Be the Brave One, Ann Kansfield
Be the Brave One, Ann Kansfield
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

Be the Brave One
Living Your Spiritual Values Out Loud and Other Life Lessons

Author: Ann Kansfield

Narrator: Nan McNamara

Unabridged: 4 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/28/2021

Synopsis

On September 11, 2001, Ann Kansfield, a successful Wall Street broker who had spent years laying a path of achievements, stood on the doorstep of profound change. The city she loved was in turmoil, and a calling to help others was emerging from deep within her.

Part memoir and part spiritual formation guide, Kansfield's Be the Brave One relays her stunning transformation from a "run-of-the-mill capitalist jerk" into a wife, mother, and pastor committed to feeding the poor at her church in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

The first female and openly gay chaplain at the New York Fire Department, and voted the inaugural New York Times New Yorker of the Year, Kansfield uses her characteristic wit and knack for accessible storytelling to reveal how an adventurous faith rooted in living out your convictions can bring about radical change in the world. From authenticity and courage, to perseverance and gratitude, in Kansfield's journey you will find the insight and tools to name and claim your own core spiritual values.

Ultimately, Kansfield's story will leave listeners both comforted and challenged to discover and live out their own faith rooted in open-hearted conviction.

About Ann Kansfield

Rev. Ann Kansfield was voted the inaugural New York Times New Yorker of the Year and is the first female and openly gay FDNY chaplain. A graduate of Columbia University, Kansfield followed the Ivy League crowd to Wall Street, until 9/11 happened and she realized she wanted more from life. In addition to her FDNY chaplaincy, she serves as copastor of the Greenpoint Reformed Church in Brooklyn, New York, with her wife, Rev. Jennifer Aull.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Dario on December 29, 2021

A fascinating, funny, and philosophical look into the life of a small-town lesbian pastor in the Big Apple. Rev. Ann Kansfield’s duties as a minister for the hungry and homeless in New York City, plus her work as the first openly gay and female Chaplain of the FDNY, have awarded her the honor of bei......more

Goodreads review by Heidi on June 18, 2023

I really enjoyed this authentic, personable, and meaningful look at the values that make up life lived in faith. I especially enjoyed hearing the stories of people loving people in their messy and wonderfully weird selves. I am thankful to the author for just being herself and sharing her story, whe......more

Goodreads review by Melinda on January 08, 2022

This is an excellent memoir. Ann writes about her call to ministry as sort of a God code for her life. The story of Keanu Reeves and the poop on the church step is a riot and worth getting the book for that, but there's so much more of life lessons on how to be brave. Ann is an FDNY fire chaplain bu......more

Goodreads review by Molly on November 09, 2021

Ann Kansfield is the first lesbian to serve as a chaplain in the FDNY--I would have read this book just to find out more about that! But this book is so much more--a rollicking romp through the wondrous calling of an urban pastor who navigates poop on the stoop, Hollywood stars in the sanctuary and......more

Goodreads review by Alyssa on December 08, 2023

I might be a little biased because I know Ann Kansfield (and she officiated at my wedding), but I really enjoyed reading this! The tone is light and accessible, and Ann is a fantastic storyteller so even the shortest anecdotes pack a punch. Reading what she had to say about her values made me want t......more

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List