Mark Anderson has magically brought together two only apparently opposing worlds—a passion for pop music and his boyhood as an evangelical preacher's son—in this winning memoir. What a beauty it is, by turns searching and hilarious.

—Patricia Hampl, author of I Could Tell You Stories

Jesus Sound Explosion is an affectionate, sometimes hilarious portrait of growing up evangelical. Anderson depicts the allure of salvation on the one hand, and sex, drugs, and rock and roll on the other. A great read.

—Julie Schumacher, author of The Body Is Water

Jesus Sound Explosion is a wild, funny, moving memoir, a compelling blend of cultural and personal history. Anderson has written a candid and startling story of artistic growth nurtured and provoked by the often contradictory worlds of Rock Music and Evangelical Christianity. From a life of listening closely to musicians and preachers, Anderson has found his own witty, intelligent, urgent voice, a voice that is worth listening closely to. A remarkable debut!

—Valerie Miner, author of The Low Road and A Walking Fire

While we expect the details of a memoirist to be revealing of his or her own personal circumstances, Jesus Sound Explosion is remarkable for the way it offers a glimpse into an entire culture—in this case the culture of belief. . . . The people Anderson writes about are divided between those who want to imprison God within their belief and those who do not. What Anderson captures is the journey from one view to the other, the toll it takes, and what remains once he reaches the other shore.

—Marc J. Sheehan, Fourth Genre

Mark Curtis Anderson is the son of a preacherman. . . . Anderson's memoir is hilarious, affectionate, and irresistable.

—Pam Kingsbury, Southern Scribe

Charming, thoughtful debut memoir of a Baptist adolescent’s drift toward earthly temptation. . . . Anderson effectively employs a quiet Midwestern humor; his understanding of how transient pop culture can affect personal watersheds reinforces his incremental portrait of a young rocker tempted and transformed. Deeply concerned with discerning larger communities, his narrative is solidly rather than flashily written. . . . Unusual, worthy of consideration, and admirable for the spiritual questions it raises.

—Kirkus Reviews

The voice of Jesus Sound Explosion carries me along as if on one long rock & roll-evangelical-rebellious riff. Anderson’s voice is so strong that, ironically, I sense the power and cadence of the best of the evangelical preachers—even as the author rebels against the sermons. There are no false notes here. The voice is sure, playful, witty, sincere, insightful, compelling, urgent. Like the best rock music, it is full of rhythm and soul. I couldn't put this book down, wanting to accompany Anderson on his rock & roll-evangelical saga to the moving conclusion.

—Sue William Silverman, author of Because I Remember Terror, Father, I Remember You

For anyone who’s juggled the lures of Saturday night fever with the limits of Sunday morning fervor, Jesus Sound Explosion is the new New Testament—a funny, insightful rumination on higher fidelity and the not-so-disparate ingredients that make up and sustain the soul.

—MinneapolisCity Pages