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Drops Like Stars: A Few Thoughts on Creativity and Suffering
We plot. We plan. We assume things are going to go a certain way. And when they don't, we find ourselves in a new place---a place we haven't been before, a place we never would have imagined on our own. It is the difficult and the unexpected, and maybe even the tragic, that opens us up and frees us to see things in new ways. Many of the most significant moments in our lives come not because it all went right but because it all fell apart. Suffering does that. It hurts, but it also creates. This book is an exploration of the complex relationship between suffering and creativity, driven by the belief that there is art in the agony.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published July 9, 2009
49 people are currently reading
1642 people want to read
About the author
Rob Bell
75 books1,646 followersRob Bell is a bestselling author, international teacher, and highly sought after public speaker. His books include The New York Times bestsellers What Is the Bible?, What We Talk About When We Talk About God, Love Wins, as well as The Zimzum of Love, Velvet Elvis, Sex God, Jesus Wants to Save Christians, and Drops Like Stars.
At age 28, Bell founded Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan, and under his leadership it was one of the fastest-growing churches in America. In 2011, he was profiled in Time Magazine as one of their 100 most influential people. Rob was featured on Oprah's 2014 Life You Want Tour and will be speaking at venues around the world in 2015 on the Everything is Spiritual Tour. He and his wife Kristen have three children and live in Los Angeles.
At age 28, Bell founded Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan, and under his leadership it was one of the fastest-growing churches in America. In 2011, he was profiled in Time Magazine as one of their 100 most influential people. Rob was featured on Oprah's 2014 Life You Want Tour and will be speaking at venues around the world in 2015 on the Everything is Spiritual Tour. He and his wife Kristen have three children and live in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 224 reviews
April 30, 2012
First, I read the book in 25 minutes. The bulk of the pages are filled with photographs or one sentence paragraphs. I didn't feel like the photography added anything to the "experience" of reading the book - but I'm mostly a left-brained thinker with occasional (short-lived) jolts of right-brained creativity, so maybe I didn't appreciate the art like someone else would. Basically, if Rob Bell had a blog then the content of this book would only amount to a few posts.
Second, the content that IS in the book isn't really that great/helpful/eye-opening/insightful (insert your own adjective for "worth the money to buy, and/or worth the time to read"). He says things that are really pretty obvious: everyone suffers, suffering can unleash the best of what's inside us, we can become bitter or better, and so on.
It's not that I didn't like what he had to say, I did like it. The book was just different than I thought it would be (or hoped it would be). But maybe that's part of Bell's brilliance (?).
Third, there are a few witty lines along the way. I especially liked his assessment of the white kid from suburbia driving his mom's SUV with the power windows rolled down and the volume of the rap music turned up. Bell asks, "Why is this kid playing this song?" He answers that, if the boy is anything like most of us, his life is so sterile and glossy and numb that he tries to live (or at least feel something) vicariously through the struggles and hurts and challenges articulated in the tone and content of the rap lyrics. Having been in the position of that suburban white kid, I think Bell is pretty much on target.
So I guess this book's message can be summarized as this:
Everyone suffers - it doesn't mean you're cursed - so acknowledge the pain or guilt or shame or whatever, and paint it in along with everything else on the proverbial canvas of life.
And when it's all said and done, that's not a bad message at all.
Second, the content that IS in the book isn't really that great/helpful/eye-opening/insightful (insert your own adjective for "worth the money to buy, and/or worth the time to read"). He says things that are really pretty obvious: everyone suffers, suffering can unleash the best of what's inside us, we can become bitter or better, and so on.
It's not that I didn't like what he had to say, I did like it. The book was just different than I thought it would be (or hoped it would be). But maybe that's part of Bell's brilliance (?).
Third, there are a few witty lines along the way. I especially liked his assessment of the white kid from suburbia driving his mom's SUV with the power windows rolled down and the volume of the rap music turned up. Bell asks, "Why is this kid playing this song?" He answers that, if the boy is anything like most of us, his life is so sterile and glossy and numb that he tries to live (or at least feel something) vicariously through the struggles and hurts and challenges articulated in the tone and content of the rap lyrics. Having been in the position of that suburban white kid, I think Bell is pretty much on target.
So I guess this book's message can be summarized as this:
Everyone suffers - it doesn't mean you're cursed - so acknowledge the pain or guilt or shame or whatever, and paint it in along with everything else on the proverbial canvas of life.
And when it's all said and done, that's not a bad message at all.
May 8, 2016
If I had read this book a decade ago, I would have thought it was absolutely brilliant, but I can no longer say that.
I liked the concept and the artistic nature of it. I liked a lot of the photography. I especially liked the bit about the experiment in the sculpture class in which students had to focus on either quantity or quality of works produced. That was brilliant.
However, one of the primary themes of this book no longer jibes with me. Yes, it is true that pain, suffering, and heartache are almost palpable realities in our human jaunt, and we need to face them honestly, whether we are experiencing them ourselves or standing with others who are walking through them.
