Better Than Normal
Virtues for an Off-Script Life
- Christian Living
- Ethics, Culture & Social Issues
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Published: 2026
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Publisher's Description
Normal is a myth—and recognizing that truth can free us all. In a world obsessed with fitting in, Better Than Normal dares to ask a revolutionary question: What if the problem isn’t people who don’t conform, but the idea of “normal” itself? Author and pastor MaryAnn McKibben Dana delivers a powerful critique of society’s restrictive expectations while offering a transformative vision for human flourishing. Drawing from her experience as a mother navigating mental health challenges with her children, she reveals how forcing people into ill-fitting boxes creates cycles of shame, stigma, and othering that diminish us all. This isn’t just another self-help book—it’s an exploration of how culture shapes our understanding of worthiness and belonging. And it’s a study that extends far beyond mental health to encompass anyone living outside society’s narrow bounds—neurodivergent individuals, LGBTQ+ people, racial minorities, those with disabilities—populations that collectively represent the majority of us. McKibben Dana demonstrates that liberation comes not from adjusting to dominant culture, but from creating spaces where all people can thrive authentically. The book explores six transformational shifts that move people and communities from scarcity to abundance: embracing curiosity over certainty, courage over comfort, presence over productivity, authenticity over artifice, beauty over blandness, and community over competition. McKibben Dana’s vision extends far beyond individual transformation to encompass congregational renewal and cultural change. And her pastoral wisdom, honed through years of preaching and parenting, reveals how letting go of rigid normalcy doesn’t just liberate those who struggle; it empowers everyone to live more creatively, empathetically, and abundantly. Better Than Normal serves as both mirror and map, reflecting the ways current systems fall short while charting a course toward genuine flourishing. For those ready to put down the script of normalcy and move into the radical possibilities of human dignity, this book is a catalyst for the collective work of transformation. Normal is a myth—and recognizing that truth might just free us all.
Endorsements (4)
“Better Than Normal is a liberating, loving, and deeply prophetic book. MaryAnn McKibben Dana invites us to lay down the myth of ‘normal’ that has harmed so many for so long, and instead to imagine communities where every person’s dignity is honored and every life can flourish. Echoing Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s proclamation that he was ‘proud to be maladjusted’ to injustice and conformity, McKibben Dana names the forces that confine us and offers a powerful vision of abundance, authenticity, and collective liberation. This book is a gift for anyone committed to justice, to beloved community, and to building a world where all of us—not just a narrow few—can thrive.”
“In Better Than Normal, MaryAnn McKibben Dana meets us as a compassionate parent, a courageous pastor, and a clear-sighted person of faith urging us toward meaningful, spiritual, and sustainable lives.”
“In a time when our world urgently needs more imaginative, transformative thinkers, MaryAnn McKibben Dana affirms what the deep wisdom within us has said all along: There is no ‘normal.’ Grounded in courageous love and lived experience, Better Than Normal offers us the true values needed for flourishing and the freedom to live them. This profoundly insightful and liberating book felt like the strongest hug, wrapping arms around me while looking me in the eye, saying, ‘You are exactly who you are meant to be.’”
“My endorsement of Maryann McKibben Dana is simple and not one I offer lightly: I trust her. Better Than Normal is written with both vulnerability and restraint, a rare combination. It does not rush to explain or exploit but instead walks compassionately alongside the reader. This book is for anyone who wishes to broaden their definition of ‘normal.’ I will be recommending it widely.”
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