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A Priest Walks Into a Waffle House: Stories from a Gritty, Grace-Filled Life
In this era of unprecedented division and distraction, we've lost the ability to recognize the goodness all around us. But it doesn't have to be that way. From the acclaimed author of THE CRACKER QUEEN comes a cheeky spiritual memoir with an audacious message of hope. Hannon shows that joy can arise from the deepest abyss; that everyone is designed with purpose and hardwired for restoration; and that love and peace are entirely warranted and possible. This is because grace abounds where we often miss in the grittiness of life. Consider this book a tonic that will actually make you feel better. And though it openly rebels against our collective despair, it never sugarcoats reality. The humor and the heartbreak flow in equal measure. Born from a supernatural encounter in a Waffle House, this is ostensibly a story of the author's eventual, fitful, and comical conversion to Catholicism. But it is more than that. It is part tender meditation, part war cry, and a rollicking good time..
275 pages, Paperback
Published August 4, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 23, 2026
Lauretta Hannon opens the door wide into her heart and life in A Priest Walks into a Waffle House: Stories from a Gritty, Grace-filled Life. No apologies. No pretense. Only love—and a remarkable generosity of spirit.
Once I started reading, I knew I would finish this book within 24 hours. And so, I did.
Hannon writes about hardship, faith, creativity, place, fear, resilience, and the people who leave their imprints on our lives. Her stories may be rooted in the gritty realities of her own experiences, but the truths she uncovers belong to all of us. Again and again, she reminds us that what happens to us matters less than what we choose to do with it—that a setback can become an opportunity for a comeback, and something bad can be transformed and used for good.
One line in particular stopped me: “When you shift into loving mode, it’s impossible to remain afraid. Those two things cannot coexist.”
That idea feels like the heartbeat of the book.
Hannon also writes beautifully about creativity as a form of freedom, the importance of praying with specificity, and the sacredness of paying attention. She quotes the Zen saying, “Absolute attention is prayer,” and throughout these pages, she demonstrates what that looks like: noticing people, noticing places, noticing creation, and understanding that all of it breathes together.
Perhaps what moved me most was her insistence on truly living—on giving the important things in life the importance they deserve. Hannon doesn't simply tell us stories about the people and places that shaped her. She asks us, quietly but persistently, to consider how we are living our own stories.
I finished A Priest Walks into a Waffle House with a lump in my throat and the feeling, What do I do now? But truth be told, Lauretta Hannon had already spelled out the answer.
Pay attention. Create. Love instead of fear. Turn the bad toward good. Choose your attitude. And above all, live in such a way that you get the important things right.
This is a gritty book, yes. But grace is everywhere.
Once I started reading, I knew I would finish this book within 24 hours. And so, I did.
Hannon writes about hardship, faith, creativity, place, fear, resilience, and the people who leave their imprints on our lives. Her stories may be rooted in the gritty realities of her own experiences, but the truths she uncovers belong to all of us. Again and again, she reminds us that what happens to us matters less than what we choose to do with it—that a setback can become an opportunity for a comeback, and something bad can be transformed and used for good.
One line in particular stopped me: “When you shift into loving mode, it’s impossible to remain afraid. Those two things cannot coexist.”
That idea feels like the heartbeat of the book.
Hannon also writes beautifully about creativity as a form of freedom, the importance of praying with specificity, and the sacredness of paying attention. She quotes the Zen saying, “Absolute attention is prayer,” and throughout these pages, she demonstrates what that looks like: noticing people, noticing places, noticing creation, and understanding that all of it breathes together.
Perhaps what moved me most was her insistence on truly living—on giving the important things in life the importance they deserve. Hannon doesn't simply tell us stories about the people and places that shaped her. She asks us, quietly but persistently, to consider how we are living our own stories.
I finished A Priest Walks into a Waffle House with a lump in my throat and the feeling, What do I do now? But truth be told, Lauretta Hannon had already spelled out the answer.
Pay attention. Create. Love instead of fear. Turn the bad toward good. Choose your attitude. And above all, live in such a way that you get the important things right.