But pain, suffering, and heartache do not define us. I used to think they do and I wasted highlighters on novelists and essayists who said pithy things to this effect. The reality is, for those who follow Christ, our primary identity lies in our adoption into God's family. Pain is real and must be dealt with, but in the grand scheme, it amounts to little more than a blip compared to the glory of God.
The Apostle Paul suffered greatly in his life. Did he talk about these sufferings? Yes, he absolutely did. Did he focus on them? Absolutely not. His focus was on the surpassing greatness of Christ. In fact, he referred to his pain as "light and momentary affliction", choosing rather to focus on the glory of God.
It seems this book holds up a flickering candle next to the sun and obsesses about the heat from the candle.
I'd rather gaze at the sun.
I liked the concept and the artistic nature of it. I liked a lot of the photography. I especially liked the bit about the experiment in the sculpture class in which students had to focus on either quantity or quality of works produced. That was brilliant.
However, one of the primary themes of this book no longer jibes with me. Yes, it is true that pain, suffering, and heartache are almost palpable realities in our human jaunt, and we need to face them honestly, whether we are experiencing them ourselves or standing with others who are walking through them.
But pain, suffering, and heartache do not define us. I used to think they do and I wasted highlighters on novelists and essayists who said pithy things to this effect. The reality is, for those who follow Christ, our primary identity lies in our adoption into God's family. Pain is real and must be dealt with, but in the grand scheme, it amounts to little more than a blip compared to the glory of God.
The Apostle Paul suffered greatly in his life. Did he talk about these sufferings? Yes, he absolutely did. Did he focus on them? Absolutely not. His focus was on the surpassing greatness of Christ. In fact, he referred to his pain as "light and momentary affliction", choosing rather to focus on the glory of God.
It seems this book holds up a flickering candle next to the sun and obsesses about the heat from the candle.
I'd rather gaze at the sun.
January 28, 2013
Rob Bell’s novel Drops Like Stars: A Few Thoughts on Creativity and Suffering is considered a coffee table book by trade, but it is not the usual large, spatial investment with pictures created to captivate and ensnare. He seeks to discover the art in the agony, and give the audience, “a few thoughts on suffering and creativity.” In his book, Bell explains in a raw and compelling fashion the six different “art forms” that suffering creates in a person. They are the arts of disruption, honesty, the ache, solidarity, elimination, and failure. Each art is given a section, and what lies on the pages are anecdotes that certainly pull at the heartstrings and create a level where the reader and the author are standing next to or across from each other looking at the pain in each other’s eyes in complete understanding that what they suffer, they do not suffer alone.
Initially Bell brings up the notion of thinking “inside the box.” He then emphasizes that most people who create memorable and unique works tend to be deemed as thinking “outside the box.” The simple truth that he points out is that these people generally ask the question, “There’s a box?” Bell presents this idea with the printing of a personal narrative from Hugh Gallagher, who noted that he can “woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing,” and who “on weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full contact origami.” This is a memorable and unique personal narrative that Bell uses to transition into his notion that every person has “boxes” in his or her life, and after the “boxes” are destroyed or knocked down, suffering is initiated, and the art forms that follow may commence in their productivity.
As Bell continue to move through the different art forms, he uses striking visual representations to depict what he is speaking about. The most prominent example of this is his anecdote describing the instance of attending a ballet where you or I may “instead of being handed a program we were handed a squirrel.” On the opposite page there is an image of a man, clearly dressed for an upscale ballet, as noted by his white gloves and formal wear, holding a squirrel as though he is presenting it to the audience. Bell uses images like those mentioned to emphasize his many points.
Bell’s most emphatic images are those of the soap creations form his artist friends. He asked several friends to create sculptures out of bars of soap, later displaying their creations. It is after those images are presented without words present on the pages, that Bell makes his very strong point, while appealing to the reader’s emotional nature, that “suffering does that. It compels us to eliminate the unnecessary, the trivial, the superficial.” Each of the sculptors eliminated what was unnecessary in order to create something of beauty. The images shown at the end of the novel are also compelling and striking. The last twelve pages are photographs of flowers falling to the ground and shattering. With the broken pieces of the flowers, the reader is called to remember the title of the work, Drops Like Stars, which is a creative endeavor that is cohesively tied together and represented on the last pages of the work.
Bell has certainly known his share of creativity. A Michigan native, he resides in Grand Rapids, where he turned an old shopping mall into a church. He has also published several novels on Christian living, which include Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith, Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality, and Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile. Though it holds religious overtones, Drops Like Stars is not explicitly religious. It is a crafty and nearly seamless blending of anecdotes peppered with explanations of religious intervention and God’s role in suffering alongside those who also suffer.
