Hell Is a World Without You

Jason Kirk

Dec 2023 · Shutdown Fullbooks

About this ebook

Rarely has an Evangelical upbringing been depicted with the relentless honesty, wide-ranging empathy, and Superbad-meets-Siddhartha playfulness of HELL IS A WORLD WITHOUT YOU. During the time of Pizza Hut buffets, 9/11, and all-night Mario Kart parties, a grieving teenager faces a mortal crossroads: fire-and-brimstone certainty vs. forbidden love. And whether or not you've ever begged God to delay the Rapture (so you could have time to lose your virginity), that kid's story is about you.

Note: The author will donate 100 percent of pre-2/12/2024 proceeds to the Trevor Project.

"Devilishly funny. I adored this sweetly subversive romp."
- Brian Dannelly, co-writer/director, Saved!

"Funny, compassionate, romantic. Rings with specificity while evoking the universal."
- Will Leitch, author, How Lucky and The Time Has Come

"No book I've read has better depicted Evangelical terror. I loved it."
- Jane Coaston, Opinion writer, The New York Times

"A magic trick: almost tactile in its specificity, yet utterly universal."
- Claire McNear, author, Answers in the Form of Questions

"Hilarious, big-hearted, and deeply humane."
- Brian Phillips, author, Impossible Owls

"Almost astonishingly accurate. Unlike anything else I've read about the Evangelical church: unshakably critical, yet unshakably empathetic."
- Jon Bois, creator, 17776

"Real laughs in its painfully accurate depiction of a pious world."
- Drew Magary, author, The Night the Lights Went Out

"A crisis of faith that rings with uncommon truth, shot through with surprising humor. I loved this book."
- Anthony Oliveira, author, Dayspring

"Like reading my teenage Evangelical diary. A hilarious way to feel grateful for people who helped us leave the harmful parts of our faith."
- April Ajoy, co-host, Evangelicalish

"Enthralling, as engaging as it is hilarious. Sweet yet biting."
- Zito Madu, author, The Minotaur at Calle Lanza

"Engaged me as both a former pastor's kid and a scholar of religion. It will make you laugh, cry, think, and maybe listen to MxPx."
- Mike Altman, Professor of Religious Studies, University of Alabama

"Devastatingly funny, heartbreaking, and incisive."
- Victoria Zeller, author, One of the Boys

"It seems at times as if Jason wrote the biography of many of us. Sometimes will leave you laughing or crying, but at all times will leave you feeling less alone."
- Mason Mennenga, host, A People's Theology and The BlackSheep Podcast

"So quick and funny and smart, you almost forget Jason's trying to square unsquarable contradictions."
- Tommy Tomlinson, author, The Elephant in the Room

"I'd never before read a book so in tune with what it's like to grow up Evangelical. Deeply funny and deeply felt."
- Tyler Parker, author, A Little Blood and Dancing

"Will remind you what it was like to be - or be classmates with - the religious kids. Cathartic.
- Blake Chastain, author, Exvangelical and Beyond

"Funny. Unpredictable. For anyone who's ever felt disappointed by an institution. (Or who experienced formative moments via AOL Instant Messenger.)"
- Ryan Nanni, staff writer, The Messenger

"Artfully woven. Extraordinary. A compelling case for the existence of a better world."
- Holly Anderson, writer and editor, Channel Six

"As a non-Evangelical, I had no idea what it's like. Jason writes his ass off about it: beautifully, angrily, and with deep empathy."
- Spencer Hall, writer, Channel Six

"Joyous and sobering. Fluent, taboo-shirking, and moving. Readers will be swept away with its poignance and intellectual rigor. A wonderful novel." - Independent Book Review

"Deeply fascinating. Witty, sad, and compassionate. A bitingly funny and insightful coming-of-age tale. Highly recommend." - Readers' Favorite

Ratings and reviews

quite literally, I laughed, I cried... I didn't grow up religious (for which I'm grateful, lol) but this is revelatory of a lot of the kind of thinking that permeates a lot of American Christianity (probably more than just America, and probably more than just Christianity). my heart breaks for the kids who are still trying to appease god by hollowing themselves out. this book is absolutely worth a read.

This book was remarkable in the way that it put into words my feelings about my Christian upbringing, my current feelings about religion, and my philosophy of loving others. It really brought up some long forgotten memories of being a teenager in church. Thank you Jason.

Witty, insightful, and empathetic. Also, really funny!

About the author

Jason Kirk, a longtime sports journalist, co-hosts the Vacation Bible School Podcast and the Shutdown Fullcast. He’s contributed to The Athletic, This American Life, Penguin Random House’s Hazlitt Magazine, Slate, USA Today, Vox, and many others. An Atlanta native, he grew up as a maximum-effort Southern Baptist and is now a lazy Christian pantheist. His non-fiction agent is Erik Hane of Headwater Literary Management.