Customer Reviews

Church Boy: My Music & My Life

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this book a couple years ago and still remember most of the details. The thing that stands out about this book is Kirk's transparency. He is to the point where he is brutally honest about his life and his walk with the Lord. I identified with his pain and hurt that he experienced as a child. My heart ached for him as he dealt with loneliness and rejection for only wanting to be who he was.

He is definitely real about his experiences. This should be an inspiration to all Christians who try to hide behind the mask of being perfect. This book showed me that I can be honest with God , others, and myself.

Minister Kirk Franklins' book is very informative and good. He tells you exactly what he went thru growing up. If you read this book you will know exactly where he came from in order to understand where he is presently. He tells you about the major rejection he has experienced most of his growing years. He was rejected by his birth mother, and a number of clergy among others'. You see what Satan tries to destroy, God uplifts...that is what he has done for me personally and Minister Kirk Franklin...He is honest in this book in reference to his life and is very open in ref. to how being rejected by people made him feel. I would highly recommend that everyone get this book, read it and pass it on or purchase more of these books and give them to people who need to read it...I am so happy that by God's grace, Minister Kirk Franklin has survived his traumatic growing pains in order to do what he is doing now at this very moment, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ thru his music. God Bless you!

The book is about a young boy who got adopted at the age of three. He was exsposed to a lot of gangs, violence,drugs, and sew when he was growing up. He mother was an old elderly lady whao adopted him when she was in her late seventies. She took ccare of him the best way she knew how and gave him everything he needed even if she had to sacrafice. This book was really inspirational to myself. It helped me to understand more about god and how he works in mysterious ways. Kirk uses his singing and musically ablity to help minster to young people. This basically about how the lord works in mysterious ways and if you want to be with the lord just trust in him and you will reign with him forever.

i really enjoyed reading about Kirk Franklin.i enjoy his work alot.this book sheds light on the choices that he had to make to become the Man that he is.the good&the Bad.i hope he keeps spreading the Word.

It was so great to read how the Lord has worked in his life. Kirk gets transparent in the book, and his honesty makes it hit home all the more. Praise GOd, because He does all things well!

I've reviewed some of Kirk Franklin's music elsewhere and I'm fascinated in him as a Man of God, an artist, and an entrepreneur. He has taken gospel music in directions that others have not dared and that has made him a polarizing force in the music. Either you love him and think he's the last hope of gospel music or you hate him for "secularizing" the music and sacrificing the purity of the art form. "Church Boy" is Kirk's autobiography, but it is more an attempt to address both his fans and the haters about the motivating forces in his life.

First, I applaud Kirk for not putting out an autobiography that feels like an "As Told To journalist" kind of work. If he was a sports star, he'd hire a journalist who would make his words and ideas seem profound. Instead he's written a work that sounds like his own voice plus minor editing.

The flip side of that is that this book doesn't really follow standard autobiographical practices. It's not so much about what's happened to Kirk; it's more about how what's happened to Kirk allows him to address his fans and the haters. The book can get real preachy as a result. Some reviewers have mentioned that Kirk can appear homophobic at times. He certainly is not shy about asserting that his heterosexuality in the gospel business led him to sexual sin and fathering a child out of wedlock. Moreover, he unabashedly calls out the many homosexual artists in gospel music and states that homosexuality is a sin. That's a really bold statement to assert in print. If you agree with him, then that makes him a true minister of the faith. If you disagree with him, then that makes him a sower of anger and fear. Personally, as a heterosexual male who has enjoyed working with some outstanding gospel artists who were probably gay, I found this stance a little problematic. It's easier hearing about the problems with gay gospel artists from someone like Donnie McClurkin who has walked that walk a little more intimately.

Readers would be wise to consider the context of this book. This book was designed to amplify the ideas in his recording "The Nu Nation Project". The end of the book states how his life and times have built up to that recording. Even his tragic, almost life ending, stage fall helps motivate him to rededicate himself to his ministry. The tragedy is that while Nu Nation is a great CD, I believe it represented the peak of Kirk's fame. Kirk struggled to keep all of the members of his coalition together organizationally and spiritually and he's had to take on more of a solo personality as of late that seems to go against many of the ideas of this book.

Hearing the suddenness of Kirk's fame and the environment from which he came from helps me have a lot more compassion for him. When you were a runt of an outsider and needed to prove yourself, you can see how sudden fame might not have been the best thing for him to handle at such a young age.

Kirk is such a strong songwriter, and I applaud him for including lyrics to many of his songs as chapter lead ins. I take him at his word that he's trying to tell his story more for the musical and spiritual benefit of his listeners than for the marketing benefits of this book.

Ordinarily, I wouldn't recommend this book. It's dated in a lot of ways, and there are certainly better autobiographies on the market. However, gospel music has exploded due to this man. An inexpensive used copy of this book can offer the beginnings of vital insight into how God has used this music to enrich the lives of so many.

Hope this helps.

Blessings...

[3 stars]

--SD

I am currenty enjoying the book and was purchased at a great price on Amazon

I definitely didn't know or would have thought the things Curt shared could have happened to him. He is a true TESTIMONY to the POWER of God!

Franklin music lovers will want to get a glimpse of his life and learn about his humble Ft. Worth, Texas beginnings. This was a boy who was laughed at when he was a kid, who considered himself 'weird,' and who got into enough trouble to get kicked out the house a few times. But God's hand was upon this musically gifted man, and the rest is history. You may laugh, cry, and rejoice as you read about the trying experiences of one of this decade's most observed and celebrated gospel artists.

Kirk Franklin is one of the most talented and anointed songwriters I've ever heard of. To me, he's the absolute best. In this autobiography, Kirk takes you back to his childhood days. He also talks about what occurred between then and 1998 (when the book was published). -A lot has happened since then, so maybe he should write a continuation. Kirk tells it like it is in this book... there's no holding back. I think that people are sometimes scared of the truth and Kirk brings the truth like no one else. That is why he gets so much flack from folk. People should search their hearts and start focusing on the truth that God wants them to see. Truth that He can show them through a book or someone's life story. Give this book a chance -- it is definitely worth the read!