Drops Like Stars is meant for mature audiences, namely adults and possibly mature young adults, seeing as it deals with the very serious nature of suffering. Followers of Bell’s work are sure to be pleasantly surprised with this new addition. It is a new and inspiring outlook on the pain and agony of loss. It reads with the obscurity of Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves and the sharp wit of Chuck Palahnuik’s Choke. Readers of Shane Claiborne’s The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical will also enjoy Bell’s simple yet striking revelations and their pictorial accompaniments.
Bell presents a difficult subject with grace and compassion. He carefully and creatively explains the different stages of suffering without being blunt or offensive. He is crafty and concise in his explanations. Bell could, however, transition with more ease. At moments in his book, his ideas seem choppy and spliced together. There are definite starts and stops between the different art forms, which could have been avoided through more well thought-out developments. Besides some choppy scenes, Bell delivers on his title promise of giving “a few thoughts on creativity and suffering.” This book comes as recommended reading for those who enjoy a different perspective on a common problem and do not mind a text peppered with religious outlooks. The strong, appealing words and evocative images make Bell’s book a worthwhile read even if he transitions with less than ideal ease.
Initially Bell brings up the notion of thinking “inside the box.” He then emphasizes that most people who create memorable and unique works tend to be deemed as thinking “outside the box.” The simple truth that he points out is that these people generally ask the question, “There’s a box?” Bell presents this idea with the printing of a personal narrative from Hugh Gallagher, who noted that he can “woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing,” and who “on weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full contact origami.” This is a memorable and unique personal narrative that Bell uses to transition into his notion that every person has “boxes” in his or her life, and after the “boxes” are destroyed or knocked down, suffering is initiated, and the art forms that follow may commence in their productivity.
As Bell continue to move through the different art forms, he uses striking visual representations to depict what he is speaking about. The most prominent example of this is his anecdote describing the instance of attending a ballet where you or I may “instead of being handed a program we were handed a squirrel.” On the opposite page there is an image of a man, clearly dressed for an upscale ballet, as noted by his white gloves and formal wear, holding a squirrel as though he is presenting it to the audience. Bell uses images like those mentioned to emphasize his many points.
Bell’s most emphatic images are those of the soap creations form his artist friends. He asked several friends to create sculptures out of bars of soap, later displaying their creations. It is after those images are presented without words present on the pages, that Bell makes his very strong point, while appealing to the reader’s emotional nature, that “suffering does that. It compels us to eliminate the unnecessary, the trivial, the superficial.” Each of the sculptors eliminated what was unnecessary in order to create something of beauty. The images shown at the end of the novel are also compelling and striking. The last twelve pages are photographs of flowers falling to the ground and shattering. With the broken pieces of the flowers, the reader is called to remember the title of the work, Drops Like Stars, which is a creative endeavor that is cohesively tied together and represented on the last pages of the work.
Bell has certainly known his share of creativity. A Michigan native, he resides in Grand Rapids, where he turned an old shopping mall into a church. He has also published several novels on Christian living, which include Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith, Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality, and Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile. Though it holds religious overtones, Drops Like Stars is not explicitly religious. It is a crafty and nearly seamless blending of anecdotes peppered with explanations of religious intervention and God’s role in suffering alongside those who also suffer.
Drops Like Stars is meant for mature audiences, namely adults and possibly mature young adults, seeing as it deals with the very serious nature of suffering. Followers of Bell’s work are sure to be pleasantly surprised with this new addition. It is a new and inspiring outlook on the pain and agony of loss. It reads with the obscurity of Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves and the sharp wit of Chuck Palahnuik’s Choke. Readers of Shane Claiborne’s The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical will also enjoy Bell’s simple yet striking revelations and their pictorial accompaniments.
Bell presents a difficult subject with grace and compassion. He carefully and creatively explains the different stages of suffering without being blunt or offensive. He is crafty and concise in his explanations. Bell could, however, transition with more ease. At moments in his book, his ideas seem choppy and spliced together. There are definite starts and stops between the different art forms, which could have been avoided through more well thought-out developments. Besides some choppy scenes, Bell delivers on his title promise of giving “a few thoughts on creativity and suffering.” This book comes as recommended reading for those who enjoy a different perspective on a common problem and do not mind a text peppered with religious outlooks. The strong, appealing words and evocative images make Bell’s book a worthwhile read even if he transitions with less than ideal ease.
July 1, 2018
A wonderful book on sadness, pain and suffering. Reminding us in a visceral way that we're not alone, and that from those moments in life, something good can be born. It seems like a simple and short book---and it is. But, it is sometimes the simple things that can be most profound.
April 22, 2015
The topic of this book is how suffering can enhance creativity. Not that the author puts it so directly. Instead he looks at scenarios of joy and grief, of life and death, both from Scripture and from contemporary times. He demonstrates how God can use our suffering to create something of beauty.
Rob Bell also talks about art in its many forms and shows how it is often able to speak more clearly to its audience when the composer has suffered and struggled, both in the production of the work and perhaps in his or her personal life.
It could have been trite or formulaic, but somehow this book is inspiring and encouraging. There are drawings and photos, and an epilogue which explain where the title of the book came from.
