What I Liked
Donald Miller has a candor about his writing that is extremely compelling. This is what drew me into Blue Like Jazz and he keeps this style throughout everything I've read of his. The brutal honesty of Miller captures so many of my own doubts and frustrations and revelations. He makes some excellent points in this book.

What I Didn't Like
I know one of the main points of this book was that Donald Miller didn't want to write a formulaic self-help book. I get that. His reasoning makes sense. However, this book doesn't really have structure at all. Miller writes in tangled reflections about his childhood and adulthood, as well as discussions about life boats and circuses and Santa Claus, and I found myself struggling to keep from skipping to the point of each long tangent.

No, this isn't a formulaic self-help book. There also isn't much of a point to it at all. Blue Like Jazz was hugely effective in capturing my experiences as a young adult seeking Christ, but Searching for God Knows What is a pretty accurate title. I found myself ending each chapter thinking, "What is he trying to say here?" While there were definitely a few scattered points that left me floored, and while I loved the explanation of the Gospel at the end, I'm still not sure why Miller wrote the book. What was he ultimately trying to say? Why does he want anyone to read?

The book becomes a little political for my taste. Even though I agree with a majority of Miller's statements (so I'm not speaking from the perspective of someone who is resentful and offended), it comes over a little bit like, "Christians are relying way too much on hierarchy and patriotism and the opinions of others and on being 'right'... but if you believe this about politics, you're wrong."