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Trespassers Will Be Baptised

Trespassers Will Be Baptised

by ElizabethEmersonHancock (Author)

  • Used

    Hardcover 2008

    $16.34
Synopsis

Growing up Southern and Baptist in Eastern Kentucky, Elizabeth Hancock's world revolved around Sunday School, foreign missions projects, revival meetings and of course, the Kentucky Wildcats, who glorified God through their goal-shattering, soul-shattering play. Hancock chronicles her childhood misadventures with sardonic wit, detailing her and her sister Meg's mischievous - if harmless - abuses of power (demanding to be baptized in blue jeans, or lecturing their peers that bugs are a Biblical plague, and that means anyone who gets head lice is getting paid back by God for something they did ) and lovingly recalling the wisdom imparted by her long-suffering parents as they minister to their unruly flock. TRESPASSERS introduces the quirky and unforgettable denizens of Elizabeth's childhood - Aunt Vaney and the hundreds of Christmas cards that decorated her living room, next door neighbor Mary Anna and her mysterious Catholic ways, Ginny and Geneva Gordon, twin ex-debutante Little Lambs Sunday School teachers - and marks the arrival of a talented new voice in a coming of age story that is by turns comical and affecting.

$16.34

Quantity

1 in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 288
 Publisher: FaithWords
Published: 17 Jul 2008
ISBN 10: 1599957086
ISBN 13: 9781599957081

Media Reviews
Starred Review. Daddy had a sermon voice and an at-home voice; his church smiles and his at-home grins; his damnation-from-above tone, and his damnation-on-whoever-flooded-the-bathroom-floor-trying-to-play-Olympics tone, writes first-time author Hancock in this beautifully crafted and downright funny memoir about growing up a Southern Baptist pastor's daughter in Kentucky. Hancock's voice is a real find, managing both spirituality and irreverence in her account of family and flock. Parishioners jostling for her father's attention are particularly skewered; on the competition among church ladies to prove themselves the most charitable: Yes, Jesus was dirt poor... But this does not take away from the fact that if you really want to show that you love someone, you have to give them things. While her father is the focus, Hancock gives much time to nuanced, loving observation of her mother, sister and other family members, achieving unexpected depth in the ongoing narrative of her grandmother's long illness. A true gem of a memoir, this will resonate with anyone who grew up in a religious and/or Southern family. -- Publisher's Weekly
Humorously irreverent look at life as the eldest daughter of a Southern Baptist preacher whose philosophy, he once told her, rests largely on the principle that all God's glorious, perfect children are also dumb as dirt. That pious but realistic comment framed Hancock's childhood attempts to understand the church people around her as well as her own special role as the PK (preacher's kid) in 1980s Kentucky. Her experiences will ring true for anyone long involved in a church, as she sardonically tells of busybodies and holier-than-thou congregants while keeping the main focus on the sincere believers who were her true beacon, none more so than her parents and sister. A large portion of the memoir pokes fun at the silly and often maddening people found in any congregation, prompting many a good laugh. But [the author] goes deeper, delving into her own spiritual journey. [Her] experiences are the true crucible of anyone's faith, and they certainly shaped Hancock. The reader comes away hoping that this rueful autobiographer will tap more of her memories in the future. Expressive and thoroughly entertaining. -- Kirkus Reviews
Hancock paints a candid picture of her unique childhood in this delightful memoir of religion and rebirth. -- Nancy Redd, New York Times' bestselling author of Body Drama
As one who has done time in the fishbowl known as a parsonage, I can confirm that Elizabeth's voice is authentic. Poetic and passionate writing combined with honest and unvarnished storytelling makes this story of one girl's struggle to understand life in the stained-glass house a must-read. -- Brad Whittington, author of Welcome to Fred
Elizabeth Hancock's riotous tale of growing up as a Southern Baptist preacher's daughter is laugh-out-loud funny and touching at the same time. TRESPASSERS WILL BE BAPTIZED captures the true down-home spirit of all GRITS (Girls Raised In The South). -- Deborah Ford, author of The GRITS Guide to Life, GRITS Friends Are Forevah, and Puttin' on the GR
This is as close as you can get to Southern church life without eating your weight in Velveeta. Trespassing through this book, you don't have to be Southern, Baptist, or even a Kentucky Wildcats fan to find your sense of humor and faith more than a little revived. -- David C. Barnette, author of The Official Guide to Christmas in the South
Elizabeth Emerson Hancock has a big voice and a bigger heart, and she absolutely nails the experience of being Raised Right. I loved this memoir about growing up smart-mouthed and Baptist, written by the only preacher's kid in America who didn't go bad. TRESPASSERS WILL BE BAPTIZED is hilarious and touching in turn, and always hugely entertaining. -- Joshilyn Jackson, bestselling author of gods in Alabama and Between, Georgia