Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner

Book Review and Giveaway

Hear No Evil is by far the best book I’ve read recently in the non-fiction Christian genre.  Matthew Paul Turner shares his journey from a Christian fundamentalist upbringing, which even swore off christian music as being “the devil’s excrement”, to his career in the music business with transparency, authenticity and humor.  I found myself laughing out loud as I related to Turner’s hilarious analogies and metaphors used to describe legalistic,  religious, and narrow-minded values.  Because I knew that my husband could also relate to the stories, I read a good portion of the book aloud to him.

When I accepted the offer from WaterBrook Multnomah to review this book, I expected to like it because I enjoy reading Matthew Paul Turner’s (a.k.a. @JesusNeedsNewPR) updates on Twitter.  However, I was surprised to find, as I read through the pages of his book, that this author felt like an old friend.  I’m not sure if it’s because Matthew Paul Turner’s writing-style is so endearing, or if it’s due to the fact that I, too, live in the Nashville area and frequent Fido’s.  Whatever the case, I am thankful for the opportunity to take this ride along memory lane with Turner. It definitely left me with food for thought about my own attitudes and convictions.

*This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

An additional book was provided by Matthew Paul Turner in my Savvy Blogger’s swag bag. See how to win this copy at the end of this post.

You can purchase a copy of Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner at Random House.

Book Summary

A collection of wise, compelling, and often uproariously funny essays built around the experience of music as a transformational element in a moment of truth, Hear No Evil mines Matthew Paul Turner’s humorous memories of his evangelical youth and invites readers to groove along on his journey.

From attending forbidden contemporary Christian concerts to moving to “Music City” Nashville, Hear No Evil chronicles Turner’s “life soundtrack” which morphs seamlessly into the stories of people, places, and experiences that have taught the music-editor-turned-author some new things about God, forced him out of his comfort zone, and introduced him to a fresh view of grace along the way.

If you’ve ever had the opening bars of a song transport you back in time or remind you of a pivotal spiritual moment, Matthew Paul Turner’s honest—and frequently hilarious—musings will strike a chord. Straight forward and amusing, Hear No Evil is an exploration of a life of faith lived to a personal soundtrack.

Author Bio

Matthew Paul Turner is a blogger, speaker, and author of Churched: One Kid’s Journey Toward God Despite a Holy Mess, The Christian Culture Survival Guide, and several other popular books. After a childhood in rural Maryland, Turner attended Nashville’s Belmont University, where he received a BBA in music business, and was the editor of CCM magazine before leaving to pursue writing as a career. Turner has written for Relevant, HomeLife, Christian Single, and other magazines. He and his wife, Jessica, have one son, and live in Nashville, Tennessee. Visit his website:  www.matthewpaulturner.com.

Win a copy of Hear No Evil

Reading Hear No Evil brought back this memory for me. I was 15:

Seriously? $11.50 for a ticket to see Amy Grant in concert?

Here is how to enter:

1. Do you have any memories of the Christian music industry when you were growing up? Share one with us in the comments for a chance to win Matthew Paul Turner’s new book, Hear No Evil.

For additional entries (completely optional) do one or more of the following and leave a SEPARATE comment for each telling me what you did:

2. Subscribe to the MCA Designs blog.

3. Follow @JesusNeedsNewPR on Twitter.

4. Follow @mcadesigns on Twitter.

5. Tweet about this giveaway. “Win a free copy of @JesusNeedsNewPR ‘s new book, Hear No Evil:  http://tiny.cc/jS00F #giveaway”

Give Away ends February 23, 2010 at 10 PM CST. United States shipping addresses only. Winner chosen by random.org out of total number of eligible entries. Please leave a way for me to contact you in the case that you are the winner.