Rating: 
Summary: The Weight of the World on Her Spaghetti-Strapped Shoulders
Review: It can be a little embarrassing to admit just how many books and articles you have read about the television show, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." If you try to put your enthusiasm into words, people look at you funny. Unless they are one of the lucky ones who have actually seen the show, and then their eyes light up with glee, just like yours. I have read quite a bit about Buffy (but not as much as Jana Riess.) I've certainly read the big three collections of academic essays about the show. "What Would Buffy Do?" is easily the best volume I've come across. It's an instant classic, a small gem of popular culture criticism.
Riess's approach is eclectic, like that of Joseph Campbell. She draws her analysis from all sorts of places: scripture, novels, drama, philosophy, are various religious traditions. Although she depends mostly on Christianity and Buddhism. Anyone who is skeptical that a "mere" TV show can sustain this kind of scrutiny will soon be convinced otherwise by Riess's intelligent, crystal-clear prose and thinking. (This book is a lot of fun to read, unlike some of the other post-modernist essays in the previously mentioned academic collections. They made my little head hurt.) There's an original interview with actress Eliza Dushku, who plays the dirty-girl slayer, Faith. She talks candidly about her experiences working on the show, and her Mormon background.
As one critic put it, "Buffy" is the most religious show on TV, a "secular universe saturated with grace." This book moves from a description of the slayer's personal spirituality, to a consideration of the spirituality of the "Scooby Gang", to an examination of what could be called the show's prophetic themes: saving the world and deliverance from evil. This is a book about pop culture, but it's not "pop" religion. Riess writes seriously and responsibly about eternal subjects. There are chapter length examinations of Buffy as a self-sacrificing savior; death as a gift (a catchphrase all too familiar to Buffyphiles); the power of friendship; and the necessity of going through negative emotions.
It is in the last three chapters that Riess treats Buffy's "prophetic calling." She writes:
"Buffy is a Christ figure, but only insofar as she is constantly averting the apocalypse through self-sacrifice. On Buffy, people atone for their own sins. Redemption is hard work and it us up to us. Redemption is a process requiring action; words are no enough. There's no salvation by grace in the Buffyverse. Angel and other characters find salvation only in work, self-sacrifice, and courageous choices." (pages 119-121, ellipses removed.)
Although a little later Riess does point out that an "unthinkable act of grace" does occur on Christmas Day, in the episode "Amends."
Riess is also very good on "the Monster inside"; that is, the dark part of ourselves we need to acknowledge, and own. (Yes, Jung gets mentioned here a lot.) The very dark and controversial Season Six (which Riess loved, and so do I) was about the Scoobies facing up to their own evil.
"Buffy is all about confronting our dark sides and learning to live comfortably--or at least co-exist nonviolently--with our monster selves. Many people would rather deny their dark shadow, pretend it isn't there. But ignoring it entirely, according to the show, is a dangerous as allowing it to rule our lives. As Willow learns she doesn't have to be a bigger, badder badass than the source of all badness. She needs to control the darkness so it does not control her. In the end she discovers that it's enough just to be Willow, with all of her complexiities, all of her darkness, and her much stonger goodness." (pages 117-118)
This is as workable and humane a defintion of "repentance" as I've ever encountered.
Well, I could go on and on about this wonderful book about a wonderful show, but I won't. All I can say is that Riess in this book sorts through all sorts of spiritual odds and ends and finds what is good and beautiful.
Rating: 
Summary: The Tragic Heroine's Spiritual Journey
Review: Of course fans will really enjoy another look into the Buffyverse but I do feel this book goes deeper than that.
The author takes her knowledge and pulls us on a journey into the development of the spirt as portrayed by our favorite Slayer.
