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An Anthology of Madness by Max Andrew Dubinsky
These selected poems, essays, and journals are the raw and unedited works of author Max Andrew Dubinsky, documenting his addiction, his homelessness, his loss of faith, his search for God, and his abandonment of the church and religion as he wandered the streets of America. Featuring brand new stories and some old favorites, many of these tell-all, gritty tales were originally published on the blog Make It MAD between 2010 and 2012, and have been rereleased in their originality for this special print and digital anthology.
- GenresPoetry
Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
131 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Max Andrew Dubinsky
4 books15 followersI am a writer. I live on the road and sometimes in California.
I am in the business of storytelling. The stories I write are not about you or anyone you know. If your likeness ever appears in my work, it's nothing personal. It's just the business of fiction.
I don't eat mayonnaise and fear sharks in all water situations.
I am in the business of storytelling. The stories I write are not about you or anyone you know. If your likeness ever appears in my work, it's nothing personal. It's just the business of fiction.
I don't eat mayonnaise and fear sharks in all water situations.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 9, 2018
Surprising
This book really took me by surprise! It's so amazing and Max makes such excellent sense throughout his life story. As a girl raised in the church, I related to this heavily in so many things that I struggle with as a young woman, musician, and artist in the church. I feel less alone after reading this and I'm forever grateful for that. Thank you, Max. And May God bless you!
Xo,
Rach
This book really took me by surprise! It's so amazing and Max makes such excellent sense throughout his life story. As a girl raised in the church, I related to this heavily in so many things that I struggle with as a young woman, musician, and artist in the church. I feel less alone after reading this and I'm forever grateful for that. Thank you, Max. And May God bless you!
Xo,
Rach
October 24, 2022
Max Dubinsky is a raw, real, emotional and captivating blogger and author who speaks from the heart and cuts to the chase with every post. An Anthology of Madness is a collection of his best stuff as he opens up about his journey of faith, filled with unexpected twists and turns. What's fascinating are the everyday, average moments he recorded, where God's light shone through, in conversations and coffee with homeless people as well as the other random interactions Max experienced as he journeyed to discover if faith at all was worth his time and energy.
An Anthology of Madness is a good read for any Christian or others who might be exploring faith. Max doesn't pull any punches. I'd hope that some might be drawn to his honesty and realize that God is an approachable God, who longs to be in relationship with us all... and that God is accessible and fully realized in the unexpected places of life.
I'd recommend this book to the curious, the satisfied, the stable and the transients. Life is a journey, and faith is as well. Max Dubinsky has his finger on the pulse of reality - a reality that many in the church often miss - but there is hope.
An Anthology of Madness is a good read for any Christian or others who might be exploring faith. Max doesn't pull any punches. I'd hope that some might be drawn to his honesty and realize that God is an approachable God, who longs to be in relationship with us all... and that God is accessible and fully realized in the unexpected places of life.
I'd recommend this book to the curious, the satisfied, the stable and the transients. Life is a journey, and faith is as well. Max Dubinsky has his finger on the pulse of reality - a reality that many in the church often miss - but there is hope.
August 29, 2016
Awkward because it seems by the reviews i'm the only one who didn't like this
December 28, 2018
Best thing I've read on a long time!
Every work is written with a purpose. And every sentence makes you think harder and deeper than ever thought possible.
Every work is written with a purpose. And every sentence makes you think harder and deeper than ever thought possible.
June 20, 2017
My First Read
Reading this bok was a fantastic experience. having struggled with homelessness and still struggling with faith. i recommend this to any one seeking a true human experience painted in words.
Reading this bok was a fantastic experience. having struggled with homelessness and still struggling with faith. i recommend this to any one seeking a true human experience painted in words.
June 2, 2013
I received a copy of Max Dubinsky’s latest book An Anthology of Madness through Story Cartel because I had previously reviewed Dislocated. As I noted in that review, Dislocated is not the typical type of book that I would pick up but I liked it and said that I would look forward to reading more from Dubinsky.
So I was glad when I received the email about the opportunity to review An Anthology of Madness. In exchange for the review I received an e-version for my Kindle.
An Anthology of Madness is a totally different experience. Dubinsky puts together a collection of journals, essays and poems as he relates stories of his search for God, his loss of faith, his abandonment of the church along with addition and homelessness.
And, while my journey has been different, and while I'm many years his senior, much of this book resonates.
He had me early on when he wrote,
"The God I read about in the Bible was not the God I heard about in church. I'd grown tired of watching well-dressed Christians with a heart for acting in Hollywood serve other well-dressed Christians every Sunday while men and women wrapped in blankets dug through our discarded coffee cups piled high inside the trashcans out front looking for plastic to recycle and cigarette butts to smoke."
Ouch. Is that the church of today? Not everywhere of course, but is it more the norm than not? Do we put more emphasis, as Dubinsky says, on a nine-million dollar church complex complete with multiple screens and fancy power point presentations than we do the starving and homeless just a few blocks away?
I may disagree with Dubinsky over whether there's anything inherently wrong with big buildings and projection screens. But when they're the focus and not the world around us, then there is indeed something wrong.
The book is not all about Dubinsky's dissatisfaction with the church, but it's his walk through life. Much of it not pretty. He is brutally honest and his words are thought provoking.
Read the book, especially if you've spent a lifetime in church. There aren't easy answers to the questions he raises. But they're questions that need to be asked.
So I was glad when I received the email about the opportunity to review An Anthology of Madness. In exchange for the review I received an e-version for my Kindle.
An Anthology of Madness is a totally different experience. Dubinsky puts together a collection of journals, essays and poems as he relates stories of his search for God, his loss of faith, his abandonment of the church along with addition and homelessness.
