It has been said that our belief about the future will have a positive or negative effect upon our life in the present. In his new book, “Futureville; Discover Your Purpose for Today by Reimagining Tomorrow”, author Skye Jethani writes about two different tension-filled times: today and tomorrow. He sets these times against each other by using the 1939 World’s Fair as an example of this tension. The World’s Fair came at a time when Americans were still reeling from the effects of the Great Depression. Into this period of poverty and hopelessness, the World’s Fair offered a look into a future that was brighter, overtly optimistic, and nothing like current reality. This glimpse of hope and “what might be” enabled Americans to better handle “what currently is”. Jethani writes, “How we interpret our present suffering, our work, our purposes, even our relationships is defined by how we think about what lies ahead.”

Futureville appears to have two main sections. The first section deals with the ways in which people generally approach the future. Jethani offers three viewpoints. Evolution offers the world hope that the human race can make the world a better place. Evacuation speaks of the desire of being pulled out of this world before it crashes in around us. Jethani writes of Resurrection, “Still, the incarnation of Christ among us and his cultivation of order, beauty, and abundance is not all there is to this third pathway to Futureville. Jesus came to give us more than mere glimpses of hope. He came to unleash a power that would make all things new.” In the second section, Jethani describes those things that will be made new: vocation, order, beauty, abundance, and hope.

Futureville is an okay book. There is nothing earth-shattering within the covers. I had high hopes for this book. After reading the introduction and diagnostic questions Jethani asked, coupled with the brilliant World’s Fair analogy, I was disappointed that he never connected dots. I found this book to be repetitive and disjointed, making it hard to follow. I would not recommend this book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”