What Would Buffy Do? The Vampire Slayer as a Spiritual Guide

Rating: 4 Stars

Review:

I should begin by saying I am not what you would refer to as a 'casual fan' of BtVS. I am one of THOSE; I know every episode name, can recite them in order (I have a tendency though to block out parts of season 6, forgive me), can quote the show verbatim, and - somewhat embarrassingly - in high school I stayed home 'sick' one day just to catch a radio interview of David Boreanaz on the Dave Ryan in the Morning Show on KDWB. Yes, I skipped a whole day of school for a 10-15 minutes interview. Years later, Mom admitted she knew I wasn't sick, and why I stayed home. My mom rules.

Okay, now that the craziness that is me when it comes to this show is clear...it'll be somewhat understandable why I could only rate four stars - as a stickler for correctness, some of the quotes and their context were just not quite right. That being said, the message of the book is still clear, and a valuable one. I just am very particular when it comes to a show and characters I loved so much (and who are we kidding, I STILL love Angel.)

I feel like this might be geared more toward fans similar to me, or at least those with more than a passing interest. The casual fan may not even recall some of the situations discussed, though many are obvious and the 'big ones'.

All in all, I definitely recommend this one.

Additionally:

I came across as kind of crazy, I realize, but Buffy fans ARE kind of crazy, so, there's that. I'd like to say that for those who never watched Buffy I get why we look crazy. But if you give the show a chance, you'll see how fantastic it really is, how so many of the monsters are metaphors for things we all experience in real life, and what a genius Joss Whedon is.

I forgot to mention the interview included in the end with Eliza Dushku, who played Faith. This was really interesting to read, especially because I STRONGLY DISLIKED Faith, even after her redemption, because I couldn't forgive her, even if all the characters she tried to kill could forgive her. But Eliza, as a person, I dig. The interview was a treat, but was hardly focused only on the topic of the show and its spirituality. They did discuss Eliza's own background, coming from the Mormon church previously and why she chose to leave it, and what she believes now.

Fans of the show will also appreciate the rundown at the end of the book of each season, Scoobies, and Big Bads.

Man, I miss this show. I can't wait until E is old enough to watch it.