Customer Reviews

The Church of 80% Sincerity

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As a big fan of David Roche's stage work, I was thrilled to learn that he has authored a book. The Church of 80% Sincerity lives up to all expectations - it's smart, funny, honest, inspiring, tough, touching and powerful. A line in the Publisher's Weekly review says it well: 'Roche is frank and witty and incapable of resorting to sentimental pap.'

This book is both personal and universal. For those of us who sometimes feel that we don't 'fit in' or struggle with self-acceptance, Roche's take on living with a severely disfigured face is heartening, hopeful and, oddly enough, offers real, practical guidance. And in the process of sharing his slightly skewed perspective on what it means to be human, Roche completely reframes the disability paradigm. He doesn't 'overcome' his challenge, living with a non-conforming face, instead he integrates the experience into his larger human self, and gets on with life.

I met David Roche when he spoke at my church last Easter Sunday. The audience laughed and wept at his talk which was filled with humor and pathos. Mr. Roche, who has had a severe facial disfiguration since birth, has spent his life making sense of his own "monstrous" appearance. The result has been the development of a one man show, a work of performance art, that he calls "The Church of 80% Sincerity." He has now written a memoir and philosophy book titled the same name as his show.

Mr Roche tells his story in a non-linear fashion with chapters on miracles and prayer and cruelties. He tells of his early love for Jesus via the Catholic Church which severely disappointed him when he sought to follow God. He tells of moments of grace as well as cruelty at the hands of strangers. He tells of his loves and careers and family.

This slim book feels light but it is actually quite weighty and it feels, suddenly, very very important. Mr. Roche writes that he was given a gift in having to wear his deformity on his face. He has been forced to understand it and deal with it in ways that the rest of us do not. Most of us have to uncover our defects because they are buried deep inside.

This book will appeal to anyone who loves books on spirituality, good memoirs or simply just a lovely honest story about the unfairness of life and the ability to find peace within that life.

I highly recommend The Church of 80% Sincerity.

The Church of 80% Sincerity shares the moving, laugh out loud funny, and sometimes heartbreaking stories of motivational speaker David Roche's life. Told through antidotes and life lessons you see his life from shame to self-acceptance. Born with a severe facial deformity, David has traveled through life with grace, humor and ok, a wee bit of sarcasm. Over time and with the love of his life, he has learned to accept his gifts as well as his flaws.

Being unable to live up to the rules of the Catholic Church that he was raised in David decided to make up a church that is quite real to him. In the Church of 80% Sincerity, 80% is as good as it gets. You can be 80% Sincere 100% of the time or 100% Sincere 80% of the time. It's in the 20% area that you can get some slack and be yourself. There are no ideals. You do not try to change people by having them conform. Try to accept people as they are and adjust beliefs and practices to conform to the reality of being human.

I rarely call a book a gem, but this truly, to me, is one. There are so many wonderful lines and stories that each time you go back and reread it you get something different. Very much a keeper.

The Church of 80% Sincerety is a human story; touching, funny and insightful. David Roche's story opened me up to all of the ways my human-ness expresses itself. as well as the moments of grace that have touched my life whether I knew it at the time or not. 80% sincerity seems doable. I'm in! You will be too.

David Roche has traveled a unique and interesting path to bring us this fascinating book. If one's eyes are a window to their soul, then David has provided us insight into a world that will make you laugh, cry and be better off to face our lives.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am David's youger brother. In reading his book I discovered new gems that brought me greater awareness. Not only of David, but of the individuals I encounter in my daily journey. I am a better man for having him as a brother, and a stronger man for reading his book.

Be ready to touch a chord within yourselves when you read this inspirational book!

Patrick Roche

Whether you suffer from the heartbreak of freckles, or you just need some encouragement to espouse your views in front of a busload of strangers, you need this book. David's wit is sharp but never cutting, and his story is touching without being at all maudlin. Rather than withdrawing into himself, he has taken his experiences and made them relevant to the world at large. A unique and healing voice indeed.

My wife, Wilene, and I saw David Roche perform THE CHURCH OF 80% SINCERITY on stage in 1996. It had rocked us with laughter and moved us to silence. When we finally spoke, I said to her, "He should write a book!" Now that didn't qualify me to be a prophet in his church, but it did make me a proud parishioner, because now that his message is out in print, everyone has access to Reverend Dave's gospel. And, that is a blessing!

David was born facially disfigured and I will say no more about that, because whatever I could possibly write, it would pale before David's words as he chronicles his life in this magnificent little book. I have known David for about fifteen years and what I love about the CHURCH OF 80% SINCERITY is the very thing that I love about him. It is about the place where he lives, the intersection of pathos wisdom and humor. When reading it, one is never a sentence or two away from the integration of these three forces.

Another potent and enchanting aspect of his writing lies in his ability to pilot the reader down the same road he is travelling. As David allows us to examine the grief,anger,love,and joy of his life, we are simultaneously compelled to examine and reexperience our own. Ultimately, what the book reveals is that David's journey has been been an alchemical one. We become very clear that he turns lead into gold, and there in lies the gospel; the good news that we can do the same. -- at least eighty percent of the time! -- I can't recommend it enough!

David Roche is a modern-day hero whose journey from shame to self-acceptance will open your eyes and touch your heart. He has transformed the challenges and gifts of living with a facial disfigurement into a inspiring and compelling message. His remarkable spirit, wit, warmth and authenticity shines through every page in "The Church of 80% Sincerity."

Eighty percent is pretty darn good. It's great, in fact. Yet we often forget that when surrounded by a culture that hails all stars as Super and relegates second place to invisibility. But in yummy narrative fashion, David Roche has created a tool for self-acceptance. Now, whenever I wallow in moments of self-doubt and self-recriminations, I remember to be gentle with myself---80% of the time.

I ordered this book because I am Joan's friend and David is her ex-husband. When I picked up Church of 80% Sincerity I had just "tried" to read a psychology self-help on self esteem which was making me depressed. I put that one down and started David's book.

What a wonderful surprise. This book is doing what the other book is supposed to do- it gives you hints on self-esteem (between the lines)and ways to get through life but at the same time it is a GREAT escape book with suspense and humor.

My favorite part was page 24 about feeding the children in Bloomington!(You kind of have to read the wording for yourself)
I love the way he words his stories!...You think you are reading about politics and social justice and "boom" you are playing spin-the-bottle.
I hope you will love this book as much as I did.

A lady who was the "Mother Superior" in a bookstore in Louisville told me once that the test of a great book is - the reader feels the main character or characters are still with them in their heart as they go through the upcoming week. I feel like David and Marlena are still with me!

I found this book to be riveting, interesting, uplifting, and fun to read. It's a neat way to change your whole life and spirit. And it's a book that I think you won't forget soon.

Barbara, Larry, and Cats in Kentucky