Forgetting Ourselves On Purpose: Vocation and the Ethics of Ambition
Brian Mahan
Amazon.com: $16.46 new, $4.76 used
240 pages

Overall, Mahan's book seeks to help young adults move in a productive direction in the vocational discernment process. Throughout his book he discusses techniques for seeing the life God intends for you. He also spends time explaining different thoughts on ambition and motivation for various occupations or decisions. Undoubtedly he covers very important topics and does so in a thorough manner. However the amount of detail he uses often felt overwhelming. Lost in the material, I found myself wanting to skip pages more than once. So while much of the advice and such can be very informative, I feel it is important to approach the book with a determined attitude.

Mahan employs a very different style of writing in this particular work. Though he uses examples, such as his recurring anecdote about the student deciding whether or not to attend Harvard, they often just serve as a springboard into a much longer discussion on underlying principles. While at times the format can feel casual, there are also times when chapters feel wordy and long. Perhaps most useful, are the suggested exercises at the end of each section that are meant to help develop a more thoughtful understanding of your individual calling and abilities. One in particular stuck with me in which he suggested to try to catch yourself lost in thought and note what your thoughts were about most of the time. While my thoughts have most recently been about silly little things like hunger and grocery shopping, I have hope that I will catch something meaningful before too long. All in all, the book expresses many valuable points, but may not be the perfect book for someone looking for a light read.