Lenny Duncan is the author of Dear Church, and Pastor of Jubilee Collective in Vancouver, Washington, where he also lives. He is board chaplain for Reconciling Works and his work has been featured on Code Switch and NPR's Morning Edition. For more of his work, follow Lenny on social media and subscribe to his Substack.
Description
Reviews
"In this passionate memoir, Lutheran pastor and social justice advocate, Duncan shares his unconventional life journey in order to illustrate the beauty and horror of life in the United States...He is fierce in both his criticism of America's institutions and his love for its people. This lyrical testament to life as "a blind date with mercy" will challenge and inspire." [Starred Review] --Publishers Weekly "United States of Grace traces a remarkable and completely relatable life. From the throes of addiction to the joy of a Grateful Dead show, in this honest, unflinching look at his own life Lenny Duncan tells his personal story of love, triumph, failure, and pain while ultimately leaving the reader with an immense sense of hope." --Leslie Mac, community organizer and digital strategist Lenny Duncan weaves together history and memoir in a book rooted in journeys across the beautiful and bruising landscape of the United States, where the pointed stare of a Black mama at the Greyhound station and a voice whispering sobriety at a Grateful Dead show become ciphers of ordinary grace. In this astounding book that is both fierce and generous, jagged and hopeful, Duncan makes space for the thorny topography of addiction, freedom, sexuality, despair, and race, refusing to flatten the path for our comfort. Instead, he invites us to walk with him, to see what he sees, to inhabit the adventure and heartbreak of a Black life in a country built for Blackdestruction. A book written with tenderness and joy, United States of Grace points us toward prophetic signposts of what is possible for America, if we have the courage to imagine it together. --Melissa Florer-Bixler, author of Fire by Night "Lenny Duncan's tale of escape from the miserable lot that life dealt him is reminiscent of Claude Brown's Manchild in the Promised Land--powerful and beautifully told--but with a twist: Duncan's triumph comes through an encounter with redemption. I can hardly imagine a more profound story of salvation. You will be inspired by Duncan's strength but also jolted by his anger that the odds are so heavily stacked against all who are trapped by oppression and injustice. This is the work of a truly gifted writer." --Tom Gjelten, Religion Correspondent, NPR News