Secure the Soul

By Kevin Lewis O'Neill,

Book cover of Secure the Soul: Christian Piety and Gang Prevention in Guatemala

Book description

"I'm not perfect," Mateo confessed, "Nobody is. But I try." Secure the Soul shuttles between the life of Mateo, a born-again, ex-gang member in Guatemala and the gang prevention programs that work so hard to keep him alive. Along the way, this poignantly written ethnography uncovers the Christian underpinnings of…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Secure the Soul as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

No other book better encapsulates the evangelical spirit of neoliberal policies in the details of everyday life, including what it feels like to be arrested in the United States for being part of a gang, and ending up in a call center in Central America, only to be morally shamed for not working hard enough, as your corporate employer leverages the power of religion, and the threat of danger, to keep you trapped there. 

If you love Secure the Soul...

Ad

Book cover of I Am Taurus

I Am Taurus By Stephen Palmer,

The constellation we know as Taurus goes all the way back to cave paintings of aurochs at Lascaux. This book traces the story of the bull in the sky, a journey through the history of what has become known as the sacred bull.

Each of the sections is written from…

Want books like Secure the Soul?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Secure the Soul.

Browse books like Secure the Soul

Book cover of To Serve God and Wal-Mart: The Making of Christian Free Enterprise
Book cover of One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America
Book cover of Consuming Religion

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,587

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Guatemala, neoliberalism, and evangelicalism?

Guatemala 13 books
Neoliberalism 57 books
Evangelicalism 38 books