I just finished Knox McCoy's second book, All Things Reconsidered: How Rethinking What We Know Helps Us Know What We Believe. Thanks to W Publishing for my review copy. His first book, The Wondering Years, was one of my favorite books of 2018. And, I will tell you, his second book is just as good (or better!).
What I love about McCoy’s style of writing is the straight-shooting, witty way he addresses difficult and not-so-difficult topics. Unlike many books in this genre, McCoy is not afraid to be honest and say hard things. And, to admit he doesn’t have the answers and that is okay. In each chapter, he explores what happens when we question what we think we know and how we can work through our own beliefs and reconsider them. I think my big takeaway from reading All Things Reconsidered is that it is okay to question those things that we grew up thinking, and that there is space to reconsider our own beliefs and experiences and formulate something that is our own. As I reflect on my own truths, I wonder what are truly my own and what have been instilled in me from outside. (Note: That is not to say every chapter calls us to do deep soul searching. Some chapters ask us to reconsider pronunciation, sex scenes in film, and birthdays, just to name a few.)
For me, the bountiful footnotes are the star of the book. In the footnotes, you see McCoy’s gift of dry wit, the ability to work a Hamilton reference into just about anything, and his propensity to work pop culture into all the things. And I am here for the pop culture references. Just like in The Wondering Years, pop culture references abound throughout the book, and even when he’s talking about tough stuff, McCoy’s ability to bring levity and anecdotes to the topic makes each chapter a joy to read.
There are so many quotes in this book that I marked because they just spoke to me. (I cannot share them until I have the final copy of the book.) I think this book is brave, funny, and smart. It is particularly brave for McCoy to reconsider some of his evangelical upbringing and find his own truth. I can imagine the experience of writing this book was both terrifying and cathartic, and I appreciate McCoy’s willingness to share all of this with his readers. I highly recommend this book if non-fiction thinking is your thing, and if you like books that you can dip in and out of with ease. It is available for preorder right now! It comes out June 2, 2020.
Bottom Line: 5/5 for me. This book gave me a lot to think about and I particularly appreciated the humor McCoy brings to the topics he discusses in each chapter.
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