One Thousand Wells

In this reflective memoir, Jena Lee Nardella recounts her journey from 20-something, manifesto-writing dreamer to a chief shepherding role for Blood:Water, a nonprofit that seeks to provide water to over 1,000 communities across Africa. With vivid imagery, Nardella ushers readers through her own personal and spiritual development, explaining that God used many experiences, including her musical interests, her religious upbringing, and a failed college major, to set the stage for her future work. Drawing parallels between her own tumultuous journey and that of the organization, Nardella chronicles key lessons in sustaining a growing enterprise or a personal life. The shift from her early development to a more mature perspective feels abrupt, and the insertion of updates on some projects broke the flow of her personal narrative, but Nardella's story is captivatingly honest%E2%80%94even at potential personal cost. Her story lights the path for a generation of disillusioned Christians sifting through tough questions about selfless love and unbounded faith in a world of heightened individualism. (Aug.)