The Very Worst Missionary

February 26, 2018
Wright, founder of the Jamie the Very Worst Missionary blog, exposes her disenchantment with missionary work in this irreverent, fast-paced memoir. A rebellious teenager, she wound up pregnant at 17. After marrying the child’s father, she converted to Christianity, added two more children to the family, and moved the whole crew to Costa Rica to become missionaries. It wasn’t Wright’s faith that unraveled during her stay as much as it was her alignment with “churchianity,” she writes. Her frustration began when still living in the U.S., and it deepened when confronted with the realities of missionary work: it takes away opportunities for local laborers; the funds raised for missionary organizations are hard to track and can be easily abused by those who simply want to live in cities and hang out at coffeehouses; and it is fraught with manipulative stunts such as planting actors in the crowd to pose as converts. Conformity, Wright admits, has never been her thing; as if to prove it, she laces her refreshingly honest reflections with f-bombs. Readers don’t get a sense of her intimacy with God and how that relationship changes over time, but Wright still effectively conveys to Christians that their true calling should be love.

April 1, 2018
After Wright's Jewish upbringing, her conversion to Christianity followed some of the standard arcs?wanton youth, surprised by joy?on the road to salvation. Wright is the sort of person who, no matter the circumstance, doesn't do things by halves, and nothing is wasted: Judaism gave her a firm foundation, and her hard-edged adolescence allows her to call out BS. When she becomes a Christian, it's not enough to become deeply involved in church life; she and her family become missionaries in Costa Rica. Never one to let situations simply lay, Wright soon observes that the missionary system is flawed, sending unfit people or too many missionaries into a field. When her observations lead her to start a blog, her writing earns the ire of many but also the devoted following of readers who find her honesty not only refreshing but a much-needed tonic. And she's also really funny. Readers who like their Christian experiences to follow certain proscriptions may not appreciate Wright's style. Those who enjoy truth, straight-up, and the work of Anne Lamott should give this a try.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)