Hey Jesus, It’s Me: I Have Questions, Comments, and Concerns

Comedian Skrmetti adapts her online video series of the same name into a chatty and colorful debut collection on faith, Southern culture, and middle age. Among other topics, she recalls how she found a surprisingly strong sisterhood in the “blush and boob tape”–filled world of beauty pageants as a preteen; relates how a quest to lose weight helped her to find self-acceptance (“I could lose all the weight in the world, but if I didn’t love myself, it wouldn’t matter”); and in one especially captivating essay, details how she battled her anxieties about aging by chasing a comedy career at age 45, first by frequenting open mic nights and then by posting videos that went viral. Readers should likewise chart their own paths, Skrmetti advises (“Just because no one is looking for you doesn’t mean they won’t be happy they found you.”) Skrmetti’s ability to find humor in faith—and faith in the everyday—makes for delightful reading, whether she’s drawing an unlikely comparison between Weight Watchers and church— in both, “you are welcomed back no matter what you ate the day before”—or reassuring readers that God is “in every little thing.” Equal parts sincere and sassy, this is a treat. (Sept.)