Need a new author to read? Try Bob Goff!
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Chloe Lefebvre
Contributor
Bob Goff is an American author who has written three books so far. His first book, Love Does, was released in April of 2012. It quickly climbed to the New York Times best sellers list, and all of the proceeds went into his organisation called Love Does, formerly entitled Restore International. It is a non-profit which helps to fight injustices around the world and provides education for children in under-privileged countries. So far, schools have been built in Uganda, Somalia, Nepal, Iraq, India, Congo, and Afghanistan. He works to free wrongly imprisoned boys in Uganda as well as fighting for justice for children there. He is a self-identified “recovering lawyer”, and currently serves as the Honorary Consul for the Republic of Uganda to the United States, which he agreed to almost on accident because he thought the request was a practical joke. He is an adjunct professor at Point Loma and Pepperdine law school where he teaches a class on failure. He has released two other books. Everybody Always, which was released in 2018, and Dream Big, released this year.
Bob makes an impact on his audience through the relentless love he shows people. Much of his novels are composed of personal stories from his rather extravagant life, and how he has moved through it with grace and kindness. Hearing about his life makes you want to change the world because of how excitement-filled it is. He got into law school without passing the bar (he talks about this in Love Does… it is quite the story). He practices law from his “office” at a bench on Tom Sawyer Island in Disneyworld. He works tirelessly to make himself available to his audience. He has put his cell phone number in the backs of all his books, and he never lets anyone go to voicemail.
Faith is talked about throughout all of his books because Bob’s faith informs the way he lives his life, but I would hardly call any of his books, maybe with the exception of the devotional he wrote (called “Live in Grace, Walk in Love”), Christian books. He talks about his beliefs because that is what motivates him to conduct himself in the way he does. That being said, he is worth reading from regardless of your personal or religious beliefs. These books truly hold the power to motivate you to do the things you’ve always wanted to. The conversational style of writing he has adopted makes his books quick and easy to read. Reading from Bob feels like you’re having a conversation with a friend. His books are essentially just a place where he makes the argument that we should aim to show relentless love to people, and how to go about doing so. He provides tangible examples from his own life and explains what he learned from the people who have made the most significant impact on him.
Overall, I would call any of his books a must-read. They’re worth picking up especially if you feel stuck and like you need a push into action or inspiration to go after the things you care about.
Originally Published on www.bandersnatch.ca Vol.50 Issue 01 on September 9th, 2020