{"product_id":"everything-happens-for-a-reason-kate-bowler-9780399592089","title":"Everything Happens for a Reason | Kate Bowler","description":"\u003csection class=\"product-description\" style=\"color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6;\"\u003e\n  \u003ch2 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.75em; margin-bottom: 15px; border-bottom: 2px solid #2c3e50; padding-bottom: 5px;\"\u003eEverything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved\u003c\/h2\u003e\n  \n  \u003ch3 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.25em; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003eAccolades \u0026amp; Praise\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cul style=\"margin-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 20px;\"\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNew York Times Bestseller:\u003c\/strong\u003e Highly acclaimed and widely read memoir.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCritical Acclaim:\u003c\/strong\u003e Named one of the best books of the year by \u003cem\u003eReal Simple\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePraise from Bill Gates:\u003c\/strong\u003e \"Belongs on the shelf alongside other terrific books about this difficult subject, like Paul Kalanithi's \u003cem\u003eWhen Breath Becomes Air\u003c\/em\u003e and Atul Gawande's \u003cem\u003eBeing Mortal\u003c\/em\u003e.\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n  \u003ch3 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.25em; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003eExtended Synopsis\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003eKate Bowler is a professor at Duke Divinity School with a modest Christian upbringing, but she specializes in the study of the prosperity gospel, a creed that sees fortune as a blessing from God and misfortune as a mark of God's disapproval. At thirty-five, everything in her life seems to point toward \"blessing.\" She is thriving in her job, married to her high school sweetheart, and loves life with her newborn son. Then she is diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003eThe prospect of her own mortality forces Kate to realize that she has been tacitly subscribing to the prosperity gospel, living with the conviction that she can control the shape of her life with a surge of determination. Even as this type of Christianity celebrates the American can-do spirit, it implies that if you \"can't do\" and succumb to illness or misfortune, you are a failure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003eKate is very sick, and no amount of positive thinking will shrink her tumors. What does it mean to die, she wonders, in a society that insists everything happens for a reason? Kate is stripped of this certainty only to discover that without it, life is hard but beautiful in a way it never has been before. Frank and funny, dark and wise, Kate Bowler pulls the reader deeply into her life in an account offering her irreverent, hard-won observations on dying and the ways it has taught her to live.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003ch3 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.25em; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKate Bowler\u003c\/strong\u003e is a professor at Duke Divinity School and an acclaimed author. Her academic work specializes in the study of the prosperity gospel in America. Drawing from her personal life and deep theological knowledge, her writing addresses mortality, suffering, and the complexities of faith.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003ch3 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.25em; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003eReader Targeting\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cul style=\"margin-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 20px;\"\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\"\u003eReaders of poignant, deeply personal memoirs navigating medical diagnoses and mortality.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\"\u003eThose interested in theological reflections, Christianity, and critiques of the prosperity gospel.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\"\u003eAnyone seeking honest, humorous, and heartfelt writing about finding beauty amidst profound hardship and grief.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n  \u003ch3 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.25em; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003eBibliographic \u0026amp; Physical Specifications\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cdiv class=\"table-responsive\" style=\"overflow-x: auto; max-width: 100%; margin-bottom: 25px; -webkit-overflow-scrolling: touch; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003e\n    \u003ctable style=\"width: 100%; min-width: 650px; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 0.95em; table-layout: fixed;\"\u003e\n      \u003cthead\u003e\n        \u003ctr style=\"background-color: #f8f9fa; border-bottom: 2px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"text-align: left; padding: 12px 10px; color: #2c3e50; width: 30%; font-weight: bold;\"\u003eSpecification\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"text-align: left; padding: 12px 10px; color: #2c3e50; width: 70%; font-weight: bold;\"\u003eDetails\u003c\/th\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003c\/thead\u003e\n      \u003ctbody\u003e\n        \u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"text-align: left; padding: 10px; background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #2c3e50; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;\"\u003eISBN-13\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; color: #1a1a1a; vertical-align: top;\"\u003e9780399592089\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"text-align: left; padding: 10px; background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #2c3e50; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;\"\u003eSKU (ISBN-10)\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; color: #1a1a1a; vertical-align: top;\"\u003e0399592083\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"text-align: left; padding: 10px; background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #2c3e50; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;\"\u003ePublisher\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; color: #1a1a1a; vertical-align: top;\"\u003eRandom House Publishing Group (Random House Trade Paperbacks)\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"text-align: left; padding: 10px; background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #2c3e50; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;\"\u003ePublication Date\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; color: #1a1a1a; vertical-align: top;\"\u003eJune 4, 2019\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"text-align: left; padding: 10px; background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #2c3e50; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;\"\u003eFormat\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; color: #1a1a1a; vertical-align: top;\"\u003ePaperback (Softcover, Issued without dust jacket, Used Condition)\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"text-align: left; padding: 10px; background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #2c3e50; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;\"\u003ePage Count\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; color: #1a1a1a; vertical-align: top;\"\u003e208\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"text-align: left; padding: 10px; background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #2c3e50; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;\"\u003eBISAC Categories\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; color: #1a1a1a; vertical-align: top;\"\u003eBIOGRAPHY \u0026amp; AUTOBIOGRAPHY \/ Personal Memoirs; RELIGION \/ Christian Life \/ Death, Grief, Bereavement\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"text-align: left; padding: 10px; background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #2c3e50; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;\"\u003eDimensions \u0026amp; Weight\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; color: #1a1a1a; vertical-align: top;\"\u003e7.9 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches \/ 6.0 oz\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003c\/tbody\u003e\n    \u003c\/table\u003e\n  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\n  \u003ch3 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.25em; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is the main premise of the book?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe memoir details Duke Divinity School professor Kate Bowler's journey after being diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer at age thirty-five, as she critically examines the prosperity gospel she spent her career studying and learns to live gracefully with profound uncertainty.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs this book purely a religious text?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo, while it deals heavily with faith, the prosperity gospel, and the cultural response to suffering, it is fundamentally a deeply human, funny, and profound personal memoir appealing to readers of all backgrounds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat tone does the author use?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBowler employs a tone that is both dark and wise, combining stark honesty regarding her diagnosis with sharp wit and hilarious observations about her friends, relatives, and medical providers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003cscript type=\"application\/ld+json\"\u003e\n  {\n    \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n    \"@graph\": [\n      {\n        \"@type\": [\"Book\", \"Product\"],\n        \"@id\": \"https:\/\/bustdownbooks.com\/products\/everything-happens-for-a-reason-kate-bowler-9780399592089#book\",\n        \"name\": \"Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved\",\n        \"author\": {\n          \"@type\": \"Person\",\n          \"name\": \"Kate Bowler\"\n        },\n        \"description\": \"Discover Kate Bowler's memoir Everything Happens for a Reason. 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