The book does read a bit like a thesis but iwas well worth a read. I especially liked the episdoe guides and quotes that she uses throughout the book. A must for fans and a might :) for anyone on their own spirtiual quest.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent Survey of Spiritual Themes Explored in Buffy
Review: Riess has written a book that has not only the humor of the television series she studies, but its concern for moral complexity and refusal to be doctrinaire as well. Riess's goal is not to demonstrate how Buffy adheres to any single spiritual tradition, but to examine how the show explores universal spiritual and moral truths and concerns. Riess manages to respect both the show and the wisdom of the traditions she draws on (including Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and classical Greek philosophy), in chapters such as "Be a Hero, Even When You'd Rather Go to the Mall: The Power of Self-Sacrifice," "Obey Your Teacher, Except When He's Wrong: Spritual Mentors on the Path to Maturity," and "The Higher Way: Choosing Forgiveness over Revenge."The book also contains a thoughtful guide to the characters, organized by the season in which they are introduced. I found this valuable both for the insightful analysis of the characters and for Riess's genuine and obvious affection for them. Rather than saying that Oz is "Willow's deadpan boyfriend" (a description I once read, and certainly accurate enough), Riess draws attention to his nobler qualities by calling him "taciturn, wise, and kind." Anya is, according to Riess, "full of contradictions: she is a jaded veteran of the demon world who exhibits childlike innocence and curiosity regarding her newly acquired humanity"--an analysis that gave me a new way to look at a character who annoyed me endlessly. Although throughtout the book's main chapters, Riess assumes (justifiably, I think) that her audience is familiar with the show, the character guide at the end could help new fans understand and keep track of the show's many characters. My only complaint about the book is that it lacks an index. Perhaps the majority of readers would not mind this omission, but Riess's excellent examination will no doubt be of use to the many scholars and academics who research and write about Buffy--and it would be even more useful with at least a basic index to the topics she discusses.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, if a little moralizing
Review: The theme of spirituality in Buffy is taken up well by the author. She explores Buffy and contempory life and attempts to address the way in which Buffy informs or can inform us in everday life (friends, decisions, spirituality etc..). A theme of selflessness and self-accountablity in a (post)modern world make for interesting reading even if does get a bit moralizing at times.
Fans of Buffy will enjoy the season briefings which highlight spiritually problematic issues which our heroine and the scooby gang face as well as some useful references to authors and writings for further reading.
Those new to Buffy .. there is a good overview of characters and episode synopsis to bring you up to date until season 7.
If you are looking for a general fan book and can only afford 1 - I wouldn't buy this one, stick to the watchers guides - but if you are building a library - but this is a good addition as it has some different and interesting things to say.
Rating:
Summary: Really enlightening.
Review: The title of WHAT WOULD BUFF DO?: THE VAMPIRE SLAYER AS SPIRITUAL GUIDE makes it obvious that the author is trying to do two things: first, she is going to discuss BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and its spin off ANGEL to a considerable extent and second, she is going to do this in such as way as to provide spiritual guidance. I give the book a five star rating, but I have to point out that it is based entirely on the way it succeeds in the first of these two tasks. I consider this to be the finest single-author analysis of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER that has yet been published, but I did not find it to be especially useful in the second of its goals, of providing spiritual guidance. Initially I read this book simply because I am a huge BUFFY and ANGEL fan, and am a bit of a completist: I'll read just about any halfway decent discussion of BUFFY. Because of the author's desire to make Buffy into a spiritual role model, I approached the book with considerable suspicion. (For the sake of honesty, I should point out that I do have two theological degrees and did extensive graduate work on the religious thought of Kierkegaard, and still consider myself to be that rarest of creatures, a politically and socially leftist Southern Baptist, so I'm not in the least antithetical to religious ideas.) However, as I started working through Jana Riess's discussions of the various characters in Buffy and some of the themes, I was astonished at how often I found myself in agreement with her, or how she would mention some aspect of the show and I would immediately call to mind another instance that was compatible with what she said, only to have her bring that specific instance up in her book. I think this book will delight any fan of BUFFY or ANGEL. Riess has a profound understanding of the show and really grasps the dynamics of all the major characters. I learned a great deal about many aspects of the show, and gained insights that I had previously missed. For instance, I had not recognized that Warren, one of the villainous nerds from Season Six, truly had become the super villains he admired in comic books. Or when I read "BUFFY is less about the cycle of one's own sin and salvation than it is about saving others; it is always outwardly, and not inwardly, focused," I realized that that was precisely true about the show. I was far less convinced by the book's attempt to set Buffy up as a spiritual guide. Perhaps this was just me. My spiritual guides have been people like Kierkegaard, Henry David Thoreau, Montaigne, Wittgenstein, Dostoevsky, and Samuel Johnson. I have never profited much from popular spiritual writers, whether pseudo-intellectuals like Joseph Campbell or spiritual writers like Philip Yancey. They fail to speak to the kind of spiritual struggle that I have been engaged in. It may well be that others will find this part of the book more compelling, but I have to be honest and say that I do not believe that any part of the spiritual guide part of the book left any impact on me. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this book for any fan of BUFFY. The discussion of the show is as good as we have seen before, and the character and season guides at the back are absolutely superb. On top of all this, the book contains a marvelous interview the author conducted with Eliza Dushku, who played, of course, the rogue slayer Faith in both BUFFY and ANGEL.