It’s a quick read; only about 130 pages, and with the author’s usual style of spaced out paragraphs and large margins, it could have been contained in half that number. I wouldn't have been too happy if I’d paid full price for it; instead I found it second-hand. However, I liked it overall; it was quite thought-provoking, and would recommend it, but borrow rather than buying.
Rob Bell also talks about art in its many forms and shows how it is often able to speak more clearly to its audience when the composer has suffered and struggled, both in the production of the work and perhaps in his or her personal life.
It could have been trite or formulaic, but somehow this book is inspiring and encouraging. There are drawings and photos, and an epilogue which explain where the title of the book came from.
It’s a quick read; only about 130 pages, and with the author’s usual style of spaced out paragraphs and large margins, it could have been contained in half that number. I wouldn't have been too happy if I’d paid full price for it; instead I found it second-hand. However, I liked it overall; it was quite thought-provoking, and would recommend it, but borrow rather than buying.
July 31, 2012
Short and to the point, yet Bell somehow manages to remain inspirational. Great read, wish it were longer.
August 2, 2021
One of the most profound books I’ve read in my entire life. I could have read this in one day. But I didn’t want to. I relished every chapter. I read a chapter and pondered it for a day and then I read the next chapter. This was poignant, enlightening and awesome. Must read for all the thinkers.
May 28, 2019
I was a bit baffled. Was this book about creativity? Suffering? Loss? "Things" not living up to one's expectations? I am an avid listener to the RobCast, so I am used to Bell's tangents.
Easy read.
I read the entire book in a sitting.
Easy read.
I read the entire book in a sitting.
Currently reading
July 24, 2009“Drops like Stars” is Rob Bell’s newest book. It’s the biggest, heaviest, but the shortest read compared to his other books. This is not a book to rush but to sit and think.
Rob has caused people to question his theology. And it’s a valid thing to discuss but if you are reading this in order to prove Rob to be a heretic then I suggest you don’t read this. Because you will simply take art theory out of context and be making useless arguments that doesn’t do anything. We must remember that were not making statements about truth but rather discussing what is truth. You can’t simply accept truth unless you take time to think and wrestle with the issues.
As a graduate of an art school I can relate to many of points made in this book. What convictional Christian must understand that art is NOT math. Art doesn’t reproduce the same thing over and over again but art is something that is personable and imperfect but seeking perfection. I can reshoot a movie from start to finish but I will never get the same acting, shots, or feeling as the first.
If you’re going to read this from a legalistic point of view… you will not gain much from reading this book. But if you take time to read, digest, and see the meaning behind the words… you will have a bigger understanding of the human condition.
We are complicated creatures… art is a complicated thing… you can try to put things in a box but art has a life of it’s own.
Rob does an excellent job of linking God to art and art to our pain and suffering. That’s why we make art… to express the inner most pains. I personally won’t say that this is best book he wrote but it’s different. And I personally would recommend reading in a quite room.
Rob has caused people to question his theology. And it’s a valid thing to discuss but if you are reading this in order to prove Rob to be a heretic then I suggest you don’t read this. Because you will simply take art theory out of context and be making useless arguments that doesn’t do anything. We must remember that were not making statements about truth but rather discussing what is truth. You can’t simply accept truth unless you take time to think and wrestle with the issues.
As a graduate of an art school I can relate to many of points made in this book. What convictional Christian must understand that art is NOT math. Art doesn’t reproduce the same thing over and over again but art is something that is personable and imperfect but seeking perfection. I can reshoot a movie from start to finish but I will never get the same acting, shots, or feeling as the first.
If you’re going to read this from a legalistic point of view… you will not gain much from reading this book. But if you take time to read, digest, and see the meaning behind the words… you will have a bigger understanding of the human condition.
We are complicated creatures… art is a complicated thing… you can try to put things in a box but art has a life of it’s own.
Rob does an excellent job of linking God to art and art to our pain and suffering. That’s why we make art… to express the inner most pains. I personally won’t say that this is best book he wrote but it’s different. And I personally would recommend reading in a quite room.
August 7, 2009
Read this short coffee table book in about 30 minutes at Books-A-Million. I was hoping for more content, but from what I'd heard I wasn't expecting much more than what I got.
The quick read was enjoyable, thought-provoking (wouldn't expect anything from Rob that wasn't), simple, yet profound. In writing this brief review what comes to mind are those little signs that you see in random stores that say "Simplify" (which in a way is somewhat contradictory to its message seeing that you have to add it to your decor, but that's besides the point). Rob got to be artsy w/ this one, leaving some pages blank, some w/ only a word or a sentence, and others filled w/ scenes that exemplified what he was saying on the particular page. The short, real life stories brought reality into the subject of how God is a God who wastes nothing, and He is there in the midst of the mundane, painful, unplanned for, and exuberant occasions in our life all alike. After all, doesn't true life full of those types of moments?