And, while my journey has been different, and while I'm many years his senior, much of this book resonates.
He had me early on when he wrote,
"The God I read about in the Bible was not the God I heard about in church. I'd grown tired of watching well-dressed Christians with a heart for acting in Hollywood serve other well-dressed Christians every Sunday while men and women wrapped in blankets dug through our discarded coffee cups piled high inside the trashcans out front looking for plastic to recycle and cigarette butts to smoke."
Ouch. Is that the church of today? Not everywhere of course, but is it more the norm than not? Do we put more emphasis, as Dubinsky says, on a nine-million dollar church complex complete with multiple screens and fancy power point presentations than we do the starving and homeless just a few blocks away?
I may disagree with Dubinsky over whether there's anything inherently wrong with big buildings and projection screens. But when they're the focus and not the world around us, then there is indeed something wrong.
The book is not all about Dubinsky's dissatisfaction with the church, but it's his walk through life. Much of it not pretty. He is brutally honest and his words are thought provoking.
Read the book, especially if you've spent a lifetime in church. There aren't easy answers to the questions he raises. But they're questions that need to be asked.
August 10, 2013
After being intrigued by a posted quote from this book on facebook, I knew I had to add it to my reading list. I really wasn't sure what I was ordering but I knew the quote had struck a chord inside and I needed to read more.
Overall, this book was a challenging wake up for me to not just live a simple faith, but instead take it beyond the doors of my home and church. One of the quotes that stuck out to me and has since been replayed in my mind over and over is this "The only difference between the homeless and myself is that I have a door with which I can hide my brokenness." So often I live my life as though those "others" don't exist... when truly we are more alike than I would ever care to admit.
I was thoroughly challenged and came away with a lot to chew on... even when I was shocked by the authors words.
With all of that said, this is not a book for a "traditional" Christian that lives inside the bubble and preaches hate instead of love. Or then again, maybe it is...
"What happens to salt when you keep it in a container? It starts to stick together. It becomes a useless clump. This is what happens in many churches. We clump together as Christians, only serving each other and our building instead of spreading ourselves out as we were meant. We are the salt of the earth, not the salt of this particular block." Max Dubinsky in "An anthology of madness"
Overall, this book was a challenging wake up for me to not just live a simple faith, but instead take it beyond the doors of my home and church. One of the quotes that stuck out to me and has since been replayed in my mind over and over is this "The only difference between the homeless and myself is that I have a door with which I can hide my brokenness." So often I live my life as though those "others" don't exist... when truly we are more alike than I would ever care to admit.
I was thoroughly challenged and came away with a lot to chew on... even when I was shocked by the authors words.
With all of that said, this is not a book for a "traditional" Christian that lives inside the bubble and preaches hate instead of love. Or then again, maybe it is...
"What happens to salt when you keep it in a container? It starts to stick together. It becomes a useless clump. This is what happens in many churches. We clump together as Christians, only serving each other and our building instead of spreading ourselves out as we were meant. We are the salt of the earth, not the salt of this particular block." Max Dubinsky in "An anthology of madness"
April 30, 2021
Downloaded this because I have trouble accepting the Christian faith as it is, and I wanted a Christian's perspective on life when I've been through much the same problems (granted, mine were less than his.) I don't, and haven't for a long time, believed in God, and I've been skeptical of the church for even longer. But Dubinsky's writing nailed perfectly my problems with the church, and opened my heart to the concept of grace. It's given me a new perspective on things I've been through, and on things I'm about to do, and on things I will do in the future. However, I'm a jerk, and didn't like the aggressively Christian overtones, though I understand that the works archived in this book would be entirely different and wouldn't carry the same weight if it weren't.
June 23, 2013
I received a free download of this book from Story Cartel.
I enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting to read about all the people that the author met and how their stories influenced his life. I also appreciated the author's honesty about his struggles with his faith, and with life in general. It reminded me not to judge others right away, as everyone is fighting some sort of battle.
I will read other works by this author.
I enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting to read about all the people that the author met and how their stories influenced his life. I also appreciated the author's honesty about his struggles with his faith, and with life in general. It reminded me not to judge others right away, as everyone is fighting some sort of battle.
I will read other works by this author.
October 14, 2013
This is an interesting book. Max Dubinsky basically compiles his thoughts, stories, and poetry as he ponders God, Christianity, and the Church today. I appreciate how real and raw he is in An Anthology of Madness, even thought I'm not sure I'm totally onboard with everything he says. I think he brings up some very valid thoughts and ideas all while maintaining a fresh, unique style of writing that isn't normally seen in the Christian genre.
March 8, 2018
This was interesting. Seeing as I’ve struggled, and am struggling with my own spirituality for coming up on almost a decade now, there were definitely a few questions in this work that rang true to my experience. Depression has sapped a lot of what I used to love about religion, but maybe reading this is a step in a different direction? Not sure. But I enjoyed this.
January 6, 2015
An Anthology of Madness is a beautiful piece of work. Dubinsky is honest and sincere, and manages to show people how to be like Jesus just by telling us his story. An Anthology of Madness is a book this world really needs. – Melissa Boles, blogger & storyteller
April 28, 2015
I met the author a number of years ago through a mutual friend, when he was a struggling writer, working at Starbucks; it's fascinating to see his journey unfold - his words are brutally honest, compelling, refreshing and humbling. Must read.
August 15, 2013
A heart-wrenching, raw, and honest tale of life and finding God.
May 28, 2015
Second time reading through and it still hits me. Powerful yet simple writing that sticks with you.
February 7, 2017
It definitely made me think.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews