I am irreverent when it comes to religion and I love how funny history can be; but this still made me go like okay, what’s the point then.

There is good in the book; it walks us through how people historically became saints, and how the process has changed over the years. It pokes fun at the history of this tradition while also being well researched. The book has great illustrations of is own and it also references some fantastic art.

The issue is that the book tries too hard and at the wrong times. Even a younger reader might cringe at some of the jokes and how they just wouldn’t stop. The book is great, but some restraint would
have helped.

And that’s what puts this book in my slightly unmemorable category. Sidley misses out on the chance to build a real connection between the reader and the figures she’s writing about. There are saints from all around the world, yes a lot of them Italian, but we have others and we have some women thrown into the mix as well. Why not elaborate on those and make it a bit more meaningful.

It turns this book into something you’ll read once and enjoy; but never again.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, in exchange for an unbiased review.

As a former Catholic and Catholic school survivor who loves Stephen Colbert, I was excited to read this humorous book written by one of his show's writers (Colbert wrote the foreword!).

My overall verdict: Funny and amusing...but not enough so. The straightforward history of Catholic saints and sainthood is a bit nuts, and often hilarious, in its own right- no additional snark is needed if one just leans into the bizarre trivia and minutae. Unfortunately, Sidley uses far too much of the former, with not quite enough of the latter.

Still funny, but not LOL-worthy.

Loved this book. It was so informative. I am Catholic born and raised. I learned more facts than I thought possible! I will be telling everyone about this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the e-ARC. This review is my own opinion.

Amusing and educational. I would recommend this to patrons looking for information about Catholicism or sainthood.

Rounded up from a 4.5
The humor won’t be for everyone, and if you aren’t on board for what is yes technically blasphemy, don’t bother. But it’s hilarious in my opinion, actually teaches you something, and has sources. What’s not to like?

This is a fun, humorous book about the process of canonization in the Roman Catholic Church. An enjoyable read for both Catholics and those with an un-vested interest, you’re sure to learn SOMETHING along the way. It’s beautifully laid out, too!

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. The opinions written are completely honest and my own.


Humourous and informative is the best ways to describe this book. I greatly enjoyed reading it and think most humans who don't take life seriously will too.

Whether you're a lifelong Catholic or a weird-history enthusiast, How to Be a Saint is your ultimate guide to understanding the hilarious, fascinating, and shockingly true history of sainthood. This is very very good.

Whether you're a lifelong Catholic or a weird-history enthusiast, How to Be a Saint is your ultimate guide to understanding the hilarious, fascinating, and shockingly true history of sainthood.
A fabulous story about saints.

My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an advance copy of this book that takes a humorous to some, libelous to others look at the history of the Catholic Church and the role of Saints in the lives of those who believe, history and much more.

My parents were born as Bronx Irish Catholics, attended school in Catholic institutions, even college and nursing school. This sort of faded out when we moved to the wilds of Connecticut. My dad worked nights on the weekend, going to Church was a bit of a ride, 5 minutes, and we drifted away. My brother and I attended CCD or Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, which is a religious education program for Catholic children in non-Catholic schools according to the definition as I had to look it up. I've done all the steps I guess except marriage and well death, and cashed the checks to prove it. However that is it. I've never gone to confession except once, for again pay from the family, nor do I take the host when I go to a wedding or a funeral, which is my only time to attend. This book brought up a lot of feelings for me. Most of them laughter, a few snickers and even one or two, oh that's mean. Which meant I enjoyed it quite a bit. How to Be a Saint: An Extremely Weird and Mildly Sacrilegious History of The Catholic Church's Biggest Names by comedian and writer Kate Sidley is a sort of pagan view of the Saints, ranging in wonder, awe, puzzlement, outright ickiness and much more.

The book starts with an interesting way of baptism, and an explanation about much of the ceremonies that bring people into the church. From there Sideley touches on some history, some theology, and bit of humor, trying to compress thousands of years of history into a few chapters. One learns about Limbo, a place that my Grandmother always had a particular fear of, and a place I really didn't understand, as my parents wanted me to sleep at night, so Limbo was never really discussed. Readers are than introduced to the Saints. How the became saints, what process is called on, and much about the miracles. And the ways that they died, which all sound horrible.

