Customer Reviews

Angry Conversations with God: A Snarky but Authentic Spiritual Memoir

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book wasn't what I expected. The author, Susan Isaacs, is a moderately successful actress/writer/comedienne who has worked on movies and TV shows you would be familiar with. Why don't you know her on a first name basis? That is part of the fuel for the fire of this book. In telling her lack-of-success story Susan is "snarky," her cover is cute, and even her book title is clever. I imagined that it would be a humorous read, something fluffy like Oreo filling that I could enjoy between the hard shell theology books on my plate. But this ended up being a book that has significant substance.

Sometimes I get the impression that the Christian authors I read just want to sell books, to see their name on a book spine, or to appear to the rest of us that they are ahead of the pack. They produce books full of outlines that if followed will solve all the answers to church growth problems, deal with leadership issues, nail down how to live as a modern Christian in the post-modern world, and provide seven steps to get to whatever. And though I'm sure there is much value in these attempts, sometimes I just want to relate to someone who is asking the same questions that I am.

Susan has some questions; like when her pastor encouraged her not to act in a film that was too dark, but then later used the same movie in a sermon illustration once it was released; and when all the people around her found the success that she didn't; and when all the relationships she invested in came up bankrupt; and when each of the churches she attended became cliché, full of hype, and self-serving; and especially when Susan decided that the God she knew was nothing but cruel.

This isn't a book about blame. Susan takes accountability for her issues and her honesty about them will make some readers blush. Other readers may not be embarrassed but will envy Susan of her candor and freedom. And some readers will admire that Susan was brave enough to drag the God she was married to into couple's therapy.

That is one of the things that make's Susan's memoir different than the others I've read lately. After writing about a chapter in her life, Susan, God and her counselor have a discussion on how they feel about what has just been shared. It is a like hiding in a closet listening to your sister and her husband verbally vomit on their therapist. But if you're like me, if you open the closet enough to peer out, instead of seeing Susan in the room you may just see yourself.

Who is this book for?

* People whose dreams and ambitions are stuck in neutral.
* People who believe in God but aren't so sure that he loves them.
* People who feel angry at God- not irreverent, just angry.
* People who don't have the answers to all of life's questions.
* And even people who think they have all the answers and would like to set Susan straight- she has a special place in her heart for you. (Yes, that was snarky.)

1. Not for anyone looking for Christian platitudes or easy answers.
2. Will cause sustained periods of uncontrollable laughter.*
3. Reader may not be able to put this one down...

...and if you do, your friends will steal it. Trust me. I'm currently awaiting a second copy, and I'm pretty sure I know who will want to "borrow" it next.

Susan Isaacs delivers the goods with Angry Conversations. It's wonderfully insightful, refreshingly honest, and completely hilarious - in short, a Christian book I can actually recommend (at long last).

Buy one - or three - today.

*If uncontrollable laughter persists beyond four hours, call your doctor.

Who does not bring their own checkered past and frustrations to this kind of story? Who has not wondered what God can possibly be up to, in view of the dubious ways he shapes our paths? -- That said, here's my disclaimer: Part of the impact this outstanding book has on me was due to the many ways I relate to the pilgrimage Susan Isaacs relates. But (a corollary disclaimer) I'm confident anyone in our schizoid society who knows the meaning of honest doubt will be transfixed by this story as I am.

My advice is to get hold of "Angry Conversations" and strap yourself in. You will see the amazing, probing questions Susan has asked, but you'll be asking your own as well -- and learning more about the amazing God who inspires and welcomes such questions, both from hearing the author's statements observations comments and riffs but even more from bearing your own struggles before God without a precondition.

One lesson this book teaches, by demonstration, is far beyond price: how costly and precious it is to finally achieve the utter openness that a true encounter with the Almighty requires. As if that weren't enough, the book also teaches how to smile and even laugh through the tears wrung from the pain of healing, a process that often includes debridement (cutting away dead tissue) and cautery (purifying wounds with fire). Part of what has to burn up is the humanly distorted view of God every one of us has, and everyone faces a unique struggle to come to terms with their own self-deceptions about God and find the joy of handing them over to be torched.

I won't presume to quote any of this sparkling book. In my view it would diminish the place of each quote in the sweep and wonder of the story (no disrespect to any reviewer who does use quotations). I might only reduce a quote to a one-liner, when in reality it's probably the crown jewel of a set piece that may go on for pages. Trust me: You'll find the great lines, and they will pay off as you meet them, in the heart of the story, whether they are howlers, groaners, or jaw-dropping moments of revelation that let you feel the gale of the Spirit roaring through the vastness.

