One Dress. One Year.

One Dress. One Year.  *****
by Bethany Winz with Susanna Foth Aughtmon

Overview: Bethany Winz wanted to do something to fight against human trafficking. She was only a junior in high school, but she didn't wait to grow up and make a difference. She started right away. She sewed a black dress and wore it every day for a year. She explained to people that those who are enslaved have no choices in life. They wake up to the same thing day after day. So she woke up to the same dress for 366 days. (It was a leap year.)  Each day she blogged about her experiences, shared info about trafficking, and sought to raise money for the cause.

Positive elements: Bethany is very transparent in this story. She talks openly about her struggles to believe that she doesn't have to perform for God. She shares about her health struggles. I love how she isn't pretending to be a Christian super star. She is seeking to follow Jesus, and this book is just a year out of her life.

Negative elements: You just have to remember that this story is written by a junior in high school. Her perspective of life is different from mine because she is so much younger. For example, the worst thing that happened all year to her was a mean photo on Facebook. However, I think it can be a good challenge to read something from a very different perspective. And even though I'm 34 and not 17, I still struggle with so many of the same things she does.
  
Conclusion: I keep wrestling with what my part is in the fight against human trafficking. I am encouraged by Bethany to step out in faith and follow Jesus where He may lead. And I love how she ended the book because ultimately this isn't a book about ending present day slavery; it's a book about identity...Bethany's and ours.
On the last page she says, "The pastor of the church I was attending in Nashville said that we all ask ourselves the same two questions: Am I lovable? Am I valuable? He said we get obsessed with the idea of leaving a legacy because we think that's what gives our lives value when, in reality, our only legacy is that we are loved by God...it may take years to understand it, but it's the only truth that matters. And the craziest part is that when you truly believe it, you start to find freedom."

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.