How to Be a Saint: An Extremely Weird and Mildly Sacrilegious History of The Catholic Church's Biggest...

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Kate Sidley

How to Be a Saint

An Extremely Weird and Mildly Sacrilegious History of The Catholic Church's Biggest Names

Kate Sidley

$34.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

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English

Sourcebooks
28 October 2025

Fiction & Literature; Historical fiction; Religious & spiritual fiction; Religion & beliefs; Humour

A satirical guide book that's part history lesson, part sacrilege, and an entirely good time.

Part history lesson. Part sacrilege. An entirely good time.

Think you have what it takes to be a saint? Lucky for you, thousands of souls have paved the way to heaven-creating a clear formula for getting the job done while also leaving a rich, disturbing history behind them. And in just five easy-ish steps, you can learn how to secure your own halo!

But even if the whole ""dying and becoming a saint"" thing doesn't appeal to you, the bizarrely bureaucratic process of canonization is still guaranteed to delight and entertain. How to Be Saint is a compulsively readable and endlessly entertaining ride through Catholicism for anyone who enjoys their history with a side of comedy. From flying friars to severed heads, this book explores the wild lives (and deaths) of saints and pulls the curtain back on the oddest quirks of religious doctrine.

Whether you're a lifelong Catholic or a weird-history enthusiast, How to Be a Saint is your ultimate guide to understanding the hilarious, fascinating, and shockingly true history of sainthood.

By: Kate Sidley
Imprint: Sourcebooks
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 209mm, Width: 155mm, Spine: 17mm
ISBN: 9781728277417
ISBN 10: 1728277418
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 28 October 2025
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

KATE SIDLEY is a Writers Guild and Peabody award-winning, seven-time Emmy-nominated writer and performer living in New York. Currently, she is a writer and digital content producer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In addition to her comedy writing, Kate is a recovering Catholic school girl. To this day, she refuses to wear plaid skirts.

Reviews for How to Be a Saint: An Extremely Weird and Mildly Sacrilegious History of The Catholic Church's Biggest Names

""How to Be a Saint is a divinely funny and surprisingly informative exploration of how the Saints became Saints... and how you can, too. Kate Sidley brings the humor of a tenured late-night comedy writer and the repression of a lifelong Catholic to this consecrated guide for anyone interested in the cheat codes to Heaven.... If you want to piss the Devil off, buy this book!-- Nicole Conlan, writer, The Daily Show ""How to Be a Saint is a smart, funny, and delightfully weird deep dive into Catholicism. Plus, I'm pretty sure reading it gets you into Heaven."""" -- Kristen Bartlett, writer, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee and Saturday Night Live ""I laughed so hard, but I also learned so much? Kate Sidley is a brilliant writer!"" -- Jo Firestone, head writer and co-executive producer, After Midnight ""Kate Sidley is one of the sharpest, funniest people I've ever been lucky enough to know and this book somehow manages to be as sharp and funny as she is. Weird. Thanks to Kate from a fellow Catholic for all the laughs and for the very helpful advice on how to get past heaven's airtight security system."" -- Brian Stack, writer, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Late Night with Conan O'Brien