This is my body

BLUF: I am non-religious (agnostic), but I enjoy and recommend this book.

This is My Body is a memoir. There are two story lines in this book. One is a preparation for an Ironman event; the other is an overview of Ragan's life. A forewarning: I'm not going to do this book any justice with this overview because it's deeper than these words can really explain.

In preparation for the event, we train with Ragan and feel with him the connection of mind, body, and soul. The dedication that goes into training and preparing for such an event is intense and, through Ragan, we are able to share this experience even if we aren't looking to experience it ourselves.

In the memoir portion of the book, we travel with Ragan through his life - from college to marriage, from being misguided to spiritually whole, from views on the church to where his view differ, from marital problems to the bliss of new life, etc. Like I said, I'm not giving this book the words it earns..

Being non-religious, I was worried that the religious aspect of this book would be obtrusively dominant in this memoir. Well.. It's not. Religion is a very important part of a person's life, yes, but Ragan details his thoughts in a conversational way. He doesn't push his views on the readers – he explains his life and how he became the man he is today.

Ragan has faults, rants, and hypocritical thoughts like the rest of us. I'm not going to tell you this book affected me religiously and it's not necessarily inspiring, but this book, Ragan's life and writing, is enjoyable. It's nice to see life through another's eyes, especially when it is as well written as This is My Body is. The story lines are intermingled, but flow well together. If you're questioning whether you should read this or not, I would recommend you pick it up.

**I received this book free as a part of GoodRead's First Reads program.”