Admittedly, I will say I think my favorite page was the one about a college applicant's entrance essay...let's just say it rivals Dos Equis' "The Most Interesting Man in the World." You've got to read it for yourself and enjoy a good chuckle.
I can't wait for the "Drops Like Stars" speaking tour to come to Tampa on October 6.
The quick read was enjoyable, thought-provoking (wouldn't expect anything from Rob that wasn't), simple, yet profound. In writing this brief review what comes to mind are those little signs that you see in random stores that say "Simplify" (which in a way is somewhat contradictory to its message seeing that you have to add it to your decor, but that's besides the point). Rob got to be artsy w/ this one, leaving some pages blank, some w/ only a word or a sentence, and others filled w/ scenes that exemplified what he was saying on the particular page. The short, real life stories brought reality into the subject of how God is a God who wastes nothing, and He is there in the midst of the mundane, painful, unplanned for, and exuberant occasions in our life all alike. After all, doesn't true life full of those types of moments?
Admittedly, I will say I think my favorite page was the one about a college applicant's entrance essay...let's just say it rivals Dos Equis' "The Most Interesting Man in the World." You've got to read it for yourself and enjoy a good chuckle.
I can't wait for the "Drops Like Stars" speaking tour to come to Tampa on October 6.
September 25, 2009
I like Rob Bell, I say, having read this and Sex God. Might call this a kaleidoscope of ideas, or what's that other thing? A collage. Thoughtful profundities in an elaborate, over-sized, colorful, image-driven, text-light book. It's like 12" x 14."
So I liked it and the art of it and the power of the minimal text on the gigantic page and most of all the reminders of the truths that matter, but I was definitely glad the library had a copy.
My favorite snippets are these:
1. From Art and Fear by Bayles and Orland: ceramics class is divided into two and one will be graded on the quantity they produce and the other on the quality of the one thing on which they are to work. The quantity group ends up creating the best quality by far, learning from their mistakes, if you will, rather than striving for perfection.
and
2. "So in the end every major disaster, every tiny error, every wrong turning, every fragment of discarded clay, all the blood, sweat and tears - everything has meaning. I give it meaning. I reuse, reshape, recast all that goes wrong so that in the end nothing is wasted and nothing is without significance and nothing ceases to be precious to me." -this is from a Susan Howatch novel
So I liked it and the art of it and the power of the minimal text on the gigantic page and most of all the reminders of the truths that matter, but I was definitely glad the library had a copy.
My favorite snippets are these:
1. From Art and Fear by Bayles and Orland: ceramics class is divided into two and one will be graded on the quantity they produce and the other on the quality of the one thing on which they are to work. The quantity group ends up creating the best quality by far, learning from their mistakes, if you will, rather than striving for perfection.
and
2. "So in the end every major disaster, every tiny error, every wrong turning, every fragment of discarded clay, all the blood, sweat and tears - everything has meaning. I give it meaning. I reuse, reshape, recast all that goes wrong so that in the end nothing is wasted and nothing is without significance and nothing ceases to be precious to me." -this is from a Susan Howatch novel
Read
February 11, 2018Rob Bell has written a book about creativity and suffering. And it is probably one of the most creative books on the market. Those familiar with Bell's writing style won't be surprised much by Drops Like Stars. It's the same streaming thought, minimalistic writing that one has come to expect from the Mars Hill pastor. But the new twist is photography. This book is filled with amazing photographs and has a very original design.
The message of the book isn't bad, either. The book centers on suffering. Why do we suffer? Why does God allow it? How do we heal? In his usual manner, Bell sets about answering these questions, using short, pointed prose and clever anecdotes.
Those who aren't fans of Rob Bell will have their same complaints about this book. But the truth is, Bell doesn't write theological books. He writes books that illuminate the gospel in our daily lives, and that is exactly what Drops Like Stars does. If you're expecting deep, theological insight, then skip this book. But if you want a quick read that will touch your heart, then buy this today.
And as for the title.....you have to read the book to find out the meaning.
The message of the book isn't bad, either. The book centers on suffering. Why do we suffer? Why does God allow it? How do we heal? In his usual manner, Bell sets about answering these questions, using short, pointed prose and clever anecdotes.
Those who aren't fans of Rob Bell will have their same complaints about this book. But the truth is, Bell doesn't write theological books. He writes books that illuminate the gospel in our daily lives, and that is exactly what Drops Like Stars does. If you're expecting deep, theological insight, then skip this book. But if you want a quick read that will touch your heart, then buy this today.
And as for the title.....you have to read the book to find out the meaning.
June 24, 2015
"Drops Like Stars" by Rob Bell is a brief discussion of suffering and its role in creativity.
The Good: It's Rob Bell's thoughts on creativity and suffering!
The Bad: It's really, really short. Like, I-read-it-in-22-minutes short. It's not worth buying new.
The Ugly: Did I mention it's short? I read one chapter in less than a minute. It's really short. Don't buy it. I'll lend you my copy, and you can give it back to me later that day after you have read the whole thing.
