Mrs. O'Dell Reads

 I have been dying to readBossypants but have been equally reluctant to shell out $25 for the hardcover. Since my local library doesn’t have it either, I resorted to borrowing it from a student. It was wellworth the borrow.

In many ways, it’s probably what you’re expecting — a series of strangely insightful funniness. Each chapter is like a little essay — a format I love that makes for super-speedy reading. I read more than half of the book waiting in the lobby of a doctor’s office.

While the memoir spans from her childhood, to UVa (!!!), to Second City in Chicago, to SNL and 30 Rock, my favorite bits were about her time working for Lorne Michaels at Saturday Night Live and, in particular, the epic adventure of being coerced into playing Sarah Palin on the show while simlutaneously raising a young daughter and getting 30 Rock off the ground.

For comedy memoir, this was a great book!

I picked up this book at a very-sadly-closing Borders Friday night based solely on how hard the book’s promotional website made me laugh at work on Friday.  Let me say from the outset — I understand that this won’t be a book everyone rushes to read. It’s a niche book — a niche which happens to interest me — so, I won’t be offended if you don’t take my recommendation because it doesn’t interest you.

More sociology of religion than religon, McCracken undertakes a journalistic approach to dissecting the newest trend in Christianity — hipster Christianity. Mostly as a reaction to the capitalistic mass culture of WWJD bracelets and contemporary Christian music, the new wave of hipster Christians are much more invested in the traditions and history of the church — it’s mysticism rather than it’s sanitized, popular appeal. Rather than simplifying Christianity, hipster Christians seek to replace the mysteryand confusing conundrums of the faith, claiming that these are as intrinsic as the basics of the Gospel.

McCracken’s work is well-balanced, neither lauding or condemning the movement. Rather, he seeks to understand its underpinings and its reactionary nature. I think anyone interested in religion and religious culture would be interested in this read. The first three chapters on the “history of cool” are entirely skimmable, if not skippable, but overall this is a really interesting exploration of a faith movement.  I read it in one, short sitting.