Synopses & Reviews
Frank Schaeffer grew up in Switzerland's L'Abri, an idealistic community founded by his parents, the American evangelicals Francis and Edith Schaeffer. By the time he was nineteen, his parents had achieved global fame as bestselling authors and speakers, L'Abri had become a mecca for spiritual seekers worldwide from Barbara Bush to Timothy Leary and Frank had joined his father on the evangelical circuit. By the age of 23, he had directed two multi-part religious documentaries and had helped instigate the marriage between the American evangelical community and the anti-abortion movement. But as he spoke before thousands in arenas around America, published his own evangelical bestseller, and worked with such figures as Pat Robertson, Jack Kemp, Jerry Falwell, and Dr. James Dobson, Schaeffer felt alienated, precipitating his own crisis of faith and eventually resulting in his departure.
Schaeffer has since become a successful secular author. He was reduced to stealing pork chops from the grocery store in L.A., rather than take on any more high-paying evangelical speaking gigs.
With its up-close portraits of the leading figures of the American evangelical movement, Crazy for God is a uniquely revealing and powerful memoir, which tells its story with empathy, humor, and bite.
Review
"Interesting glimpses into the burgeoning religious right folded into a deeply personal memoir." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Sounding a refreshing variation on the I-was-lost-but-now-I'm-found theme, Schaeffer's apology rings true." Booklist
About the Author
Frank Schaeffer was born in Switzerland. He is a survivor of polio, an acclaimed writer who overcame severe dyslexia, a home-schooled and self-taught documentary movie director, a feature film director and producer of four ("pretty terrible") low-budget Hollywood features, and a best-selling author of fiction and nonfiction. Frank and his wife, Genie, live in Massachusetts and have three children.