I compare this book favorably to "The Spiral Staircase" (by Karen Armstrong) and "Crazy for God" (by Frank Schaeffer) as a top-tier memoir of Christian frustration and discovery. In contast, however, Susan is one of us, neither a triumphant but finally disillusioned nun nor the equally disillusioned son of an Evangelical statesman.

In the course of reading Isaacs's book, I was reminded of the implacable Anne Lamott and her series, "Traveling Mercies," "Plan B," and "Grace (Eventually)," which series one may hope is to be continued.

If you know and love the searing, uncompromising reflections of any of these writers, you will treasure "Angry Conversations with God," welcome Susan Isaacs to their bracing company -- and advance a few leagues along your own pilgrimage into the bargain.

I was a bit trepidacious about reading this book at first glance, since I was not familiar with the author or her work. A few pages in, any misgivings I had were gone. It was clear that not only was this woman clever and funny, she was aggressively persuing God and struggling to find answers that made real sense. (Even if that meant taking God to couples counseling.)

There is nothing beige about this book. It is full of color, life, passion, pain, and lots of sarcastic humor, (my favorite kind). It is honest and blunt, but not in a gratuitous or offensive way. This is a person talking candidly about her life, her trials, her pain, and her complicated relationship with God. This is truth.

I have read dozens and dozens of "Christian" books, and with a few exceptions, have been largely disappointed. This book took me by surprise and brought me to a place, spiritually, I have not been in a long, long time. It brought me closer to God, helped me understand myself a little better, and left me feeling hopeful and energized. What more could you want from a book? I can't wait for the movie!

Angry Conversations with God: A Snarky but Authentic Spiritual Memoir

I love spiritual memoirs, particularly when they are written with honesty, questioning, and struggles in full measure. I'm not after whiny complaining, but I am looking to connect with those who ask the tough questions and refuse to take easy answers, those who seek after the real God instead of a fabrication built on shaky ideas.

Susan E. Isaacs writes in a breezy, conservational style. She warns us up front that she is going to approach her relationship with God as a marital counseling session, with all the sarcasm, anger, and misunderstandings one would expect. On the surface, this may seem irreverent, but the end result is a person's deep longing for connection with the lover of her soul.

From the roller coaster of boyfriends and chaste living, to the pitfalls of alcohol and intimacy, to the infuriating marketing of churchianity, Isaacs pulls few punches in expressing her own confusion while navigating life's maze. In the midst of pointing out painful things, she also manages to make us laugh out loud. She is a gifted communicator, and it's no surprise that she's been involved in a number of film and TV projects. Her skill is evident, without being overdone.

My only complaint, as a male reader, was the seemingly endless preoccupation with finding the right boyfriend, but it's a clear portrayal of the confusion a Christian woman--and man, for that matter--experiences while seeking a godly mate. How does one reconcile the Bible, modern society, loneliness, purity, with the avalanche of varying messages on this subject? I empathized throughout, and, in fact, the whole relational issue is a metaphor for her desire to know God.

Whereas Donald Miller's newest title was concise and focused, Isaacs' sometimes meanders, and yet hers feels less contrived and more genuine in the process. This is great memoir writing, and a wonderful breath of fresh air for all who yearn for honesty in their walk with God.

My favorite Memoir of the year--I LOVED IT! Okay, so taking God to marriage counseling? Are you serious? But hey, for years Christians have claimed they felt married to God, so if you are mad at God, doesn't it sound reasonable to take him to counseling with you? Comedy writer and accomplished actress Susan Isaacs answers that question and proves that no true comic can ever be considered shallow! This memoir is anything but a joke! Indeed, she really took God to marriage counseling, and we get to have a seat next to her during the therapy. And frankly, on many occasions you may find yourself right there agreeing with her and shouting, "Hey, God, what's up with that? Shape up and apologize!" Is it irreverent? No. It is honest. Can you be a Christian and still be angry at God? Absolutely! Don't skip the introduction, or you'll miss a lot of vital background for her story. Angry Conversations with God is a must read for every women who has ever been or currently is single! I was absolutely absorbed in every page of this book. How can I accurately describe this deep and hilarious memoir? Let's see... it's "Girl Meets God" meets the "Shack". Yes, that's it. Basically, this is the true story of the once single, but-didn't-want-to-be, Susan Isaacs who gets fed up with God and her life, after decades of constantly trying to PLEASE God in the midst her husband search which occurs in the midst of her fledgling career as an comedian/actress/television writer. At the end of her rope, Susan sincerely decides she needs counseling and drags God along with her because frankly, she's angry. Did all her devotion bring her the husband and fame she craved? NO. It was her friends and exes who got the spouses and starring roles in hit sitcoms and SNL, not her. What's up with that? So she took God to marriage counseling! And what this comedy writer reveals to us from those real life counseling sessions is worth every moment you spend in her book. Susan impersonated both Jesus and God in her real life sessions with real life counselors (who didn't have her committed by the way). What she discovered were the answers to such questions as "Does God even care about the details or our life?" Or "Is He up there just to tease us and pull the rug out from under us?" Curl up on your couch and devour every page!

