I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet: Discovering New Ways of Living When the Old Ways Stop Working

Written by Shauna Niequist

Narrated by Shauna Niequist

Read by the author with an audio-exclusive interview of Shauna about her family's move to New York.

When everything we've been clinging to falls apart, how do we know what to keep and what to let go of? I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet, now a New York Times bestseller, is a clear-eyed look at where we go from here--and how we can transform our lives along the way.

Just after her fortieth birthday, author Shauna Niequist found herself in a season of chaos, change, and loss unlike anything she'd ever faced. She discovered that many of the beliefs and practices that she usually turned to were no longer serving her.

After trying--and failing--to pull herself back up using the same old strategies and systems, she realized she required new ones: courage, curiosity, and compassion. She discovered the way through was more about questions than answers, more about forgiveness than force, more about tenderness than trying hard.

In I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet, Niequist chronicles her journey--from her life-changing move from the Midwest to Manhattan to the power of unlearning what is no longer helpful and accepting the unknowns that come with midlife, heartbreak, and chronic pain.

With her characteristic candor and grace, Niequist writes about her experience learning how to:

• Discover new ways of living when the old ways stop working
• Embrace the challenges and delights of releasing our expectations for how we thought our lives would look
• Trust God's goodness in a deeper, more profound way

Follow Niequist as she endeavors to understand grief, to reshape her faith, and to practice courage when it feels impossible.

Praise for I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet:

"Gentle. Loving. This tender book asks us to listen to our pain, lean into our discomfort, and trust that we can be lifted back on our feet by God and each other."

--Kate C. Bowler, New York Times bestselling author of No Cure for Being Human

"This book is a masterpiece. It is a journey and an invitation and a joy and a heartbreak and all the things you need to read to be reminded that hope can still be found."

--Annie F. Downs, New York Times bestselling author of That Sounds Fun

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Release date: Apr 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9780310355588

Shauna Niequist

Shauna Niequist is the New York Times best-selling author of seven books, including I Guess I Haven’t Learned that Yet and Present Over Perfect. Shauna and her husband, Aaron, and their sons, Henry and William, live in New York City. Shauna is an avid reader and traveler, and a passionate gatherer of people, especially around the table.

Reviews for I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet

[sue weas · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved her honest transparency. It was refreshing and very impacting.

[Opal Brown · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Full of humor, real life, pain, celebration, and healing. Truly enjoyed it!

[angiestahl-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was not what I expected - not a critique, just an observation. I wanted to share where my reactions come from in case it helps someone decide whether to read it or recommend or gift it to someone else. Upfront TLDR: if you're on the fence, go for it.All I knew about Shauna Niequist prior to reading this was that she comes from a Christian perspective and is a writer. I've never read any of her other books, knew nothing more about her background or her life, don't follow her. After I finished reading, I googled her and now know the headline view of her situation. This book seems to presume the reader comes into the book holding at least a passing curiosity if not a personal interest in her life. Maybe many did, do, or will. I personally don't.This is less a book and more a collection of life vignettes during and coming out of the pandemic. It feels like reading from someone's diary - raw, vulnerable, intimate to the point of fragility. Her heart is laid bare on these pages and the writing is both messy and beautiful. (That's a compliment.)She alludes to seismic life events and stressors - marital/relational, church/job, and health - and the resulting personal and life changes that have and continue to result from them. Her perspective feels less 'settled' ("this is how I made it through and how you might too") and more in progress.I think reaction to this book will be different for those who feel personally connected to Shauna (including Christian women bloggers/podcasters). Without that personal connection, reading this felt like a one-sided conversation or being brought along for part of her therapeutic journey.If you're looking for perspective into your own situation, how to deal and heal, you'll find a very personal account of how she's dealt with her own. You can't help but root for her (or anyone hurting!) to heal and overcome and appreciate how and where joy, peace, and hope is found. At its core though, this book seems more about and for her than for the reader. A recurring theme in this book is the vital importance of physical presence and connection - a small and carefully curated community of friends, family, and neighbors who glue us together (and back together when parts of us break). If you have that in your life, you've already got something way more valuable than this book. If you don't, or have someone around you who needs that, doing the work to build it will be far more precious and better use of time than reading about how it works in someone else's.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This felt like a conversation with a friend and it gave a voice to some things I’ve felt deeply for a long times. It was the conversation I needed about finding quiet and connection.“Many of our treasured connections have been severed in this season as the middle ground evaporates and the cry of ‘us versus them’ becomes deafening.”“I believe that calling myself a Christian means living up to Christ’s example of brave, sometimes shocking love.”