Rating: 
Summary: An important read for cradle Catholics too!
Review: As one who has just recently started "paying attention" to my Catholic faith and my Church, I bought this book largely on a whim, but when I got it I couldn't put it down, and read it in a single evening. What a fascinating journey this family has made! As they describe it, part detective story, part horror story and part romance. I have to respond to those reviews which suggest the Hahn's are insincere and/or shallow. Nobody who reads this book with an open mind could fail to see the complete sincerity and honesty with which they tell their story. They came to the Catholic Church kicking and screaming, as do many converts. Their "horror story" is that in their pursuit of Truth they were led to that place where they least expected it, and least wanted to find it, the Catholic faith. As for shallow, it's not clear how much more depth one could reasonably expect in such a story of only 200 pages. Both of the Hahn's clearly live and breathe Scripture and theology, and Scott in particular is apparently voracious in his appetite for knowledge and understanding (he read up to seven hours a night during his "journey"). I will just say that I have no doubt after reading this book that he could easily address all the "stumper" arguments other reviewers have posed, and may very well have done so in other writings.One last thing I will take from this book is their final exhortation to Catholics to gain a deeper understanding of their faith and Church. Sometimes, to borrow and stretch an analogy from the book, it takes an immigrant to remind the natives of the beauty of their land. Thank you, Hahn family, and welcome!
Rating: 
Summary: A great chronicle of a great spiritual journey
Review: This is an excellent chronicle of a spiritual journey. It is more biographical than theological, and should be read as such, but the Hahns do take the trouble to explain (even if only briefly) the Scriptural and theological bases for their new-found convictions. True, those who want a theological dissertation will have to look elsewhere, but this book can stand on its own merits. No one with an open mind can read this and ignore the fact that becoming Catholic involved a real struggle for the Hahns. Even cradle Catholics will come to a deeper appreciation of the riches of the faith after reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: A true eye-opener for the open-minded
Review: THIS IS A MUST-READ for any Christian. It is a source of inspiration: - the tremendous love between Scott and Kimberly, and the love they share for the Lord, Jesus Christ; this is one couple's story that shows how Christ loves his bride: the Church, with Scott and Kimberly remaining steadfast despite the toughest and most painful trials; - a sincere passion for TRUTH, an attitude that is not as common to today's society as it should be; the Hahns match this passion with a careful, thorough and prayerful attitude in their quest; - the wonderful grace that brings the Hahns through painful trials into a happy ending; no short-cut was taken, no wild jumps into conclusions, no unexplained decisions -- the Hahns carried their cross for YEARS, persevering against all odds, in order to find the truth and their happy ending; I found many answers here, and the story left me wanting to dive deeper into the Christian faith. It also made me want to meet the authors one day. :-) The authors showed evangelical zeal and courage in spreading their story through this book. To Scott and Kimberly: "Thank You!" from a reader whose heart you touched with your story.
Rating: 
Summary: Shallow
Review: One couple's story about their spiritual journey from the evangelical protestant church to the Roman Catholic church. This book reads like it was taken from transcripts of speeches by the Hahns. There's not much meat to it. The book seems to function more as an advertisement or PR tool for Scott Hahn's books and tapes, than anything. The book briefly goes over how, one by one, the Hahns overcome difficult issues of the Catholic faith until one day Scott, then later Kimberly, each convert. The reader is provided with very little explanation of how their minds and hearts were changed. For example, Scott talks about one day just picking up a rosary to pray. How does a "former Anti-Catholic" make that leap? Another example is how he comes to believe in the power of a relic of a dead person, which he implies (but does not explain) was instrumental in his wife's conversion. Lots of similar leaps are made and in the end, the book is merely an unconvincing collection of vignettes and anecdotes.
Rating:
Summary: A Story More Personal Than Theological
Review: This is one of the books that led me back to Rome after a 20-year absence. First of all, this book is more of a personal story of conversion than it is a theological story of discovery, although it is both. We get two perspectives in each chapter: first, Scott's side, and then Kimberly's. The story is told of a relentless search for truth that leads to the only place it could - Rome. Scott and Kimberly expose, as do many protestant-to-Catholic conversion stories, the obstacles one encounters when considering coming home to Rome; obstacles that one does NOT face when simply changing from one protestant denomination to another, like rejection by family and shunning by friends and colleagues. But the truth has a strong pull, and the truth is patient. Perhaps that is why some conversions take many years! The book does get into some of theological issues that separate Catholics from protestants, but not too deeply. It does give a good idea and a good place to start researching, if one was so inclined. I can confidently give this book five stars. An easy story to follow.
