Review of Small Talk by Amy Julia Becker

I recently finished reading Amy Julia Becker's book small talk.  Overall, I enjoyed the book, and I took many positive lessons and encouraging words away from it.



Small Talk revolves around Amy Julia's experiences as a mom and how they relate to her faith, as well as lessons she has learned.  Often times while she is trying to teach her children a lesson, she finds herself learning something just as valuable.  There were some topics that we don't personally agree on, as far as faith and beliefs go.   But in her quest for knowledge and truth, I felt compelled to examine my own life and faith, and I ultimately came away more strengthened in my own faith.

 
The above quote is one of my many favorites from small talk.


From the beginning of the book, I appreciated Amy Julia sharing candid moments between her and her children.  She shared the hard moments in parenting along with the good.  In opening the book, she tells about a day where she lost her temper and ends up apologizing to her kids.  As a mom, I appreciate that she was real in sharing that moment.

My favorite chapter in the book is labeled "disability". She addresses the issue of how to talk to your children about disability and how her own feelings about disability have changed since it has become personal in her life.  She ends the chapter by sharing an anecdote:

But on this day, Penny pumps her fist in the air and says, "I've got Down syndrome!" William tries to imitate her, pumping his own fist in the air and saying, "I don't have Down syndrome!" They erupt in laughter and start to run ahead of me, hand in hand.

The other chapter that I really enjoyed was the one on friendship.  Since I've been concerned about Kamdyn  being able to make friends lately, reading about Amy Julia's daughter, Penny, making friends was a relief for me.  It was also a relief to know that I'm not the only mom who has these concerns for her child with Down syndrome.

If you are interested in learning more about Amy Julia Becker, reading more of what she has to say, and her book small talk, you can go to her website amyjuliabecker.com.

Mark Leach sums it up nicely in his review by writing, "Becker’s small talk is what long-time readers have come to expect from her writing: inviting, thoughtful discussion about important issues written in a non-judgmental, insightful way. If that sounds like something you would enjoy reading, I encourage you to buy Becker’s new book, small talk."