Recommendations based on The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest Universityby Kevin Roose

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

    by A.J. Jacobs
    An exploration of faith and morality through the lens of the Bible.

    From the bestselling author of "The Know-It-All" comes a fascinating and timely exploration of religion and the Bible. Raised in a secular family but increasingly interested in the relevance of faith ... (Goodreads)

  2. Columbine

    by Dave Cullen
    Investigation into the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, exploring the perpetrators and the aftermath.

    "The tragedies keep coming. As we reel from the latest horror . . . " So begins a new epilogue, illustrating how Columbine became the template for nearly two decades of "spectacle murders." It is a ... (Goodreads)

  3. Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life

    by Steve Martin
    A memoir of the comedian's rise to fame, from the early days of stand-up comedy to the heights of success.

    In the midseventies, Steve Martin exploded onto the comedy scene. By 1978 he was the biggest concert draw in the history of stand-up. In 1981 he quit forever. This book is, in his own words, the ... (Goodreads)

  4. Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime

    by John Heilemann
    A behind-the-scenes look at the 2008 US Presidential Election and the people who ran it.

    “It’s one of the best books on politics of any kind I’ve read. For entertainment value, I put it up there with Catch 22 .” — The Financial Times “It transports you to a parallel universe in which ... (Goodreads)

  5. In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

    by Michael Pollan
    Argument for a return to traditional diets and away from processed, industrialized food.

    Michael Pollan's last book, The Omnivore's Dilemma , launched a national conversation about the American way of eating; now In Defense of Food shows us how to change it, one meal at a time. Pollan ... (Goodreads)

  6. Assassination Vacation

    by Sarah Vowell
    A comedic travelogue exploring the history of presidential assassinations in the United States.

    Sarah Vowell exposes the glorious conundrums of American history and culture with wit, probity, and an irreverent sense of humor. With Assassination Vacation, she takes us on a road trip like no ... (Goodreads)

  7. Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality

    by Donald Miller
    A Christian's exploration of faith and spirituality, navigating its relevance in the modern world.

    The runaway New York Times bestseller that became a cornerstone of Christian nonfiction, Blue Like Jazz is a fresh and original perspective on life, love, and redemption. ,"I never liked jazz music ... (Barnes & Noble)

  8. The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court

    by Jeffrey Toobin
    An exploration of the inner workings of the U.S. Supreme Court and its justices.

    In The Nine, acclaimed journalist Jeffrey Toobin takes us into the chambers of the most important—and secret—legal body in our country, the Supreme Court, revealing the complex dynamic among the nine ... (Goodreads)

  9. The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement

    by David Brooks
    A journey through the unconscious mind, exploring how it shapes our behavior, relationships, and success in life.

    With unequaled insight and brio, David Brooks, the New York Times columnist and bestselling author of Bobos in Paradise, has long explored and explained the way we live. Now, with the intellectual ... (Goodreads)

  10. The Bookseller of Kabul

    by Åsne Seierstad
    An intimate look into the lives of an Afghan family, exploring culture and faith.

    In spring 2002, following the fall of the Taliban, Åsne Seierstad spent four months living with a bookseller and his family in Kabul. For more than twenty years Sultan Khan defied the authorities—be ... (Goodreads)

  11. The Partly Cloudy Patriot

    by Sarah Vowell
    An exploration of American nationalism and identity, weaving in personal stories and reflections.

    Sarah Vowell travels through the American past and, in doing so, investigates the dusty, bumpy roads of her own life. In this insightful and funny collection of personal stories Vowell—widely hailed ... (Goodreads)

  12. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life

    by Donald Miller
    A journey to create a meaningful life by re-imagining and re-writing one's own story.

    Full of beautiful, heart-wrenching, and hilarious stories, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years details one man's opportunity to edit his life as if he were a character in a movie. Years after writing ... (Goodreads)

  13. When You Are Engulfed in Flames

    by David Sedaris
    Humorous reflections on everyday life, navigating the absurdities of the human condition.

    It's early autumn 1964. Two straight-A students head off to school, and when only one of them returns home Chesney Yelverton is coaxed from retirement and assigned to what proves to be the most ... (Goodreads)

  14. Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened

    by Allie Brosh
    A humorous and candid account of the author's life, exploring the highs and lows of everyday life.

    #1, New York Times, Bestseller “Funny and smart as hell” (Bill Gates), Allie Brosh’s, Hyperbole and a Half, showcases her unique voice, leaping wit, and her ability to capture complex emotions with ... (Barnes & Noble)

  15. Hark! A Vagrant

    by Kate Beaton
    A collection of humorous and witty comic strips about history, literature, and popular culture.

    Hark! A Vagrant is an uproarious romp through history and literature seen through the sharp, contemporary lens of New Yorker cartoonist and comics-sensation Kate Beaton. No era or tome emerges ... (Goodreads)

  16. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

    by Anne Lamott
    A witty and honest guide to writing and life, encouraging writers to embrace imperfection and find their own voice.

