Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die. Why? In an honest, profound look at the connection between death, the soul, and bluegrass music---that's right, bluegrass music---best-selling musician David Crowder comes to terms with a Savior who understands suffering and a God who grieves. From exploring the death of the soul in mainstream culture to uncovering slave spirituals in the DNA of bluegrass, Crowder discovers that grief is one of the truest ways to follow Jesus---and realizes that death is not the ultimate calamity.
'Everybody Wants to go to Heaven, but Nobody Wants to Die'| Posted January 24, 2009
Imagine sitting in a overcrowded lounge on a bright red couch, balancing a cup of scalding hot espresso in one hand and a caramel-crunchie doughnut in the other staring into superb nothingness, all the while listening to two indie, twentysomethingish dudes sharing their thoughts on death, the history of discovery, salvation and how all this connects to bluegrass music.
Now, stop dreaming, grab a dictionary and head into the world of deep thought and quirky humor. Crowder and Hogan both seem to have an interest in doing something thoroughly and this book is clear evidence of this fact. The journey is initiated with a personal introduction to the two authors, David Crowder and Mike Hogan as well as to their mission, in an introspective, one-on-one fashion.
The remainder of this book is a fantasy intertwined with fact, fiction, truth and reality. It takes a scientific approach in some instances, discussing (in an almost cold and factual manner) the theories of death and burial traditions that has evolved throughout the ages. At other times the humor is striking, as they manipulate the situations and footnotes to capture an idea that leaves you smiling for days to come.
The comparison and association between death and bluegrass music creates an exceptional background to introduce and discuss God's grace and love for humans. Throughout the book, there exists another, more storylike narrative of these characteristics of God. This narrative was the cause for my need for Kleenex in the final pages of the book-something I had certainly not expected.
A rich source of personal experiences from the authors as well as their random (and slightly abstract) 'Instant Messages' throughout this text confirms the idea of chatting with the authors and the reader is set at ease by the conversational style of writing produced by this fact.
A deeply interesting and captivating read that received more emotion from me than the superficially sentimental books overcrowding the market these days.
Interesting Book and a Deep Read!| Posted August 27, 2009
What happens when you have a close friend pass away? One way to grieve is to write in this case a book and that is exactly what Hogan and Crowder did. They decided to explore what science has to say about your soul. Now this is a very deep book that makes you think and it is one that you have to sometimes put down to really figure out what you just read. To make it interesting they include some great little tangents that make the book. Like most of the things Crowder does this book is quite unique. Put the A Collision and B Collision in your CD player or download it to your Ipod or MP3 player and start reading today!
Quirky but worthwhile| Posted August 15, 2008
This book is certainly a bit different. It is constantly changing writing style, topic and even which way up the book goes every few pages. It has lots of random footnotes. Not to mention that death and bluegrass music seem like an unlikely combination for a christian book! Don't let all that scare you off, it is a thought provoking and at times funny book that is well worth reading.
