Posted by Kevin on March 28th, 2009
WSET Channel 13, Lynchburg’s ABC affiliate, ran a short segment last night on the reaction to The Unlikely Disciple on Liberty Mountain, including the bookstore advisory committee’s 3-1 vote in favor of stocking the book on campus. The segment features Liberty professor Karen Swallow Prior (who wrote this review of the book in Christianity Today’s Books & Culture) and Liberty students Joyanna Gilmour and Samuel Loncar saying nice things about the book, as well as a Liberty administrator, VP Mark Hine, whose opinions are more critical.
Watch the segment here.
I’m not shocked by criticism, especially from Liberty administrators, since – although the book is filled with positive observations about Liberty – I take an honest look at the school’s shortcomings as well. But if administrators are going to accuse me of writing “inaccuracies” into the book, I’d at least like to see a list of the alleged errors so I can respond accordingly. So far, I’ve heard only vague accusations.
4 Comments »
Posted by Kevin on March 27th, 2009
Hey guys. Now that the book has launched and I have time to eat, sleep, and maintain basic hygiene levels again, I can share some exciting news from the last week:
- This is about a week old, but Books & Culture (the literary arm of Christianity Today) ran a long review of The Unlikely Disciple titled “Surprised by Love,” written by Karen Swallow Prior, a Liberty professor (and English department chair). I’ve gotten to know Dr. Prior in the last few months — she’s a complete credit to her university, and a wonderful writer and scholar to boot. Her review, which is maybe 95% positive (with the other 5% being totally legit qualms about my academic experience at Liberty), is one of my favorites so far simply because Dr. Prior really, really gets it. Read it here.
- Speaking of Christianity Today, the flagship magazine is running another article, a Q&A entitled “One of Jerry’s Kids,” about my Liberty experience.
- My long-awaited Bible Quiz is finally up! This 15-question quiz is composed of questions like the ones I got on my exams at Liberty. (Example: “Who betrayed Samson to the Philistines?”) Test your own Bible knowledge, and post your score in the comments!
- I spent some time today hanging out with Galleycat’s Ron Hogan and Kyria Abrahams, the author of the recently-released I’m Perfect, You’re Doomed, a memoir about her super-strict upbringing as a Jehovah’s Witness. (Her stories make Liberty look like Six Flags.) You can buy Kyria’s book and read her blog to learn more.
- Last but not least, I posted earlier about the Liberty University bookstore advisory committee, which was charged by Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. with deciding whether or not to stock The Unlikely Disciple in the campus bookstore. According to Chancellor Falwell, the committee voted last night, and came out 3-1 in favor of stocking the book! I’m glad that the committee recognized the book’s even-handedness, and delighted that Liberty students will now have an easier time getting hold of it.
That’s all for today. Next week, I’ve got a bunch of stuff planned, including more Jerry’s Kids interviews with Liberty students, news about my upcoming Lynchburg trip, and a prize-filled contest of some sort. Over and out.
9 Comments »
Posted by Kevin on March 26th, 2009
Relevant Magazine (which was introduced to me as “the Christian Rolling Stone”) is running an excerpt from THE UNLIKELY DISCIPLE, in which I sit down with Liberty founder Jerry Falwell to talk grandkids, pranks, and Snapple.
An excerpt:
Things get even more bizarre when I bring up his widespread reputation as a prankster.
“Oh, yes,” he says. “The pranks.”
An admitted no-goodnik in his youth, Dr. Falwell wrote in his autobiography that he still savors a good practical joke “like some people savor old wine.” When I quote this line back to him, he spends 10 minutes regaling me with decades-old stories about hotwiring his colleagues’ cars and blowing up mailboxes with M-80 firecrackers. His back comes off his chair as he tells me about the time he placed a stinkbomb under the chair leg of Bob Jones, Jr., then-president of Bob Jones University, at a conference of pastors.
“When he sat down, the bomb broke,” he says, his belly rising and falling with laughter. “And in a crowded auditorium, it got pretty rank pretty quick. Everyone was choking for 10, 15 minutes.”
Check the whole thing out here.
