Sin Bravely: A Memoir of Spiritual Disobedience

(Paperback)

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As a young girl, Maggie Rowe took the idea of salvation very seriously. Growing up in a moderately religious household, her fear of eternal damnation turned into a childhood terror that drove her to become an outrageously dedicated Born-again Christian --regularly slinging Bible verses in cutthroat scripture memorization competitions and assaulting strangers at shopping malls with the "good news" that they were going to hell. Finally, at nineteen, crippled by her fear, she checked herself in to an Evangelical psychiatric facility. And that is where her journey really began. Surrounded by a ragtag cast of characters, including a former biker meth-head struggling with anger management issues, a set of identical twins tormented by erotic fantasies, a World War II veteran and artist of denial who insists that he's only "locked up for a tune-up," and a warm and upbeat chronic depressive who becomes the author's closest ally, Maggie launches a campaign to, in the words of Martin Luther, "Sin bravely in order to know the forgiveness of God." Told in a voice both funny and heartfelt, Sin Bravely is a tour de force, voice-driven debut that examines how one woman finally

Reviews

Praise for Sin Bravely "A gripping exploration of the necessity of disobedience on the road to authenticity. A beautifully written, deeply funny memoir." --Jill Soloway, creator of Transparent "This book is so honest, so chock full of struggle and philosophical profundity --and ultimately so heartbreakingly funny-- that one is only left to conclude that if Heaven is a place that won't let in the likes of Maggie Rowe, then why the hell would anyone even want to go there" --Mitch Hurwitz, creator of Arrested Development "A sharp, genuinely funny book about the dangers of literalism and fear of the afterlife. A must read for anyone on this side of eternity." --Bill Maher "Maggie Rowe suffered for our sins so we don't have to. There are many laugh out loud moments in Maggie's deeply moving account of her spiritual wrestling match with a god she both feared and worshiped. A book with an original voice that should definitely be on your reading list." --Annabelle Gurwitch, author of the New York Times bestseller and Thurber Prize Finalist I See You Made an Effort "Maggie Rowe's writing is a rare thing: brilliant, intelligent, hilarious, thoughtful, and, most importantly, utterly believable. Sin Bravely is a startling reminder of how "faith" and "belief" are often synonymous with pure terror of a fictional--and seemingly very mean--Guy, and of what He'll do if you doubt Him for even a second. Her fear of Hell is a hell in itself, lived though the mind of a fiercely intelligent woman. Sin Bravely deserves to sell more copies and scare more people than the Bible; this is what I call a 'good book.'" -- Peter Baynham, co-screenwriter, Borat and Arthur Christmas "A powerful debut memoir that hits the unusual sweet spot of rigorous theology, candid sexuality, and laugh-out-loud humor. Who knew theological inquiry and obsessive questioning of one's eternal fate could be so damn funny" --Mishna Wolff, author of I'm Down: A Memoir "Hilarious and heartbreaking. Hints of The Bell Jar in that Maggie Rowe makes a painful story feel vibrant and funny and alive. Immensely readable." --Ilyse Mimoun, author of Choose Your Own Love Story "By turns harrowing and hilarious, Maggie Rowe takes us with her on a journey to the heart of faith and despair, love and madness." --Eric Kaplan, author Does Santa Exist: A Philosophical Investigation

Author Bio

For the last fifteen years, Maggie Rowe has performed in and produced the Comedy Central stage show sitnspin, Los Angeles' longest running spoken word, having taken over the reigns from creator Jill Soloway in 2002. She has written for Arrested Development and Flaked for Netflix. She co-wrote the screenplay for and directed the New Age religious mockumentary "Bright Day" and is the creator of the theatrical satires Hollywood Hellhouse and Hollywood Purity Ball. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, writer Jim Vallely.