Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Trains, Jesus, and Murder: The Gospel According to Johnny Cash by Richard Beck

(hb; 2019: nonfiction)

From the back cover

“Cash sang about and for people on the margins. He famously played concerts in prisons, where he sang both murder ballads and gospel tunes in the same set. It’s this juxtaposition between light and dark, writes Richard Beck, that makes Cash one of the most authentic theologians in memory. In reflecting on Cash’s lyrics, and the passion with which he sang them, we gain a deeper understanding of the enduring faith of the Man in Black.”


Review

Trains is an okay book. When Beck focused on the titular subjects─Cash’s life and lyrics, and interpretation of those lyrics─it was a worthwhile read. When Beck slid, as Christians are wont to do, into proselytizing about Jesus (all the while patting himself on the back for resisting the urge to do so), Trains became a trick-read, a join-my-megacult wolf in pop culture clothing.

Don’t buy this okay, unfocused book, unless it’s used and cheap. Or, better yet, borrow it from the library.

No comments: