This is a remarkable book from a young lady who decided to share her view on how she was educated by her parents on a strong Christian basis, with links to politics being the way to redeem the world for Christ, and how she was disappointed when leaders of her home church began criticizing her because she started thinking on her own way, trying to discern the voices whispering in her ear. She writes about immigration, the poor, abortion, big government and politics.

This book is a quick and easy read. It took me around 8 hours to finish this book. I recommend it to all young Christians who are idealistic about politics saving this country through a faith proposition. This book should bring them more close to the reality that political ideologies are usually intoxicating, but far away from the true meaning of Christianity. Do not let your political beliefs become a substitute for your faith and your political party become your god!

This book was written by Alisa Harris and was published in September of 2011 by WaterBrook Multnomah Books. The publishers were kind enough to provide me a copy for reviewing through their Blogging for Books Program. ( )

To be honest, I don't know how I ended up with this book. I mean, it came from LibraryThing, but I don't remember requesting it. And I'm really not into politics, so it's not the type of book I would usually request or read. Setting aside the politics aspect, I read the book, and will not let that interfere with my review.

The book is about Harris forming her own worldview, from being raised in a very conservative home-schooled environment, to working in NYC journalism. Unfortunately, it seems to me that the author is still struggling to find where she stands. The whole book just felt confused and lost. It felt a lot like the diary of someone trying to sort out what they believe, by jumping around to different memories.

Plus, there didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to the layout of the book. One page she's in college blogging, and the next she's practicing for her home school debate. Then she's suddenly being extra verbose for no apparent reason.

There were a few good lines in the book, but I don't think this would really help anyone sort out their own faith/politics. It's a confusing biography with no real life details. On the plus side, it was a quick and easy read (aside from random time jumps).

Overall, I didn't like this book. It's possible if you enjoy politics that this may interest you more than it did me, but I just don't think this is a good book, subject matter aside.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ( )

This is less a memoir than a sort of explanation by Alisa Harris of why and how she walked away from the right-leaning politics that her Evangelical Christian upbringing traditionally embraced. Harris marched with an anti-abortion sign when she was a young child. She revered Ronald Reagan and believed fervently that when the Bible referred to the down-trodden and oppressed that it was talking about the owners of businesses bowing down under the weight of regulation. She wore a "W.2004" t-shirt in 2000. And then she reached adulthood and began to think about the beliefs she grew up with, both political and religious, and realized that they didn't always mesh.

I was raised in a household where politics was not something adults discussed with children, but our church was similar to Harris's. For me there were a combination of events, the end result was that I moved on and didn't look back until recently, when I discovered that this is a common event. So I was interested in Harris's story for personal reasons.

Harris is circumspect to a fault. She does point out that walking away from the expected political views results in people choosing everything from becoming a slightly more moderate Republican to moving very far to the left of the Democrats. She's trying to tell her own story and that of a larger trend in the same book and it leaves both subjects a little thin. Still, it's an encouraging book to those who don't believe the same things their parents do (God does not have a party affiliation. He may not even hold an opinion on capitalism) and an explanation of sorts to those who don't understand how anyone could consider themselves both a Christian and a liberal. ( )

Harris tries to expound on ideas that some adult Christians have but mostly hide away and don't discuss. In today's spiritual landscape, politics seems to be an integral part, even if that's not a Biblical teaching. Using her experiences as guideposts as she walks the reader though these discussions helps keep the angry vitriol to a minimum and allows her to stay focused on reasoned passion for truth. I wish more people would explore these ideas in writings and in their communities. ( )

Description:

Alisa Harris was brought up to be a politically conservative-Republican Christian, her views of faith and politics tightly linked. She picketed abortion clinics and protested the war in Iraq because of her belief that the USA had strayed from the teachings of God, and the only way to redeem itself would be to put the right people and laws into power. Her parents, church, religious community, and education (home school through college) molded her into the person [they] wanted her to be, but her interactions with the outside world pushed her to question certain aspects of her faith-driven politics. Seeing the world from different perspectives allowed her to stay true to her core belief system, but separate her faith from her political background. Can faith and politics mix? Or are they better off on opposite sides of debate? Alisa tries to determine her real feelings about the past and future of her beliefs.

Review:

I was raised 'middle' - middle child and center of the christian/political spectrum - not 'right', nor 'left'; but I understand where Alisa Harris is coming from. I am well aware that many people/organizations try to indoctrinate their children with whatever beliefs they hold in order to plant the seeds for the next generation of believers in the cause. I have many friends and family members that think in that exact way: My parents are Republican/ Democrat, so I must vote Republican/ Democrat, (even if I don't believe in it...), or My family doesn't believe in gay marriage or abortion, so I guess I should oppose it too... Isn't growing up about discovering our own stances, and finding out what we (the individual) truly believe in? I do not believe in passing down political convictions (or discriminations). That is why I enjoyed reading about Alisa's journey, because she started viewing politics and religion from different angles and making her own judgments. Do I think she completely "untangled" herself from the faith/politics "knot" her childhood tied? Not totally, but free-thought is a start. I found her memoir well-written, though disjointed at times; I expected the normal progression from childhood through adult, but her experiences were frequently mixed, switching from kid to college student. Her recall of the past was told in a story-like fashion, and I appreciated Alisa's attitude throughout. Recommended to today's young Christians (17-35) who are interested in the faith versus politics debate.

Rating: Bounty's Out (3.5/5)

* I received this book from the author (Blogging For Books - WaterBrook Press) in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. ( )