The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University - Hardcover

Like Neil Strauss penetrating a secret society of pick-up artists or Norah Vincent becoming a man for a year, Brown University sophomore Kevin Roose takes a term abroad to Liberty University, Rev. Jerry Falwell's fundamentalist Baptist college in Lynchbur

"What happens when a Brown undergrad goes undercover at Liberty University? If he's a writer as insightful and open-minded as Kevin Roose, he ends up learning as much about himself as he does about the evangelical Christians he lives with. The Unlikely Disciple provides a funny, compassionate, and revealing look at Jerry Falwell's 'Bible Boot Camp, ' and the surprisingly diverse band of true believers who make it their home." --Tom Perrotta, New York Times bestselling author of Little Children and The Abstinence Teacher "This is a brilliant book. Absolutely brilliant. Roose's wisdom, humanity, and love kept me going. And I laughed. A lot." -- Rob Bell, founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church and bestselling author of Velvet Elvis and Sex God "Roose may be young...but he writes like a seasoned veteran." --Publishers Weekly "Kevin Roose has produced a textured, intelligent, even sympathetic, account of his semester at Liberty University. He eschews caricature and the cheap shot in favor of keen observation and trenchant analysis. THE UNLIKELY DISCIPLE is a book of uncommon wisdom and insight. I recommend it with enthusiasm." --The Rev. Dr. Randall Balmer, Episcopal Priest and Professor of American Religious History at Barnard College, Columbia University "Keenly observed, funny, and compassionate. Kevin Roose parachutes us into a seldom-glimpsed and little understood pocket of America, then guides us through a story of religion and country more resonant than any of us could have imagined." --Robert Kurson, New York Times bestselling author of Shadow Divers and Crashing Through "Hallelujah for Kevin Roose. This is a remarkable book. He takes us on a fascinating, funny, nuanced journey that doesn't condescend or make glib judgments. It's just what the culture wars need. If I didn't already have kids, I'd adopt Kevin." --A.J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author of The Year Of Living Biblically "Kevin Roose is a delightful writer, and this is a humane book. Read it and I predict you'll have less paranoia, more exposure to 'the other, ' and a larger dose of Roose's generous and hopeful faith." --Brian McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christian, A Generous Orthodoxy, and Everything Must Change "[Kevin] tells his story entertainingly...level-headed, nuanced, keenly observant." --Booklist