The Magic of Surrender: Finding the Courage to Let Go by Kute BlacksonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I'm a fan of Kute Blackson. I adore his book You. Are. The. One and have read it multiple times. I was hoping for something as powerful again and there is a lot of fantastic stuff in this book, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me in the same way - although I will read it again.
I understand the concept of letting go, but do struggle with the use of the word 'surrender' and 'magic' used in this context. The connation is that you give up on something or giving yourself over to something. Although the message in this book is to give yourself over to your heart, and not let your mind or your fears rule your life. It's about letting your heart decide, follow your heart and listen to that, rather than do things you don't really want to do because you are chasing a specific outcome.
I felt using words like Magic and Surrender is really feeding into the esoteric side of spirituality that has become a marketing tool in the personal development industry, and moves away from helping people develop tools to actually move forward in their life. Although Kute simplifies these terms to make them accessible, and is in some ways straddling the two to reach a wider audience. The overall theme in this book was about not resisting life and letting it happen and live in the moment and let go of a specific outcome or expectation. Not a new concept and one he has tackled in his previous book.
Kute uses a method of providing multiple examples that go over the same subject so you can absorb it from different perspectives and find one that works for you. There were examples in this book that reflected my situation exactly, and each time I gained more understanding about what I need to do - or, more accurately, what I need to think; how to change my mindset and see how I can open up my life to be everything I want it to be. When I found myself struggling or disbelieving an example, I realised it meant I was wrangling with the concept and it was a moment of growth for me.
It's the kind of book that definitely needs more than one read to be able to consume all the messages and teachings offered within it, even though it wasn't as prolific as his first book.
View all my reviews
