Customer Reviews

What Would Betty Do? How to Succeed at the Expense of Others in This World--and the Next

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Having been raised evangelical (but later recovered), I was really, really happy to find someone else that recognizes the humor in fundamentalist Christian ideology. Bradley is an excellent satirist, recognizing the absurd, but also having a thorough knowledge of the subject matter.

At its best, WWBD attacks the scripture, analyzing precisely what makes nonsense of fundamentalist scripture quotation. Betty's advocacy of stoning recalcitrant children and discussion of the one unforgivable sin (insulting the Holy Ghost) put the fundamental error in fundamentalism. Recurring references to "God's Own Party" and "Demoncrats" underscores why when the freepers come across WWBD it's rating will, no doubt, go down drastically.

Clearly, the blasphemous nature of much of WWBD makes it a book that is not for everyone. Further, much of the material in the book is available at the website (and some of what is on the website is not available in the book.) However, there is something comforting for those of us that grew up under the heavy hand of evangelical Christianity to know that we are not alone in our epiphany of fundamentalist Christianity's failed logic, self-contradiction and selective perception.

This is a good book to shock your religious friends and relatives. There are also a few belly-laughs.

If America's Best Christian Betty Bowers did not exist it would be necessary to invent her.

As the final arbiter of all things Christian Rite, Betty Bowers stands as a role model for all the sour and snobby Christian women that can only wish one day to be her. To aid them in their albeit feckless quest the generous Betty Bowers has published a how-to book, "What Would Betty Do? How to Succeed at the Expense of Others in This World and the Next."

For those thinking persons who find the current turn-of-the-century pretensions of Christian piety, prudery, and pandering, as onerous as they are misled, Betty Bowers offers humor - the only real weapon against absurdity. Betty takes Christian virtue to its logical end, something the Christian Rite would never be accused of approaching: logic, or ends.

With the personal style of a Coco Chanel, the stinging observations of a Dorothy Parker, and the genuine hilarity of a David Sedaris, Betty bridges the gulf for those alienated by Christianity, whether voluntarily, or not.

Consider Betty's many charitable efforts, catalogued only to inspire: BITCH (Bringing Integrity to Christian Homemakers), BASH (Baptists Are Saving Homosexuals), SLUTS (Saving Love Until the Sacrament), her Christian Crack Whore Ministry ("Every knee shall bow&"), and many more - all profitable Fortune 500 corporations. The only time Betty would ever be seen with one of those women on religious television grubbing for money with mascara running down her face would be if they were drying out at one of her many halfway houses.

For the nouveau Christian Betty offers fashion advice - what a good Christian wears to a lunch date with Hillary Clinton, an execution, or the bombing of an abortion clinic - certainly nothing from a "cardigan collection with an overbearing knit for each bank holiday."

Betty's interviews with the rich and dubiously famous - Laura Bush, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Diane Sawyer, and rapper Eminem - had me laughing harder than sister-in-Christ Dyan Cannon at the Toronto Blessing.

Buy the book. Buy two!

I found this book to be compulsive and very enjoyable. It is depressingly astute for those who have been brought up in a Evangelical denomination and who must now grow up and realise the often times dreadful failings of such a dogma.

I am such a person. As a result I squirmed as much as I laughed.
I discuss the book with people I know, who still practice this denomination and shudder with embarrassment at the admonition that "Don't you know the guy who wrote this book is a Homasexyule."

My answer, that the observations are no less insightful into some of the worst excesses of contemporary Christians, usually means I must duck the ensuing verbal onslaught

Evangelical Christianity from the time of the restoration in about 1952 has claimed to be the flag waving vanguard of the faith, holding back the liberal barbarian at the gate. Since Arthur Wallace launched this brand of Christianity, those who follow tie themselves in knots inventing endless justifications of why they have it right.

If we analyse the previous one thousand nine hundred and fifty years to any great extent we realise that most of the trappings and expression of the Evangelical/Charismatic/Pentecostal faith are
1 Cultural
2 Social norms of right wing, capitalist, conservative politics...

Although I laughed at this book, I did not laugh much, because of the pain of battering my head off a wall.