Before I had even finished reading this book I began mourning the loss of it when I'd be done. I wanted the book to go on and on. Isaacs' honesty, sarcasm, and heartfelt retelling of the events in her life is a fresh breath in the cookie-cutter Christian book section. Read it. You will not be disappointed and you will feel as if you made a new friend. I can't wait for her next book!

I bought Angry Conversations with God Saturday after seeing Susan speak in Atlanta. I finished the book four days later and immediately wanted to read it again, post a link on facebook and buy copies for all my friends for Christmas. Why? This book made me laugh, cry and check my nightstand to make sure Susan Isaacs hadn't stolen all my journals and shared my story (only with better vocabulary, funnier situations and clearer epiphanies). She touches on all the "hot spots" women skirt around regarding our inner thought life and our relationships, and how true faith and false religion intertwine through it all. She masterfully guides the reader along like a best friend being let in on all the drama of her tumultous relationship with the version of the God who resides in her head, from her time first falling in love with Him to the "break-up" and everything in between. She is refreshingly honest in her pursuit of what she wants, weaving in hilarious insights into her life that make you want to read them out loud to someone, anyone, and laugh along with her. You will see yourself in Susan's journey if you have ever questioned what you believed, who you loved or what you thought life was supposed to be.

Anne Lamott, once wrote that laughter is "the carbonated form of the Holy Spirit." If that is true then Susan Isaac's new book pops like bottle of Perrier dropped off the Empire State Building.
"Angry Conversations with God; a Snarky but Authentic Spiritual Memoir," blazes its own trail by taking an approach often missing in similar autobiographical works. Turning an unflinching eye on her own life, Isaacs manages to maintain a level of honesty which drives her story straight to the heart.
Once a member of the Los Angeles improvisational group the Groundlings, Isaac's comic timing shines across her sometime dark story. But it takes on laugh-out-loud status when she visits churches in her native Southern California in an attempt to find some anchor as her career and personal life unraveled. After dozens of guest spots on such television shows as "Seinfeld" and "My Name is Earl" her career as an actress tanked and her personal life was even more bleak.
During this time, Isaacs was told that God was the lover of her soul, and that she needed to embrace the concept of this "romance of faith." She concluded instead that if her relationship with God was like a marriage, then she was in a bad marriage, one that needed counseling. So she set out to find a counselor willing to provide marriage counseling between herself and God.
The book grew out of what started as an idea for one-woman show Isaacs put together in a writing class. Encouraged by the other students in the class and the woman who led the class, Isaacs worked out her spiritual journey publicly and honestly.
The result is a genuinely funny book which also dares to discuss issues rarely touched on in a Christian autobiography, including sexuality and single Christians.
One note: While I enjoyed the book, the audio performance of this book,, is even more engaging, highlighting Isaacs' riptide wit and laser timing.

There is a proverb that says that each heart knows its own bitterness and no one can share in its joy. Susan Isaac's case is different. She does such a good job describing her bitterness, I could easily relate with my own story. I used to think that God liked picking on me until more things happened that led me to the knowledge that God straight up hated me. I was fully convinced.

Isaac is relentless in not letting God off the hook. The book is one part Royal Rumble (get it?) and two parts Wrestlemania. She isn't about to stuff her conflict with God and pretend things are fine. In the process of taking God to task, she is relevant, authentic, and transparent. She is also funny. Really funny. I'm not kidding you. The girl is hysterical. I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud so many times. The highlight comes when she takes a few shots at the book "I Kissed Dating Goodbye". I've so often longed to punt that book into the ocean.

Along with Isaac, I found myself raging against God. I felt her pain so much, I was ready to jump into the ring and fight the cosmic bully along with her. I knew that He could easily destroy the both of us, but there is strength in numbers and at least we would go down swinging. Like Ms. Isaac, though, I softened as the story progressed. Despite how forsaken she felt, God was faithful and had been with her all along. Not only that, but He was using all that pain to make her even more beautiful.

This book is for anyone who wants to tell God to go to hell. Of course, God did go to hell and came back three days later. The scars on his body remained. Still, they didn't show everything. The most wounded region must have been God's heart. Listen to these words from Jesus: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!" Can you see the pain there?

This book was an excellent reminder that God wants our hearts. If our hearts are bruised and bleeding, He wants that too.

This book was provided for review by the publisher.