Book Review: Godly & Girly by Lacy G. Marsh

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge, from NetGalley for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it

How about a great new book for the pre-teen/teen in your life, for Easter?

I have a great new Christian book for you!

Synopsis: 

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? ... For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17b

Preteen girls are so caught up in how they look, who they are, and what others think of them. Through the media, their friends, and even their parents, they are given an ideal image for girls—thin, beautiful, and sexy.

For ages 15 and up, this book inspires and encourages young women by teaching that they are created in God’s image and are beautiful in Him. Girls will gain confidence to be realistic about their body image and secure in their identity as God’s beloved daughters. Body image, self-esteem, friends, the future, and more are addressed in short chapters. Plus, girls will love the journaling space, discussion starters, and prayers!


Review: 
This is an excellent book for teens to read! As parents, we are overtly aware of how our media portrays an oversexualized image of how girls (very young ones) should look, behave and act. Pretty much all of the time, these are not ways that parents WANT their kids to behave, when they are aware of the consequences of how that behavior can affect their children (bullying, unwanted adult attention, cyber stalking to name a few). But kids do not want to hear these things from their parents, they think parents are just being too protective. Lacy's book gives them a peer that they can look up to, to hear the same words and to take them in. As a parent raising a Christian child, I love how Lacy addresses common issues around the words of God and bible teachings!  

To me, as an adult, I can look at these 2 videos, taken 5 years apart and see the grace and happiness on Lacy's face, and see how she has changed. Look at the first one from when she was working on her Olympic dream:

You can see in the first video above, how Lacy fits the image that we have for an Ice Skater. But what the viewer at the time didn't know was how unhappy she was. In this book/memoir Lacy shares her own story of  how she struggled daily with body image and bouts with depression, while trying to keep her weight down, and stick to the ideal her coaches wanted her to be. When she attempted to stick to her guns about costumes, music and more, she was rebuffed. She had to ask herself "What makes me important? Who out there is like me? Does anyone think I’m pretty? Where was SHE in HER goal- was it really HERS anymore, or was she changing who she was INSIDE to achieve the goal?

You can see from the video below, that Lacy truly loves to skate and I'm glad it is still part of her life. There is an inner happiness and stillness that you can see. It comes from acknowledging who you are and sticking to to it. She has found her way to a new direction, that still includes being on the ice, but just not as a Olympian.




Lacy offers some very sound advice for teens to rethink what they are being shown and told. I highly recommend for parents to read the book, then have their teens read it, and discuss it together. The issues brought out in the book will affect EVERY teenager sometime. Better to talk about them and have your child understand who they are before they have to make a very important decision. This book would be an excellent Eatser present for a teenager as well.

About the Author

Lacy Marsh is a one-time Olympic hopeful in professional ice dancing who chose to live by her Christian values instead of selling out. In the years since leaving competitive ice dancing, Lacey began coaching and mentoring young athletes, on and off the ice. She founded Ice4Christ ministry, a performance and teaching outreach. She is also an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and serves as a contributor to CPH’s Portals of Prayer. A native of Montana, Lacy current lives and coaches in Minneapolis, Minn