The Bad Catholic's Guide to Good Living: A Loving Look at the Lighter Side of Catholic Faith, with Recipes for Feasts and Fun (Bad Catholic's Guides) [Paperback]

John Zmirak (Author), Denise Matychowiak (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2005

Jump right into this hilarious new book on enjoying and celebrating Catholicism in a whole new way. Both a comical read, as well as an indispensable resource for observing the Feast Days of the Saints, The Bad Catholic's Guide to Good Living is for anyone who is interested in celebrating the history and humor behind the Catholic faith.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Zmirak’s work has appeared in USA Today, Investor’s Business Daily, Commonweal, The Weekly Standard, The New Republic, The Atlantic, The American Conservative, and First Things; Faith & Family; and The National Catholic Register. He makes his home in Queens, New York.

Denise Matychowiak has worked as a cook, sous chef, and pastry assistant at Louis XVI Restaurant in New Orleans, Bacco (N.O.), La Caravelle, Seven and Atlas restaurants in New York City, and served as Food Editor at Faith & Family magazine. She currently peddles wine on New York City’s Lower East Side.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: The Crossroad Publishing Company (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824523008
• ISBN-13: 978-0824523008
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #235,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Zmirak received his B.A. from Yale University in 1986, then his M.F.A. in screenwriting and fiction and his Ph.D. in English in 1996 from Louisiana State University. His focus was the English Renaissance, and the novels of Walker Percy. He taught composition at LSU and screenwriting at Tulane University, and written screenplays for and with director Ronald Maxwell (Gods & Generals and Gettysburg). He was elected alternate delegate to the 1996 Republican Convention, representing Pat Buchanan. He has been Press Secretary to pro-life Louisiana Governor Mike Foster, and a reporter and editor at "Success" magazine and "Investor's Business Daily," among other publications. His essays, poems, and other works have appeared in "First Things," "The Weekly Standard," "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution," "USA Today," "FrontPage Magazine," "The American Conservative," "The South Carolina Review," "The Atlantic," "Modern Age," "The Intercollegiate Review," "The New Republic," "Commonweal," and "The National Catholic Register," among other venues. He has contributed to "American Conservatism: An Encyclopedia" and "The Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought." From 2000-2004 he served as Senior Editor of "Faith & Family Magazine" and a reporter at "The National Catholic Register." He is Writer-in-Residence and Assistant Professor of Literature at Thomas More College in Merrimack, New Hampshire.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Food, Good Laughs, Good Theology!, October 15, 2005

By 

Robert T. Davis "Deacon Bob" (Blairstown, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bad Catholic's Guide to Good Living: A Loving Look at the Lighter Side of Catholic Faith, with Recipes for Feasts and Fun (Bad Catholic's Guides) (Paperback)

I was hooked on this book by page three, and by page seven had decided that it was going to be my Christmas gift to my pastor, priest friends, fellow deacons, and more than a few others!

It starts out with an introduction by Pope Alexender VI, one of the better Borgia popes, who died in 1503 and, according to the introduction, currently resides in the Seventh Terrace of Purgatory. That gives the reader a clue as to the sense of humor John Zmirak and Denise Matychowiak will inflict upon the reader!

The book is organized chronologically, and includes feast days both great and obscure. Just about every one includes suggestions for a celebratory meal or other, occasionally twisted, but always fun, way to observe the day. Sprinkled throughout are informative pieces on the sacraments, and any mention of Catholic practices and beliefs is, if humorous, always accurate.

It's not often you'll find yourself laughing outloud at a "cookbook", as I did at the Dallas airport, but if you love the Church, and you love to laugh, and you love to eat, this book is definitely for you!!!

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No book like it--Fills a niche that was empty until now!, September 17, 2005

By 

Eric Brende (Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bad Catholic's Guide to Good Living: A Loving Look at the Lighter Side of Catholic Faith, with Recipes for Feasts and Fun (Bad Catholic's Guides) (Paperback)

What if George Burns and George Carlin and St. George of England had collaborated on a book about Catholicism? If they had, it might have come out something like this. This quirky compendium fills a niche that until now was absolutely empty. I don't think a book like this has ever been written, nor will one likely appear again. It makes a supposedly staid institution like Catholicism infinitely
interesting, opening up oddities and profundities galore with an offbeat mirth and zest to inform--however arcane or germane the information. For his bawdy humor, alloyed with surprising insights, John Zmirak deserves to be named honorary "Court Jester of the Catholic Church." Besides being a romp, this book is also remarkably educational. I can picture it becoming a kind of reference guide to be found in every Catholic household, combining strands from "The Joy of Cooking," the "Lives of the Saints," and "Jokes for Every Occasion." And make no mistake: the recipes it contains are quite usable, and were supplied by a gourmet chef. (For Pentecost, e.g., we have two choices, both seeming delicious: a flaming salad and a flaming cheese). Definitely not a book to read cover-to-cover, but one to consult or browse through. Best of all, the authors do genuinely love their title subject, the Church, and despite all the snickering, stand up for her when they feel the occasion warrants. The discussion entitled "Contraception,
Bulimia, and Frankenfoods" (p.27) was the most illuminating statement I've ever seen on the Church's most controversial teaching, i.e. Humanae Vitae (about contraception).

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun with Faith., September 20, 2005

By 

Meredith Gould "'The Catholic Home' author" (Princeton, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bad Catholic's Guide to Good Living: A Loving Look at the Lighter Side of Catholic Faith, with Recipes for Feasts and Fun (Bad Catholic's Guides) (Paperback)

Zmirak and Matychowiak have found -- and tickled -- the funny bone in the Body of Christ. Thanks be to GOD. Their wickedly smart book about sacraments, saints, and holy days is grounded in rigorous research, solid scholarship, and clearly a love for Catholicism, oddities and all. Every page includes laugh out loud funny observations about Catholic belief and practice. Church doctrine is poked at with wise irreverence. The illustrations are brilliant. What kind of [adjective] would choose a poodle to illustrate the Hound of Heaven? Too too funny. I love this book as much as my own! Actually, I'm jealous. John? Denise? Is that a sin??