Faith in the Spotlight

September 19, 2016
Today’s young Christian women who wonder whether they will be able to pursue professional careers and maintain their religious values in a highly competitive, secular job market will find an inspiring example in Alexander’s highly successful career in broadcasting. In this autobiography, the 35-year-old Alexander recounts her journey, dreams, concerns, and triumphs as a college student and a young professional who never gave up on her ambitions to become a broadcaster—eventually reaching her goal as a correspondent on Inside Edition and a special correspondent for CBS Thursday Night Football, while also getting married and raising two children. Alexander offers advice based on her personal experiences dealing with high-level executives in the entertainment and broadcasting industries: “My purpose in sharing these stories and others throughout the book is to encourage people who want to pursue and thrive in a career,” she writes. Alexander uses scriptural quotes and references sparingly but effectively. Each chapter ends with a “Takeaway” that consists of several main points from the chapter and an encouraging mini-essay from a well-known professional—mainly writers, entertainment industry leaders, and actors. Focusing on young women who may be hesitant to be assertive in their career ambitions, Alexander’s book will also serve Christian women who have managed to take on arduous professional careers and be wives and mothers at the same time.

September 15, 2016

In her debut book, TV personality Alexander (Inside Edition; Thursday Night Football) shares essays and anecdotes about staying true to faith while thriving in a career. The author's expertise lies in media, an industry that is often oversexualized and cutthroat, so her commentary about waiting for marriage to have sex and saying "no" to a boss when an assignment doesn't match personal values will be refreshing to her Christian audience. Alexander uses Bible verses, quotes, and her own experiences to provide practical advice that can be extrapolated to any career. She details how to negotiate salaries, find or be a mentor, and "hustle"--do the hard work to reach career goals. The format of the book makes the advice easy to follow; guest contributors from Alexander's parents to other Christians in various entertainment fields (screenwriters, models, radio personalities) introduce every chapter, and each section ends with "takeaways" or summaries of the main points discussed. VERDICT Female readers especially will enjoy Alexander's candor and insight when there aren't many books written on this subject.--Natalie Browning, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community Coll. Lib., Richmond, VA

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