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jennthegreat251's review
2.0
I had high expectations for this book and was truly let down. I thought it would be more informative on the various religions, but instead it was mostly filled with useless information about his life and complaints. He is a whiner and I had to force myself to complete the book.
skylarkochava's review
5.0
Since joining Goodreads last September, I've read 130 books. This is one of the best books I've ever read. In my life. I just finished reading it, and it's 4am.
sarahbringhurstfamilia's review
3.0
First of all, I hate to rain on the feel-good parade, but this guy is in serious need of a copy editor. As in, besides the obvious typos, he's never even heard of the past perfect tense. Also, I wonder when the year-long personal quest/book deal fad will finally run its course.
That said, this book did have some redeeming qualities. So even though it's really only a two or 2.5 star book, I'm going to go ahead and cut Andrew Bowen some slack and give him three stars, just for the significant personal achievement of going from closed-minded bigot to advocate for everyone he used to hate in one short year.
This book chronicles how Bowen, a self-described bitter atheist (and former intolerant Christian), lived a different faith every month for a year. In many ways, it's similar to [b:Flunking Sainthood: A Year of Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray, and Still Loving My Neighbor|11524633|Flunking Sainthood A Year of Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray, and Still Loving My Neighbor|Jana Riess|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328757142s/11524633.jpg|16462131], except that Bowen goes well beyond Christianity, devoting months to faiths as diverse as Buddhism, Wicca, and Zoroastrianism. He even spends a memorable month meeting with the Mormon missionaries.
I enjoyed reading about his plunge into each faith and don't doubt his sincerity, but I remain skeptical that a month inside a faith with no plans for long-term commitment is long enough to really understand it. There's always some hubris involved in these sorts of projects, and Bowen is no exception. He even considers going off and starting his own religion.
Still, if the goal was getting to know some members of each faith and trying to listen and learn respect for other religions, then Bowen has ably accomplished it. There are better introductions to each particular faith than this book, but for an interesting and sincerely-written testimonial of the virtues and unexpected joys of religious toleration, it does quite well.
That said, this book did have some redeeming qualities. So even though it's really only a two or 2.5 star book, I'm going to go ahead and cut Andrew Bowen some slack and give him three stars, just for the significant personal achievement of going from closed-minded bigot to advocate for everyone he used to hate in one short year.
This book chronicles how Bowen, a self-described bitter atheist (and former intolerant Christian), lived a different faith every month for a year. In many ways, it's similar to [b:Flunking Sainthood: A Year of Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray, and Still Loving My Neighbor|11524633|Flunking Sainthood A Year of Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray, and Still Loving My Neighbor|Jana Riess|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328757142s/11524633.jpg|16462131], except that Bowen goes well beyond Christianity, devoting months to faiths as diverse as Buddhism, Wicca, and Zoroastrianism. He even spends a memorable month meeting with the Mormon missionaries.
I enjoyed reading about his plunge into each faith and don't doubt his sincerity, but I remain skeptical that a month inside a faith with no plans for long-term commitment is long enough to really understand it. There's always some hubris involved in these sorts of projects, and Bowen is no exception. He even considers going off and starting his own religion.
Still, if the goal was getting to know some members of each faith and trying to listen and learn respect for other religions, then Bowen has ably accomplished it. There are better introductions to each particular faith than this book, but for an interesting and sincerely-written testimonial of the virtues and unexpected joys of religious toleration, it does quite well.
emiged's review
5.0
I'm fairly possessive of my favorite books. When I read a book that strikes a chord deep within me, it becomes "mine" in a far truer sense than can be conveyed by simply owning a collection of papers with words printed on them. So when I say I feel more ownership of Project Conversion: One Man, 12 Faiths, One Year than I usually do over my favorite books, it means something. Project Conversion fundamentally changed the way I view and approach those of other faiths, and deepened my appreciation for my own.
Read the rest of my review on my blog at Build Enough Bookshelves
Read the rest of my review on my blog at Build Enough Bookshelves
melkelsey's review
4.0
This is a book of a man immersing himself in a different faith each month for a year. Before discovering this book I had told Ben I wanted to do something similar (but with a much smaller scope and for different reasons), so I was very excited to read this book. I loved learning about the various faiths. A lot of preconceived notions disappeared and greater love and more understanding appeared. It was interesting to read about Bowen's experience in my faith. This book is not for someone who sees things as black and white. It's for those who are willing to see God and faith through a myriad of lenses. Bowen's spiritual experiences/visions were very interesting and beautiful to me. A book well worth reading.
aschwennsen's review
3.0
Good idea
Good idea
I thought that the idea for Project Conversion was a great one, however because it was a personal journey I feel like the descriptions of each religion were sometimes inconsistent. I think it's a great idea but maybe not the best book.
Good idea
I thought that the idea for Project Conversion was a great one, however because it was a personal journey I feel like the descriptions of each religion were sometimes inconsistent. I think it's a great idea but maybe not the best book.
eoppelt's review
3.0
I admire Bowman's goal to become more compassionate. I would have liked it if the book was more about what he experienced with each religion. The long philosophical ponderings were no doubt useful and powerful to him, but I was hoping for more facts and events and less stream of consciouness. I don't feel like I learned much about any of the religions, what Bowman did to practice them or what the end result was. He was so in the moment that it felt like reading a draft of a journal rather than a finished book. I admire the concept and the goal; I just wish I knew more than the book told me.
I must say, that as someone who was raised Mormon, his description of his interactions with the Mormon missionaries left me laughing. It was spot on. Focusing on feelings over facts, pleading for conversion, using the same scriptures over and over and blaming the investigator when God doesn't respond how the missionaries promised God would is classic missionary behavior.
I must say, that as someone who was raised Mormon, his description of his interactions with the Mormon missionaries left me laughing. It was spot on. Focusing on feelings over facts, pleading for conversion, using the same scriptures over and over and blaming the investigator when God doesn't respond how the missionaries promised God would is classic missionary behavior.
bookwormmichelle's review
3.0
I really liked SO MUCH of this book. I really believe the world would be a much better place if we understood each other's religions much better, and this book is GREAT for that! I learned a LOT reading this story of a man who chooses a different "religion" each month of a year; he really learns all he can, lives it as honestly as he can and tries to see the world through each religion's eyes. LOVED that!
What I wasn't so crazy about---over-the-top emotiveness. Not exactly an even-keel sort of guy, the author has what he feels to be a desperately anguishing past, and EVERY FEW PAGES of this book, some event in his life "devastates" him, "turns his world upside down", etc. What sort of things? Um, a car running out of gas. A dog getting sick. Nasty comments on a blog. Weird visions he says he sees sitting on a river bank. Where his childhood imaginary friend tells him he's going to die. Oh, and one month he decides his "spirit animal" is a giant multicolored chicken. Then he invents his own religion he calls The Fluid Life. Then he converts to Catholicism. This part of the book exhausted me.
What I wasn't so crazy about---over-the-top emotiveness. Not exactly an even-keel sort of guy, the author has what he feels to be a desperately anguishing past, and EVERY FEW PAGES of this book, some event in his life "devastates" him, "turns his world upside down", etc. What sort of things? Um, a car running out of gas. A dog getting sick. Nasty comments on a blog. Weird visions he says he sees sitting on a river bank. Where his childhood imaginary friend tells him he's going to die. Oh, and one month he decides his "spirit animal" is a giant multicolored chicken. Then he invents his own religion he calls The Fluid Life. Then he converts to Catholicism. This part of the book exhausted me.
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