We're feeling rather evangelical today....

While A Reader's Respite makes no religious claims whatsoever, we do enjoy reading some of the more *ahem* extreme ends of the theological spectrum. It may have to do with our evangelical upbringing (nothing like a Mormon family marrying into a bunch of evangelical Baptists for sheer entertainment value), but whatever the reason, here are a few compelling reads we've had our nose stuck into the past few weeks.

The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University, by Kevin Roose.

We downloaded this book to our Amazonian Devil Device after reading a compelling review on At Home With Books. And it was worth it. Author Kevin Roose was a journalism major at Brown University when he decided to see what all the evangelical hoopla was about down at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, a four year college in Virginia and the largest evangelical university in the world, and he documents his experiences here.


You just can't escape the humor in a secular student of the world being thrown into what he calls "Bible Boot Camp." Roose's biblical knowledge was scant as best, "...I knew the basics of the Genesis story (Adam names the animals, Eve bites an apple, and we all break into jazz squares), I could probably have named the four Gospels if you have me a minute or two, but that's where my Bible knowledge ended." Suffice it to say that his learning curve was pretty steep.


But rather than approaching the experiment with malice (satirist P.J. O'Rourke is credited here with comparing making fun of born-again Christians to "hunting dairy cows with a high-powered rifle and scope"), Roose makes a concerted effort to open his mind to new experiences and the payoff is a big one.


While he doesn't experience any kind of religious epiphany while at Liberty, he does learn the value of reserving judgement and practicing compassion. Despite taking biology classes that spend all their time refuting evolution and attending groups like Every Man's Battle (to combat the sin of masturbation), Roose strips away the stereotypes to reveal young, college-aged students just trying to find their place in this world, much like their secular counterparts.


Highly recommended for the humor and the compassion, A Reader's Respite heartily encourages you to read this one.

I'm Perfect, You're Doomed, by Kyria Abrahams

Switching denominations here, we moved on to Kyria Abrahams hysterical account of growing up as a Jehovah's Witness. Abrahams goes less for insight and more for the humor (of which there is apparently endless fodder in this particular religious sect) in this memoir, poking fun at her childhood and young adult years spent in bewildrement over the myriad of rules and regulations set forth by doctrine.

Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, and Elie Wiesel were all considered bad associations. Not only did they not worship Jehovah, but they were activists, which meant they didn't trust in God to make changes on this earth and felt the need to take matters into their own hands. They were turning people away from Jehovah.

My father said this is probably why John Lennon was shot, becase God knew he was too close to bringing peace to the whole world.

The point was, if someone wasn't a Jehovah's Witnesses, he was going to die at Armageddon, and there was no point in befriending the condemned.

I'm Perfect, You're Doomed, by Kyria Abrahams

While you won't find any great philosophical revelations here, you will find slapstick comedy that will keep you in stitches. Light-hearted and irreverant, Abrahams bears no obvious malice over her upbringing, she simply sees the humor in it. And there's definately something to be said for that.

Under the Banner of Heaven, by Jon Krakauer

One last book, here, this one written by Jon Krakauer (he of Into Thin Air and Into the Wild fame). For those of you who like your religious exposes on the more serious side, Under the Banner of Heaven is not to be missed.

Part true crime, part Mormon expose, this book focuses on the pockets of fundamentalist Mormons that have flourished in years past in Utah, Idaho and the Four Corners area. Wrapped around the murder of a young Mormon woman and her infant daughter committed by fundamentalists, the more sordid side of this sect is uncovered in this compelling book.

Although heartbreaking in it's details, this book is difficult to put down once you turn the first page and since the capture of fundamentalist leader Warren Jeffs in the years following publication of this book ,there is much follow-up available on the internet for those who find this tale as riveting as we did.

We're happy to be able to offer a copy of Kyria Abrahams' memoir I'm Perfect, You're Doomed to TWO lucky winners. Just leave us a comment telling us why you'd like to read this one and on July 13th, we'll announce two random winners (international peeps are welcome, too!).