Not for the Easily Offended
598907
First of all, if you are religious and think it is sacrilegious to poke fun at your religion, and especially at the Bible, stay far away from this book.  If you are not religious but think it's wrong to poke fun at religions, stay away, too.  If you don't like reading profanity, this isn't a book you'll like.

Now that the people who definitely won't like this book have been winnowed out, let's move one.  For all other readers, this may or may not be a book for you.  Vague, huh?

I laughed out loud several times when I started this book, and annoyed my spouse by reading snippets of it to him.  Apparently, God isn't the nice, benevolent guy or the vengeful god (depending on your version) that we have come to know and love.  He is a persnickety, ornery prankster who does make mistakes.  At least according to this, his last testament.

The problem with the book is threefold.  It got old fast, like hearing the same knock-knock joke too many times in a row.  And some of it seemed mean-spirited.  Some of the profanity was a bit too much for my usually tolerant mind.  I have to admit that I haven't finished the book.  I will probably pick it up again and read a few pages now and then.  For me, it isn't a book to be read straight through, just too much of something that can be good in small doses.
2789663
Not for the easily offended, but those with a sense of humor and the clarity to recognize the grains of truth delivered with comedic exaggeration will enjoy the irreverent look at today's world.
1499725
I dare you to read this book.
Yes, CROSSING THE LINE is entertaining and Ms. Castoro's humor, phrasing and understanding of Southern living is on the mark, but this book will make you uncomfortable. Why? Because you will come face-to-face with your prejudice.
Perhaps you are not as tolerant as you thought you are? Not to be confused with the ignorance of racism, this is strictly about comfort levels.
How many times have you heard someone say, "I'm not prejudiced, but-?" On the other hand, maybe you subscribe to the good-enough-to-hire-but-not-good-enough-to-marry philosophy when it comes to race, love and relationships. Maybe you are too PC and negate the issue of race to the point where you refuse to acknowledge it in a person thereby making them nonexistent. They have no race, no culture, and no identity.
Thea Morgan has heard it all. Not only has she heard it, she is living it. Thea suffers with dignity the not-so-subtle snubs of being "light, bright, and damn near white" in the black community, while in the white community she is PC'd into non-existence by people who "don't think of her as black." She has, understandably, built walls about her for protection and she defends herself better than Tyson did with Lewis. She can give as good as she gets. Yet this does not mean she is any less vulnerable to the gut-wrenching blows life throws her way.
Then there is Thea's daughter, Jesse. How does she come to terms being from a biracial home? Jesse is the quintessential teenager testing her boundaries against authority while trying to establish her own independence and identity. But how can you define yourself if you have to choose one heritage over another? What if others insist to do it for you? We may never know exactly how Halle Berry or Mariah Carey dealt with similar issues at Jesse's age, but here is an excellent basis for assumption.
Finally, there is Reverend Xavier Thornton. He is, perhaps, the most charming but illuminating representation of a black man I have encountered in a book in a long time. Here is a man willing to take the responsibility for his actions without seeming like he is putting on a hair shirt or trying impress the ladies. This brother is genuine. "We need to stop breaking our arms patting ourselves on the back" he says and the sermons he preaches in this book will make you do that.
How will Thea reconcile her feelings about the past she shares with Xavier and allow herself to have a future with him? Has society's racial beliefs and expectations segregated them out of the right to be happy?
This is trademark Laura Castoro. She puts her characters in situations where you think the resolution is simple and obvious. Yet Ms. Castoro always keeps her stories grounded in reality so while there may be this breathtaking romance, you are still reminded there are bills to pay, children to discipline and crises to overcome. This lovefest has a price.
The characters in CROSSING THE LINE are real. Ms. Castoro's far-reaching insight borders on the clairvoyant. These people are not perfect, they are not superheroes, but they possess amazing strength. Race or gender does not matter. This could be you or someone you know. The story is true but the names have been changed to protect the (not so) innocent.
However, Laura Castoro crosses her own line in this breakthrough novel.  Ms. Castoro has written dozens of novels under the name Laura Parker-mostly romance and historical romance-but CROSSING THE LINE cannot be easily pigeonholed. Her story transcends the color barrier and deserves to transcend the barrier of genre that most writers subject themselves to. This book is as hard to compartmentalize as it is hard to put down.
CROSSING THE LINE is a novel about family, race, and faith but all of these issues revolve around one topic-relationships.
Write on, Ms. Castoro.
1104896
Other reviewers have complained about the voice and tone of this book. Certainly it is not for everyone; some Christians may find the crude, slangy, disrespectful language unreadable. But the tone is an integral part of the book and is entirely appropriate to the genre. If you can handle the manner of speech of disaffected modern atheist youth, then you will not be disturbed by the language.

This book is packed with irony. The fictional A.F. Christian calls God "Loser" and His followers "Dulls", yet reveals on every page that He is no Loser and Christians are not Dull.

This page-turner builds the reader's curiosity about A.F. Christian's current situation. She seems to be in a rehab center, but it is revealed to be a very strange place indeed, and you begin to wonder if perhaps it is an insane asylum instead. Yet she does not seem insane. So what gives? The answer is profoundly poignant--a tear-jerker, in fact.

The ending, however, was dissatisfying. I won't spoil it, but the way things were resolved required the author to take some theological liberties that frankly were a little disturbing.
4805339
This woman is hilarious. Not a book for those caught up in poilitical correctness but good for those with a raucous sense of humour!!
4726093
Read by Joan herself, the audiobook is quite hilarious. Yes, it is crude and raunchy and not for anyone who is offended easily (no one is immune to her barbs). Every time she says "I hate" with appropriate viciousness, I was laughing and often, agreeing with her. At only 4 hours, I hated to hear it end.
3651358
If you are easily offended don't bother to read this book. If you want to be shaken to your core as you read about a messy person doing messy life with God's help, this is the book for you!
3717146
Everything you ever wanted to say to your boss!! Not for easily offended people though!! I think it's hilarious!!
2643590
It is not for everyone, just for people who do not cringe at really funny stuff in life - truth that it is. British to the core, naughty, funny, will make most people cringe ( in a good way ). Sought it out after seeing the Catastrophe and it is a treat.
786864
Not for the faint of heart or easily offended this series is great. Very un-PC but hilarious. Highly recommended.
2652998
This is not a book for your Sunday school group, or for anyone who wants to hold on to their misconceptions about what college is really about.  It is offensive (at times) both in language and subject matter, revealing the author's depth of research and preparation for this novel.

As a high school teacher, I have seen many "Charlottes"; those who are weary with jocks and party-people and want to find a truly intellectual "life of the mind."  They leave my classroom believing that their freshman year of college will be just that - a new frontier filled with others like themselves:  those who long to change the world simply through the power of thought.  What they discover is much what Charlotte herself discovers:  their secluded small town really was a microcosm, and all of the issues that existed there exist at their university, only now they are better-funded.

It's been amusing to read the reviews and notice that you can almost identify which *Charlotte* crowd the reviewer fits into.  Most of the angry ones would be *Adams* in my opinion, furiously claiming that Wolfe got it wrong and that not all college students are like these.  They miss the point.  They are angry about the ending; about Charlotte giving up her pursuit of a "life of the mind."  Once again, they miss the point.

In finding Jojo, Charlotte discovers her happy medium.  He is tired of pretending to be stupid, and she is tired of pretending to be something she is not. They are a match, and Charlotte Simmons finds that she is (maybe) more Sparta than she would ever have cared to admit, and she shares much with the community of parents and friends that she left behind.  She discovers that you don't go somewhere to find a "life of the mind"; you find it within yourself, in the choices that you make every day.  All others are falsehoods.

After finishing the book, I felt as if I was Charlotte Simmons, only with slightly modified choices.  Wolfe's novel made me evaluate my own life and feel more at peace with the life I have created.  If *Charlotte* had an epilogue, I am sure that it would tell us that she did the same.
3785639
The other reviewers took this little book way too seriously.  Since I suffer from "Bush Derangement Syndrome", I thought it was very funny.  It's just a joke, which I loved sending to my adult childeren.  I do agree with the reviewers who stated that it is not for children.  It's for adults like me who are appalled with the way the country is being run.
4551721
Loved this book. Easy one day read. It is not for someone who gets offended easily or who cannot take a joke. The language is foul but also hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud several times and wiping tears away from laughing so much.
1851079
So, for the most part the reviews are either 'OMG, this book is so funny' or 'OMG this book is so offensive!'

It's funny, no questioning that. It's crude, no questioning that either. If you find the "F" word offensive, don't buy it. If you find referring to your privates in "crude" language offensive, don't buy it. For those of us who have conquered the world of adult language and realize that words are just words there are no real problems.

Don't buy this book if you are looking to be educated about pregnancy. It's entitled "Belly Laughs". These are Jenny's anecdotal stories that we all ge to laugh about.

If you are one of those people who is horrified if you hear a pregnant woman call herself fat, say she isn't going to breastfeed or is more concerned with her own image than this "perfect beautifu life inside her" don't buy. For those of us who have actually been through pregnancy without sugar coating it, some days you do feel fat, sometimes you DO want to have sex without jr. kicking you and every once in a while we want to think more about ourselves than being pregnant. It's good that there is a book in the mainstream that validates that feeling instead of saying "all you should think about is this life inside you". Sometimes us pregnant girls want to think about our OWN lives.
4958101
If you've ever killed a mouse with a claw hammer or a pair of pliers, then you might like this. It's not for everyone, but if you have a sick and morbid sense of humor, then Red Meat is for you.  The cartoons follow their own twisted logic, and end up in a place that most people wouldn't want to go. They are hilarious, if you like that kind of thing.
1135509
A great game. Fun! You will laugh so hard your stomach will hurt. You must have an open mind and not being easily offended. Not for young kids. It is like the "R" and pushing the "X" version of apples to apples. Basically if you are crude, rude and lewd, this is for you. Lol
1503864
This is not for everyone (particularly those who do not read French - duh !).
The story is quite extraordinary and the book is very well written, in a cynical, sarcastic and humoristic way.
The author does not spare many, but he mostly focus on attacking the stupid positions of some scientists and many religious organizations.
If you have a very sincere and deep faith, don't read it. It will shock you.