Giddy Up, Eunice: Because Women Need Each Other

I have such a great affection for this book and this author. First of all, let me say this book is a little different than Sophie Hudson’s previous titles. It is more of a biblical approach to relationships between women than the anecdotes around family and home town folk she usually shares. BUT this book has those too! This book is about women. It is about how we as women need relationships with other women to be at our “relational” best, so to speak. Sophie looks at the relationships of women in Scripture to mirror the way we can and should relate to each other. She looks at Elizabeth's relationship with her cousin Mary, the relationship of Naomi and her daughter-in-love Ruth, and the relationship of Lois and Eunice, grandmother and mother of Timothy.In this book Sophie also adds marvelous color by sharing personal stories and her fabulous southern whit. She shares about the young women she pours into and the wild, wonderful women who have mentored her over the years in the sweetest of ways. Giddy Up, Eunice would make an excellent book for a small group to share or a book club title.I pre-ordered several copies to give to my girlfriends. This book has meant so much to me personally because I am in a season of my life where there are young women in my circle of influence who will benefit greatly from these types of relationships. This book has been a reminder to me of how we women have a tendency to fill our lives with superficial and unhealthy relationships with other women, relationships where we walk in constant comparison and insecurity. We are selling ourselves short. We need deeper more supportive relationships with women of all ages. There are relational riches to be found across generational ages. Giddy up, ya'll...

I bought this book used and was pleasantly surprised how great it was. The book itself was for a bible study our womans church group was doing. It is a very fun and great book.

Sophie Hudson's "Giddy Up, Eunice" is an absolute delight to read! Written in her warm, humorous but oh so insightful style, she'll have you laughing and crying -- sometimes on the same page. "Giddy Up, Eunice" is all about relationships and how women need each other and how important cross-generational relationships are to imparting wisdom and insight from one generation to another. It's also filled with Scripture & the humor that only Sophie can bring!! This would be an excellent resource for Youth Sunday School Teachers, Women's Ministry Teams/Leadership, WMU, Book Club, Cousin's Book Club or any other place women gather with their friends to share the deep places in their hearts. It's broken down into three parts: (1) Mary & Elizabeth, (2) Ruth & Naomi & (3) Lois & Eunice. Three different types of relationships representing three different age groups of women but each being such important examples of the spiritual growth of both women. Of course, this wouldn't be a book written by Sophie Hudson if it wasn't filled with anecdotes from her day to day life. This is Sophie at her BEST and most honest, sharing about the women who've taken time to invest in her life and help mold and shape her into the woman God created her to be! Don't just buy one book -- buy several for all your friends!! You'll be so glad you did!!

The author writes with a big and loud Southern accent. She fills the pages with her own thoughts, parenthetical tangents, and digressions into her favorite reality tv shows. It was so distracting and uncomfortable that I had to force myself to finish reading, so I could give a fair review.If you're having a hard time getting through the first half, push on because the second half is where the substance starts to creep in.The first half of the book (Ch 1-6 out of 13 chapters) is a loosely put-together journey of a Southern white woman and her embellished childhood. Instead of an investigation into the historical context of Mary & Elizabeth, the first half screamed Southern culture (read, the author's personal life) and I felt very uncomfortable reading it. Only towards the last few chapters does she get a little deeper into things that a broader spectrum of women can relate to (a touching story about her mama).I really wanted to love this book because I absolutely believe in the importance of women friendships in Christ, across generations and other barriers. I also wanted to believe in the heart of the author, and I didn't get a glimpse of that until the last few chapters.For most of the book, she writes as if the reader has the same small view of the world as she does. Her main point (women need a safe place and each other) could be summarized in a couple pages. I understand that an author has to write from her own experiences. But we live in a global world, and it is sad that books marketed as Christian end up only identifying with white people in the Midwest/South with no regard to the millions and billions of people in the world who have no understanding of that culture. A book about biblical women friendships should be relatable, regardless of what class or race you come from. This is not the case for most of this book. It is written for women who can relate to culture in the Deep South. Granted, she kind of addresses this when she says she doesn't try to be all things to all people. But I do wish she'd tone down her loud personality for the sake of reaching a broader multiethnic audience.She admits to being sheltered growing up. She says she loves to laugh, but I did not find her funny. This is not her fault- I think you have to be a certain type of woman to get her humor. She also says that she values being real, but I didn't get any sense of that until the last few chapters. The rest of the book felt very fake to me.For many, the Deep South conjures up strong feelings about deeply embedded racism and ignorance. She writes about her childhood with rose-colored glasses and memories of friends and dances. She also writes about a Compassion trip to Ecuador that mainly focuses on her own carsickness more than the child she sponsored. I have a problem with a privileged American Christian going to an impoverished country filled with people of color, and in the end, the story is about herself.Her endnotes are all from online sources and Twitter feeds. Not deep stuff, not thoroughly researched, not any serious delving into biblical study. Maybe I should've realized that when I read the title. She works with teenagers for a living and doesn't claim to be a Bible scholar. But I expected more.I'm sad to say that this book falls short for me. If you're looking for a surface-level story, this could be for you. Maybe it's intended for teenagers. I wanted deeper insight into Biblical women friendships, and this did not provide it. A few worthwhile nuggets toward the end, but not worth having to plow through the first half.

Sophie's new book is one of the best books of the year, if you ask me. So down to earth, so uplifting, you feel like she's sitting on your couch, cracking jokes, and sharing all her honest thoughts about mentorship, friendship, and relationship. If you have to chose one book to read this summer, it's Giddy Up Eunice!!!

Excellent and very encouraging to read. Very humorous