Russell Brand's Christian self-help book slammed as 'an offence to god' in brutal reviews
Topics: Russell Brand, Religion, Books
Thomas Bamford
Featured Image Credit: John Lamparski/Getty Images
Topics: Russell Brand, Religion, Books
Warning: This article contains discussion of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment which some readers may find distressing.
Russell Brand's new book has caused a huge stir in literary circles ahead of its release today, just not the way he likely intended.
Brand has released his new new book titled How to Become a Christian in 7 Days (May take 50 years of sin and serious f*ck ups to get started).
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Published by Tucker Carlson Books, it outlines his 2024 baptism and spiritual journey.
Brand, who was formerly a Buddhist, was baptised by Bear Grylls in the River Thames in London in April 2024.
The 50-year-old embarked on his Christian redemption arc after he first faced sexual assault allegations in 2023. He is set to stand trial later this year to answer allegations of rape and sexual assault from six women. He denies all wrongdoing.
The book has not gone down well in literary circles, receiving a particularly scathing review from Telegraph columnist Christopher Howse who gave the book a brutal 0 stars out of 5.
He wrote: “Reading Russell Brand’s How to Become a Christian in Seven Days is like being locked in an empty pub all night with a garrulous drunk. Except that Brand is now sober.
"His prose is the way he thinks, which is the frightening thing.”
Absolutely brutal. He didn't stop there, either.
Howse continued: "It is criminally painful to read and it is not a victimless crime. The poor fool of a reader suffers, but the victim I feel most sorry for is God.”
Musician Nick Cave, who returned to religion in 2022, and is well known for included religious themes in his music simply described the book as 'Good for atheism' in his Red Hand Files email.
Reviewer John Maier for The Times said bluntly: “Brand has swallowed a dictionary, and it is not coming out again via his mouth”.
It wasn't just the The Telegraph who hated it though. The i Paper’s Emily Bootle was quick to put the boot in.
She said the book was full of 'unfinished Notes-app thoughts', 'crackpot conspiracy theories' and was mainly used as a vessel by Brand for talking about himself.
She added that it was “a fountain of alt-right ideology" and "an embarrassing display of hubris".
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org