Gut Check: Confronting Love, Work, & Manhood in Your Twenties

As an educated professional, and life long reader, I've had the opportunity to read many books. For the most part, you can separate literature into two categories, fiction and non-fiction; however, every once and a while I have the pleasure of reading a book that goes beyond the two dimensional pages that it is written on. This type of book surges with the unique literary power to reach into ones soul, challenging its reader to embark on a journey of spiritual change with the ultimate end being authentic happiness and eternal peace.

This was a great book... it was like reading my own journey and I think all men will relate to this as I have. The pace was perfect and the dialog sets this book apart from other books in this genre. Tarek inspired me with his honesty and detail in every step along the way. I want to be the "man on the porch"... the man of principle who thinks of his death and does not cower from the challenge of being a real man in the face of a world that screams for far less. Gut Check has given me hope and excitement about becoming that man. This book is a wonderful read and you will not be disappointed.... A MUST for every man! God Bless Joe M Houston, TX The Catholic Hack!

Don't let the title of Gut Check: Confronting Love, Work, and Manhood fool you into thinking that former reality television star Tarek Saab's debut book is only for men or twenty year olds. On the contrary, this 44-year-old wife and mom can't recommend Gut Check highly enough. I started off reading the book from the vantage point of a mother of two sons, hoping that my study of Tarek's journey to manhood might shed a glimmer of light on the precarious path of parenting two sons in today's world. But in the process, I found myself truly connecting with the book not only from that perspective, but also more completely as a spiritual seeker. Although Saab's book relates experiences during his formative post-college years, his concepts of seeking real truth in this life are relevant to anyone, at any age, who struggles to make the most of every moment of this time on earth as a voyage to our ultimate goal - eternal life with God. In today's society, we find ourselves surrounded by media-obsessed, instant gratification, celebrity driven lifestyles. Our children are growing up in a world where one's tally of unmet "friends" in a virtual world trumps real life relationships. We emulate the rich, the impossibly skinny, the overnight sensations - and these action messages trickle down to our kids and speak to them more effectually than the words we speak. So, in reading Gut Check I did learn a thing or two about the type of mom and role model I want to be for my sons. But more significantly, I learned about the importance of "focusing on death" to achieve a true measure of personal success in this life. This book reads almost like a novel, in "can't put it down" fashion, but also has a depth that will make you want to go back and truly study and meditate upon many passages. Tarek Saab's sharing of his own conversion journey has truly touched my life, which will in turn hopefully make me a better wife and mother. I'm pleased to give Gut Check by Tarek Saab my highest recommendation.