I need to stop writing this review now, because it's almost longer than the book. Good thoughts, but not in book form. This might be good as a long email, but not printed on paper.
The Good: It's Rob Bell's thoughts on creativity and suffering!
The Bad: It's really, really short. Like, I-read-it-in-22-minutes short. It's not worth buying new.
The Ugly: Did I mention it's short? I read one chapter in less than a minute. It's really short. Don't buy it. I'll lend you my copy, and you can give it back to me later that day after you have read the whole thing.
I need to stop writing this review now, because it's almost longer than the book. Good thoughts, but not in book form. This might be good as a long email, but not printed on paper.
December 29, 2016
I can't remember if I would have given this 4 or 5 stars, but I'm always generous with Mr. Robell. As a layout enthusiast, I loved the way this read! The images were beautiful, as were the colors. Major props to the designer. It was a short read, only took about an hour or so, but very touching. It had simple ideas, nothing too ground-breaking, but was given to us in the famous Rob preacher voice that makes everything taste so good.
I think my favorite thing is that this is one of those project ideas that Rob had where he said "well why not?" and then just did it. Somebody share with me that enthusiasm for work.
I think my favorite thing is that this is one of those project ideas that Rob had where he said "well why not?" and then just did it. Somebody share with me that enthusiasm for work.
July 12, 2010
I like rob bell regardless of the fact that we disagree on everything important and metaphysical. This book is beautiful,it isn't pushy, and it goes against the normal "Christian" explanation of suffering. I was impressed, although it seem a bit f a waste of paper seeing how it doesn't have so many words.
December 1, 2025
I've been meaning to re-read this for so long but I finally got to it - I'd call it a 'spacious' read because of minimalist style of the artwork and design which helps you slow down and reflect. It resonates as much now as when I first read it.
November 19, 2017
This one is in my top three of Rob Bell books... I decided to read it again. I like this quote he gives from Abraham Joshua Herschel, and the direction it's heading: "Above all, remember that the meaning of life is to live it as if it were a work of art. You're not a machine."
December 31, 2016
Classic Rob Bell is still my favorite Rob Bell. Give this dude an opportunity to pair visuals with his written/spoken word, and he'll make it work every time. His benedictions never cease to give me chills. 4/5 drops like stars
March 10, 2020
Drops Like Stars is an interesting book, but it's kind of a book that's hard to classify and hard to know how to rate. It's kind of about suffering, but in a slightly different way. Rob Bell isn't seeking to explain why their is suffering in the world, but instead looks at what we are to do with suffering or what suffering can bring about in our lives. It's also not entirely about creativity, but it does often illustrate and look a suffering from through a creative lens.
Basically, Bell looks at six ways that suffering alters our lives. All of these ways are considered "Arts" by Bell. His arts are disruption, honesty, the ache, solidarity, elimination, and failure. In some ways each pair seem to go together. Disruption and honesty focus on the idea of how suffering can disrupt our comfortable lives that we've worked so hard to get just so, and can also cause us to be honest about how we're really feeling. That maybe the comfortable life we worked so hard to maintain wasn't as fulfilling as we'd like to admit. That suffering or simply a lack of fulfillment can lead us to honesty.
The next two arts are the ache and solidarity which is the idea of realizing things aren't how they're supposed to be while solidarity is finding others who admit this and who know this and are willing to admit it. Whether this is found in others struggling with the same things or just knowing that life is a struggle that solidarity helps us with suffering.
The last two arts are elimination and failure. These are more looks at how we are enhanced by suffering or failure. That elimination is this idea of learning to remove things from our lives that aren't necessarily and how suffering or tragedy often helps us focus on what really matters. While the art of failure talks about how failure and suffering are necessary for growth. One of his stories in his failure chapter was really interesting. It was this idea of how there was a class of ceramic students who were split into half and one half was told they would be graded by the amount of things they made while the other was graded on the quality. The result was that the group graded by quantity made more and also achieved a higher quality of work. That by doing and working they actually improved and learned from their mistakes rather than the other group who only theorized, but never really was able to translate that theory into practice.
So really I found Bell's book interesting, but at the same time it does have its flaws. It's not really very long and I felt that Bell could have fleshed out some of the things a bit more, even in keeping with his style. I guess it just felt like more could have been said and it's not. I liked what Bell did say, I just wanted more.
This is a minor nitpick, for me anyhow, but I feel I should mention it. Rob Bell books are typically rather rooted in talking about God, Jesus, the Bible, and/or Christianity in some way, but that's not necessarily the main focus of Drops Like Starts. Its there woven throughout the book, but not a main feature. It feels more like subtle strands woven in the book. Like talking about Jesus' parable of two sons in the opening chapter, mentioning Jesus' solidarity in suffering on the cross, talking about Paul in his chapter on elimination, and other little nods. This didn't really bother me, but it is a heads up that the focus here is a bit different.
