beat is beatitude -- a book review

Andrew William Smith is perhaps best known for his blog, Beat is Beatitude, that's now been collected into a book by the same title:  Beat is Beatitude:  Poems, Prayers & Preaching.  The book is a unique blend of Jesus and Jack Kerouac.  It's an intense collection of poems that bring together biblical faith, hope and love, and express them in a way that confronts placid Christianity and American politics. 

Which is to say:  This is not a book to miss.

But let me quickly add:  Beat is Beatitude is a challenging book.  The meditations here aren't for the faint-of-heart, because in them the reader is challenged to hear Jesus is fresh and refreshing ways.  The book will at once bring the reader beyond its pages to see the downtrodden and forgotten in the world through Jesus' own eyes.  This is a book that does more than just allow Christians to see these often forgotten and unnoticed -- it also gives them a voice.

And that voice rings like a clarion call in these pages.

Beat is Beatitude demonstrates Smith's ability to break free of so much lovelessness in American Christianity to hear the vibratoes of Jesus' call to love.

So while it's a challenge, Beat is Beatitude is also a real treat.

Simply put:  Five stars!  I can't recommend it too highly or too often.

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I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, as part of the Speakeasy book review program, in exchange for my honest review here.