The Renewed Homiletic

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The Renewed Homiletic

Author : O. Wesley Allen
Publisher : Fortress Press
ISBN 13 : 145141532X
Total Pages : 162 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (514 download)

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Book Synopsis The Renewed Homiletic by : O. Wesley Allen

Download or read book The Renewed Homiletic written by O. Wesley Allen and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2010-04-21 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The major shift in the study and practice of preaching in the 1970s and 1980s, labeled the New Homiletic, turned toward the hearer. The purpose of preaching focused less on persuasion and more on transformation, less on asserting religious truths and more on offering an experience of the gospel. Instead of viewing language as referential, its creative, evocative nature began to be emphasized. Thus homiletical strategies utilizing induction, celebration, story, narrative structures, and moves replaced a deductive, propositional approach to preaching. Now three-and-a-half decades after this shift began, preachers recognize that the homiletical landscape has continued to evolve in ways that influence how preaching ought to be done£for example, the rise of postmodernity, the decline of the mainline church, cultural pluralism, and biblical and theological illiteracy.Those considered to be the pillars of the New Homiletic £ David Buttrick, Fred Craddock, Eugene Lowry, Henry Mitchell, and Charles Rice £ discuss how to change their homiletical approach for a new day. Each of these distinguished scholars offers a lecture describing how his mind has changed, preaches a sermon reflecting these changes, and participates in a panel discussion with younger respondents" -- Publisher description.

The Renewal of Preaching in the Twenty-first Century, Second Edition

Author : David J. Randolph
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1621891496
Total Pages : 158 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (218 download)

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Book Synopsis The Renewal of Preaching in the Twenty-first Century, Second Edition by : David J. Randolph

Download or read book The Renewal of Preaching in the Twenty-first Century, Second Edition written by David J. Randolph and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2008-07-01 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Deep faith meets high tech here in The Renewal of Preaching in the Twenty-first Century. A communications revolution is sweeping through the churches leaving some on fire and others burned out. This work shows what makes the difference for church leaders and communities who are using new media to advance Christian preaching. Join them by recovering the great tradition and expanding it through creative use encouraged by artists and filmmakers as well as preachers and professors. This work explores ways to maximize the promise of preaching and confront the perils leading to the renewal of church and society. Beginning with review of the situation today, we proceed step by step through the preparation and presentation of the sermon leading to transformation. The sermon in the local parish is seen as the microcosm of the macrocosm that is the communication of God's good news.

Preaching in the New Creation

Author : David Schnasa Jacobsen
Publisher : Westminster John Knox Press
ISBN 13 : 9780664258450
Total Pages : 164 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (584 download)

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Book Synopsis Preaching in the New Creation by : David Schnasa Jacobsen

Download or read book Preaching in the New Creation written by David Schnasa Jacobsen and published by Westminster John Knox Press. This book was released on 1999-01-01 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most preachers have little fondness for apocalyptic texts because of their scathing language, surrealistic plots, and enigmatic symbols. David Jacobsen helps preachers move past these barriers with clear step by step directions and insightful analysis, showing how to move from text to sermon for the apocalyptic texts included in the lectionary.

The New Interpreter's Handbook of Preaching

Author :
Publisher : Abingdon Press
ISBN 13 : 1426735707
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (267 download)

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Book Synopsis The New Interpreter's Handbook of Preaching by :

Download or read book The New Interpreter's Handbook of Preaching written by and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2010-11-01 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New Interpreter’s Handbook of Preaching is a major reference tool for preaching, with articles on every facet of Christian sermon preparation and delivery. This resource is both scholarly and practical. It focuses on the most distinctive feature and greatest strength of homiletics as a discipline: It is rooted in interdisciplinary scholarship and it develops theory geared to practice. Its theory arises out of the study of both excellent preaching past and present and actual sermon preparation and composition. When theory and practice critique each other, it is possible to produce guidelines that assist greater excellence and economy in preaching the gospel. Excellence in standards is an area in which homiletics needs to grow, and this project will be both a means to encourage and develop it. A guiding question throughout will be, Will it preach? The answers will be offered in the sense that “here is something that works well,” rather than “here is something to try.” Preachers will turn to this resource with the expectation that they will find scholarly treatment of topics, brief bibliographies of relevant key books and articles, along with practical methodological suggestions for preachers to employ. The contributors are homileticians, preachers, and writers in various disciplines who are committed to the pulpit through practice.

