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stepanana's review
4.0
He studied under A.J. Jacobs and you can tell -- I love the idea of taking a semester off and going "undercover" to a conservative evangelical university. It's very mysterious and the plot seems familiar and predictable ... however, the happy endings aren't so clear-cut and the book is more honest than I might expect. Overall, I think the theme that runs throughout the book is that we are all flawed individuals trying to make sense of this crazy world.
rodhilton's review
5.0
The Unlikely Disciple is simply a fascinating book. Kevin Roose maintains an even-handed, dispassionate tone as he gives an insider's account of life at Jerry Falwell's evangelical Liberty University.
The book contains a number of surprises, and is nearly impossible to put down throughout. Kevin, who once worked under A.J. Jacobs, completely apes the style and tone of Jacobs's other books, so any fan of A.J. should find this quite enjoyable.
As someone who was once the same kind of Christian as the folks who attend Liberty, I'm confident that Roose's portrayal of students is accurate and fair - I knew people exactly like those he describes, and in fact I once was one.
I learned a great deal about Liberty University, including things that were not surprising (tests include true/false questions such as "True or False: Evolution is a proven fact.") and things that were (despite the draconian rules, many students kissed, hugged for longer than three seconds, smoked, and watched R-rated movies).
Roose frames his story within a larger, personal narrative, ensuring that the people who we learn about are presented as real people, not caricatures. It's a fantastic read, and I highly recommend it.
The book contains a number of surprises, and is nearly impossible to put down throughout. Kevin, who once worked under A.J. Jacobs, completely apes the style and tone of Jacobs's other books, so any fan of A.J. should find this quite enjoyable.
As someone who was once the same kind of Christian as the folks who attend Liberty, I'm confident that Roose's portrayal of students is accurate and fair - I knew people exactly like those he describes, and in fact I once was one.
I learned a great deal about Liberty University, including things that were not surprising (tests include true/false questions such as "True or False: Evolution is a proven fact.") and things that were (despite the draconian rules, many students kissed, hugged for longer than three seconds, smoked, and watched R-rated movies).
Roose frames his story within a larger, personal narrative, ensuring that the people who we learn about are presented as real people, not caricatures. It's a fantastic read, and I highly recommend it.
milanaaaah's review against another edition
challenging
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
An impressively reflective book written by a 19 year old journalist.
sparklethenpop's review
5.0
Just read it. It will change the way you think about things. The first thing is that this was written by a college sophomore (I think he's a senior now), I was so impressed with how mature he seemed to be. I really loved seeing such a compassionate yet honest view of a community that I am a little scared of. I grew to care about the Liberty students. I even was very sad when I read about Jerry Falwell's death. The biggest thing that I got out of this book was a desire to show that there are different kinds of Christians. Who's right and who's wrong? We may never know but it made me proud to be the "liberal" kind.
misspudding's review
4.0
Really fascinating and well-balanced account of a regular, liberal college kid who goes to Liberty University. I thought it was really, really interesting!
jenlaughs's review
5.0
LOVE this book. Reading it again for book club. He is a very talented writer and somehow actually made Jerry Falwell appear sympathetic. Great book.
katieschramp's review
5.0
I'm not ashamed to admit I read a lot of what some might consider "stupid drivel"... but in no way does this book fall into that category. I can unequivocally (and unabashedly) recommend this book to ANYONE who enjoys 2 very simple things.
1. You must enjoy reading. Kind of a given since it's a book.
2. You must enjoy learning about people you probably would never have gotten the chance to learn about had you not read this book.
I must admit that I am one of the many people who thought of a school run by Jerry Falwell and pictured thousands of robotic, catechism quoting, hateful collegiates. While I loved the writing style (largely investigative in essence.... like a long newspaper/research article), what I loved most about this book was how it opened my eyes to people I would have happily written odd as cruel and crazy before reading this book. I thank Kevin Roose for breaking all the rules of investigative journalism and becoming utterly invested and tied to his "subjects". If he had not done this it would have been a dry, child look at a world different from my own. Instead I found myself becoming attached to the people Roose encountered at Liberty and realizing that I had my own prejudices to get over about the average Evangelical a Christian. I commend Kevin Roose and thank him for this thought-provoking book.
1. You must enjoy reading. Kind of a given since it's a book.
2. You must enjoy learning about people you probably would never have gotten the chance to learn about had you not read this book.
I must admit that I am one of the many people who thought of a school run by Jerry Falwell and pictured thousands of robotic, catechism quoting, hateful collegiates. While I loved the writing style (largely investigative in essence.... like a long newspaper/research article), what I loved most about this book was how it opened my eyes to people I would have happily written odd as cruel and crazy before reading this book. I thank Kevin Roose for breaking all the rules of investigative journalism and becoming utterly invested and tied to his "subjects". If he had not done this it would have been a dry, child look at a world different from my own. Instead I found myself becoming attached to the people Roose encountered at Liberty and realizing that I had my own prejudices to get over about the average Evangelical a Christian. I commend Kevin Roose and thank him for this thought-provoking book.
stevenyenzer's review
3.0
Roose is a gifted journalist and takes a very empathetic approach to his subject matter.
I did feel somewhat uneasy about the dishonesty of his approach, however. For one, I didn’t think the fact that he carefully avoided saying anything deceptive absolved him of any ethical responsibility. He was lying through omission by not sharing something that would have (by his own admission) drastically altered the way people behaved toward him. For another, I think it was pretty unethical for him to date “Anna” for any period of time. I felt pretty uncomfortable with that whole situation.
