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Bo's Café: A Novel Paperback – September 25, 2009

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 664 ratings

High-powered executive Steven Kerner is living the dream in southern California. But when his bottled pain ignites in anger one night, his wife kicks him out. Then an eccentric mystery man named Andy Monroe befriends Steven and begins unravelling his tightly wound world. Andy leads Steven through a series of frustrating and revealing encounters to repair his life through genuine friendship and the grace and love of a God who has been waiting for him to accept it. A story to challenge and encourage, Bo's Cafe is a model for all who struggle with unresolved problems and a performance-based life. Those who desire a fuller, more authentic way of living will find this journey of healing a restorative exploration of God's unbridled grace.
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bruce McNicol is president of Leadership Catalyst, Inc. and an international speaker and consultant. He holds a master's in theology and a doctorate in organizational and leadership development. Previously he served for ten years as president of the international church planting organization Interest Associates.

Bill Thrall serves as vice-chair of Leadership Catalyst, mentor, and coauthor of the bestselling TrueFaced resources (www.truefaced.com), The Ascent of a Leader, and Beyond Your Best.

John Lynch is a national conference speaker and writer for LCI, holds a master's of theoology from Talbot Seminary, and has twenty years' experience as a teaching pastor of Open Door Fellowship. He's also cofounder and playwright of a theater troupe in Phoenix.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Windblown Media; 1st edition (September 25, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 193517004X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1935170044
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.2 x 0.9 x 7.95 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 664 ratings

About the authors

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
664 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2009
Cheers for Bo's Cafe

Warning. If you read this book on an airplane, you'll have to explain to your seatmates why your eyes get teary-eyed toward the back of this can't-put-it-down novel. (Fortunately, the middle seat was empty on my flight.)

"Why do you enjoy making everything I say sound stupid?" Steven Kerner asks his Southern California out-of-the-box mentor. The loud Hawaiian-shirted, 1970 Buick Electra-driving, cigar-smoking, becoming-a-trusted-friend responds, "I don't. I only enjoy making the stupid things you say sound stupid."

"Will grace finally win?" is the big question in this life-changing, profound first-person story. It's a novel, but don't let that fool you. It's in-the-trenches real life. Uncomfortably so. It's for Christ-followers who don't and it's for Christ-seekers who might.

Andy, the Beach Boys-era sage (with his own warts) comments, "Nothing defines religion quite as well as a bunch of people trying to do impossible tasks with limited power while bluffing to themselves that it's working."

Bo's Café is the Pacific Ocean view hangout. The assembled cast is part Cheers (where everybody knows your name) and part sit-com accountability group. Carlos (who used to fake it as a pastor) guts it out about the environment of grace that is the gang at Bo's Café:

"Listen, we don't need places like this to become more like church. We need churches to become more like this place. You know?"

But don't think that this is about church or Cheers. Fast-track marketing exec Steven (age 34, married, one daughter) has blown it. Married. Marriage problems. Angry. Anger problems. Serious mask problems. All the past fixes don't fix it. "Lies picked up when we're young can stay with us for a lifetime."

And so enters grace. An environment of grace. I won't spoil the story. But let me say this. I read a book-a-week. I have three more months of books to review this year. I can announce already that Bo's Café is on my Annual Top-5 list. It's that important. You'll hear from God and want to share it with many, many others.

I'm so grateful for John Lynch, Bill Thrall and Bruce McNicol--and the whole TrueFaced team--for this gift to God's people. William Paul Young, the author of The Shack, writes, "Bo's Café is a treasure for all of us who harbor a longing to be authentic." Treasure indeed.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2009
Bo's Café is a Christian book, written by Christian authors with a Christian message. You knew it when you picked it up and read the word Grace on the cover. Publisher Windblown attached their wagon to this book after their blockbuster hit The Shack. Author's Lynch, Thrall, and McNicol are asking the reader to believe, using a sufficiently differently style from The Shack, that the God of the Universe loves us so much that there is nothing we can do to run or hide from that love. This love manifests itself in the form of people our protagonist dares to interact with outside his family. The book takes us through a few weeks in the life of a guy named Steven. He is a go-getter; a guy who can make things happen in the world. He has a beautiful wife and daughter but there's a catch, often seen with novels about relationships, and it's not a good one. The fact that this book has such a message doesn't mean the book isn't for anyone else.