This is a gritty book, yes. But grace is everywhere.
August 19, 2026
Can a Cracker Queen transform herself into an enlightened being?
Most certainly. Especially if she nurtures her inherent seeds of curiosity, caring, and courage. Especially if she is allowed to wear red lipstick and carry sunflowers instead of lilies. And, especially, if laughter is her superpower.
A Priest Walks into A Waffle House is a delightful, entertaining book. Journey with the author from the blighted landscapes of rural and urban Georgia to the blessed green vistas of Ireland and Italy, and on into the mission field of education. Nod to the “brights and bedazzlements” along the way. Pay attention to the wounds that loving kindness might heal. Follow Hannon’s steps through self-doubt, and hard-headedness into peace and purpose, an acceptance of her mission, her holy hands-on work.
This is not just a memoir about how one person became herself by embracing her passions, from the sublime in art, literature, and language, to the amazing, tragic, and absurd in the everyday. It is a record of what can happen if one is open to “nudges” from Me-Maw, Angels in Rustler jeans, demented Hoochie-Coochie Girls, and God--appearing in the guise of aunts, neighbors, cripples, magic faucets, and as the Most Holy Himself.
Read this book for Hannon’s humor, wisdom, and insights into the human condition.
But, if we are ready and open, A Priest Walks into a Waffle House just might become a workbook for living our best lives.
September 1, 2026
That was really enjoyable. Hannon’s writing is so engaging and encouraging.
August 25, 2026
This small book packs a punch as powerful as a 3 a.m. free-for-all at a Waffle House.
Similar to her earlier memoir, THE CRACKER QUEEN, the author sprinkles humor throughout this new work. “When I got up the mettle to talk to [author Pat Conroy], I was sweating worse than Me-maw when she got busted stealing socks at the Kmart in Sandersville,” writes Lauretta Hannon.
She is also adept at relaying candid, poignant stories about her damaged—yet much loved—immediate family members and their battles with alcoholism, drug abuse, infidelity, and poverty. She reveals how the Division of Family and Children Services nearly removed her from the family home when she wandered the streets one night, clad only in her underwear. (The child was searching for her mother, who had left her alone in their bathtub with instructions to stay put.) In addition, she reveals family lore about a male relative and warnings to keep children away from him. She also recalls seeing her mother’s beautiful face, marred by bruises.
The writer drops in tales from her adult life as well. One memorable anecdote details the day campus police delivered—directly to her, the college’s conduct officer—a 6’4, boiling mad student, wearing dreadlocks and gang tattoos. The man had just raised a ruckus outside a financial aid office. Security wanted her approval to transport the unruly student to jail. Instead, the 5’ 1 petite woman ignored the anger and paid attention to her internal small voice, which told her to listen, changing the dynamic immediately. He began sobbing and revealed his desperation to keep his threatened financial aid so he could hang on to the tantalizing glimpse he had of a better future.
The encounter ended in a hug, an apology offered to the financial aid staff, and no jail time.
The memoirist learned early on how to dig deep and find the humanity and humor in situations. She learned to offer forgiveness and respond with radical love whenever possible. “When you shift into loving mode, it’s impossible to remain afraid,” she writes. Perhaps the most remarkable part of her philosophy is how it avoids naive sentiment. It remains anchored in the realm of reality…but a far better reality than most people believe is possible. In short, she makes positivity look like the wisest, best choice.
For most of her life, Hannon did so without reaching for religion; her family completely disdained theology. But a supernatural experience—involving a priest at a Waffle House—began dragging her, reluctantly, toward a spiritual awakening. That quest and what she learned along the way became a major theme in this book. She writes about pummeling befriended monks with tough questions and diving deep into weighty tomes about the lives of saints (especially female mystics). She even made a pilgrimage to Assisi, Italy, the locale where St. Francis and St. Clare are credited with more fully integrating radical prayer, service, and poverty into the Catholic tradition.
The result of all this exploration and supernatural encounters for Hannon? Conversion to Catholicism. And the creation of this book.