    A newer edition of this title can be found, here., "Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to ... (Goodreads)

  17. Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War

    by Tony Horwitz
    Investigative report into the legacy of the American Civil War and its lingering presence in modern culture.

    When prize-winning war correspondent Tony Horwitz leaves the battlefields of Bosnia and the Middle East for a peaceful corner of the Blue Ridge Mountains, he thinks he's put war zones behind him. But ... (Goodreads)

  18. Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town

    by Jon Krakauer
    A harrowing account of sexual assaults in Missoula, Montana and the failures of the justice system to bring justice to the victims.

    Missoula, Montana, is a typical college town, home to a highly regarded state university whose beloved football team inspires a passionately loyal fan base. Between January 2008 and May 2012, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  19. Lost on Planet China: The Strange and True Story of One Man's Attempt to Understand the World's Most Mystifying Nation, or How He Became Comfortable Eating Live Squid

    by J. Maarten Troost
    A humorous and insightful travelogue of a man's journey through China, exploring its culture, history, and quirks.

    The bestselling author of, The Sex Lives of Cannibals, returns with a sharply observed, hilarious account of his adventures in China—a complex, fascinating country with enough dangers and delicacies ... (Barnes & Noble)

  20. Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?

    by Roz Chast
    A graphic memoir about a daughter's relationship with her aging parents.

    The book's storyline, spanning an eight-year period from 2001 to 2009, concerns Roz Chast's parents living in Brooklyn . The book describes various interactions between Chast and her parents. Chast, ... (Wikipedia)

  21. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church

    by N.T. Wright
    Reflection on the power of hope in Christian faith, and its implications for how the Church engages in God’s mission.

    In this groundbreaking book—available in paperback for the first time—renowned Bible scholar, Anglican bishop, and bestselling author N. T. Wright argues that Christians have not distorted the ... (Barnes & Noble)

  22. Running with Scissors

    by Augusten Burroughs
    An autobiographical story of a young boy's difficult upbringing and his unconventional family.

    Running with Scissors covers the period of Burroughs' adolescent years, beginning at age 12 after a brief overview of his life as a child. Burroughs spends his early childhood in a clean and orderly ... (Wikipedia)

  23. Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood

    by Koren Zailckas
    A memoir of teenage alcoholism and its destructive consequences.

    Garnering a vast amount of attention from young people and parents, and from book buyers across the country, Smashed became a media sensation and a New York Times bestseller. Eye-opening and utterly ... (Goodreads)

  24. Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection

    by A.J. Jacobs
    A humorous and informative journey of a man's quest for perfect health, trying out various diets, exercise routines, and health practices.

    New York Times bestselling author and king of “immersion journalism” A.J. Jacobs tackles his most challenging experiment yet: a yearlong mission to radically improve every element of his body and ... (Goodreads)

  25. The Abolition of Man

    by C.S. Lewis
    Argument against the corrosive effects of modern society on morality and values.

    Alternative cover for ISBN: 978-0060652944 The Abolition of Man, Lewis uses his graceful prose, delightful humor, and keen understanding of the human mind to challenge our notions about how to best ... (Goodreads)

  26. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

    by Michael Pollan
    Exploration of the modern food chain, examining the impact of food choices on our health and the environment.

    What should we have for dinner? The question has confronted us since man discovered fire, but according to Michael Pollan, the bestselling author of The Botany of Desire , how we answer it today, at ... (Goodreads)

  27. One Summer: America, 1927

    by Bill Bryson
    A vivid portrait of America in the summer of 1927, featuring a host of historical figures and events.

    In One Summer Bill Bryson, one of our greatest and most beloved nonfiction writers, transports readers on a journey back to one amazing season in American life. The summer of 1927 began with one of ... (Goodreads)

  28. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

    by Marjane Satrapi
    Autobiographical account of a young girl's experience of the Iranian Revolution.

    Note: The summary of the English editions of the novel is divided into two sections, one for each book. Persepolis 1 begins by introducing Marji, the ten-year-old protagonist. Set in 1980, the novel ... (Wikipedia)

  29. I Wear the Black Hat: Grappling With Villains

    by Chuck Klosterman
    A collection of essays exploring the concept of villainy in popular culture and real life, challenging our perceptions of good and evil.

    From, New York Times, bestselling author, “one of America’s top cultural critics” (,Entertainment Weekly,), and “The Ethicist” for, The New York Times Magazine,, comes,, a new book of all original ... (Goodreads)

  30. Infidel

    by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
    A memoir of a woman's journey of faith, identity, and self-liberation.

    One of today’s most admired and controversial political figures, Ayaan Hirsi Ali burst into international headlines following the murder of Theo van Gogh by an Islamist who threatened that she would ... (Goodreads)