Also, there’s still time to order the book on launch day. A full list of sellers can be found here.
And Matthew Paul Turner’s giveaway, up to more than 100 entries, is still posted at his blog.
1 Comment »
Posted by Kevin on March 26th, 2009
As a special treat for my launch day blog readers, I thought I’d post some truly entertaining content — the failed cover designs for “The Unlikely Disciple.”
Here’s the story behind these images: A year ago, when Grand Central (my publisher) was designing the book cover, they asked me to come down to New York City for a photo shoot in a SoHo studio. The cover, they said, would have a classroom theme, and they’d be shooting me in a variety of settings designed to highlight the academic aspects of my Liberty semester. I arrived at the studio in early afternoon – wearing brand-new clothes I’d bought just for the day – and introduced myself to the photographer, his assistant, the stylist who’d be doing my hair and makeup, and Grand Central’s art director, who’d be overseeing the shoot. Then, I saw three good-looking college kids – two girls and a guy – trying on clothes in front of the studio mirror. Assuming they were there for an unrelated shoot, I introduced myself to the guy – a tall blond who looked like Zack Morris from Saved By The Bell.
“Hi, I’m Kevin.”
“Oh hey, I’m Ken. What agency are you with?”
“Agency?”
Then it hit me: Grand Central had hired models to pose as my Liberty classmates. My editor had mentioned this as a possibility in an e-mail I’d probably barely looked at, but I was caught completely by surprise. Sure enough, as I talked to the three of them, it came out that they had been brought in to represent the “Christian college” look, which – judging from the outfits they had on – meant “preppy chic.” They hadn’t, however, been told what the assignment was, or that the book in question had been written by a college student, so they assumed I was one of them, and that the real author would show up later. Flattering news, I suppose, but also extremely odd.
So my faux-Christian-classmates and I posed for a little more than three hours, while the photographer yelled at his assistants and ordered us into various contortions and poses. The shoot was one of the most bizarre experiences of my life, and the cover designs that resulted, while definitely inferior to the one we chose in the end (which was, oddly enough, actually taken in an earlier shoot), are funny to look at in retrospect. I present them here for your viewing pleasure/my total embarrassment.
(Note: When this was taken, the working subtitle for the book was “My Semester With Jesus.” I think you’ll agree that what we changed it to, “A Sinner’s Semester at America’s Holiest University,” is much better on all fronts.)
7 Comments »
Posted by Kevin on March 26th, 2009
Well, the day has arrived. After two and a half years of wheeling, dealing, writing, laughing, begging, talking, hoping, and praying, The Unlikely Disciple has been officially released.
If you haven’t bought your copy yet , today is the day.
Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Unlikely-Disciple-Semester-Americas-University/dp/044617842X
B&N: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Unlikely-Disciple/Kevin-Roose/e/9780446178426/?itm=4
Other sellers: http://www.kevinroose.com/order
If you’d rather chance it, Matthew Paul Turner (author, “Churched”) is giving away FIVE copies of the book on his blog.
Check back later today for a blog post I can’t wait to bring you: COVER DESIGNS THAT DIDN’T MAKE IT.
1 Comment »
Posted by Kevin on March 25th, 2009
My friend Laura sends this photo from her school, Johns Hopkins University. (For those of you who have read the book, Laura is my friend from high school who prepared me for Liberty by making me read Left Behind and lending me her childhood collection of VeggieTales.)
Got a sighting? E-mail me at kevin@kevinroose.com and I’ll put it up on the blog.
No Comments »
Posted by Kevin on March 25th, 2009
It’s been a long time coming…
And tomorrow, The Unlikely Disciple is officially on sale!
(Yes, I know it’s been out in most stores for a few weeks now. I had nothing to do with this, I assure you.)
In order to have maximum impact and boost the sales rankings, I’m asking everyone to order a copy beginning at noon tomorrow.
Amazon link is here: http://www.amazon.com/Unlikely-Disciple-Semester-Americas-University/dp/044617842X
Full list of sellers is here: http://www.kevinroose.com/order
If you missed them, reviews and press mentions are here: http://www.kevinroose.com/press
Let’s make this a bestseller in its first week!
