I Once Was Lost
My Search for God in America
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
In a deeply personal follow-up to his #1 bestseller This is the Fire: What I Say to My Friends about Racism, a modern media iconoclast faces a test of faith—and reveals how such tribulations can make us stronger, as individuals and as a nation.
Renowned journalist Don Lemon always had a complicated relationship with God. He cherished the Southern Black church he was raised in, but struggled with the fundamentalist rejection of his right to exist as a gay man—one who wanted to marry his longtime love in a church wedding with all the traditional trimmings. In his work as a reporter, moreover, he saw his fellow Americans losing faith in a higher power, in institutions, and in each other.
Setting out to understand the place that religion has in our lives today, Don turned a journalistic eye on ancient stories and found connections that sparked memories, conversations, and chance encounters. Then, suddenly, his world unraveled: In a blaze of inglorious headlines, Don was ousted from his high-profile network news job and tasked with redefining his role in the shifting media landscape. But through a year of personal changes and professional whiplash, he kept his “eyes on the prize” and ultimately found what he was seeking: grace, within himself and in this nation we call home.
Rich with humor and Louisiana realness, I Once Was Lost is a prayer for a country that reflects the multifaceted image of God and a clarion call to those who believe in our common humanity enough to fight for it.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Lemon's intriguing if unfocused latest (after This Is the Fire) finds the former CNN anchor linking his relationship to Christianity with his recent professional struggles. He opens with an account of his religious upbringing in Louisiana, which offered both a sense of community and the indignity of hearing homosexuality regularly degraded as he struggled with being in the closet. After launching his journalistic career, Lemon grew curious about what he saw as a "disconnect" between Americans and religion "precipitated by the attrition of truth, the gamification of right and wrong, and the fragile nature of faith itself." He investigates that disconnect with examples from scripture and national politics, including a fascinating section that draws links between various religions' birth myths and fights over abortion rights. Eventually, he arrives at his 2023 firing from CNN after he made comments about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley being "past her prime." Lemon claims his words were taken out of context and discusses how his faith carried him through the resulting tumult, but he goes light on details about the further allegations of misogyny that precipitated his firing. The results aren't especially convincing, but Lemon's candor and curiosity on other subjects are admirable. In the end, this doesn't offer much that Lemon's viewers don't already know. Agents: Byrd Leavell and Albert Lee, UTA.