Preaching After God

Author : Phil Snider
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1621894045
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (218 download)

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Book Synopsis Preaching After God by : Phil Snider

Download or read book Preaching After God written by Phil Snider and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2012-08-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Even though the postmodern return of religion is dramatically shaping the future of twenty-first-century theology, its riches for preaching are rarely mined. Preaching After God highlights the trajectories of the postmodern return of religion by introducing readers to the positive theological themes stirring in the work of influential philosophers like Jacques Derrida, John Caputo, and Slavoj Žižek. Phil Snider shows how engaging their thought provides possibilities for preaching that highly resonate with postmodern listeners. Preachers familiar with the postmodern return of religion will appreciate its homiletical appropriation, while those introduced to it for the first time will discover just how much it is helpful for the preaching task. Six lectionary-based sermons are included as examples.

Homiletical Theology

Author : David Schnasa Jacobsen
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1625645651
Total Pages : 201 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (256 download)

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Book Synopsis Homiletical Theology by : David Schnasa Jacobsen

Download or read book Homiletical Theology written by David Schnasa Jacobsen and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2015-02-13 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Karl Barth famously argued that all theology is sermon preparation. But what if all sermon preparation is actually theology? This book pursues a thoroughgoing theological vision for the practice of preaching as a way of doing theology. The idea is not just that homiletics is the realm of theological application. That would leave preaching in the position of simply implementing a theology already arrived at. Instead, the vision in these pages is of a form of theology that begins with preaching itself: its practice, its theories, and its contexts. Homiletical theology is thus a unique way of doing theology--even a constructive theological task in its own right. Homiletician David Schnasa Jacobsen has assembled several of the leading lights of contemporary homiletics to help to see its task ever more deeply as theological, yet in profoundly diverse ways. Along the way, readers will not only discover how homileticians do theology homiletically, but will deepen the way in which they understand their own preaching as a theological task. Contributors include: -Ronald J. Allen, Professor of Preaching and Gospels and Letters at Christian Theological Seminary -John S. McClure, Charles G. Finney Professor of Preaching and Worship at Vanderbilt Divinity School -Alyce M. McKenzie, George W. and Nell Ayers Le Van Professor of Preaching and Worship at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University -Michael Pasquarello III, Granger E. and Anna A. Fisher Professor of Preaching, at Asbury Theological Seminary -Luke A. Powery, Dean of the Chapel and Associate Professor of the Practice of Homiletics, at Duke University -Teresa Stricklen Eisenlohr, Ph.D., Associate for Worship, Office of Theology and Worship, at the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

What's Right with Preaching Today?

Author : Mike Graves
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1498295010
Total Pages : 260 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (982 download)

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Book Synopsis What's Right with Preaching Today? by : Mike Graves

Download or read book What's Right with Preaching Today? written by Mike Graves and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2021-03-09 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1928, when Riverside Church (NYC) pastor Harry Emerson Fosdick asked the question in Harpers Magazine, “What’s the Matter with Preaching Today?” he did not know that one response to that question had just entered the world in Humboldt, Tennessee. Fred B. Craddock revolutionized preaching theory and practice by flipping pulpit logic from deductive to inductive—often called the preaching-as-storytelling revolution—and in so doing brought renewed interest and impact to the practice of preaching, effectively rescuing it from an often tedious and moralizing fate. With Fred, preaching was anything but boring. Rather, it was an exciting and enlightening ride that led to the renewal of faith. To honor Craddock’s legacy, Mike Graves and André Resner invited ten leading voices in homiletics to identify something that is right about preaching today. In addition, they issued a call to a wide variety of people to contribute stories about Fred’s impact on their lives and ministries. Twenty-seven remembrances of Fred are included here throughout the book. If you appreciate effective and engaging preaching—as either a preacher or listener—the essays and remembrances here will speak to you and provide encouragement about preaching’s present and future. With contributions from: Ronald J. Allen Barbara K. Lundblad Alyce McKenzie Debra J. Mumford Luke Powery Andre Resner Richard Ward Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm Paul Scott Wilson

A Theology of Preaching and Dialectic

Author : Aaron P. Edwards
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 0567678598
Total Pages : 259 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (676 download)

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Book Synopsis A Theology of Preaching and Dialectic by : Aaron P. Edwards

