Churched, by Matthew Paul Turner

If you grew up in church, especially in a church on the conservative/fundamentalist/Baptist end of the spectrum, you will laugh out loud in recognition at some of Matthew Paul Turner's stories in Churched: One Kid's Journey Toward God Despite a Holy Mess.  Turner grew up in an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist church in the south, so his experience is a real-life caricature of most people's church experiences.  But like a good caricature, it sheds a humorous light on reality.

Some of his stories and recollections are really hilarious.  I can relate to his self-diagnosis of narcolepsy.  He saw a Phil Donohue show segment in which the disease was discussed, and determined that he has sermon-onset narcolepsy, a diagnosis that he never could convince his dad of.  (I can relate, Matthew.  I have sermon-and-work-meeting-induced narcolepsy, for sure.)  He recalls the tactics used to scare him into heaven, or, more accurately, away from hell, like the time the Sunday school teacher set Barbie on fire.  (By the way, he remembers WAY more about his pre-adolescent years than I can remember about my own.  I suspect there's a good bit of "creative remembering" going on here. . . .)

Amid the fun and laughs, Turner writes very little about his journey toward God. His humor is insider humor that doesn't reek of arrogance, judgmentalism, or mockery, as you might expect from this sort of book.  Turner has the ability to make fun of himself and of some of his religious background without being disrespectful.  But I was hoping for a bit more redemption and "what I learned amid all the silliness."  Sure, he says he prayed a sinner's prayer out of fear--many times--but he doesn't talk much about putting aside childish things.  Still, it's a fun book to read.