Heroes and Monsters: An Honest Look at the Struggle within All of Us Paperback – March 1, 2012

Wow! If you want hope and encouragement in your own struggle to be who you were create to be, then you won't be disappointed when you read this book. I love the imagery used to express the monster within us that holds us back from becoming who God intended us to be and how God draws us to Him in a way that is unique to us. For Josh, I believe God appealed to his creative mind by empowering him to tell his story of transformation in the unique metaphors and lyrical words that are used in this book.I loved this book, not only for the encouragement, but also for the joy I experienced because of the way it was written. It is creative and rich in expressive language that makes my mind explode with delight like eating a big bite of wasabi sauce...deep cleansing clarity, excitement, and joy for no other reason but the words. I highlighted many passages that were insightful and exquisitely expressed. Here are a few examples, "Maybe I believe that once I truly love something well, I'll have fully existed, emerged from a vaporous state, become present, served my purpose- Gosh, I want Ditka (his dog) to know deeply I care, and how hard I'm trying to tell him. But does he? Jack must wonder the same things." or "Curiosity is oxygen for the dream!" and "Grief is such a kleptomaniac. It'll steal anything it can get its hands on-fun, faith, hope, relationships, sanity, serenity, rest, careers, passions, normalcy, identity. Grief will take it all and not think twice about it, remorseful."I look forward to more books by Josh!

It's odd to say that I'm reading an autobiography of a 29 year old, yet nothing else could describe the amazing journey Josh shares with you in Heroes and Monsters. This isn't a self-help book, or a feel-good book, or even a great theological treatise (even though it sure has the power of one). Josh just does life with you. It's as if you were in a coffee shop explaining your day and Josh just decides that he's going to be real intimate with you, even sharing his fear of intimacy. You get to share in the love, joy, and pain of someone in a way I never thought imaginable through text alone. Josh truly makes you a friend and one whom you could hear him say "I love you" to by halfway through the book and he definitely becomes such a friend that you'd feel comfortable telling Josh you love him too by the end. It's amazing what the story of someone's struggle laid bare in front of you can do for your personal relationships and your faith. Josh's stunning honesty is truly moving. How can someone who I always knew to have it so together, such a great speaker, such a great youth pastor, really have been so shaken up? It humanizes not just Josh but everyone you know to bring out compassion and to show you other's compassion for you, even when it's not so visible. Honestly I cannot stress enough how much you should read Heroes and Monsters. I can't say it will change your life because I'm not you; what I can say is that, like Josh, I can just share with you what has happened to me, and what happened to me was a glorious and refreshing transformation. Maybe we're all chasing unicorns when looking for love, but Josh certainly reveals to us how to find a unicorn.

I absolutely loved this book! I am not a Christian and have no plans to become one. While I realize the author is Christian, I feel he is encouraging people to look deep inside themselves and explore the more spiritual path no matter what their religion. Maybe this is why he gave God a more familiar name. You don't have to be Christian to enjoy this very thought-provoking, gut wrenching tale of the ups and downs of life. I cried right along with the author and laughed when he laughed too. He inspires you to dig deep into your soul and challenge the demons that keep you from enjoying a pure life. I love his style of writing and found it easy to get into up until the end. My biggest issue with the end is the weird punctuation. I don't know if it's just the Kindle edition or if the editor just quit near the end or if it was on purpose (because all the appropriate commas seemed to be in place) but there is a complete lack of end-punctuation, making it a little more difficult to read. The story itself is beautiful though and I didn't mind struggling through the lack of punctuation to finish the book.

As an English teacher with a graduate degree in the subject, I read a lot. I am also a passionate Christian who enjoys theology, works of literary merit, and rarely finds a book in the Christian realm that combines style with content.While I've resigned myself to this truth, apart from women like Kathleen Norris, this book knocked my socks off. It is literally the first I can remember reading in years that is funny, raw, vulnerable, and engaging on a stylistic level--yet also offers genuine Christian faith and insight. This world is too broken to cling to pat answers, and Riebock goes the distance by being truly vulnerable without losing biblical truth--or a writing style that I cannot WAIT to see more of. (Apologies for the preposition at the end of that sentence!)On a smaller scale: his use of "Jack" for God and Christ brought a refreshing and additionally raw frame to the idea of "God with us." Seriously cannot wait for more--first time I've said that of a book in print.

What a great book really challenged by it deff worth the read, really makes you think about how you view life and your walk with God. Thanks josh for being brave enough to write this