Lydia Mclaughlin
Worthy Publishing, 2015. 208 pp., $11.70
While reality television has become a staple in entertainment, it’s a rarity to find celebrities courageously embracing their faith in the midst of it. Lydia Mclaughlin is one of those rarities. In her book, Beyond Orange County: A Housewives Guide to Faith and Happiness, Mclaughlin shares her story of God’s call on her life to venture into reality television, as well as His call for her to courageously step out a season later. This book shares insight to many of the challenges women deal with on a daily basis, such as the desire to be noticed, the need to feel beautiful, the struggle with forgiveness and understanding God’s call on your life. It also provides some great discussion questions at the end of each chapter that could be used for small groups.
While I appreciated Mclaughlin’s willingness to share her experiences in an honest way and to remind readers that God’s plans are so much greater than ours, I was surprised there wasn’t a deeper connection to her time on “Real Housewives.” Unless people have a deep love for the show, I don’t think they will be drawn to purchase this book. I also think its relevance to youth ministry is slim, due to the fact that the writing is aimed at more of an adult audience.
