The Unlikely Disciple

A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University

By: Kevin Roose

Narrated by: Kevin Roose

Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

No drinking.
No smoking.
No cursing.
No dancing.
No R-rated movies.

Kevin Roose wasn't used to rules like these. As a sophomore at Brown University, he spent his days drinking fair-trade coffee, singing in an a cappella group, and fitting right in with Brown's free-spirited, ultra-liberal student body. But when Roose leaves his Ivy League confines to spend a semester at Liberty University, a conservative Baptist school in Lynchburg, Virginia, obedience is no longer optional.

Liberty is the late Reverend Jerry Falwell's "Bible Boot Camp" for young evangelicals, his training ground for the next generation of America's Religious Right. Liberty's 10,000 undergraduates take courses like Evangelism 101, hear from guest speakers like Sean Hannity and Karl Rove, and follow a 46-page code of conduct that regulates every aspect of their social lives. Hoping to connect with his evangelical peers, Roose decides to enroll at Liberty as a new transfer student, leaping across the God Divide and chronicling his adventures in this daring report from the front lines of America's culture war.

His journey takes him from an evangelical hip-hop concert to choir practice at Falwell's legendary Thomas Road Baptist Church. He experiments with prayer, participates in a spring break mission trip to Daytona Beach (where he learns to preach the gospel to partying coeds), and pays a visit to Every Man's Battle, an on-campus support group for chronic masturbators. He meets pastors' kids, closet doubters, Christian rebels, and conducts what would be the last print interview of Rev. Falwell's life.

Hilarious and heartwarming, respectful and thought-provoking, The Unlikely Disciple will inspire and entertain believers and nonbelievers alike.

©2009 Kevin Roose (P)2010 Hachette

Critic reviews

"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)

Great listen!!

This is a really good book!! I was so surprised the first chapter I didn’t take it seriously.. but then I had to finish it!!! I highly recommend this! It will make you smirk, laugh, and unfortunately sad. Most of all.. it will make you think!

Weirdly soothing

I totally enjoyed this book- it wasn’t insanely dramatic or heart stopping but it made for an excellent and enjoyable listen. I also love the author’s podcast Rabbit Hole.

Entertaining & interesting

Would you listen to The Unlikely Disciple again? Why?

I'm not usually a person to re-listen to or re-read most books, so my answer to this question is "no." However, the more important question, I think, is would I recommend it or do I regret reading it, and the answers are yes and no, respectively. Kevin Roose's look at Liberty University was respectful and thoughtful. As an evangelical myself and a professor at another Christian college, this look at how an "outsider" might view the evangelical sub-culture was enlightening and sometimes painful. His descriptions gave well-written word pictures that made me, as a reader, feel as if I knew the characters and the university.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Besides Roose himself, who was the narrator, my favorite character was "Jersey Joey." Joey is a likable character who is a believer but a bit rebellious. He welcomes Roose into his group but is perceptive enough to be a bit suspicious of Roose and his intentions. I was glad to read in the Epilogue (spoiler alert!) that he and Roose remain friends after Roose tells him the true nature of Roose's semester at Liberty.

Which character – as performed by Kevin Roose – was your favorite?

It's got to be Jersey Joey. I loved the accent and attitude, both of which made me feel like I knew him.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I was rooting for Roose and Anna to get together, while at the same time glad that Roose was respectful enough of her and her beliefs to not get into a romantic entanglement under false pretenses. I was sad when they broke up, and later delighted (another spoiler alert) when they talked openly at the end of the semester and Roose risked a kiss on the cheek as they parted.

Any additional comments?

This book is an enjoyable read and a thought-provoking one too. It is well worth a listen.

A Fascinating Outcome of Intellectual Curiosity

This a such a well written book that explores this man's encounter with strangers in a strange land. Well written and humorous, it gives an honest look at evangelicals and their lives, worries, and struggles. Highly recommend.

Felt Like Roose was Speaking Directly to Me!

I really enjoyed listening to this production. The content was interesting and engaging, and I often found myself engrossed in Roose's descriptions of his semester "abroad" at Liberty University. I always enjoy when the author is the narrator, and in this case especially, it felt truly authentic, like Roose was telling me a story. I felt that I got to know him a bit through the telling.

College Students Must Read

This book is a necessary read for young liberal and conservative college students at any campus. Although Roose does not fit in with the norms of Liberty University, he offers a beneficial understanding of the evangelical student life there. I highly recommend this book because it shows how a community can influence and even question our views in a healthy manner.

ry interesting book

Thanks for taking a semester abroad and immersing yourself in a foreign culture to write this book, Kevin. A compassionate, insightful journey into Jerry Fallwell counry and story telling that rings thoughtfully true. Also enjoyed the epilog interview.

Unlikely surprise

Usually wary of an author narrating own book but this is an exception, Since it was from Roose' personal experience and somewhat tenderly told this seems to work. Most touching are his personal relationships with others so philosophically different you might expect something like a "red state/blue state" hatred fest. Fortunately, you won't find that here.
Opinion: Perhaps our FOX News mentality can take a hint from Roose and deal with others of different positions in similar fashion. Maybe I'm dreaming about FOX but Roose has a better handle on the term "fair and balanced" with The Unlikely Disciple.

Recommended

i found this book to be thought provoking and easy to lusten to. i enjoyed the author reading the book. the openness and insight to human dynamics, inner syruggles of conflict in beliefs and relationships was well documented.

Couldn't Stop Listening

Kevin Roose has an impressive grasp of his craft, especially for his age. His memoir of the semester he spends at Liberty University stirred my laughs, thoughts, and deep introspection.

The Unlikely Disciple sucked me in from the very start. (Much of this had to do with the writing but he's also a surprisingly good reader in this audiobook.) The premise alone was enough to get me interested. We meet Kevin as a student at Brown University, firmly established in the secular world, and without much religious exposure. He is specifically unfamiliar with the world of evangelicals, a fact, among others, that prompts him to spend a ‘semester abroad’ at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University, affectionately referred to by Falwell himself as ‘Bible Boot Camp.’

Throughout his articulate and witty recounting of his time there, Roose surprised me in many ways. He writes with honesty and candor, yet chooses to remain open and truly immerses himself in the overtly religious environment at the school. While Roose is understandably put off by things like the mandated teaching of young earth creationism, the homophobic tendencies among his peers and leaders, and the harsh condemnation of those with differing political alignments, he finds himself benefiting from regular prayer, enjoying his rigorous theology studies, and most surprisingly, making lasting friendships.

All in all, Kevin Roose gives us an inside look at the conservative evangelical world from an outsider’s perspective, certainly more objective than the Liberty brochures. He masterfully weaves together controversy and piety, critique and empathy, opposition and friendship. He’s an excellent writer and a prime candidate for such a task as this. Maybe he’s not as unlikely a disciple as he thinks.