Download or read book A Theology of Preaching and Dialectic written by Aaron P. Edwards and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2018-07-12 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How does the preacher know what God might say now based upon the many things God said then? Preachers and theologians throughout Christian history have grappled with Scripture's diverse emphases alongside the urgent task of declaring the authoritative Word of God in the contemporary pulpit. Aaron Edwards offers a new way of engaging with this problem, by exploring the theological relationship between biblical dialectics and heraldic proclamation. Edwards highlights the theological necessity of dialectical variety, without forfeiting assertiveness in the prophetic moment of preaching. A vast array of key voices from the theological tradition are drawn upon - including Augustine, Aquinas, Eckhart, Luther, Calvin, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Chesterton, Barth, Bultmann, Tillich, Ebeling, and others - to navigate the connection between Scriptural unity, clarity, and paradoxical plurivocality, leading to a nuanced account of dialectic. Applying this to the homiletically neglected concept of 'heraldic' confidence in preaching, Edwards examines the theological possibility of preaching in light of dialectical complexity via its 'prophetic' dimension. He shows how the uniquely revelatory relationship of Word and Spirit enables Scriptural illumination, prophetic discernment, and dialectical decisiveness in the 'momentary' encounter which undergirds all Christian proclamation.

The Present Preacher

Author : Liz Shercliff
Publisher : Canterbury Press
ISBN 13 : 1786223880
Total Pages : 120 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (862 download)

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Book Synopsis The Present Preacher by : Liz Shercliff

Download or read book The Present Preacher written by Liz Shercliff and published by Canterbury Press. This book was released on 2021-09-10 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Good preaching depends on being attentive – to God, to the Bible, to the congregation, to the context, to what influences and shapes the preacher. This practical, confidence-building guide is for all who want to develop their preaching by homing in on that which points to God in the now. Encouraging preachers in the ways that will make authentic connections with others, it demonstrates that preaching in today’s culture requires preachers to ‘show up and be present, in person’ rather than speak 'in role' or act as religious spokespersons who take no responsibility for their message. Based on the authors’ own training of ordinands, it offers: • Insights on how to develop the habit of noticing God in the world; • Strategies for opening up and finding fresh meaning in familiar Bible texts; • Ways of understanding what influences your congregation and your own theology; • Sample sermons that embody these principles.

Preaching to Korean Immigrants

Author : Rebecca Seungyoun Jeong
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3031078853
Total Pages : 231 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (31 download)

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Book Synopsis Preaching to Korean Immigrants by : Rebecca Seungyoun Jeong

Download or read book Preaching to Korean Immigrants written by Rebecca Seungyoun Jeong and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-09-14 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In terms of practical-theology’s critical reflection on marginalized people’s wounds in a wider society, this book investigates the question, “How to proclaim the good news in response to first-generation Korean immigrants’ contextual suffering in the United Sates?” To answer the question, the book starts with investigating Korean immigrant hearers’ contextual predicaments in a new land to point out emerging practical-theological issues in relation to the practice of preaching. In this book, the primary subjects are first-generation Korean immigrants, especially those who have relatively low socio-economic status and struggle with the purpose of their lives as immigrants, particularly those whose material dreams have been shattered. In order to proclaim the good news, this book proposes a more appropriate immigrant theology for/in the practice of preaching by reclaiming the priorities of God’s future in our lives and confirming God’s active identification with Korean immigrant congregations in the depths of their predicament. Such reconstructive work for immigrant theology arises in response to their existential hardships, marginality, ethnic discrimination, and relative powerlessness in life. While acknowledging both the possibilities and limits of the diverse forms of current Korean immigrant preaching, the book then offers a strategic proposal for a new homiletic theory, namely “a psalmic-theological homiletic.” This proposed homiletic is deeply rooted in the theology of the Psalms and their rhetorical movement. This re-envisioned mode of eschatological and prophetic preaching in times of difficulty recovers ancient Israel’s psalmic, rhetorical tradition that aims toward faith. Its theological-rhetorical strategy intends to both transform hearers’ habitus of living in faith and enhance their hope-filled life through communal anticipation of God’s coming future on the margins. Specifically, this proposed homiletic critically adopts key features from psalms of lament and their typical, fourfold theological-rhetorical movement (i.e., lament, retelling a story, confessional doxology, and obedient vow) as now core elements of a revised Korean-immigrant preaching practice.

Dialogical Preaching

Author : Marlene Ringgaard Lorensen, Ph.D.
Publisher : Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
ISBN 13 : 3647624241
Total Pages : 201 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (476 download)

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Book Synopsis Dialogical Preaching by : Marlene Ringgaard Lorensen, Ph.D.

