I enjoyed this funny, honest memoir of Christian deconstruction by a woman who could no longer slap evangelical platitudes over her lived experience. Having gone through a very similar process of breaking down and rebuilding, but never letting go of Jesus, I can relate and am happy for the peace she's found. The hilarious story of explaining Easter to her young kids is worth the price of admission. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!

Little it of irreverence, whole lot of realness. This book might make you think different in some ways. Read it.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

Not That Wheel, Jesus is part memoir, part stand-up routine, and part spiritual deconstruction, all wrapped in the warm, chatty tone of someone who could absolutely go viral for telling this exact story on TikTok. Mary Katherine Backstrom recounts her journey out of a harmful religious upbringing with humor, vulnerability, and a storyteller’s flair for embellishment—often acknowledging the latter just as you begin to question her.

This isn’t a theological deep-dive or a hard-hitting reckoning with the full spectrum of church trauma. Instead, it’s more of a scroll through funny anecdotes occasionally punctuated by heavier moments. The timeline jumps around quite a bit, which can leave you scrambling to keep up—wondering where we are, which boyfriend this is, or when Texas entered the chat.

Backstrom’s main theological conflict centers around LGBTQI acceptance, which she revisits often. While her affirming stance is admirable, the repeated emphasis can sometimes veer into the territory of virtue signaling—especially when contrasted with the absence of similar grace extended toward other “sinners” she’s encountered (looking at you, stepdad). The core message becomes clear: let gay people into church.

Despite moments of skepticism—both from the reader and, impressively, from the author herself—Backstrom has a knack for anticipating doubt and addressing it head-on, almost like she’s breaking the fourth wall. She owns her role as a storyteller, freely admitting that a good narrative sometimes trumps strict adherence to fact.

All that said, this was an incredibly enjoyable read. Light, funny, occasionally poignant, and full of moments that feel like chatting with a very entertaining friend who’s done some hard work—and is still figuring things out.

3.75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First of all, just to get it out of the way, a little bit of user error on my part. I didn’t go into this book knowing much about the author or her beliefs but about halfway through this book I realized I should have looked into it at least to prepare myself. Overall, I agree to disagree with the author on her theology (I believe she is Methodist, I am non-denominational) so if you’re looking for a book to build you up in biblical truth, be aware of that.

Once I got past the theological differences I really did enjoy this book. I don’t really like rating memoirs because it just feels wrong on a certain level to rate someone’s life story as being interesting or uninteresting, but based on her voice as a writer this book is worth the read. And I don’t say that much, but she has a real talent for writing in a humorous style while still packing emotional gut-punches. There’s a lot here, but overall one of the more relatable takes on deconstruction. As a deconstructer myself, I really saw a lot of myself in this book and it kept me turning the page. I found it to be light-hearted at places where it was appropriate and serious where it was warranted. Huge props again to the author and the editor(s) who were able to pack so much into 17 chapters without feeling rushed or overwhelming.

Overall, if you’re looking for entertainment I would strongly recommend, but if you’re looking for biblical truths look elsewhere, this is the author’s story and while Christ is a HUGE part of it, it is not the focus.

Author Mary Katherine Backstrom writes in irreverent humor her life experiences, candidly portraying her faith as it waned and waxed. Backstrom was raised in a Southern Baptist environment and grew into a devout God loving and fearing adult. She led youth ministry, served as a missionary, and went on to become a bestselling Christian author. She knew the Christian lingo, scripture, and all the perfect Sunday school answers to life’s questions. Then BOOM! Her five year old little boy asked her a simple and sincere question: will my Jewish best friend go to hell? Wait a minute, would God do that to a child?

Her beliefs and faith were challenged by this difficult question. She likened it to “a thread tugging loose from a carefully knit sweater I’d been wearing my whole life.” This referenced song written and performed by Weezer.

The simple words of a child caused her to reconsider every part of the faith she’d been raised to accept so completely and without question..

I think you’ll find Mary Katherine’s hilarious journey thought provoking and a fun read as she slowly and painfully finds her way back to a less defined faith.

The book title is a reference to the popular song by Carrie Underwood, “Jesus Take The Wheel.”

Laugh along as MK discusses her own experience of avoiding an animal near miss on the highway and at age 14 attending Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames an alternative to Halloween houses of horror. And if you’ve never heard of the eggbeater Jesus, a quirky landmark in her hometown of Huntsville, Alabama, please do a Google search as I did.

I really enjoyed her writing and her manner of challenging my own perspectives as she looks at this journey called life in a different manner.

This is one for a more open minded believer.