So a word to all you born againees out there. Take care about reading this book. It may open your eyes to what is only one narrow and often unpleasant aspect of Christianity (the one that has endorsed a lot of war and mayhem). You may end up feeling like Homer Simpson on a bad day.

Oh yeah. Funny is hard to do well. Funny and timely is very hard to do at all. This is a book I would give to everyone I know except those who might be offended by it, which is maybe three acquaintances, tops. It would help me to cope in the dark hours when cars pull up in my driveway, bearing a load of the Savior's minions come to knock on my door and talk to me.

It would help me to find forgiveness for certain highly placed individuals on this planet, who know not what they do and examine not what they think. Or if.

I have faith in this book. If anyone ever asks me again if I have been saved, I can tell them that I am not worthy to spitshine the shoes of Mrs. Betty Bowers on the day of glory when Armageddon starts.

A warning: the humor-impaired need not apply. Honest. This is one of those books that you either get or do not get, and there is no in-between.

If, however, you do have a sense of humor, this book is laugh-out-loud, slap-your-knees, wish-you'd-thought-of-it, funny. "Betty" artfully and eloquently skewers conservative Christianity. There's no remorse or coddling in these pages, though some of the slams are so well-constructed, they often take a second reading to appreciate fully. The book reads like a portfolio of articles rather than featuring a central story, featuring material with a myriad of styles and subjects (though from a "True Christian" perspective). Even where "Betty" isn't laying down line after line of hilarious diatribes, she's spouting poignant and keen observations about society and religion. When you aren't laughing, you're thinking.

I didn't give this book 5/5 only because I felt that a few of the entries seemed to go a long way for a gag. If you've read it, you might know which ones I mean, but beyond this tiny criticism, this is a great book.

That said, if you are a conservative Christian with a good sense of humor, don't pooh-pooh this book. Give it a chance and you may be surprised. If you just enjoy good satire (especially if you're an Onion fan), pick this up. "Betty" never disappoints, and I'll buy the next 10 books she writes.

I'm a devout Catholic and follower of Dr. Schlessinger and even I can appreciate the truth in this book. Mrs. Bowers has taken on the PC elements of the religous Right and exposed the hypocrisy of some of their beliefs: whether anti-woman, anti-black, or anti-gay. Many in the conservative movement will find that this book hits too close to home. But as a seriously religious person myself, I had the courage to get a sense of humor. From now on when people use the PC cliche of "we need to respect all religous beliefs such as the Levitical command to execute unrepentant homosexuals", I'll hand them Betty's book. Thank you Mrs. Bowers for a work of great Truth.

This book is hilarious. I stumbled across Betty while doing a search for the "Affair" that our lovely Governor Perry is rumored to be having. I just cannot get enough of Betty now. She really cracks me up. What I really like is reading the few, and I mean FEW, reviews that did not like the book and what it is about. In reading those reviews, you find that they really have no idea what it is about yet alone it's purpose. And HELLO, it is not a female author. Those are the people that the book is targeting and talking about. You know who you are....
For those of you with brains and a love of humor, this is right up your alley.
Trust me when I say you will be a follower of Betty in no time.

Growing up in the solid South, I can read things like this for hours. Again and again, I tell myself, "I know this person." If you haven't viewed ..., you really should. I won't spoil the jokes from the book for you, but I will say that there's enough in there to keep you laughing for at least two cross-Atlantic plane trips. With satire and style, this book manages to poke fun at all those people who are only friends of Jesus on Sunday. Like the bumper sticker says: God, please save me from your fan club.

Phyllis, Beverly and Dr. Laura should be proud of Mrs. Bowers' contributions to keeping God out of the hands of the undesirables (read Democrats). While I have met too many Bettys in my day, the fact that way too many people are taking her seriously demonstrates that satirical tone of this book drips more than Betty's ten carat diamond engagement ring.

Betty's approach to all things naughty is to whisk the perpetrators off to hell and ask questions later. She is a one woman Spanish Inquisition (currently headquartered in Landover, MD) for the new millenium. The people who should read this book won't, but the people who do read it will find endless comfort in knowing that somewhere out there, a modern Voltaire is taking a bite out of "Christian" fundamentalism. Betty also has a wonderful e-newsletter and subscriptions are free.