The book is funny, sometimes a little gross, but is laid out well and tells an interesting story. I can see where people could be upset, but being a fan of so many things that have become toxic I really have little sympathy. Some of the humor is a little forced, and odd, but the readability of the book makes up for this, and as I said I learned things, or relearned things in some cases. Also the book made me an my mother talk about her growing up and going to Catholic school, and and what that was like.

A book not for everyone, but one that is funny, and in a way sort of inspirational. There are some stories in here that make one think about the strength of humans to persist and hold on to what they believe. My world view hasn't changed, but I laughed a lot, and in this world of acceptable cruelty from people claiming a moral stance, well that's all we can ask for.

I will say this was not my cup of tea.
For those who want to mock Catholics and Catholicism I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

I'm not saying this out of any hypersensitivity, just that it's lazy.

I'd dare you to take the same approach to other religions, say Some Religion of Peace that celebrates Ramadan.

But...that would be taking a risk.

This book has a lot of accurate information about how people are declared saints by the Catholic Church, and introduces the reader to a variety of saints with humor. But Sidley presents all the fun parts of a saint’s life as before their conversion, and implies most of the miracles ascribed to them are a lack of scientific knowledge. (She says Catholics using science is ironic! This is a serious misunderstanding of history and Catholic teaching.)

She answers the question of how one is canonized a saint, but not WHY a person would even want that! Saints are presented as dull, she has a letter signed “God” that says there is no one true religion, and the love and presence of Christ in the world and the church are ignored or gently mocked.

Catholicism is full of weird stuff - 2000 years of unusual beliefs, interesting people, wild traditions. But it all points to Christ, crucified and risen, and has meaning. The jokey sacrilege in How to Be a Saint is because Sidley missed the point.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc

Since I am not Catholic, I was a little worried I wouldn't get the jokes in this book. I'm so glad I picked it up anyway because it was hilarious and very accessible for anyone, regardless of their background. Sidley highlights some strange and obscure stories from the Catholic church. The especially devout might want to skip this, but I think readers who enjoy history and are looking for something snort-out-loud funny will enjoy this.

a love letter to the weirdness of faith traditions and the powerful, often untold stories of those deemed "holy."

this book was SUCH a fun read. as a former catholic now finding my way back to the Church I found it so informative and honestly laugh out loud funny. Does this mean I get time added to my purgatory clock? Saint Gianna, pray for me.

Kate Sidley breaks down the absolute chaos of the canonization process with footnotes that had me wheezing and chapter titles that feel ripped straight from a divine group chat. Where else can you read about “Saints Who Were Sort of Like Zombies” and DIY baptism kits that involve Tupperware and artisanal olive oil?

It’s smart, irreverent in the best way, and deeply affectionate toward the strangeness of belief. Think religious history meets stand-up comedy with a dash of divine sass. Will I be quoting this book at Bible study? Probably not. Will I be thinking about “saints who walked six miles after being beheaded”? Absolutely yes.

Highly recommend for recovering Catholics, curious heathens, and anyone who’s ever wondered how many miracles it takes to get your own holy card.

This book FRied me. I loved it so much! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the digital arc.
Totally irreverent, seriously funny, and absolutely factual, which in these times is exactly what I need, the author takes you through the steps to become a Catholic, and then the roadmap to sainthood. As a Catholic who attended 8 years of Catholic elementary school, and 4 years of Catholic college, this is the perfect book to just laugh while actually reviewing your religion and you'll add new saints to your "Name That Saint" trivia toolbox. A fun read which I've already recommended to friends.

This is fantastically funny and educational! I find myself saying "did you know" to my friends and family now! If this book were a podcast it would be a smash hit. Something both educational and entertaining! The art was also fantastic! I can't wait to get a copy of this when it comes out.

I never thought I'd be tempted to describe a history book as a "fun romp," but here we are!

