The latest installment of the Bad Catholic’s Guides examines the greatest threats to the virtuous life—the seven deadly sins. Theological and historical insights, tongue-in-cheek vignettes of history's greatest saints and sinners, and cringe-inducing quizzes entice readers to tally their scores on the virtue and vice index and calibrate to what degree they have imperiled their immortal souls. Andy Warhol, Ayn Rand, and Mother Angelica are invoked as exemplars of the best and worst of human behavior, while a heady blend of serious theology and pointed satire—punctuated by trivia, charts, and vignettes—brings theology into sharp, hilarious relief, and demonstrates that religious education need not be boring.
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About the Author
John Zmirak is a journalist, screenwriter, political commentator, and writer-in-residence at Thomas More College of the Liberal Arts. He is the author of The Bad Catholic’s Guide to Good Living and The Bad Catholic’s Guide to Wine, Whiskey, and Song and an editor of Choosing the Right College. He lives in Nashua, New Hampshire.
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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.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent,
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This review is from: The Bad Catholic's Guide to the Seven Deadly Sins: A Vital Look at Virtue and Vice, With Quizzes and Activities for Saintly Self-Improvement (Bad Catholic's guides) (Paperback)
I was initially kind of skeptical of this book because of the title. Why a "Bad" Catholic's Guide? But I ordered it because it promised to be fun--and I was not disappointed. I was laughing out loud at the airport... people must have thought I was a nut. The book is part sober theological treatise (lots of Aristotle and Aquinas), part crackpot memoir (the author illustrates the virtue of Patience by telling tales of his destructive adopted beagles), and part self-help book (chapters end with insightful quizzes that test the reader on each deadly sin--offering practical steps on how to overcome them). The zany illustrations, fascinating historical vignettes (this may be the only book to contrast, at length, Mother Angelica and Andy Warhol) and just plain wonderful writing made this a painless, but finally edifying, walk through the moral life. After reading it, I ordered the author's two previous Bad Catholic's Guides, and they were every bit as good. This book makes perfect reading in preparation for Lent--or a long airplane ride.
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
SUPERB! Excellent resource for new Catholics!,
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This review is from: The Bad Catholic's Guide to the Seven Deadly Sins: A Vital Look at Virtue and Vice, With Quizzes and Activities for Saintly Self-Improvement (Bad Catholic's guides) (Paperback)
I recently joined the Catholic Church. As part of this conversion, I wanted to read more about the faith on a regular basis. One of my good friends recommended "Bad Catholics Guide to the Seven Deadly Sins." I am glad she did, as it is one of the best books on ANY SUBJECT that I have been privileged to read -- and I am a book-a-holic.
The wry and witty writing style of John Zmirak was a key element in my enjoyment. He extracts a tidbits of information form more ponderous literature and theological discussions of the "Seven Deadly Sins", and uses humorous and meaningful examples from his own life to make the point. Two other factors were also exceptional: 1) The use of great graphics that help underscore a point; and 2)The use of references to literature and biographies that help direct me to other resources that I want to read in the future (e.g., The Church and the Market). It is hard to imagine reading about the "Seven Deadly Sins" being a pleasurable experience, but it was. However, there were some challenges presented to me in chapters I didn't expect. I am a very busy person, so I didn't think the chapter on sloth would really impact me. Reading about shortcuts taken in the kitchen, which disconnects us to God's bounty, and shortcuts taken in faith (e.g, prayer) were eye-opening. I was planning to pass this book along to other friends, but I am keeping it as a reference for my own writing and benefit. No, I am not giving into the sin of greed -- I am going to by copies for others who might also enjoy Zmirak's book. I can't say enough good things about this book; it is well worth your time and money.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The "How To" Stay Out Of Hell Book,
This review is from: The Bad Catholic's Guide to the Seven Deadly Sins: A Vital Look at Virtue and Vice, With Quizzes and Activities for Saintly Self-Improvement (Bad Catholic's guides) (Paperback)
The Bad Catholics Guide To The Seven Deadly Sins reminds me of the "for the complete idiot" books of years past. What made these "how to" books great was the fact they had no information gaps. You could repair almost anything because they never skipped a step in the instructions and identified necessary parts with colors, illustrations, and pictures. Who would have thought that a theological subject, the Seven Deadly Sins, could be written with no information gaps and be accompanied by classical and commercial art, posters, portraits, and my personal favorite, cartoons!
This is the first book where I actually laughed at the Table of Contents especially chapter fourteen: Pack a Magnum in your Animus. You have to read this wonderful chapter to realize how funny and how important the virtue of Magnanimity is. John Zmirak lets us know in his introduction what he intends to accomplish: "... this book is meant to help its readers stay out of hell ... but even bad Catholics should aim a little bit higher than that". The use of hilarious and insightful quizzes helps us determine where we land on the Virtue, Vice, Neurosis spectrum. Zmirak uses the Aristotelian concept of the Golden Mean which hangs in tension between virtue and vice while keeping us on the path to heaven. This book is decidedly masculine, don't take my word for it, read chapter two on Chastity where the author admits to his manly bias and explains "The Orange Traffic Cone Hypothesis". Chapter thirteen Envy: I See You in Hell, brilliantly teaches us the damage caused by this deadly sin "that craves evil for its own sake". This same chapter explains how "Envy worms its way into the nooks and crannies of Catholic discourse" which Zmirak bluntly calls "The Amazing Catholic BS Generator". This book is more than just a good read, it is a great commentary on those people who represent the good the bad and the ugly in the world of virtue, vice and neurosis. John Zmirak has accomplished his objective and written a much needed and remarkably joyful book, but what would you expect from a student of the saintly catechist Fr. John Hardon, S.J. (In the interests of full disclosure I did receive a free copy of this book to review but receive no compensation).
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