unplanned book review

My pal Al recently stole a book off of my shelf. I hadn't read it myself yet, but I agreed that she could take it and finish it as long as she wrote a review of the book for this blog.

She agreed.

So here it is. Allyson Watt's review of the book, "Unplanned."

Please note that the lack of capitalization is her doing. :-)

the clinic is surrounded by a gated iron fence, and on most days, especially abortion days, pro-lifers pace the outside of the fence, while clinic staff, volunteers and clients move about inside. is the fence keeping the protesters out, or keeping the others in? abby johnson opens her book, Unplanned, with a graphic and saddening account of what she experienced one day inside the clinic walls. she was director of the planned parenthood clinic at that time, but what she saw that day marked a turning point in her journey from one side of the fence to the other.

i was captured by that opening scene, but the rest of Unplanned is equally engaging. with honesty and courage, abby tells her story of the way that God opened her eyes and her heart to make a radical change. i was already familiar with some of the workings and policies of planned parenthood, having read articles about their practices before. but it was fascinating - in a horrible sort of way - to see these things from an insider's perspective.

i think that christians would do well to be familiar with the thought process and "talking points" that are used to sway people to support this organization. however, i think it was personally even more helpful to understand the genuine care and compassion for women that truly does motivate so many of the staff... they really think they are helping. as abby says, "right reasons, wrong decision." after reading this book, i think i will have a more charitable opinion of planned parenthood employees, while at the same time being even more convinced of the evil, deceptive tactics of the organization itself.

also interesting is the comparison of different tactics used by those outside the fence. certain actions and attitudes seemed to be much more effective than others, and i think there is a lesson to be learned in what she says about that. abby also makes some comments about the way she was treated by different churches at different times, and those statements, although brief, are worth thinking about.

God's plan and timing in the whole story really is amazing, and is talked about much more than i expected. and because the author writes so personally and honestly, i think the overall tone of the book is very sincere, and it probably could be read by somebody from either side of the fence. so, if you aren't sure about your views on abortion, or you don't know much of what planned parenthood is about, this is an easy read that will give you a lot to consider. however, if you are more like me and think you know enough to have a clear position on these things, i would still suggest that there would be much to gain from reading this book. there just might be things you would learn that would balance your thoughts and attitudes without compromising your convictions.