cover image WORD: For Everybody Who Thought Christianity Was for Suckas

WORD: For Everybody Who Thought Christianity Was for Suckas

Mykel Mitchell, . . New American Library, $12.95 (240pp) ISBN 978-0-451-21406-5

Mitchell, hip-hop veteran and radio producer, turned to Christianity when "the expensive toys, the fly gear and the expensive girlfriends" that filled his life left him hopeless. This is his Christian apologetic to the hip-hop world and his attempt to help readers discover the same hope and love he's found in Christianity. Just after proclaiming in chapter one that "This book is not an attempt to convince anybody to convert to Christianity," Mitchell instructs readers that they will have to make a choice about Jesus and "live with the consequences of that choice for eternity." He tells of growing up in the projects, falling in love with rap music at age 11, hustling, abusing women and drugs, going back to church and being transformed into a loving husband and father. Various chapters focus on his own story, his defense of Christianity, some of the most difficult "rules" in the Christian life (e.g., chastity and tithing) and topics of particular importance to his African-American audience, such as absent fathers and racial reconciliation. Mitchell believes that hip-hop and Christian faith can coexist, and embodies this in writing that's true to Christian principles while remaining full of "flava." Although the book's in-depth teaching may be too much for an audience yet to embrace Christianity, Mitchell's story is powerful and his voice genuine. (Feb.)