Ellen Carlisle knows more about Christianity than she cares
to, thanks to her born-again parents who sent her to Jesus
camp and faithfully required attendance at at least one
worship service every Sunday. But coming from a Christian
family hasn't shielded Ellen or her siblings from pain and
family turmoil, and it surely hasn't made Ellen want to
draw
any closer to a God with whom she's not quite sure she
wants
anything more to do with her than she wants to do with Him.
When her husband leaves her because she cannot have
children, Ellen moves back home and back among all of the
quirks and baggage that come with living under the roof of
her evangelical-believing parents. Divorced and
unemployed,
Ellen must begin to shape a new life for herself, including
the possibility of risking her heart once more, as she
navigates murky faith-filled waters.
CAN I GET AN AMEN? is definitely not what most folks would
call Christian or even inspirational fiction, given the
profanity and crassness of some of the language and subject
matter. On the other hand, at times, it seems as though
it's heading toward a "come to Jesus" moment, just the kind
many readers shy away from. But in the end, CAN I GET AN
AMEN? ranks high among contemporary fiction that explores
faith in an uncompromising, courageous manner. It's the
kind of story that some readers will love and others will
hate.
Ellen struggles with her faith throughout the story.
Nothing about believing in God comes easy for her and most
of what she knows or experiences repels her like bug
spray.
She also struggles with the details of day-to-day living.
Her health is less than desired. Her relationships are
complicated. Her work life is tedious. Her romantic life
alternates between whimsically encouraging and deeply
depressing. In short, Ellen is a very realistic, modern
woman with troubles most women will relate to on one level
or another, and that's what makes CAN I GET AN AMEN? so
compelling.
It's as if Sarah Healy decided to cut open a vein and spill
the angst and hope of women everywhere on to the pages of
her book. CAN I GET AN AMEN? is funny, thoughtful,
provocative... it's difficult to believe this is Healy's
first book. One can only hope there will be many more.
One thing I didn't like was a snide comment made about
"blacks selling crack on side of road". Although it fit
perfectly in context and the character was being sarcastic
in his dialogue, comments like these serve only to
perpetuate ugly, negative stereotypes. Granted, the whole
book
takes on stereotypes about conservative Christians in
similar fashion, but this particular comment felt as though
it could have easily been replaced with something else that
would have made the point just as effectively.
But putting that aside, CAN I GET AN AMEN? is a fantastic
read and will certainly be on my short list of best books
for 2012.blacks selling crack on side of road
When the last thing you want is the one thing you need,
you've got to have a little
faith... Growing up, Ellen Carlisle
was a Christian: she went to Jesus camp, downed stale Nilla
wafers at Sunday school, and never, ever played with Ouija
boards. Now, years later, when infertility prevents her from
giving her ambitious attorney husband a family, she finds
herself on the brink of divorce, unemployed, and living with
her right-wing, Born Again Christian parents in her suburban
New Jersey hometown. There the schools are private, the
past is public, and blessings come in lump
sums.
Then Ellen meets a man to whom she
believes she can open her heart, and she begins to think
that maybe it’s true what they say, that everything happens
for a reason… Until all that was going well starts going
very badly, and Ellen is finally forced to dig down
deep to find her own brand of faith.
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