Customer Reviews

Sin Boldly: A Field Guide for Grace

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If along with most people you've ever wondered what God possibly could do to transform your pitiful attitudes and pathetic lack of alignment with the demands of the commands, this collection of stories from Chicago Sun-Times religion columnist Cathleen Falsani's recent peregrinations will give you hope and keep you keepin' on, since God lovingly reigns with showers of mercy-filled grace, no matter who, no matter what, no matter when.

On page 57 Cathleen cites a couple of "grace" examples that especially resonate with me: "Sometimes it's having the guts to rebuild, to take a chance, to follow your nose and your heart rather than your head." "Sometimes grace is finding out that your preconceived notions are dead wrong." "And sometimes it's a bowl of watermelon gazpacho when you were expecting Taco Bell."

Discussing the possibility of following precise recipes for spiritual and religious experience and renewal (there aren't any), Cathleen described herself as "rhubarb pie with pistachio ice cream," making me wonder how to describe myself in food, and maybe how I'd describe some of the people I've met.

Cathleen's book chronicles God's "audacious" grace, as she sometimes styles it; and in its free, elusive, characteristically unanticipated and unexpectedness, Grace is audacious, bold and wild. But just as much, grace often is physically tastable, audible, visible, aromatic and touchable: incarnate and enfleshed; in that case, where can grace lead us? What is our response in the Spirit to the Divine Image in which we've been created?

I predict you'll enjoy this book, you'll recommend it and you'll probably want to read it again!

I wasn't crazy about this book. I was excited to read it, thinking all the wonderful things I would learn about grace. As a minister, I've heard a lot about grace, and agree strongly that it is everywhere, in everything. God covers us with grace, thanks be to God.

But I felt like that almost made this book too easy. Reading it felt like reading a loose collection of stories rather than a well put together book. I don't read many collections because I like books to have continuity. I didn't find that in this book. Each chapter was a new beginning.

It feels weird saying something bad about a book concerning grace, but I just felt like this book told a bunch of stories and then labeled the grace within them afterward. Maybe it's something we need to be doing in all of our lives, identifying the grace that covers us all, but I didn't think it made for compelling reading. It read more like a travelogue covering the authors journeys on safari in Africa, where seeing elephants is a gracious moment, than it did a book delving into a theology of grace.

Cathleen Falsani's new book "Sin Boldly: A Field Guide for Grace" is the author's journey around the US, Africa and other places where she experiences grace in places both large and small. The author calls it "gracespotting" and whether on the cobblestone streets of Rome, in the halls of Graceland, driving the rainy roads of post-Katrina Bay St. Louis, trekking through the slums of Nairobi, attending a Passover Seder with the only Rabbi in the state of Montana, or curled up with her cat, Ms Falsani finds grace in the unexpected. Grace that she describes as "the oxygen of religious life."

The writer is the religion columnist for the Chicago Sun Times and a blogger I read regularly. Her style, exhibits her own uniqueness as a writer, but could be described as Anne Lamott meets David Sedaris. She is a storyteller above all and the stories of the people and places she encounters, around the world, on her quest to find grace are each unique expressions of finding grace when she least expected it or when she needs it the most. For the author grace is the "lagniappe" of life. This lagniappe, a cajun word to describe that surprise bonus given to customers for good measure, is there for each of us every day.

I loved the essays in this book--thoughtful, intelligent, and filled with grace. If you need faith boost (or a total realignment) this is a great place to start.

This is a remarkable book, very well written and important. Cathleen Falsani is a seasoned journalist with a very enjoyable style. Each chapter is a stand-alone story of some aspect of God's grace. It's not in-your-face religious; in fact, I believe that most of my non-Christian friends will enjoy the book.
One thing I especially enjoyed was the idea of "gracespotting" -- looking for example of grace ("unmerited favor") in daily life. If you pay attention, they are everywhere.
I think what really stands out to me, besides the joy and amazing nature of grace itself, is Falsani's humility. She regularly pokes fun at herself as we watch her learn about grace from unexpected sources.
A friend loaned me this book and told me "read chapter 8." After reading the whole book, I bought 3 copies -- one for me and two to give away. I'll probably buy more.

I'm sad to say I just finished Sin Boldly: A Field Guide to Grace. Sad, because I wanted it to keep going.

Sin Boldly is a book to savor. Moving. Simple. Profound. Honest. Confessional. Not only does it communicate great things, but it is simply written with beauty and style. It's exquisite as a piece of art and provoking as a piece of literature.

What Wild at Heart did to perpetuate misinformed and dehumanizing stereotypes of men, Sin Boldly recovers as a pure and humanizing ballad for humanity to rediscover ourselves and live into the potential and possibilities of what we can become at our best and worst.

I just finished a book that I found simply stunning. It was well written, thoughtful, helpful, encouraging, challenging, and hopeful. It's Cathleen Falsani's Sin Boldly: A Field Guide To Grace.

I had a feeling it would be a good read. After all, Falsani authored another book I really enjoyed (The God Factor: Inside the Private Lives of Public People). So even though I got my copy of Sin Boldly a while ago, I put it aside until I had time to really read it with the attention it deserved. And I'm happy I did.

This "field guide to grace" is exactly that -- a pilgrim's guide to see God's grace in and around us and others and our world. There were many little gems that I highlighted - her thoughts, the epigrams, and quotations. It was a book that became a friend and one which I highly recommend to those who aren't afraid of finding God in all the right places.

--Brent

Cathleen Falsani's honest and witty account of the places where she finds Grace is an inspiring read. Whether you struggle to find signs of Grace in your daily life, or you are one of the lucky ones to actually see Grace often, Sin Boldly encourages you to keep an eye open for God's wonderful gift.

This book is one of those books that I call a "well duh" book. It re-opened my eyes to the bits of grace all around me. Sometimes we get so caught up in our own little worlds that we miss Grace staring us in the face. Well Duh, of course Grace is there, I just need to wake up. The essays in Sin Boldly are simply beautiful...grace.

Cathleen Falsoni has bravely written her memiors of grace intersecting her own life. Cathleen writes with a nimble style, charged with wit and intelligence. In a variety of settings, from Africa to a reeling New Orleans, Cathleen catalogues her surpising run-ins with God's favor. Some of these encounters are subtle while others are breath-taking. What is always true of Cathleen is that she refuses to protect herself with her writing. Cathleen presents herself fully human so we can appreciate the beauty of God intersecting her life.

For me, that transparency provoked a fresh encounter with grace.