One Hundred Birds Taught Me to Fly: The Art of Seeking God

Could not get into it.

not impressed

This book was an absolute joy to read. It’s raw and personal, sincere, and inspirational without being didactic. While I definitely believe it can be special and meaningful for all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, particularly as a woman in the middle of intense faith struggles, it was exactly what I needed. Hoiland’s collection of essays tells a story of how she has “both found and lost God a hundred times over” (p. 73). It is about her attempts to find God and godliness, in both obvious and unexpected places, by connecting with her loved ones, herself, and the world around her. She speaks of belief, spirituality, and church culture in sensitive and nuanced ways, honestly and openly discussing doubts and cynicism while still maintaining a foundation of hope, sincerity, and faith. I wept several times over multiple days while reading this, because the stories she chose to tell just felt so tailored to my doubts, questions, and desires. Her words became a life raft for me in the depths of my attempts to navigate this religion I have grown up in and want so desperately to stay a part of. I feel more hopeful and more willing to accept all parts of my journey (the spiritual lows and the faith “crises,” too) as a part of my life story, and I hope as she does that one day I will look back and realize my story “was one of faith all along” (p. 108).

Moving prose. Ashley Mae Hoiland is lyrical and insightful with an eye for detail and an ear for transcendence. Her encounters with faith- loved the "times I prayed" lists- and motherhood are very relatable and poignant. Also, there's pictures! Her original art is throughout.

Nice book but nothing spectacular.

Front cover was bent and had a rip in it.

I am enjoying this book. I read a section and savor it a while before I move on. This author has beautiful thinking and writes with a narrator's voice. Uplifting!

Admittedly when I first began reading the book I was a little doubtful that I would enjoy it. There were a few poems that were a little too far into the realm of poetry for someone that doesn’t really appreciate many forms of poetry. However, the more I read, the more beautiful and intricate Hoiland’s expression of her experiences became. I did really appreciate what she can do with prose. There were many instances when she expressed a feeling or a thought that I too have had, but with words that I had failed to find in attempting to share with others. She provided me with a moving account of her struggles and shortcomings in life, and although she is still at a point in her life that will be characterized as noisy and messy, she left me with a sense of hope. Her own hope, but also a hope in me that was cultivated as I read and tried to relate to the many encounters she recorded in these pages. As the back cover says, she does delve into “the art of seeking God,” but also the art of seeking oneself in God. There is truly no better way to find oneself and become one’s best self than in trying to understand where you come from and who is fighting for you each and every day. It is in seeking God that Hoiland is able to accept her imperfections and realize that she is blessed everyday with sacred moments that can reveal the nature of both of her heavenly parents to her.

It an excellent spiritual experience reflecting on the simple miracles of the everyday. Speaking to the heart as directly as possible is very important to do sometimes.