Overall, I enjoyed Drops Like Stars. It's a bit of a different book, even for a Rob Bell book, but it was an insightful read that did make me think. The big problem I had with the book is that it felt really short and like it could have been longer. I wanted more rather than less here, which certainly isn't the case with every book. On the positive side it makes for a quick and easy read that is still able to get you thinking. So while I do think it's a bit short I would recommend it and is definitely a keeper in my mind.
Basically, Bell looks at six ways that suffering alters our lives. All of these ways are considered "Arts" by Bell. His arts are disruption, honesty, the ache, solidarity, elimination, and failure. In some ways each pair seem to go together. Disruption and honesty focus on the idea of how suffering can disrupt our comfortable lives that we've worked so hard to get just so, and can also cause us to be honest about how we're really feeling. That maybe the comfortable life we worked so hard to maintain wasn't as fulfilling as we'd like to admit. That suffering or simply a lack of fulfillment can lead us to honesty.
The next two arts are the ache and solidarity which is the idea of realizing things aren't how they're supposed to be while solidarity is finding others who admit this and who know this and are willing to admit it. Whether this is found in others struggling with the same things or just knowing that life is a struggle that solidarity helps us with suffering.
The last two arts are elimination and failure. These are more looks at how we are enhanced by suffering or failure. That elimination is this idea of learning to remove things from our lives that aren't necessarily and how suffering or tragedy often helps us focus on what really matters. While the art of failure talks about how failure and suffering are necessary for growth. One of his stories in his failure chapter was really interesting. It was this idea of how there was a class of ceramic students who were split into half and one half was told they would be graded by the amount of things they made while the other was graded on the quality. The result was that the group graded by quantity made more and also achieved a higher quality of work. That by doing and working they actually improved and learned from their mistakes rather than the other group who only theorized, but never really was able to translate that theory into practice.
So really I found Bell's book interesting, but at the same time it does have its flaws. It's not really very long and I felt that Bell could have fleshed out some of the things a bit more, even in keeping with his style. I guess it just felt like more could have been said and it's not. I liked what Bell did say, I just wanted more.
This is a minor nitpick, for me anyhow, but I feel I should mention it. Rob Bell books are typically rather rooted in talking about God, Jesus, the Bible, and/or Christianity in some way, but that's not necessarily the main focus of Drops Like Starts. Its there woven throughout the book, but not a main feature. It feels more like subtle strands woven in the book. Like talking about Jesus' parable of two sons in the opening chapter, mentioning Jesus' solidarity in suffering on the cross, talking about Paul in his chapter on elimination, and other little nods. This didn't really bother me, but it is a heads up that the focus here is a bit different.
Overall, I enjoyed Drops Like Stars. It's a bit of a different book, even for a Rob Bell book, but it was an insightful read that did make me think. The big problem I had with the book is that it felt really short and like it could have been longer. I wanted more rather than less here, which certainly isn't the case with every book. On the positive side it makes for a quick and easy read that is still able to get you thinking. So while I do think it's a bit short I would recommend it and is definitely a keeper in my mind.
August 8, 2017
Quite a short book due to its artistic and "coffee table book" format. It's hard for me to dislike anything Rob Bell puts out there. With that said, this book lacks the groundbreaking, earth shattering material that his other books (that I've read so far...) carry with them. From "Hell isn't real" (Love Wins) to "America is an empire and its fate is going to be the same as all other empires - destruction" (Jesus Wants to Save Christians) and his latest book that tackles a slew of misunderstood bible passages in "What is the Bible" Bell consistently offers eye-opening insight. This book, however, is in such a different style with more references to relatively subjective sociological studies and anecdotes rather than historical and biblical notes.
Because it's a short read, there is still good information, and I believe that the context of it (creativity and suffering) can truly speak to certain individuals during certain/trying times, I think this is a book deserving of your time.
Because it's a short read, there is still good information, and I believe that the context of it (creativity and suffering) can truly speak to certain individuals during certain/trying times, I think this is a book deserving of your time.
May 6, 2025
But it’s in that disappointment, in that confusion, in that pain—the pain that comes from things not going how I wanted them to—that I find the same thing happening, again and again. I come to the end of myself, to the end of my power, the end of my strength, the end of my understanding, only to find, in that place of powerlessness, a strength and peace that weren’t there before.
We are going to suffer.
And it is going to shape us.
Somehow.
We will become
bitter or better
closed or open
more ignorant or more aware.
We will become more or less tuned in to
the thousands upon thousands of gifts
we are surrounded with every single
moment of every single day.
This too will shape me.
Several years ago, my three-year-old nephew and I were standing in front of a large window, watching it rain. He started saying, "Stars, stars, stars."
I turned to my sister-in-law and asked, “Why does he keep repeating ‘stars, stars, stars’?” She answered, “He thinks that when rain-drops hit the ground, for a split second they look like stars.”
I’d never seen it that way.
We are going to suffer.
And it is going to shape us.
Somehow.
We will become
bitter or better
closed or open
more ignorant or more aware.