I liked the results of this undercover reporting, however. I was interested in getting a behind-the-scenes look at life at Liberty, and that wouldn’t have been possible without the deception.
One other issue I had was with Roose’s attitude toward homophobia. He correctly identifies casual homophobia as harmful and even dangerous, but his favorite Liberty student seems to be the most casually homophobic of all. I guess since Roose liked Jersey Joey (whose humor seems almost entirely based around cleverly suggesting his heterosexual peers are gay) his homophobia is just a funny joke.
I did feel somewhat uneasy about the dishonesty of his approach, however. For one, I didn’t think the fact that he carefully avoided saying anything deceptive absolved him of any ethical responsibility. He was lying through omission by not sharing something that would have (by his own admission) drastically altered the way people behaved toward him. For another, I think it was pretty unethical for him to date “Anna” for any period of time. I felt pretty uncomfortable with that whole situation.
I liked the results of this undercover reporting, however. I was interested in getting a behind-the-scenes look at life at Liberty, and that wouldn’t have been possible without the deception.
One other issue I had was with Roose’s attitude toward homophobia. He correctly identifies casual homophobia as harmful and even dangerous, but his favorite Liberty student seems to be the most casually homophobic of all. I guess since Roose liked Jersey Joey (whose humor seems almost entirely based around cleverly suggesting his heterosexual peers are gay) his homophobia is just a funny joke.
sunshine608's review
4.0
When I first saw this book in the bookstore I was immediate intrigued. Liberty University and similar school have always held this mystery for me. Sure I knew many evangelicals in school and even some whom attended my alma mater, but I was still very interested to get an inside glimpse of what life is really like.
This book did not disappoint. Kevin Roose, a sophomore at Brown decided to study “abroad” during his junior year. While all his friends were going to Paris and London, Roose headed south to Lynchburg, Virginia to study at Liberty University. Liberty founded by televangelist, mega-church pastor and Moral Majority founder Jerry Fallwell is an “fundamental Baptist” university that prides itself on teaching the ideals of Evangelical Christianity. It’s “Jesus Camp goes to college. Thankfully it wasn’t as scary as that move and I thought that the Roose did a fine job of chronicling his experience especially when compared to those of Liberty’s students. Sure we got a glimpse of those that the stereotypes are made of, but what we also saw was a group of young men and women just trying to find their way in the world while at the same time living up to the ideals of their beliefs and religion. No matter what those beliefs are, I think that most of these students went through the same struggles that their students at secular colleges go through with a few differences. The students at Liberty obviously have a more regimented environment and many thrive off that situation. Their regimentation is no different from the Army. Of course this regimentation perhaps hampered some of their growth, but these kids are young. In the end, they are doing what students at colleges all across the country are doing- just to a different tune.
I enjoyed Roose’s writing and his storytelling, the only issue I had with the book is that I wish Roose had stood up to some of those ideals. I understand that he was trying to blend in, but he could have at least started a conversation or planted the seed to combat some of the hate. Again, that’s my personal opinion as someone who enjoys playing the devil’s advocate on occasion. Overall, a very good book and at the end I just wished he would have included what happened to Anna- did he ever tell her. Perhaps that is something for the paperback edition.
This book did not disappoint. Kevin Roose, a sophomore at Brown decided to study “abroad” during his junior year. While all his friends were going to Paris and London, Roose headed south to Lynchburg, Virginia to study at Liberty University. Liberty founded by televangelist, mega-church pastor and Moral Majority founder Jerry Fallwell is an “fundamental Baptist” university that prides itself on teaching the ideals of Evangelical Christianity. It’s “Jesus Camp goes to college. Thankfully it wasn’t as scary as that move and I thought that the Roose did a fine job of chronicling his experience especially when compared to those of Liberty’s students. Sure we got a glimpse of those that the stereotypes are made of, but what we also saw was a group of young men and women just trying to find their way in the world while at the same time living up to the ideals of their beliefs and religion. No matter what those beliefs are, I think that most of these students went through the same struggles that their students at secular colleges go through with a few differences. The students at Liberty obviously have a more regimented environment and many thrive off that situation. Their regimentation is no different from the Army. Of course this regimentation perhaps hampered some of their growth, but these kids are young. In the end, they are doing what students at colleges all across the country are doing- just to a different tune.
I enjoyed Roose’s writing and his storytelling, the only issue I had with the book is that I wish Roose had stood up to some of those ideals. I understand that he was trying to blend in, but he could have at least started a conversation or planted the seed to combat some of the hate. Again, that’s my personal opinion as someone who enjoys playing the devil’s advocate on occasion. Overall, a very good book and at the end I just wished he would have included what happened to Anna- did he ever tell her. Perhaps that is something for the paperback edition.
afarre01's review
3.0
I rated this book three stars. As someone who was a very intense evangelical from 13 until 19ish, I thought a lot of his observations were spot on. I connected a lot with the stories he had because I had lots of similar experiences/beliefs when I was a part of a 'born again' church and during the summer I worked at a Christian summer camp. I would definitely recommend this book, although there was too much emphasis on Jerry Falwell. Because iVe seen it from a female perspective, I also thought it was interesting to see it from a guy's point of view.