Book Review: ‘God’s Daughters’
Published on April 28, 2016
Esther Collective member Zoë Davis reviews the brand new first book of author Hannah Fytche, ‘God’s Daughters’.
God’s Daughters is a book written by a hugely talented young woman called Hannah Fytche, who is currently in her first year of studying theology at university. She hopes for girls to realise that they are ‘loved, held, accepted, enough’ and has written this book for those who are fed up of trying to be good enough, and feel under pressure to be prettier, cleverer, or holier in order to be accepted.
Hannah has divided the book up into chapters, each addressing a different issue or situation that teenagers may be experiencing. These include coping with conflict within friendship groups, revealing the real you to your family, and feeling loved enough in the school environment, among others. Each chapter contains an in depth discussion of its topic, giving examples of situations that young girls may find themselves in, and this is followed up by advice on how to deal with these issues and what the Bible has to say about them. At the end of each chapter there is a section called ‘headphones time’, which contains questions for the reader to consider that help to focus in on the topics and encourage the reader to think about how they can act to tackle certain issues and make life better for themselves and for others. Hannah also includes recommendations of music to listen to, often with lyrics that relate to the chapter content and that girls may find helpful when contemplating the issues that they are facing in their own lives.
God’s Daughters is incredibly engaging and easy to read, and is broken down into chapters that can be read individually if you live a busy life! Hannah writes as if she is speaking to a friend, and the book is refreshingly down to earth and relevant, in contrast to many books that are written for teenagers today. The descriptions of situations that teenagers may encounter not only exemplify Hannah’s understanding of young women, but also get you thinking about the topics covered in the book and how they relate to your life. In some cases there were situations portrayed that I had not come across myself, and I found these extremely useful in learning to empathise with other people and how they may be feeling. The advice given is practical and can easily be applied to the real-world, and Hannah has formed this guidance based on a wide variety of literature and experience, particularly the Bible and her encounters with God.
God’s Daughters is a book full of the much needed wisdom and experience of a girl not long out of her teenage years herself, yet firmly rooted in the word of God, reassuring and encouraging to any young woman that may read it. I would highly recommend this book to any young woman wanting relevant advice on real life situations, reassurance and empowerment in a world where this is so often needed, or simply desiring to get closer to God- give it a read!
‘God’s Daughters’ by Hannah Fytche is released today – 22nd April 2016. You can purchase a copy here. This review first appeared on The Esther Collective website.