The memoirist feels compelled to share what she’s learned, as those who have come to know the author recognize through her writing, her workshops, and her presentations as a TEDx speaker and an NPR All Things Considered commentator. In A PRIEST WALKS INTO A WAFFLE HOUSE, she encourages readers to navigate life by trying a new script. She advocates moving away from today’s tendency to doom scroll, choose a side, and push an agenda that has little to do with love or kindness. Instead, she offers Rules for Real Radicals to “ignite little sparklers that in turn become salvos against the forces of division and hopelessness.”
Employing humor, gratitude, and love like super powers, the author and her words light the way for the rest of us.
Similar to her earlier memoir, THE CRACKER QUEEN, the author sprinkles humor throughout this new work. “When I got up the mettle to talk to [author Pat Conroy], I was sweating worse than Me-maw when she got busted stealing socks at the Kmart in Sandersville,” writes Lauretta Hannon.
She is also adept at relaying candid, poignant stories about her damaged—yet much loved—immediate family members and their battles with alcoholism, drug abuse, infidelity, and poverty. She reveals how the Division of Family and Children Services nearly removed her from the family home when she wandered the streets one night, clad only in her underwear. (The child was searching for her mother, who had left her alone in their bathtub with instructions to stay put.) In addition, she reveals family lore about a male relative and warnings to keep children away from him. She also recalls seeing her mother’s beautiful face, marred by bruises.
The writer drops in tales from her adult life as well. One memorable anecdote details the day campus police delivered—directly to her, the college’s conduct officer—a 6’4, boiling mad student, wearing dreadlocks and gang tattoos. The man had just raised a ruckus outside a financial aid office. Security wanted her approval to transport the unruly student to jail. Instead, the 5’ 1 petite woman ignored the anger and paid attention to her internal small voice, which told her to listen, changing the dynamic immediately. He began sobbing and revealed his desperation to keep his threatened financial aid so he could hang on to the tantalizing glimpse he had of a better future.
The encounter ended in a hug, an apology offered to the financial aid staff, and no jail time.
The memoirist learned early on how to dig deep and find the humanity and humor in situations. She learned to offer forgiveness and respond with radical love whenever possible. “When you shift into loving mode, it’s impossible to remain afraid,” she writes. Perhaps the most remarkable part of her philosophy is how it avoids naive sentiment. It remains anchored in the realm of reality…but a far better reality than most people believe is possible. In short, she makes positivity look like the wisest, best choice.
For most of her life, Hannon did so without reaching for religion; her family completely disdained theology. But a supernatural experience—involving a priest at a Waffle House—began dragging her, reluctantly, toward a spiritual awakening. That quest and what she learned along the way became a major theme in this book. She writes about pummeling befriended monks with tough questions and diving deep into weighty tomes about the lives of saints (especially female mystics). She even made a pilgrimage to Assisi, Italy, the locale where St. Francis and St. Clare are credited with more fully integrating radical prayer, service, and poverty into the Catholic tradition.
The result of all this exploration and supernatural encounters for Hannon? Conversion to Catholicism. And the creation of this book.
The memoirist feels compelled to share what she’s learned, as those who have come to know the author recognize through her writing, her workshops, and her presentations as a TEDx speaker and an NPR All Things Considered commentator. In A PRIEST WALKS INTO A WAFFLE HOUSE, she encourages readers to navigate life by trying a new script. She advocates moving away from today’s tendency to doom scroll, choose a side, and push an agenda that has little to do with love or kindness. Instead, she offers Rules for Real Radicals to “ignite little sparklers that in turn become salvos against the forces of division and hopelessness.”
Employing humor, gratitude, and love like super powers, the author and her words light the way for the rest of us.
August 22, 2026
Lauretta Hannon knows how to get to the heart of life. This book is a testament to her life of loving and uplifting all who are blessed to know her. You will laugh, cry, and contemplate living a joyful peaceful life as you read about her spiritual journey. A masterful memoir that will inspire all who read it!
August 16, 2026
Loved the title and the stories
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews