Jesus, My Father, The CIA, and Me by Ian Morgan Cron

When Jesus, My Father, The CIA, and Me A memoir of Sorts by Ian Morgan Cron arrived in my mailbox I was anxious to begin reading. It is described by the publisher as:

An entertaining, touching memoir of life with an alcoholic father who secretly works with the CIA, a dark pilgrimage through the valley of depression and addiction, and finding a faith to redeem and a strength to forgive.

Believers and seekers alike will be moved by how Ian uncovers and honors what is sacred in his story, how he discovers God in the struggle to find redemption, and how the mysterious movement and presence of God is woven throughout the adventure of his life.

I found myself drawn in by the opening quote of the very first chapter:

Sometimes we go on a search for something and do not know what we are looking for until we come again to our beginning.  Robert Lax

By the end of the chapter, after Cron’s warning, I knew I had to continue reading.

If you have a low tolerance for ambiguity, and these earnest attempts at transparency make you wonder if I’m to be trusted, then know that this book is true, either in fact or in essence, and most of the time both.  This is a record of my life as I remember it – but more importantly, as I felt it.

Cron writes truth as best he can recall, with a flair and eloquence I found compelling. As a writer I was charmed by his use of words. For example, in the middle of Chapter 4, while talking about having antennae to sense what was needed to survive adult situations as a child, he wrote:

This isn’t a talent, it’s a merciful charism God gives to kids who grow up with alcoholics. Without it, you’re an accident looking for an intersection.

I was captured, and had to tear myself away from his pages when it was time to attend to other things. If you’re not ready to be moved and captivated, avoid this book, but if you’re looking for well written honesty and redemption, dive in.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.