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je55ilo's review against another edition
reflective
4.0
I did not grow up religious -- my parents are ex-Catholics, derisive of Christianity and generally agnostic -- so listening to Lyz grapple with her evangelical roots was the most fascinating part of the book for me. I appreciate her analysis of midwestern Trump voters, although it only brushed against the white supremacist patriarchal roots of it (still, not an apologia by any means). As with her newest book, Lyz has such a riveting authorial voice! I really enjoyed the audiobook.
allisonh59's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
emily_mcclanathan's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
practicallymagic's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
4.75
A really informative and insightful book and look into what is actually happening in the Midwest by a midwesterner. Lyz gave a voice to those of us who are on the fringe whether involuntarily or by choice and illustrated the compromises people make daily to survive. It’s a great read.
saraheijerman's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
I'm still turning this book over in my head - I think it's so good to read books that are out of your comfort zone or your point of view, and this book fell into that category for me. The author seems very passionate, and it was obvious that she worked hard to research many points of view and different locations for her source material. While some aspects of the book were very true to my experiences of growing up in "God Land", some were not, so it was hard for me to soak all of her observations in...that being said, I'm a white, straight, Christian, and excessively optimistic person (that doesn't like to disagree or rock the boat), so I usually fit into the small town Iowa church life just fine. My main takeaway from this book was just a reminder to be compassionate - everyone has different experiences/struggles/points of view...and just because something didn't match my experience, doesn't mean the issues don't need my attention or compassion.
jamesthesnake's review against another edition
3.0
When it works to works super well but needed to cut 40 pages or add 60 , kind of a weird hybrid
lyonsmw's review
4.0
A fascinating, introspective on a deeply personal faith journey. Lyz Lenz was not afraid to wrestle with doubt and bare her fears as she takes the reader through her faith reset. It’s, ultimately, a hopeful read.
sakeriver's review against another edition
We talk a lot about nuance and how we need it, and what I think this book does so well is presenting a nuance that is not just compassion but also accountability. I thought it was really well done.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this up because I was interested in her reporting/research on religion/faith in the Midwest (I am 100% a city kid from Cedar Rapids, IA, where Lyz now lives). And she does a great job in tying to get inside that mythos of “midwesterners are the salt of the earth and the “real” backbone of the US”, the cognitive dissonance of faith and politics, etc etc but she also ties much of it to her search for a faith community that did not make her feel small or unwelcome. I think she also did a fantastic job of presenting all her subjects fairly and with depth and avoided othering or making any of them the boogeyman which is hard when being “politically neutral” is impossible. (I had a chuckle in the chapter where she attends the ELCA pastor conference and I was like “those are my people! High five”