The book has a clear message, pointed right at the heart of the bulk of a Christian society that seems to be focused on trying to peddle the bike as hard as they can themselves, wrapping themselves in their own works for someone to look at and see those works as a sign of their own worth, all while calling themselves `Christian' and believing in forgiveness--except for themselves. The authors gently touch on the fact the God these people are trying to impress, has no care for that type of self-flagellation. The God they are trying to show their worth to, only cares about their hearts. Their worth, as the book subtlety depicts, has already been established. They are already the sons and daughters of this God that loves them beyond their imagination. The book takes us to Steven's dark side--then it gets darker. The story is cleverly presented to us in Steven's first person perspective as he interacts with a guy named `Andy' and a group of people acting out what the message of grace might look like, taking place in a café named Bo's. This underlying message could take place anywhere, a home, a church, a bar, a break room at the foundry, where people who dare to believe in an identity of a god calling them `his kids' can look at each others stuff and not run from it, but to it. Just when you think you have hit the climax of the book, there's more--right to the end.

I guess if you are trying measure a book's reading value, whether it is good or great, you ask yourself this question: `Do I talk about it later to my friends and if so, am I talking plot or setting. Or, do I talk about it and what it is saying--to me, what it meant, how is it possible--is it possible, to achieve what the book portrays? I think that, to me, is the difference between a good book and a great book, not necessarily the writing and the prose, but when I go to sleep at night, as I drive in my car, am I wondering what it would be like to have a fifteen year old scotch with a plate of shrimp on a deck of a place like Bo's with some friends I could truly share my ups and downs with. Hmm, what if?
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Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2023
I really enjoyed how “real “this book was. The details and struggles of Steven’s life really hit home. I appreciated the fact that they did not hold back regarding Steven’s transgressions or his issues regarding his internal battle. Equally helpful was his transformation in the coaching and mentorship by his friend Andy. Must read for any young adult looking to get more out of life.
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2012
This book approaches true community from a different paradigm than the typical Christian status quo. It was refreshing. I appreciated the quirky characters, and complex relationships between the main character and his wife, and the main character with his mentor. Also, the writers were spot on with some of the common ruts that middle-upper class males seem to get into when putting their work above all else, only to find how empty that is. I would have liked to have known more about what was going on in his wife's mind; it would have made her have more character depth.

On the negative side, when the writers wanted to drive home the important points made via the vehicle of dialogue between characters, the book frequently became repetitive. Repeating the salient points is a bit insulting to the reader's intelligence, as though we can't get the gist the first time around. It seemed that realistic dialogue was sacrificed in order to preach the writers' agenda. While it is an important agenda, I felt that it needed some editing to sound more natural and less preachy.

In general, it was a great concept and a good book.
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Top reviews from other countries

Ely.
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 15, 2023
One of my favourite books of all times!
If you haven’t read it yet- do it!
Jason
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply an amazing storyline that is relatable and life changing!
Reviewed in Canada on November 17, 2017
I️ would recommend this book to anyone who needs to face the reality of self-denial but needs to receive God’s grace and the importance of authentic community!
FKP
5.0 out of 5 stars A little further along the road to freedom
Reviewed in Germany on October 11, 2009
Steven Kerner is a successful, driven, 34 year old who outwardly has everything but inwardly is falling apart. Everyone else around him knows it but himself. This is the story of how he comes to own up to the lies he's been believing all his life, and gradually turn away from them. How? Bo's Café.

I found this book good in the sense that it took me further along the journey of understanding that God likes me for who I am, not for what I do or don't do. I hardly know what good literature is any more - I love reading the classics and assume that they're good, but I rarely read a book these days unless I'm going to learn something by reading it, and most modern books, especially Christian books, seem to me to unbearably trite and shallow.

Ok, this isn't necessarily a classic, (I even found it a bit irritating at first, yes, even somewhat clichéed - I suppose it's the overabundance of American culture which permeates the globe - but so what? the authors are American) but the writers didn't write it to be great literature - they wrote it to help others along the journey of discovering 'the life and freedom in Christ that living in His grace affords us." I think that this parable does that.
I am desperate to know God more and to learn to walk in His truth. I realise more than ever that I don't have all the answers, but He does, and I am grateful that there are some who are further along that path than I am who can help me. I can think of at least a hundred people in Germany alone I'd like to give this book to.
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Neil Colchester
5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Ride Deeper Into Grace
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 20, 2019
This is more than just a novel, this book is packed full of real life examples of how we become trapped within ourselves acting out our pain & shame, wearing masks to keep people at a distance to us & not realising we lose sight as well of the God who loves us unconditionally. This story reveals truths about real freedom in relationships with others & God where we learn to be safe with the worst of us with those who love us helping us live lived and free
Dave
5.0 out of 5 stars A totally different view
Reviewed in Canada on August 24, 2014
For those disappointed in today's churches, this is a very good book. It gives some good insights. I think I'll read it again.
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