Phipps’s strategies include catchy, comforting advice like how to “Stop, Drop, and Roll” to replace “wrong thinking with God’s Truth,” or training one’s self to relax safely, treating this as a “preemptive, routine practice” like exercise. Sets of questions focus the somewhat sprawling material on the individual needs of the reader, while verses from scripture and Phipps’s reminders that “complete healing does not mean that you will never experience difficult emotions or temptations” keep it all inviting. That’s also true of the many encouraging essays in the end matter, which find Phipps addressing questions of who decides an individual’s worth, how to face regret, and how to understand the sources of feelings.
The book’s main draw, though, is Phipps’s thoughtful, thorough, empathetic laying out of techniques, insights, and inspiration. Rebuilt Recovery presents healing as an ongoing process, one that demands serious self examination, understanding toxic behaviors and unhealthy relationships, and learning to forgive and accept forgiveness. Phipps never over-promises or advocates an easy fix, and she takes care to advise readers not to attempt to diagnose themselves or others. Instead, she offers believers a clearly defined, always inviting path.
Takeaway: This Christian guide to recovery from trauma, addiction, and other issues is encouraging and user-focused.
Great for fans of: Kathryn Greene-McCreight’s Darkness Is My Only Companion, J. Keith Miller’s A Hunger for Healing.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
