Better Than Normal: Virtues for an Off-Script Life

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.

MaryAnn McKibben Dana is the author of Hope: A User's Manual; God, Improv, and the Art of Living; Sabbath in the Suburbs; and a weekly newsletter called The Blue Room. She was featured on PBS's Religion and Ethics Newsweekly for her work on Sabbath and was recognized by the Presbyterian Writers Guild with their Distinguished Writer Award. She currently serves as associate pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Herndon, Virginia.