Sweet Heaven When I Die: Faith, Faithlessness, and the Country In Between

By Jeff Sharlet

Book Overview

No one explores the borderlands of belief and skepticism quite like Jeff Sharlet. He is ingenious, farsighted, and able to excavate the worlds of others, even the flakiest and most fanatical, with uncanny sympathy. Here, he reports back from the far reaches of belief, whether in the clear mountain air of "Sweet Fuck All, Colorado" or in a midnight congregation of urban anarchists celebrating a victory over police.

From Dr. Cornel West to legendary banjo player Dock Boggs, from the youth evangelist Ron Luce to America's largest "Mind, Body, Spirit Expo," Sharlet profiles religious radicals, realists, and escapists. Including extended journeys published here for the first time, Sweet Heaven When I Die offers a portrait of our spiritual landscape that calls to mind Joan Didion's classic Slouching Towards Bethlehem.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393079635
• ISBN13: 9780393079630
• Release Date: August 2011
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.9" x 8.6"