Book Tour News: Harvard Coop (PLUS: Media Update)
I’m happy to announce that my book tour – my relatively-short-but-just-a-little-soul-deadening book tour – is coming to an end this week, after a final stop at Harvard. I’ll be speaking at The Coop at 7 PM tomorrow (Wednesday), and would love to see some Boston-area readers there. Directions are here.
Some highlights from the tour:
- In Lynchburg, Virginia, getting to catch up with a bunch of my Liberty friends and professors, some of whom I hadn’t seen in many months. And all of whom, luckily, were at least marginally satisfied with the way I portrayed them in the book. Although one guy did take issue with the pseudonym I’d given him, saying that it made him sound too metrosexual. I told him I’d be open to changing it to something manlier for the paperback. Bubba? Rambo? I’ll have to think about that one.
- At Yale Divinity School, being told about the horrible puns and bits of biblical wordplay that make up YDS life. Some of the worst ones include “Holy Grounds” (campus coffee shop), the “Paracleats” (intramural soccer team), the “Bible Belters” (men’s a cappella group) and “Left Behind” (the atheist student group).
- At Oberlin College, learning that my audience included a gay Episcopalian priest, a gay Unitarian Universalist minister, and a gay Baptist seminary grad. Which sounds like the start of a joke you’d find in Penthouse, but it’s true.
Anyway, big thanks to everyone who hosted, transported, or otherwise helped me over the course of the tour.
A few press hits from last week:
- The Religion News Service did an interview for their “10 Minutes With…” series.
- Failure Magazine did a piece.
- J.D. Greear, the Lead Pastor at the Summit Church of Raleigh-Durham, NC, debated my views.
- I did some radio spots, including a Republican from Seattle, a Republican from Rhode Island, and Barry Lynn.
Also, I’m obliged to mention that with two sex-related felony charges, a fallen hero, and a commencement speaker who pandered so hard his audience almost forgot he was Jewish, Liberty University is not having a good month. Let’s hope the summer vacation restores and renews. Keep your head in the game, Champions.
Love your blog Kevin, and your book! Keep posting and writing!
— Lindsay
May 12, 2009, 1:41 pm
Holy crap! I didn’t know about Professor Moon. Thank GOD I didn’t have him for my math class.
I find the Miss CA situation amusing. Oops, LU. Heh.
At first, I was a bit miffed that this year’s class got someone intellectualish like Ben Stein while my class had Chuck Norris, but now I think I’m glad I didn’t have Ben Stein.
— Beth
May 12, 2009, 3:31 pm
The LU student in your book that said you portrayed them as being metrosexual must have been Henry… “You made me seem like too nice of a guy! You know I kicked your ass every night, you [insert homophobic expletive]!”
— Josh
May 12, 2009, 10:18 pm
Sounds like you’re pretty busy.
I’m a Liberty student and I just wrote a review of your book.
It would be great if you had a look-see
http://www.cmscott.com/the-unlikely-disciple-book-review-from-a-liberty-student/
— Chris Scott
May 12, 2009, 11:27 pm
i just finished reading the book (It’s a great book , i recommend it to anyone)
Henry was the seething 29 y/o roommate? He didnt seem metrosexual to me… it would be a cliche to say he’s a gay in denial and taking it out on everyone else. After reading the book, the biggest metrosexual in it seems to be the author himself
Do all Lefty straight guys obsess over gay people as much as this guy does? I’m a gay conservative and i have to say that even i dont think about gay people in the context of everything that goes on around me as Roose seems to do.
— VinceP1974
May 18, 2009, 8:32 pm
Roose. I’m curious why you phrased your statement this way
“, and a commencement speaker who pandered so hard his audience almost forgot he was Jewish”
— VinceP1974
May 18, 2009, 8:40 pm
so, who was the guy that thought his pseudonym sounded metro? it’s not nice to make us all curious about it and then not tell us who it is…
— megan
May 29, 2009, 12:56 pm
just heard your npr interview, and decided to take your “quiz” - to which i got an *amazing* 13 out of 15 - (pretty good for an agnostic!) i guess my two evangelical siblings are rubbing off on me. the answers that i didn’t know were bible specific. on each of the questions i got correct, i just answered the opposite of what my beliefs are. . .
— liz
May 31, 2009, 10:05 am