We will become more or less tuned in to
the thousands upon thousands of gifts
we are surrounded with every single
moment of every single day.
This too will shape me.
Several years ago, my three-year-old nephew and I were standing in front of a large window, watching it rain. He started saying, "Stars, stars, stars."
I turned to my sister-in-law and asked, “Why does he keep repeating ‘stars, stars, stars’?” She answered, “He thinks that when rain-drops hit the ground, for a split second they look like stars.”
I’d never seen it that way.
March 28, 2023
I’d give like 2 stars for the books addressing of suffering in the human experience, particularly from a Christian perspective. It’s definitely relatable and strikes a chord, but I don’t think it addressed certain aspects of grief and what hope is available very well.
I’d give 4 stars for Rob Bell communicating in such unorthodox and yet gripping ways. Particularly the huge hardback version of this book is something else—super thick, colored pages, pictures throughout. Despite the book being huge, so many blank pages or pages with one words, which is intentional and suits some of his points. Some of the images were memorable, others I immediately forgot as I wrote this review after.
Perhaps I’m supposed to sit with the pictures and meditate? Bell doesn’t make that clear.
I’d give 4 stars for Rob Bell communicating in such unorthodox and yet gripping ways. Particularly the huge hardback version of this book is something else—super thick, colored pages, pictures throughout. Despite the book being huge, so many blank pages or pages with one words, which is intentional and suits some of his points. Some of the images were memorable, others I immediately forgot as I wrote this review after.
Perhaps I’m supposed to sit with the pictures and meditate? Bell doesn’t make that clear.
December 3, 2025
Easily the book I've read the most times in my life and that's mainly because the book is 25 minutes long and I read it at least 2 times.
An essential suitcase book that I can turn to to comfort whenever I need re-centering. Reading it first when I was a child help guide me in spirit as I pursued my religion, and in that manner it was extremely fulfilling to me. Returning to it, it still fulfills me but it is notably shallower than it felt when I was ten. But I wholeheartedly expect to find it just as deep as I did then another 10 years from now.
An essential suitcase book that I can turn to to comfort whenever I need re-centering. Reading it first when I was a child help guide me in spirit as I pursued my religion, and in that manner it was extremely fulfilling to me. Returning to it, it still fulfills me but it is notably shallower than it felt when I was ten. But I wholeheartedly expect to find it just as deep as I did then another 10 years from now.
August 22, 2017
Strong Opinion: The best book I have personally read. Made me think about my life and what I want in life. Changed my life after I read it.
Plot and Theme: This book is not a traditional book with plot and characters. It is a collection of stories of other people. Through hard times and even good times, you can get past things. Everyone has gone through tough times because of change or an event that occurs. It talks about how pain and suffering hurt the human spirit but it also creates life experiences and possibly good change in life. It shows that agony is essential in life because it is an art.
Recommendation: Anyone that wants their lives changed or feel a burden on themselves and feel like they can't overcome an event should read this book. Can possibly change your life.
Plot and Theme: This book is not a traditional book with plot and characters. It is a collection of stories of other people. Through hard times and even good times, you can get past things. Everyone has gone through tough times because of change or an event that occurs. It talks about how pain and suffering hurt the human spirit but it also creates life experiences and possibly good change in life. It shows that agony is essential in life because it is an art.
Recommendation: Anyone that wants their lives changed or feel a burden on themselves and feel like they can't overcome an event should read this book. Can possibly change your life.
December 25, 2016
Good Read. "A few thoughts on Creativity and Suffering." This is a book you must read for yourself. I won't give away any quotes but it is a book I will reread several times... if you're looking for answers this is not the book for you... but if you are wondering about some things... this enhances the wondering...
February 1, 2020
A one-sitting read; drops like stars invite the reader into the shared human experience of suffering, pain, loss, creativity, and imagination. Rob impacted my life greatly, and this short coffee table book is less of a read and more of an interactive series of thoughts and inspirations. I need doses of these ideas and words every day.
August 9, 2020
I love Rob Bell's writing and ability to connect seemingly unconnected things. Usually. This felt too disjointed for me - like it could have been expanded into a much bigger book that could more thoroughly wrestle with what it means to suffer, as well as what it means to create. His anecdotes felt forced and a bit jarring, even. Transitions are key!
December 28, 2022
Well written and easy to read, as usual, but despite its brevity I didn’t really come away with anything profound. Perhaps I’m spoiled by Bell’s typical book, or perhaps I would have rated it higher had I read it ten years ago. Was still worth the three hours of my time to be reminded that suffering is worth embracing instead of my usual avoidance and repression.
January 21, 2018
Rob Bell has the ability to ask the questions few other Christians dare to even go near. While there is a huge stigma around this writer in the Christian world. I believe that his books are an important read.
July 11, 2020
I read this book about once a year, and each time I find a different segment that really resonates with me. Although the ideas in the book are standard, the way in which they’re written and the artwork that accompanied them feels enlightening and grounding depending on how you choose to read it.
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