Do Not Be True to Yourself by Kevin DeYoung

Kevin DeYoung reminds young adults to be true to Christ and His church, not true to their own selves, in this short, engaging read.

Do Not Be True to Yourself: Countercultural Advice for the Rest of Your Life by Kevin DeYoung. Crossway, 2023. 80 pages.

Reading Level: Teens, Ages 15-18

Recommended for: Ages 15+

Seriousness does not mean we are dull and frown-faced all the time. I’ve often prayed that I would take myself less seriously, even as I take God more seriously. Serious here isn’t the opposite of joyful. It’s the opposite of casual. We need to be intentional in our devotion to God, purposeful in our obedience to him.

~DeYoung, p. 16

“Do not be true to yourself” is the antithesis to our culture’s primary messaging, is it not? In this short book, DeYoung offers a series of commencement addresses and messages geared to teens about to graduate. He challenges them to, like Joshua, choose this day whom they will serve. He reminds readers that being true to yourself *might* be the right advice under one very particular condition. DeYoung urges readers to consider the habits and routines they need to implement now in order to mature into godly adults. His ultimate challenge is for young people to examine their hearts: are they simply parroting the Christian thoughts and beliefs of their parents, or are they truly seeking to pursue Christ with their whole selves?

As is typical, DeYoung is a straight shooter in this pithy book. His tone is casual and conversational (after all, these were speeches first, written text separate). Do Not Be True to Yourself is an easy, quick read, but it’s packed full of thought-provoking material. Most will read it through quickly, and, I imagine, find themselves returning to portions to meditate on further. A lovely bonus appendix includes 12 “Old(ish)” books that DeYoung recommends young people read, pulling from Augustine and Calvin up to more recent authors like J. I. Packer and R. C. Sproul. His reading list is outstanding. All in all, I highly recommend this short book, especially for new graduates (or, perhaps, for high school seniors this coming year).

Overall Rating: 4.75

• Worldview/moral value: 5
• Artistic/literary value: 4.75

Read more about our ratings here.                 

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• A Review: Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung, another short book perfect for those on the brink of adulthood
• A Resource: Graduation Gift List: find lots more suggestions along these lines for new graduates!

We are participants in the Amazon LLC and Westminster Books affiliate programs; purchases you make through affiliate links like the one below may earn us a commission. Read more here. This book was provided free by the publisher in return for an unbiased review.

As of this writing, Westminster Books is running a lovely sale on this book (half of the current amazon price) and the “Old(ish) Books” that DeYoung recommends in his appendix along with some of our other favorite graduation gift resources. Do check it out!