###
Update on Liberty bookstore situation: A few people have e-mailed asking me where things stand with the Liberty bookstore. The book is still not being stocked in the Liberty bookstore, but Chancellor Falwell has assured me that it will be deliberated upon by a committee of faculty members, who will decide if its content is deemed too offensive to be sold on campus. Let’s hope they make an informed decision.
Also, a few miscellaneous press hits:
8 Comments »
Posted by Kevin on March 23rd, 2009
Media website The Daily Beast is running a story on The Unlikely Disciple (which officially comes out on Thursday!), focused on the reactions to the book from Liberty chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. It’s a great article, and I’m glad Chancellor Falwell recognized that the book was “fair,” but I’m intrigued by what he told Daily Beast writer Jo Piazza about Liberty’s official policy vis à vis stocking the book:
“Barnes & Noble operates the campus bookstore. I am sure students will be able to order the book, but I am unsure whether they will stock it.”
Here’s what intrigues me: I’ve been hearing from Liberty students all week who say that not only is the bookstore “unsure” about stocking it, they’ve actually been forbidden from doing so by Chancellor Falwell.
So which is it? Is the management of Liberty’s campus bookstore freely choosing not to stock any copies? Or has The Unlikely Disciple been officially banned from campus?
UPDATE: I’ve been talking with Liberty administrators since the Daily Beast article went up (including Chancellor Falwell himself), and while it’s true that the campus bookstore is not currently stocking the book, and that the bookstore’s initial refusal to stock originated in the Chancellor’s office, I’ve been assured that it was a communication snafu rather than a deliberate banning. The book’s fate now rests in the hands of a bookstore advisory committee – consisting of faculty members appointed by the Chancellor – who will decide whether or not Liberty students should have access to the book through their campus store.
More details as I hear them…
3 Comments »
Posted by Kevin on March 23rd, 2009
Blog reader Craig Carpenter sends a photo of The Unlikely Disciple outside the Harvard Coop in Cambridge, Mass.
Any more sightings? E-mail photos to kevin@kevinroose.com.
1 Comment »
Posted by Kevin on March 19th, 2009
If you’re curious, here’s an almost-complete list of The Unlikely Disciple’s media hits from the past week or so (with apologies in advance for all the self-promotion, which is reaching P.T. Barnum-esque heights). I’ll have some actual content up soon, I promise.
- The cover story in the March/April issue of the Brown Alumni Magazine is a piece I wrote about my Liberty experience, called “Crossing the God Divide.”
- Today’s Lynchburg News & Advance includes a feature on my Liberty semester, written by Liz Barry, as well as a short Q&A.
- The American Scholar ran a long review in their most recent issue. The review, written beautifully by novelist John Rolfe Gardiner, isn’t available online. But here’s the money quote: Roose can’t forget he’s at Liberty first as a journalist. He’s a very good one, too, streets ahead of others his age at observation, with an ear for the argot, a nose for irony, a full kit of descriptive tools, and wise to his millennial generation’s enthusiasms, its sense of entitlement, and MySpace self-involvement. Determined not to prejudge, he’s open to being changed himself.
- The Sacramento Bee included The Unlikely Disciple in their spring books roundup, viewable here.
- The Brown Daily Herald, my favorite college newspaper, ran a feature about the book today.
- The March/April Psychology Today ran a great review, the closing line of which reads: “Roose’s open-mindedness about believers makes room for common ground, building a sorely needed footbridge across the God Divide.”
- Liberty’s radio station, 90.9 FM “The Light,” is running a radio interview with me at 6:30 PM EST tonight. Listen in at http://www.thelightonline.com/.
- I’m still blogging at mental_floss about my Liberty semester. Today’s installment: 5 Things I Learned By Being the World’s Worst Evangelist
- And, of course, the spring break chapter is still running as an excerpt at Salon.com. Some pretty funny reader comments on that one, including my personal favorite: “I would rather spend a semester with Nomads in Outer Mongolia moving their herd from place to place [than go undercover with evangelists].”
1 Comment »
