Also by this author: Wholehearted Faith, What Is God Like?
Published by HarperOne on February 24, 2026
Genres: Non-Fiction, Christian Life
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New York Times bestselling author Rachel Held Evans inspired a generation of questioning and evolving believers. This book offers a collection of her most impactful essays—in print for the first time.
For a generation finding their footing in life after evangelicalism, Rachel Held Evans was one of the most trusted and beloved voices of our time. Stubborn in her hope, courageous in her questions, and devoted to inclusivity, her online writing was a sanctuary to the millions who read her words daily. Her death to a sudden illness in 2019 invoked a global outpouring of stories of her legacy and influence.
Today, her words still speak, and now for the first time, fans old and new can experience her most viral and enduring essays in print—from those tackling patriarchy, white supremacy, and religious nationalism to those offering new interpretations of Scripture, freeing perspectives on doubt, and a better way forward. Braving the Truth is an anthology and keepsake collection letting readers borrow the bravery Rachel was best known for.
Rachel Held Evans died on May 4, 2019, following a sudden and severe illness. Evans was an “exvangelical” pioneer. Her first book, Faith Unraveled (then called Evolving in Monkey Town), detailed her deconstruction (was anyone calling it that back then?) from white conservative evangelicalism to a more progressive, more inclusive faith. She wrote a blog that became immensely popular as she worked through her new faith and gathered together a community of similar folks to walk the difficult journey with her. She had marshalled a movement that was progressing into a more loving Christianity and challenging evangelical power structures.
And then she was gone. A voice silenced way too soon. Three years into a first Trump presidency. One year before a global pandemic. Gone at a time we needed her the most. There was an unfinished manuscript—picked up and completed by Jeff Chu—published as Wholehearted Faith in 2021. But then…silence.
Braving the Truth breaks the silence. A collection of Rachel’s blog posts interspersed with commentary and reflections by friends, this posthumous compilation is a loving tribute to Rachel Held Evans and a beautiful reminder of her life, her work, and—I’m sure she’d say most importantly—her message. This book is a testament to Evans’ enduring legacy and the timelessly prophetic words she penned.
In some ways, this book is a time capsule into a much-different world. Many of the essays here predate the rise of Trumpism and confront a more genteel and less nationalistic evangelical conservatism. It’s a stark reminder for us, living in the throes of American Christofascism, that our current struggles did not begin and will not end with Donald Trump. To read words that are still powerful and prophetic today amid what feels like a much different socio-political context is jarring in a good way. Sometimes you read the Prophets and wonder “What if the people had listened?” I had the same thoughts when reading Braving the Truth.
Editor Sarah Bessey does a great job selecting essays that are evergreen, with those tied to specific events having an appropriate amount of context for readers who are coming to the essay a decade or so later. There’s also a bountiful selection of reflections and remembrances from friends and family that speak to how Rachel’s presence lives on through them and how their lives were affected by her person.
My worry going into Braving the Truth was that a book that is basically a series of blog posts was going to read like a series of blog posts and feel out of place in printed form. Whether it’s Bessey’s editing abilities or Evans’ writing style (it’s both, definitely both), I didn’t feel that it all. The movement through the book felt natural, the contributor sections showed that they had read and interacted with the section on which they were commenting. The whole thing radiates love. It radiates love from RHE; it radiates love for her. That a book curated from her writings almost seven years after her death can generate so much interest, attract so many contributors, and feel so powerful and personal is an incredible testament to who Rachel Held Evans is.