You’re Not Enough (And That’s Okay)

This review first appeared on FutureFemaleLeader.com

In recent years, the self-help genre has exploded. There’s a personal development book about any topic you could want. Every week dozens of new books about self-betterment, the pursuit of happiness, and how important it is to know yourself before you change yourself. The new anti-self-help book by podcaster and Conservative Millennial Allie Beth Stuckey is a response to the self-help genre that says “you are enough as you are” because, in her opinion, you aren’t. This book isn’t about finding inner strength and becoming a better person–it’s why, in her experience, the answer to You Are Enough is “No I’m not, and that’s okay, because God is.” 

You Are Not Enough (And That’s Okay) is Allie Beth Stuckey’s first book and is a theological take on the self-help (or self-love) genre. This book is 100% for faithful Christians or people who want to grow in their faith and all of her solutions come back around to God and the Biblical word, so if you are not religious, this book won’t help you as much. But if you are religious, you might appreciate Stuckey’s emphasis on living a life of obedience to God instead of self-love. 

Stuckey begins the book by talking about her own experience struggling post college breakup with an eating disorder, binge drinking and other destructive behaviors. Though she grew up Christian, she turned away from the Lord, and only upon refinding him did she refind herself and discover that living for Him was more important than living for herself.  Throughout the chapter, she attempts to debunk 5 myths about self-love and the modern self-help genre, including believing that “you ARE enough” and that, among other things, you deserve to achieve all your dreams and that you need to love yourself before you can love others. To close the book, Stuckey talks about the beauty she’s found in motherhood and how that’s made her even more selfless and happier. Throughout the book, she also weaves in her hot takes on issues like gay marriage, trans atheles, and celebrity marriage and how she interprets the Bible as reponsding to them. 

I’ll admit that I enjoy personal development books.I truly believe that we can always be working to grow and change ourselves, and while I am religious, I’m clearly not as religious as Stuckey and not the ideal audience for this book. However, if you really are disillusioned with the way that the self-love genre has overtaken self-help and find yourself unfulfilled, maybe you will enjoy Stuckey’s insight into the answer being God and God alone. This would be a great book for a church book club or small Bible study group of young women to read and discuss, but non-religious women might be a little put off by Stuckey’s take on issues.  Faith-based readers will enjoy this book, I think, and it might start some great discussions among the self-help religious sect. Are you looking to grow in your relationship with Christ, especially as the world seems to be on fire around us? Then you should pick up You’re Not Enough (And That’s Okay) by Allie Beth Stuckey, on sale everywhere August 11, 2020