This fun romp of a read perfectly showcases the doctrinal contortionism required of a centuries old religion as it absorbs and is absorbed by other cultures. Sensibilities change over time, and not all things age well. For example, we might not view St. Rita as a paragon of parenthood now, but she was canonized in the middle ages for praying for the *deaths of her sons* so that they'd be prevented from seeking vengeance for her husband's murder. In the modern Catholic church, she remains a patron saint of parenthood!

This heavily illustrated book is strongest when the author isn't trying to be funny and instead lets absurd chapters of church history and doctrine speak for themselves. Don't get me wrong, the author is funny-- very-- but the more boggling choices of the historical church deserve the spotlight. If I had one wish for the book, it would be that it were slightly more factual and every so slightly less about the witty commentary. It nailed the inclusion of religious paintings. There are way more paintings of saints with their body parts on platters than I would have ever guessed.

Is it mildly sacrilegious? More than mildly, I think. It is exactly what I signed up for? Absolutely. As a protestant who married a Catholic and spent the first years of my relationship ogling at my in-laws' unquestioned religious convictions and saying, "wait, really?" this book definitely resonated with me. Seeing Catholicism in practice, not just in theory, was like looking through a funhouse mirror at my own religious upbringing. And boy, oh boy, does this author hold the canonization process up to every mirror in every light. If this book looks funny to you, I think it will be. If it looks offensive, it probably will be. The marketing for this feels spot-on, so whatever vibe potential readers are getting is likely the right one for them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the eARC! I will definitely be buying a physical copy for my Catholic husband when this comes out.

Very fun, very informative little book. I had a great time reading this, and I will say the humor the author added to the explanations made this infinitely more readable and finish-able than a lot of other informational books on different aspects of Catholicism (even if it was a bit blasphemous, but really, who's worried about that?). I would definitely recommend this book! Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC!

I laughed a lot. Does this mean I am going to hell?

While an extreme long shot to become a Saint, I found a lot to like about Kate Sidley's How to Be a Saint. Sidley looks at some of the most interesting people in the Catholic Church and sometimes they are even real! Clearly, I should state who the audience for this book is. The way I see it, there are 3 types of people I'd like to speak to directly:

1. Non-Catholics, people who hate the Catholic Church, and people who don't care even a little bit - this book will totally be fun for you! Sidley is funny and she is going to be pointing out a lot of weird stuff you probably already have. You don't need to believe in the Jesus stuff because there are still some quick and eye-opening stories that will make you say, "Well, I'm glad I don't have to worry about becoming a martyr."

2. Catholics, but who are not about to lead a crusade anytime soon. You try and go to church and you are sometimes successful. You believe, but when your non-Catholic friends ask, "Hey, isn't it super weird that in Catholicism," you cut them off and say, "Yeah, there is a lot of weird stuff and I just push passed it. Can we talk about politics or something?" This is my category and I had a wonderful time. I even remembered some stuff from my 13 years of Catholic school! Congrats, Sister Pat, Sister Agnes, Sister Lynn, Sister....I think there was a Helen in there. Anyway, something got through!

3. You are very Catholic. Religion is no laughing matter. You may go on crusade soon. Uh, you should skip this.

The book is very funny and I didn't take it as mean-spirited. In fact, I don't think a non-Catholic could write it. There is a love to the mocking almost like an older sibling who knows what buttons to push, but only knows because they pay attention. Now, I am going to go pray that this review doesn't get me sent straight down. Amen.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Sourcebooks.)

In this humorous (sacrilegious?) look at how to become a Saint in the afterlife, Sidley actually provides a great deal of information. From the first chapter ( a message from God himself) to the profiles of actual saints, to the steps that must be taken before the Catholic Church declares someone a Saint, this is a great read. I was raised Catholic and attended 12 years of Catholic school, but there was even some new information for me. Yes, this is sometimes a cringy look at the process. Some devoutly religious people will likely find some passages offensive, but what did you expect from a staff writer for the Colbert Show? Clearly well researched with the footnotes and a list of resources at the end. Read this with a wink and a smile, understanding the purpose behind the book, and you will discover a book that's a lot of fun and also very informative. Also, maybe you'll be on your way to becoming a saint yourself. :)