback, I was sold!
I read through the first chapter and quickly realized the book is a Christian self-help/motivational read, which I hadn’t realized, but I was definitely intrigued! This was one book I actually had a hard time putting down, and I honestly feel motivated to be a better person having read it. Although the context is that of the Christian faith, I believe anyone could take the overall message and apply it to their daily life, regardless of faith or spiritual preference.
Goff jumps into story mode in chapter one. He does an incredible job of recalling stories and experiences from his own life and imperfectly reflects on how he approached various situations and why. His overarching message throughout the book is to “become love” and express love through action to those around you—especially those that are hard to love, hard to like, and are unlike ourselves and our inner circles. It’s easy to express love to the ones we already love—the ones that hold the same values and share similar lifestyles. Goff teaches us that this love isn’t enough and that the world needs so much more.
The stories are so well written, interesting, and often humorous, and I can’t help but love the writing in this book. Goff has a number of books out, and you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be adding them to my must-read list!