Review by Samantha333 -- Who Told You That You Were Naked?

Samantha333 · Post by **Samantha333** » 27 Apr 2018, 18:22

[Following is a volunteer review of "Who Told You That You Were Naked?" by William Combs.]

3 out of 4 stars

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When I first picked this book based on the title: Who Told You That You Were Naked by William E. Combs, I sort of expected it to be similar to a self-help book in context, despite the text on the book cover, “A Refreshing Reexamination of the Garden of Eden”. The author opens the book with a story from his childhood, which turned out to be a very nice story, however in the beginning I had a tough time following the author and wondered what I had gotten myself into with this book. I made my mind up that I would give the author a chance to help me better understand his thoughts on Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Who Told You That You Were Naked is broken down into ten chapters that are meant to give the reader insight on the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The author takes scripture from the Bible along with quotes from other sources and paints on a bare canvas his understanding of the importance of the Garden of Eden and the eating of the forbidden fruit. There are some points in the book where I had to pause for a moment and figure out if I was reading text from the author or cited text, so that was a little confusing at times.

Personally, the content provided by the author in this book is very good, I really enjoyed it. At the end of each chapter there is a study/review to go over some of the main and most important points of the chapter. Although I can appreciate this work from the author because I could sense his passion through his words and ideas, I also felt the book lacked a pleasant flow. I often felt lost when reading the book, which I am under the impression this read is for someone who wants to dig deeper into the thoughts of others on this topic of Adam and Eve, as opposed to someone who is just looking for a simple read.

I would recommend this book to a group, as opposed to individuals. The way the book is written with some of the text being cited and other text being from the Bible, along with text from the author, it seems it could be better understood if multiple people were reading out loud and dissecting the book section by section to derive the most value. Also, it seemingly would be an enjoyable read for a Bible study series, as the author includes a review at the end of each chapter and tells the story of Adam and Eve in a way which the whole group could compare their views and perhaps gain a new perspective from the writers’ point of view.

Overall, I would rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I am rating this book 3 out of 4 because although I did feel a little misled by my own perception of the title, I also feel the author put a lot of thought, hard work and effort into his work. I really gained a new perception of Adam and Eve from the way the writer went into depth detail, giving his readers a first-person insight as to how he envisions life in the very beginning. I definitely felt this book was worth more than just a 2-star rating, however lacked the potential of being rated 4 stars due to the fact that I couldn’t fall in love with the text to the point I wouldn’t want to put the book down or felt extremely compelled to recommend others to read it.

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Who Told You That You Were Naked?
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kdstrack · Post by **kdstrack** » 30 Apr 2018, 07:48

Thanks for your comments on this book. It's helpful that you point out that the book is better for groups. Your comments on the rating were also valid.

Post by **Anthony__** » 09 Jan 2019, 11:03

The book did not only dwell in the old testament but rather, the author shaped the knowledge of sin, salvation and faith through the lens of the New Testament. Great review!