Download or read book Dialogical Preaching written by Marlene Ringgaard Lorensen, Ph.D. and published by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. This book was released on 2013-11-20 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Dialogical Preaching - Bakhtin, Otherness and Homiletics" explores the genre of preaching in light of theories of dialogicity and carnivalization developed by Mikhail Bakhtin. The Bakhtinian approach to preaching evokes ways in which historical acts and embodied experiences are transcribed in literary genres. The theories of carnivalization manifest the dynamic, other-oriented, interaction between reflexive texts and embodied acts. Experiences of otherness and difference play a central role in human communication as well as in theological descriptions of the relationship between God and humans. One of the central aims of this book is to explore ways in which 'others', different from the designated preacher, influence contemporary preaching practices and in that sense can be seen as co-authors. As material for this investigation the book provides analyses of four theologians who have contributed significantly to contemporary homiletical developments, namely those of the American homileticians Charles Campbell, John S. McClure, and James H. Harris and the Danish Systematic Theologian, Svend Bjerg.The homiletical analyses lead to the thesis, that the dialogical encounter between author, and addressees, analyzer and analyzed, is one of the conditions of interpretation and communication rather than a disturbance. The communication theoretical and practical theological analyses are discussed in light of Kierkegaard`s, Barth`s and Jüngel's emphasis on the 'qualitative difference' between God and humans. These concluding reflections suggest ways in which inter-human otherness can function as a dynamically conjoining rather than mutually exclusive difference between God as the 'Wholly Other' and 'other-wise' humans.

Practicing the Preaching Life

Author : David B. Ward
Publisher : Abingdon Press
ISBN 13 : 150185495X
Total Pages : 212 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (18 download)

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Book Synopsis Practicing the Preaching Life by : David B. Ward

Download or read book Practicing the Preaching Life written by David B. Ward and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2019-03-19 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Preaching is a way of life that can be beautiful and good; however, It can also be anxious, self-focused, and destructive. Preachers and teachers of preaching need a holistic view of preaching that not only paints the way to good preaching, but also to good living. They need a comprehensive practical theology of preaching that combines the ‘why’ and the ‘what’ with the ‘how’ and 'whom’ of preaching. Practicing the Preaching Life unites Christian practices, contextual virtues, and the best of homiletical pedagogy to pave the way to a beautiful preaching life. Preaching is best learned as a formative Christian practice embedded within a web of other Christian practices that form a way of life from which great sermons emerge. Therefore, preaching requires not only a way of speaking well, but also a way of living well. This embedded nature of preaching requires the enrollment of Christian practices in the formation of the preacher and the pursuit of contextual virtues for preaching that avoid cultural relativism on the one hand and cultural imperialism on the other. These requirements lead to a new vision for the preaching classroom, the rhythms of the preaching life, and the definition of what it means to be a good preacher.

Preaching Prophetic Care

Author : Phillis Isabella Sheppard
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN 13 : 153264339X
Total Pages : 363 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (326 download)

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Book Synopsis Preaching Prophetic Care by : Phillis Isabella Sheppard

Download or read book Preaching Prophetic Care written by Phillis Isabella Sheppard and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2018-06-25 with total page 363 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Preachers often think of prophetic preaching in the caricature of the prophet as the lonely outsider confronting the congregation, often angrily, with the congregation's complicity in social injustice and with a bracing call for repentance. The twenty-seven essays and sermons in this book offer a different perspective by viewing prophetic preaching specifically--and ministry, practical theology, and theological education more broadly--as pastoral care for the community in prophetic perspective. Such preaching does indeed bring a critical theological analysis of justice concerns to the center of the sermon, but in such a way as to invite the congregation to consider how the move toward justice is a pastoral move-- that is, a move that seeks to build up community. Rather than contributing to the polarization so rampant in today's social world, the preacher seeks to help the congregation build bridges along which concern for justice can travel. The contributions honor the work of the late Dale Andrews, a scholar of preaching and practical theology at the Divinity School, Vanderbilt University, whose seminal work inspires the notions of prophetic care and building bridges to justice.

Writing for the Ear, Preaching from the Heart

Author : Donna Giver-Johnston
Publisher : Fortress Press
ISBN 13 : 150646324X
Total Pages : 163 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (64 download)

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Book Synopsis Writing for the Ear, Preaching from the Heart by : Donna Giver-Johnston

Download or read book Writing for the Ear, Preaching from the Heart written by Donna Giver-Johnston and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2021-08-10 with total page 163 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Words bombard us every day. Words can be noisy and cheap. And yet, words are all preachers have. In Writing for the Ear, Preaching from the Heart, Donna Giver-Johnston addresses the question: How do you capture ears in an era of noise? Many preachers want to get away from their notes and make a more personal connection with their listeners, but they have not been mentored in methods that enable them to do that. Grounded in a theology of incarnation and articulation and coupled with an awareness of what listeners most need and want to hear, Giver-Johnston explains how preachers can communicate more effectively--how they can write sermons for the ear, with the fewest, most impactful words to craft a memorable message. She also provides guidance on how to preach sermons by heart, without notes, to communicate a message that captures the ears and hearts of listeners. In a time when attention spans are shortening and church participation is declining, this book provides a proven method for preachers to communicate in ways that are meaningful and memorable to aching ears today and that can change the world for good, and for God, one longing heart at a time.