Rating:
Summary: A surprisingly superb analysis of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Review: The title of WHAT WOULD BUFF DO?: THE VAMPIRE SLAYER AS SPIRITUAL GUIDE makes it obvious that the author is trying to do two things: first, she is going to discuss BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and its spin off ANGEL to a considerable extent and second, she is going to do this in such as way as to provide spiritual guidance. I give the book a five star rating, but I have to point out that it is based entirely on the way it succeeds in the first of these two tasks. I consider this to be the finest single-author analysis of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER that has yet been published, but I did not find it to be especially useful in the second of its goals, of providing spiritual guidance. Initially I read this book simply because I am a huge BUFFY and ANGEL fan, and am a bit of a completist: I'll read just about any halfway decent discussion of BUFFY. Because of the author's desire to make Buffy into a spiritual role model, I approached the book with considerable suspicion. (For the sake of honesty, I should point out that I do have two theological degrees and did extensive graduate work on the religious thought of Kierkegaard, and still consider myself to be that rarest of creatures, a politically and socially leftist Southern Baptist, so I'm not in the least antithetical to religious ideas.) However, as I started working through Jana Riess's discussions of the various characters in Buffy and some of the themes, I was astonished at how often I found myself in agreement with her, or how she would mention some aspect of the show and I would immediately call to mind another instance that was compatible with what she said, only to have her bring that specific instance up in her book. I think this book will delight any fan of BUFFY or ANGEL. Riess has a profound understanding of the show and really grasps the dynamics of all the major characters. I learned a great deal about many aspects of the show, and gained insights that I had previously missed. For instance, I had not recognized that Warren, one of the villainous nerds from Season Six, truly had become the super villains he admired in comic books. Or when I read "BUFFY is less about the cycle of one's own sin and salvation than it is about saving others; it is always outwardly, and not inwardly, focused," I realized that that was precisely true about the show. I was far less convinced by the book's attempt to set Buffy up as a spiritual guide. Perhaps this was just me. My spiritual guides have been people like Kierkegaard, Henry David Thoreau, Montaigne, Wittgenstein, Dostoevsky, and Samuel Johnson. I have never profited much from popular spiritual writers, whether pseudo-intellectuals like Joseph Campbell or spiritual writers like Philip Yancey. They fail to speak to the kind of spiritual struggle that I have been engaged in. It may well be that others will find this part of the book more compelling, but I have to be honest and say that I do not believe that any part of the spiritual guide part of the book left any impact on me. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this book for any fan of BUFFY. The discussion of the show is as good as we have seen before, and the character and season guides at the back are absolutely superb. On top of all this, the book contains a marvelous interview the author conducted with Eliza Dushku, who played, of course, the rogue slayer Faith in both BUFFY and ANGEL.
Rating: 
Summary: Are you serious?!
Review: This is the most apalling thing I've ever seen! Please don't get me wrong, I adore Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I think the show has some good messages, but it also has some very bad ones. Buffy and the rest of the characters on the show were not created as spiritual paragons, but as realistic characters who make mistakes, sometimes on a grand scale. And even if that were not the case, anyone who bases their spirituality on a TV show needs to get up from their spot in front of the idiot box and figure out what's really important in life.
Rating:
Summary: Life-changing
Review: This was a wonderful book. I was almost expecting it to be goofy or worse, christian-based. Instead, it took the lessons Buffy taught us and applied them to life. The author pulled a lot from buddhism, which in turn led me to begin studying buddhism and try to follow its guidelines. I was happily surprised with this study of the show.
Rating:
Summary: Life-changing
Review: This was a wonderful book. I was almost expecting it to be goofy or worse, christian-based. Instead, it took the lessons Buffy taught us and applied them to life. The author pulled a lot from buddhism, which in turn led me to begin studying buddhism and try to follow its guidelines. I was happily surprised with this study of the show.
Rating:
Summary: Christian Values in Sunnydale?
Review: Yes. I am a Christian. I became semi addicted to Buffy and it took me a while to figure out why.
The show has all the elements of actual feelings/growing/exploration that normal kids go through. Spirituality is all through the book. What I liked best is that Good always wins over Evil. There is redemption, there is hope, and there is always a new dawn, with renewed hopes and dreams, just like in real life, sans the vamps and demons.(Although they are here, among us, but in human form - human monsters). We can hold on to our faith and pray that we would have the judgement and perserverence that Buffy shows, thanks to Joss Whedon.
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