As a student Kevin was eager for a term abroad - a break from the mind-numbing sameness of life at Brown University, one of the most liberal colleges in America. Well Kevin found the most foreign place he could in America's backyard. Liberty University is the late Rev. Jerry Falwell's fundamentalist Christian college for hardcore conservative Christians. The 10,000 students learn everything through a strict lens of Biblical literalism, every professor is a born-again Christian, the student code of conduct, lays out a host ...
Read More
As a student Kevin was eager for a term abroad - a break from the mind-numbing sameness of life at Brown University, one of the most liberal colleges in America. Well Kevin found the most foreign place he could in America's backyard. Liberty University is the late Rev. Jerry Falwell's fundamentalist Christian college for hardcore conservative Christians. The 10,000 students learn everything through a strict lens of Biblical literalism, every professor is a born-again Christian, the student code of conduct, lays out a host of rules e.g. no witchcraft allowed and at spring break, they take a bus to Daytona Beach to convert the heathens. But Kevin did not go to poke fun at the students or the way of life there, far from it. He went there to try to better understand the people who are so similar and yet so different from him, to see if perhaps they have found a way to live that is more rewarding than his own. What begins as a journey to reveal what is actually going on at the nation's largest Christian fundamentalist school ends up revealing more about Kevin than he could have possibly imagined.
Read Less
Add this copy of The Unlikely Disciple: a Sinner's Semester at America's to cart. $1.25, fair condition, Sold by Once Upon A Time Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tontitown, AR, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Grand Central Publishing.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fair. This is a used book. It may contain highlighting/underlining and/or the book may show heavier signs of wear. It may also be ex-library or without dustjacket. This is a used book. It may contain highlighting/underlining and/or the book may show heavier signs of wear. It may also be ex-library or without dustjacket.
Add this copy of The Unlikely Disciple: a Sinner's Semester at America's to cart. $1.26, very good condition, Sold by More Than Words rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham, MA, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Grand Central Publishing.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very Good. . All orders guaranteed and ship within 24 hours. Your purchase supports More Than Words, a nonprofit job training program for youth, empowering youth to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business.
Add this copy of The Unlikely Disciple: a Sinner's Semester at America's to cart. $1.49, good condition, Sold by Open Books Ltd rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Chicago, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Grand Central Publishing.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Light wear Open Books is a nonprofit social venture that provides literacy experiences for thousands of readers each year through inspiring programs and creative capitalization of books.
Add this copy of The Unlikely Disciple: a Sinner's Semester at America's to cart. $1.59, good condition, Sold by Gulf Coast Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Memphis, TN, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Grand Central Publishing.
Add this copy of The Unlikely Disciple: a Sinner's Semester at America's to cart. $1.60, good condition, Sold by Orion Tech rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Grand Central Publishing.
Add this copy of The Unlikely Disciple: a Sinner's Semester at America's to cart. $1.64, fair condition, Sold by Valleys Books & More rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Roanoke, VA, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Grand Central Publishing.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fair. This hardback book cover has dinged corners. There is yellowing of the pages of this book due to age. Shipped to you from Goodwill of the Valleys, Roanoke VA. Thank you for your support!
Add this copy of The Unlikely Disciple: a Sinner's Semester at America's to cart. $1.86, good condition, Sold by Good Books Will Follow rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Blue Springs, MO, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Grand Central Publishing.
Add this copy of The Unlikely Disciple: a Sinner's Semester at America's to cart. $1.99, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Grand Central Publishing.
Add this copy of The Unlikely Disciple: a Sinner's Semester at America's to cart. $1.99, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Grand Central Publishing.
Add this copy of The Unlikely Disciple: a Sinner's Semester at America's to cart. $2.20, very good condition, Sold by The Maryland Book Bank rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from baltimore, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Grand Central Publishing.
I felt the book was misrepresented and that it was another attempt to make fun of Christians. That young man needs the LORD.
BurtonReview
Apr 26, 2009
Enlightening
The storyline is simple: regular guy (ie. secular) goes to a strict religious school. The author Kevin Roose is indeed a young guy, and the way he writes the book makes it an enjoyable read although his language gets a bit crude at times. He also tends to characterize people by describing someone as a celebrity. (Jamie Lee Curtis for example. What does that mean exactly? Is she still considered hot? Forty years from now one would REALLY wonder what Kevin is driving at.) There are certain opinions he expresses that others may not agree with which may make this a harder read for them. I chose to ignore some of those types of things so I could get to the bigger picture. Truthfully, I learned a lot from Kevin's book because I am also a 'regular' girl. I grew up going to Catholic Church on Sundays, I even taught a little after-school religion myself before I moved out of NY. But honestly, that's as far as I got. This is a great look at how the 'other half' lives.
The book does not set out to convert anyone, it is just a view on the college he attended for that semester and how it affected him. (Kevin himself returns to Brown the next semester). Even so, it has inspired me to have more of a spiritual opening for God. I empathized with Kevin while he tried to fit into the mold of the college, but I also understood the viewpoints of the students at Liberty University. Everything from joining the choir, learning the coursework for his classes, the mindset of the students and Kevin's personal beliefs are laid out in this book like a mini-memoir. Kevin explains the beliefs of the religion while writing of the reasonings behind them and why it clashes with what he has been brought up to believe, such as Creationism vs. Darwinism. Certain things like Global Warming does not exist, homophobia and all the things on the 46 page code of conduct at Liberty were all very interesting. We learn some of the background of Jerry Falwell, Liberty's founder, and sit in on some of his lectures. (Sermons?) It is a very thorough book detailing the day to day activities of Kevin during his time at Liberty. After reading this book, I wouldn't mind sending my kids to Liberty University, but just for a semester. The rules are strict as far as morals go and that's always a good thing in my book.
For Kevin's writing endeavor I give him a 3.5, it was well written for a beginner. A very good topic though, and has already won lots of rave reviews.