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Kevin Roose was an ordinary sophomore majoring in English at Brown University before he happened upon an original idea. When interning for writer A. J. Jacobs, Roose met some students at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University and became convinced there was a divide to be bridged between such God-oriented young conservatives and more typical secular college kids like himself. He met with a dean, and then went undercover for a semester at "Liberty." His book about the experience, The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University, is surprisingly funny as well as touching.

Roose writes about the religious, far-right campus with skepticism, but also affection. He was won over by his new evangelical friends in some respects, discovering common bonds of humanity, spirituality, and passion. Coming in for more criticism were the homophobic, intolerant, and anti-scientific sides of "Liberty" life.

Once ensconced in the Liberty world, the intrepid reporter plunged in, following the strict rules (for the most part), studying creationism, singing with the choir of Jerry Falwell's megachurch, and giving up swearing and drinking -- all the while taking voluminous notes on the sly.

The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University is a great read from a talented and entertaining writer who had the daring to suspend his own life to better understand another.

--Christine Bowman, Senior Editor, BuzzFlash.com


"Roose may be young...but he writes like a seasoned veteran." -- Publishers Weekly


From the publisher:

No drinking. No smoking. No cursing. No dancing. No R-rated movies.

Kevin Roose wasn't used to rules like these. As a sophomore at Brown University, he spent his days drinking fair-trade coffee, singing in an a cappella group, and fitting right in with Brown's free-spirited, ultra-liberal student body. But when Roose leaves his Ivy League confines to spend a semester at Liberty University, a conservative Baptist school in Lynchburg, Virginia, obedience is no longer optional.

Liberty is the late Reverend Jerry Falwell's "Bible Boot Camp" for young evangelicals, his training ground for the next generation of America's Religious Right. Liberty's ten thousand undergraduates take courses like Evangelism 101, hear from guest speakers like Sean Hannity and Karl Rove, and follow a forty-six-page code of conduct that regulates every aspect of their social lives. Hoping to connect with his evangelical peers, Roose decides to enroll at Liberty as a new transfer student, leaping across the God Divide and chronicling his adventures in this daring report from the front lines of America's culture war.

His journey takes him from an evangelical hip-hop concert to choir practice at Falwell's legendary Thomas Road Baptist Church. He experiments with prayer, participates in a spring break mission trip to Daytona Beach (where he learns to preach the gospel to partying coeds), and pays a visit to Every Man's Battle, an on-campus support group for chronic masturbators. He meets pastors' kids, closet doubters, Christian rebels, and conducts what would be the last print interview of Rev. Falwell's life.

Hilarious and heartwarming, respectful and thought-provoking, THE UNLIKELY DISCIPLE will inspire and entertain believers and nonbelievers alike.

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BUZZFLASH REVIEWS