Raise Your Voice

Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up

By: Kathy Khang

Narrated by: Kathy Khang

You have a voice. And you have God's permission to use it.

In some communities, certain voices are amplified and elevated while others are erased and suppressed. It can be hard to speak up, especially in the ugliness of social media. Power dynamics keep us silent and marginalized, especially when race, ethnicity, and gender are factors. What can we do about it?

Activist Kathy Khang roots our voice and identity in the image of God. Because God created us in our ethnicity and gender, our voice is uniquely expressed through the totality of who we are. We are created to speak, and we can both speak up for ourselves and speak out on behalf of others. Khang offers insights from faithful heroes who raised their voices for the sake of God's justice, and she shows how we can do the same today, in person, in social media, in organizations, and in the public square.

Be silent no more. If you have wondered when and how to speak, hear God's invitation to you to find and steward your authentic voice, whether in word or deed, to communicate the good news in a messed-up world. As you discern God's voice calling you to speak, you will discover how your voice sounds as you express God's heart to others. And the world will hear you loud and clear.

©2018 eChristian (P)2018 eChristian

Passionate & practical call to speak up

Khang provides a strong call for people — particularly women and people of color, who often are told to say silent — to speak up in person and on line. She reflects on how the stories of Esther and Moses show the journey from silence to speaking up. And she ties the call to a Gospel vision of what society should be like. It’s particularly cool hat she’s using her own voice to narrate this book

Essential reading for anyone with a hope for a better future.

This book is for those who have been wanting to speak up but haven’t. It’s the push you need to do it.

This book is also for those who have dedicated their life to sharing how we can be better. It’s the encouragement you need to take care of yourself, and to keep going when the task feels impossible.

Buy it to keep you accountable and buy it for someone else to create conversations around the things that can make this world a better place.

Water for dry ground

As a woman in ministry there are so many voices of women that I haven’t heard, speaking truths I didn’t know I needed. Khang offers equally beautiful, poignant, and convicting truths about lived realities and the journey to finding and raising one’s voice. I am deeply grateful for the courage and the journey she has had that have allowed her to raise her voice in this space, and for the guidance she has given me in my own through this book. For any woman in any ministry context, I’m sure you will find comfort and conviction here. For any man, this is another perspective I pray that you hold in your hands as you weigh the power of your own voice in leadership. The words raised by Khnag are incredibly powerful, timely, and tangible, and practical in application. A must read!

Encouraging and Touching

I chose this book as my first Audible listening experience. It was great to hear the author’s voice, and listen in a relaxed way during my regular footsoak times (ahhhhhh). I’m going to consider more Audible books in the future now that I’ve had this experience. There is much that I want to learn and know about (particularly current social issues), but I’m a poor reader and can’t absorb and keep everything in my mind after putting the books down. My listening skills are better so this is a way to “read” without using too much energy.

I appreciated Kathy’s contemporary female perspective on the familiar Bible stories of Moses, Esther, and the midwives, etc.

I also enjoyed the personal stories of her life and the details of her relationships with her children. The personal is what moves me. She was greatly formed, even as a writer, through her parenting experience, and I think that is neat to share that with the world. Hearing about moms expressing lack of fulfillment and wishing they could be doing something else besides/along with the daily caretaking . . . In contrast, I recognize that God is quietly shaping people and preparing people even in what seems like mundane and average things of life.

Without any pen and paper beside me, it won’t be easy to look into the cool artists and other people and things she mentioned. So that is the downside.

I was personally encouraged by this book to “raise my voice” in the mediums and giftings that I feel most strong and comfortable in. I like that she reiterated that there needs to be diversity in communication since recipients do not intake all forms. And that there is room at the table for ALL voices.

Her voice is honest and authentic and direct.

If you liked this, I would recommend “More Than Serving Tea”, a collection of women leader stories, all by Asian-American voices.

Very insightful!

I learned how I could influence people around me, and to speak up. We needed people to speak out how Trump is stomping all over democracy.