The Witness of Preaching, Third Edition

Author : Thomas G. Long
Publisher : Westminster John Knox Press
ISBN 13 : 1611647630
Total Pages : 362 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (116 download)

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Book Synopsis The Witness of Preaching, Third Edition by : Thomas G. Long

Download or read book The Witness of Preaching, Third Edition written by Thomas G. Long and published by Westminster John Knox Press. This book was released on 2016-10-01 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a newly revised edition of one of the standard introductory preaching textbooks on the market today. Beginning with a solid theological basis, veteran preacher and best-selling author Thomas G. Long offers a practical, step-by-step guide to writing a sermon. Long centers his approach around the biblical concept of witness. To be a preacher, Long posits, is to be a witness to God's work in the worldone who sees before speaking, one whose task is to "tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about what is seen." This updated edition freshens up language and anecdotes, contains an extensive new analysis of the use of multimedia and its impact on preaching, and adds a completely new chapter on plagiarism in preaching. Included for the first time are four complete sermons, with Long's commentary and analysis. The sermons were written and originally preached by Barbara Brown Taylor, Cleophus J. LaRue. Ginger Gaines-Cirelli, and Edmund Steimle. With this third edition, The Witness of Preaching reaffirms itself as the essential resource for seminary students as well as new and experienced preachers.

The Story of Narrative Preaching

Author : Mike Graves
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1630878995
Total Pages : 265 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (38 download)

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Book Synopsis The Story of Narrative Preaching by : Mike Graves

Download or read book The Story of Narrative Preaching written by Mike Graves and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2015-03-02 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forty years ago the one thing that could be said about sermons was they were biblical. Unfortunately, they were sometimes tedious too. Narrative preaching aimed to fix that, advocating for a dynamic experience of the text over against a static lecture. Preaching could be like the parables of Jesus, intriguing and compelling. The Story of Narrative Preaching is the story of seven students who are enrolled in Professor Freeman's preaching course. Once a new trend, narrative preaching is now older than most of them. As Professor Freeman notes, two things went wrong with narrative styles: over time the church became biblically and theologically illiterate, and the promised stress on experience didn't always measure up to the weight of the gospel. Readers are invited to sit in on the class, to reflect on the expositional nature of preaching and to experience the stories of some modern storytellers--Flannery O'Connor, Alice Walker, and others--to see what they might teach us about narratives of depth. In the end we discover what may be the most important word in preaching.

Determining the Form

Author : O. Wesley Allen
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780800604448
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (44 download)

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Book Synopsis Determining the Form by : O. Wesley Allen

Download or read book Determining the Form written by O. Wesley Allen and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A beautifully written and darkly funny journey through the world of the allergic. Like twelve million other Americans, Sandra Beasley suffers from food allergies. Her allergies -- severe and lifelong -- include dairy, egg, soy, beef, shrimp, pine nuts, cucumbers, cantaloupe, honeydew, mango, macadamias, pistachios, cashews, swordfish, and mustard. Add to that mold, dust, grass and tree pollen, cigarette smoke, dogs, rabbits, horses, and wool, and it's no wonder Sandra felt she had to live her life as "Allergy Girl." When butter is deadly and eggs can make your throat swell shut, cupcakes and other treats of childhood are out of the question -- and so Sandra's mother used to warn guests against a toxic, frosting-tinged kiss with "Don't kill the birthday girl " It may seem that such a person is "not really designed to survive," as one blunt nutritionist declared while visiting Sandra's fourth- grade class. But Sandra has not only survived, she's thrived -- now an essayist, editor, and award-winning poet, she has learned to navigate a world in which danger can lurk in an unassuming corn chip. Don't Kill the Birthday Girl is her story. With candor, wit, and a journalist's curiosity, Sandra draws on her own experiences while covering the scientific, cultural, and sociological terrain of allergies. She explains exactly what an allergy is, describes surviving a family reunion in heart-of-Texas beef country with her vegetarian sister, delves into how being allergic has affected her romantic relationships, exposes the dark side of Benadryl, explains how parents can work with schools to protect their allergic children, and details how people with allergies should advocate for themselves in a restaurant. A compelling mix of memoir, cultural history, and science, Don't Kill the Birthday Girl is mandatory reading for the millions of families navigating the world of allergies -- and a not-to-be- missed literary treat for the rest of us.