Book Review: To Be Perfectly Honest - Phil Callaway

What would it be like not to tell a single lie for the next year?

That is the subject of Phil Callaway’s newest book. Phil tries to answer every question he encounters with total honesty. I don't want to spoil the book for you, but he doesn't start out very well.

What do you say when someone asks:

Does this outfit make me look fat?
How was the music at church?
How was the sermon?
Do you owe me some money?

He shows that the truth costs; it costs time, money and sometimes relationships. In fact, for the year, it cost him $1,605.49. In some telling moments, he shows that telling the truth is hard. One instance was when the car insurance company asked him if he would be hauling merchandise in his vehicle. Being a comedian, he travels with boxes of his books. If he tells a small lie, he can save a lot on his insurance. If he tells the truth, it will cost him.

He also moves deeper into the motives we have behind what we do. When we pray aloud, are we praying to God or the congregation?

How many times have we laughed at jokes that were not funny, just to keep from hurting someone’s feelings? Is that lying?

This book is filled with hundreds of one liners and sarcastic joke. It was hilarious. While I never laugh out loud while reading a book...

That was a lie :)

Let’s try this again. While I seldom laugh out loud while reading a book, I found myself doing it over and over.

I recommend this book.

*This book was provided free by Waterbrook Multnomah for a fair review.