Publisher and Publication Date: Brazos Press-Baker Publishing Group. May 21, 2024.
Genre: Christian Nonfiction.
Pages: 235 printed pages.
Format: 1. E-Book. 2. Purchased paperback copy from Amazon. The paperback is 5 x 7 which is slightly smaller than most standard paperbacks.
Source: NetGalley E-Book. From Amazon, a Paperback edition.
Rating: Very good.
Thank you to NetGalley for the first (incomplete version) of the reading of this book. The second reading is through a purchased paperback copy.
Link at the publisher for more information: Baker Publishing Group.
Links to purchase the book: Barnes and Noble/ Audible/ Amazon paperback/ Walmart/ Christian Book/ Bookshop.
Info About the Author:
To read Lore Ferguson Wilbert’s bio @ Baker Publishing Group.
Social media links: Website/ Facebook/ Instagram/ Substack.
The sections and chapters:
Part 1: Seen
Here Is Loss: Invitation
Here Is Here: Space
Here Is Truth: Land
Part 2: Unseen
Here Is Hurt: Soil
Here Is Grief: Forest Litter
Here Is Time: Lichen
Here Is Protection: Nursemaids
Part 3: Revealed
Here Is Emergence: Weeds
Here Is Resilience: Mycelia
Here Is Movement: Forest
Summary:
The Understory is a unique blend of merging the environment of a forest and the Christian life. A large part of The Understory is it’s also a memoir of life experiences in Wilbert’s childhood, young adult life, and in the Church.
Wilbert examines and compares soil, lichen, and seeds to the current Christian landscape.
Some examples of themes: grieving, mistrust, broken relationships, trauma, hurt, recreating, resilience, peace, conflict, politics, freedom to express, conformity versus uniformity, and the complexity of life.
My Thoughts:
I pre-ordered the paperback edition in early March. It should have arrived on the publication date from Amazon on May 21. It did not. I was sent a message it would be delivered on May 25. It did not arrive. I got another message that it would arrive May 26. It did.
Meanwhile, Wilbert sent me a link to NetGalley in early May to read the E-Book edition for review. I read the book and thought it was a short read and felt there was a problem. I thought to ask Wilbert how many pages are in the book. The E-Book was about 100 pages shy of the paperback edition. She shared several other readers had the same problem. She asked if I could delete that version and reload it again. I decided to wait for the official published paperback copy to arrive-and of course that was late. So, essentially, I’ve read the book twice (well, the first time was half.)
If I had only reviewed the book based on what I’d read in the E-Book edition, I would have missed out on a full book with wonderful writing material. To review a partially completed book would have been dishonest on my part. I cannot do that. I don’t understand why NetGalley publishes E-Books to be read that are in this shape. I’ve heard from other reader-reviewers that this has happened to them with other books. Is this legal? To release a book for reading that is not complete. How can a reviewer read a book that is not ready for publishing? I am mentioning this in this review that appears only on my blog, as I see that this is a big problem! And this will probably be the last time I use NetGalley. I don’t trust them.
I admire people who are willing and courageous to write about the hard parts of their lives. No person has a perfect life. But a writer who publishes a book revealing the underlayer of their lives, and this includes traumatic events, is courageous and it must feel exposing. This is the first reason why I love The Understory, Lore Ferguson Wilbert is willing to be transparent about her life, especially in regard to her feelings about the current culture and politics in the Church, because the Church is not in unity about all issues.
Overall, I love The Understory. It is a book that will not appeal to all readers because they will not want to read views and beliefs outside of their own. I feel The Understory is a book that will appeal to a certain audience.
Who is the audience?
1. People who are eclectic in reading and don’t mind opinions outside their own about politics.
2. People who lean towards moderate or liberal views.
What I love about The Understory:
1. The quotes shared in the book by different authors and poets. Some examples are St. John of Damascus, John Muir, Madeleine L’Engle, Mary Oliver, Wendell Berry, Walt Whitman, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Henry David Thoreau, William Bradford, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Richard Powers.
I collect quotes. I love reading quotes in books. I feel Wilbert is well-read and an exploratory reader because of the lengthy list of people she includes in the book. I love this.
2. Wilbert is transparent in her writing. Her writing style is relaxed and personable. She is in conversation with the reader. At times it comes across as stream of consciousness writing.
3. The narrative writing style pauses for teachings on the ecosystem of the forest, or a hiking and kayak experience. This gives a break or pause from the serious.
4. Wilbert during the writing of this book is wrestling with some things in her life. The reader journeys with her.
5. I agree with her about telling the truth. As a writer it is important to tell the truth.
6. The Understory is a book of kindness and compassion for those who have experienced Church trauma (Post Traumatic Church Disorder), an abusive childhood, and the ending of friendships.
Further Thoughts:
- On page 67, “There is a saying that ‘humility is living in the truth,’ and I believe this with all my heart.” I disagree. Humility is thinking of self, less.
- She mentions she had placed faith and looked up to those in leadership at the church, and they fell by sinning or treating her harshly. I recently learned people tend to idolize. I am guilty of it. When the focus and esteem is so elevated for another human being, that is idol worship. When I realized that I’d done this most of my life I felt a pinch in my heart. No person is perfect and worthy of being elevated above God. There are pastors and leaders in churches who have done wrong. If they have broken the law, they should be held accountable. But I believe one of the reasons church members fall into a naive pattern of thought is because they hold such a high admiration and esteem for those who are just as capable of sin as everyone. To be naive obscures the vision. And when the vision is obscured, Satan devours. Set limits and guidelines with all church members. Hold people accountable.
I speak candidly. I held a couple of leadership roles in a Baptist church for several years. I had conversations and meetings with people that profess to be a Christian, yet they were not in behavior. I was given information about previous members and current members that were horrifying. The information, yes. But how it was “not” handled but swept under a rug that created a dirt pile that does not go away on its own. It tends to stink after a while. It causes an oppression of filth.
And then there are church members who do not want to appropriately deal with the problem at the time of occurrence. They want to keep it contained. Keep it hush. They come across as “if we don’t talk about it that will make things better.” But years later they feel guilt and talk about it in a confession of sorts during a Bible study class.
My experience above happened in the years right before the COVID lockdown. This church shut its doors and reopened later in 2020 as an outreach center for the community. The church had been dying a slow death for decades. New pastors with new ideas did not help. These ideas did not help because the real problem is pride. Pride is a sultry steamy thing.
3. A couple of moments while reading the book I cried. I cried during Wilbert’s sharing of her experiences of grief. I love her point on page 119. “I must make peace with the reality that no matter how much time passes, some things will never be resurrected…Some things will never be the same again.”
A great friend told me once, “Annette, there are some things that take a lifetime to work through.” I agree.
4. There is a point in the book when she expresses an opinion about Republicans. I know Republicans who are not conservative on all issues. I know Democrats who are not liberal on all issues. There are all kinds of people, and this includes in the political parties.
Words of Rejoice 
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