Rating:
Summary: somewhat insincere
Review: This book was an interesting read, yet I didn't get the feeling that it was completely sincere. The couple's life goal was to become Protestant ministers. Like many converts to the Catholic faith, they admit they were anti-Catholic for many years and believed they had the wisdom for the truth. Then they convert to Catholicism and it appears that they are also on a mission to position themselves as leaders in the Catholic faith, proclaiming that they now have found a new truth. Will they convert to something else that might be convenient at the time?
I commend them for converting and writing a book that has probably planted the seed in the minds of many about whether to convert to Catholicism, but my gut feeling is that they have simply found a new "truth" that works for them and that there is some insincerity about it all.
What is left out of this book is the possibility that they missed the fellowship of their former Protestant church. Was that even an issue for them? I know of many Catholics who leave the church because of the enriched fellowship (so they claim) found at Protestant gatherings.
Perhaps I was looking for something deeper, rather than reading a book with perky photos and a surface-type personal story.
Rating:
Summary: Light, Lively, Illuminating
Review: Divided in nine chapters with each of these being subdivided into "Scott's Perspective" and "Kimberly's Perspective" this book tells the story of a couple's conversion to Catholicism from Presbyterianism. It is told in an easy to read and personal fashion yet containing golden nuggets of scriptural apologetics for Catholic beliefs. This makes the book more interesting and possibly less daunting or disturbing to the average reader, Catholic or otherwise. These small but enlightening nuggets are a fortaste of the much more extensive, profound and beautiful insights the Hahn's have presented in later books, tapes, and videos. Briefly addressed are issues such as Mary and the Saints, Purgatory, the pope, Baptism, the Eucharist, and contraception.
Scott Hahn's knowledge and use of the Scriptures and early Christian writers is very impressive. His measured application of the allegorical method in interpreting Scripture is a breath of fresh air in an area growing stale from overdependence on the historical-critical method. In this he opens up to the modern reader the great biblical insights of the "Fathers of the Church."
If I had to make a criticism of the book I would say that it is obviously written in retrospect from the viewpoint of convinced Catholics. Because of this a reader might too easily dismiss the Hahn's personal and theological struggles as appearing more superficial, uncritical or even artificial than they claim. As such it likely limits the books effectiveness as an apologetical tool to Evangelical Protestants.
The Hahn's are an impressive couple. Their joyfilled Catholic convictions, understanding and appreciation of the language and mentality of Evangelical Protestantism, and Scott's deep insights into the Bible and the Fathers are welcome and needed gifts to the Catholic Church. In Scott and Kimberly some of the riches of both Protestantism and Catholicism meet.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, not compelling
Review: As a Catholic questioning the "meaning of it all" with regards to Roman Catholicism, a friend gave me this on the advice of his pastor. It was a fast and interesting read, and did much to illuminate some of the struggles I'm sure I'm going to encounter in my search for whether the Catholic Church is truly where I need to be. As I watched the authors slowly come to terms with Catholic teaching I kept saying, "What about this? What about that?" to points they did not seem to consider before accepting Catholic positions- they seemed more easily convinced by emotional analogies than scripture. This was disappointing- since Scott made much of the tons he read from so many religious writers- to see them convinced sometimes by cute little arguments that had little to do with Scripture. Their handling of John ch. 6 with regards to Transubstantiation, for instance, only skimmed the debate and only to the extent that Catholics argue it. As I said, I am currently Catholic and had more trouble with why they were accepting things so easily, as I find reading Scripture alone without the help of any Protestants fills my mind with questions to give plenty of doubt to Catholic Claims. Do yourself a favor and get a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to see what is really believed about Salvation. I think if this book alone converts you, then you probably haven't read enough apart from it. God Bless.
Rating:
Summary: Great and Inspiring Book
Review: This book gave me a great insight into how difficult it must be for a protestant to convert to Catholicism.
Scott and Kimberly logically refute many protestant claims against the Roman Catholic Church.
This book is very easy to read, and it is very captivating - I started reading this book at breakfast and was done before dinner.
Rating:
Summary: Biographical, not scholarly
Review: This is not a book of philosophy, theology, or intellectual challenge. Rather it is a narrative account of the process of a personal conversion, one that may turn out to be as important as those of Newman and Stein. Hahn has become perhaps the most influential of a new wave of evangelical converts to Catholicism, particularly from the Presbyterian denomination. This book would likely be best recommended for those who are just beginning their interest in the Church, those who are interested in Hahn personally, or those who are not comfortable with more difficult (but ultimately more informative) works. Rome Sweet Home should not be viewed as an apologetic but rather a biographical sketch of this turning point in Hahn's life. It accomplishes this purpose quite well.
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