Author:          Kevin Roose

Publisher:       Grand Central/Hachette

ISBN #:          978-0-446-17842-6

Type:             Non-Fiction:Memoir

Pages:           336 Hardback

Published:      March 26, 2009

Website:         http://kevinroose.com/  

Purchase:      $16.49 (HERE) 

The Story

Kevin Roose challenges his personal belief system as he puts himself into the shoes of his complete opposite… a student at Liberty University.  Changing from a lifestyle at the liberal Brown University to the conservative rules and restraints of a Evangelical Christian university is radical change for a 19-year old, bright student.  However, he looked forward to the experience of a semester “abroad” and the opportunity to understand the similarities and differences of  the students of these polar opposite campuses.  I believe that Kevin achieved just that. 

As he starts the semester, he quickly learns that Liberty University has a strict code of ethics, aka “The Liberty Way,” in which there is:

• No smoking
• No drinking
• No cursing
• No dancing
• No R-rated movies
• No hugs lasting more than 3 seconds

Kevin opens himself up to this new code of conduct, attends “Bible Boot Camp,” and really immerses himself into the school and its environment.  He takes his readers along as he attends:

• An evangelical hip-hop concert
• A Friday Night Bible Study Group
• Choir Practice/Performance at Jerry Falwell’s Thomas Road Baptist Church
• A spring mission trip on Daytona Beach, Florida
• An on-campus support group for chronic masturbators
• Prayer groups
• Nights with his new dorm-mates in which they sneak in a R-rated flick
• Church

In my opinion, what Kevin discovers and shares with his readers is that despite the differences, the students are much more alike than he had originally assumed.  He learned that his preconceived ideas about the students at Liberty were exaggerated and found them to be just as down-to-earth and likeable as his Brown classmates.  Kevin found prayer, although he didn’t necessarily “find God.”  He learned A TON about the Bible and studied the differences between evolution and creationism.  From all of this, he wrote a book that forces the reader to look at his/her own beliefs and identify how they relate to his/her political and social ideals. 

The Review

All in all, this is a very thought provoking book.  In reading this book, I learned so much more about the studies of The Bible than I expected I would.  The specific parts on Noah’s Ark and early creationism were of specific interest to me. 

I really enjoyed watching Kevin keeping his mind open to all of the students he encountered.  Even though he may not identify himself as a Christian, the way that he honors his fellow students and exhibits respect towards them, I feel emulates Christianity.  There were many sections within the book that I got a great giggle out of.  I loved reading about his mission trip to Daytona Beach, his efforts to give up “self-love” to focus on his spirituality, and his interview with Jerry Falwell. 

Some of the topics that are brought to the surface in this book really challenged my belief system.  I am a believer of the Christian faith, however I do maintain somewhat liberal views on certain topics.  In other words, I’m best described as a non-conservative Christian.  But, what I’ve often heard and what was delivered to me again in this book is that if you believe The Bible, you believe the entire thing.  You can’t pick and choose what you believe to fit with your moral, social, or political viewpoints.  This becomes difficult when you have such a deep love for God and Christ and yet try to accept all of God’s children regardless of their color, race, religion or sexual orientation.  And, that’s a long conversation for another day and most likely not in a book review.  But, it is those types of topics that surface in reading this book and I welcomed the mental challenge it provided me.

In reading this book, I learned WAY TOO MUCH about Jerry Falwell.  Let’s just say that I can’t imagine investing in a Jerry Falwell Bobble-Head figurine.  It was surprising to me just how much influence Jerry had on American politics and the Teletubbies (*yes, he was that guy who outed the purple one!*).   When I visited the Liberty University website today, I discovered that his son, who has taken over the ministry, recently visited and prayed with members of U.S. Congress.  I guess there’s no breaking that family tradition!

I also learned one other valuable lesson… if I get approached by Evangelicals who are on a mission to convert souls to Christ, I will be more tolerant and much nicer.  I now have a different understanding of just how difficult it must be to approach strangers to discuss something as great as God.  Now, this is not to say that I will spend more than a couple of minutes chatting with them, but I will be kind and honest in my response to that they can use their time to convert those non-believers that they set out to change! (*smile*)

Extras & Goodies

Kevin wrote a great article about Jerry Falwell that you can read HERE.

The Liberty University website can be accessed HERE.

Great Reviews I Found On The Book:  My Friend Amy, The Book Lady’s Blog, A Reader’s Respite, At Home With Books, and Booking Mama. 

The Rating

On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale,” I am giving The Unlikely Disciple a rating of 9 out of 10.  The novel really held my attention and I feel as though I spent a semester of learning at Liberty University.  Although I both disagree and agree with Kevin Roose in his beliefs on various political and religious viewpoints, I feel a sense of kinship with this author.  I want to see him do well in his sure-to-be-successful career as an author and/or journalist.  In many ways, this book somewhat reminded me of an episode of 30 Days, a fantastic show by Morgan Spurlock about stepping into a life that you may form an opinion of without ever taking a step into.  What people who have done this is usually discover is that they were very wrong about the mountainous divide between the two sides… we are all, inevitably human.

My heartfelt thanks to the publisher for granting my request to review this engaging book!  I loved it. 

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