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My Imaginary Jesus: The Spiritual Adventures of One Man Searching for the Real God by Matt Mikalatos
patlo's review against another edition
4.0
I found this one through a list of free/cheap Kindle books. It was (and still currently is) free. That and the content makes it worth downloading..
It's a fun novel about a guy and his imaginary Jesus(es), who he discovers - with the help of a swarthy Peter and a talking donkey and some other friends - may not be the Real Jesus, but only the ones that make him feel comfortable. The story is a fun and surprisingly deep tour through all the different images of Jesus that are around today - hippie Jesus, anarchist Jesus, Mormon Jesus, New Age Jesus, emerging church Jesus, ... pick your favorite alternate Jesus and Matt runs into him.
The book is set in and around Portland, Oregon and uses some cultural landmarks. If you've been to Powell's Books or the Red and Black or Voodoo Donuts, you'll enjoy the visits.
I really enjoyed this one. It's a quick read, very fast, very fun and entertaining. The end is quite a bit more touching than I expected.
There are a few awkward spots - some characters are written way more over the top than they need to be (Men's Retreat Jesus could have been SO much better, but as it was he was pretty funny).
It's a good companion to something like Blue Like Jazz, although not nearly as profound. It would be great for questioning Christians, youth groups, open minded atheists, bored Christians. Anybody with a sense of humor about thier own belief system would get a kick out of this one.
And you can't beat the Kindle version price.
It's a fun novel about a guy and his imaginary Jesus(es), who he discovers - with the help of a swarthy Peter and a talking donkey and some other friends - may not be the Real Jesus, but only the ones that make him feel comfortable. The story is a fun and surprisingly deep tour through all the different images of Jesus that are around today - hippie Jesus, anarchist Jesus, Mormon Jesus, New Age Jesus, emerging church Jesus, ... pick your favorite alternate Jesus and Matt runs into him.
The book is set in and around Portland, Oregon and uses some cultural landmarks. If you've been to Powell's Books or the Red and Black or Voodoo Donuts, you'll enjoy the visits.
I really enjoyed this one. It's a quick read, very fast, very fun and entertaining. The end is quite a bit more touching than I expected.
There are a few awkward spots - some characters are written way more over the top than they need to be (Men's Retreat Jesus could have been SO much better, but as it was he was pretty funny).
It's a good companion to something like Blue Like Jazz, although not nearly as profound. It would be great for questioning Christians, youth groups, open minded atheists, bored Christians. Anybody with a sense of humor about thier own belief system would get a kick out of this one.
And you can't beat the Kindle version price.
natehsu96's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
I listened to the audio version of this book in Audible - Matt himself does a great job reading it and the story is funny and absurd but at the same time very honest in his search for who Jesus really is. A refreshing take and fun speculative fiction set in the modern day Seattle that takes you on a ride to discover who the Jesus you think you worship and know is really the one from the Bible!
heatheray's review against another edition
5.0
I have to say that this book was so much fun. It’s one of those books that while it’s funny and fast read, it’s actually deep when you think about it. I got about 3/4 of the way through it and had a wow moment. During Matt’s struggle to find the real Jesus, he has invented all of these imaginary Jesuses. These Jesuses do what he wants them to do, say what he wants them to say, but when it comes right down to it, are they the real deal. I got through this book in just a couple of hours, but it was a blast to read. I laughed out loud a few times.
When Matt was wondering about Mormon Jesus, he had a lot of the same questions I did. (No Mormon bashing from me. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m one of those people that while I am strong in my own faith, I am always curious about other faiths, why people believe what they do, exactly what they believe, what are the tenets of their faith. It’s just me.)
This is one that I am going to pass down to Jordan. It is definitely something that he could read and understand also, one that I think would be great for preteens/teens/adults who struggle with the “why doesn’t God talk to me” question.
I honestly don’t think I’ve read a book that was funny and had a deeper meaning like this! Kudos to Matt Mikalatos for combining the two!
When Matt was wondering about Mormon Jesus, he had a lot of the same questions I did. (No Mormon bashing from me. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m one of those people that while I am strong in my own faith, I am always curious about other faiths, why people believe what they do, exactly what they believe, what are the tenets of their faith. It’s just me.)
This is one that I am going to pass down to Jordan. It is definitely something that he could read and understand also, one that I think would be great for preteens/teens/adults who struggle with the “why doesn’t God talk to me” question.
I honestly don’t think I’ve read a book that was funny and had a deeper meaning like this! Kudos to Matt Mikalatos for combining the two!
zackarya's review against another edition
4.0
This story, once you look past all the fiction, is one of a very hurt and broken man trying to make sense of his God. Being a Christian I can relate very much to him and am glad he wrote this book.
Even if you’re not a Christian I think this would be an incredibly fun, lighthearted read. Humor is the main vehicle in this fiction/biography book and it reads like your good friend that you know exaggerates every story he tells but you love him for it, even if you always raise your eyebrow.
It’s easy to read and the chapters are super short making you feel like you’re a speed reader. Well worth you’re time if you’re curious how someone who grew up believe in Jesus, but maybe misunderstanding him, thinks and acts.
Even if you’re not a Christian I think this would be an incredibly fun, lighthearted read. Humor is the main vehicle in this fiction/biography book and it reads like your good friend that you know exaggerates every story he tells but you love him for it, even if you always raise your eyebrow.
It’s easy to read and the chapters are super short making you feel like you’re a speed reader. Well worth you’re time if you’re curious how someone who grew up believe in Jesus, but maybe misunderstanding him, thinks and acts.
sarahpjs's review against another edition
3.0
This is a silly book. It kind of reminded me of a Saturday Night Live sketch that they make into a feature film - just one joke that's not quite long enough to pull into 2 hours, so it just gets really silly. The writing is inconsistent and a little showy. It's on the verge of blasphemy (think of a Christianized version of Lamb but not quite as clever), and the random, stretched out plot is just a little to much for me.
And yet. The general idea the author has is a good one - there are a lot of different "Jesuses" out there that different people follow and evoke for their own purposes. I'll definitely remember this book & will probably recommend it to some people.
And yet. The general idea the author has is a good one - there are a lot of different "Jesuses" out there that different people follow and evoke for their own purposes. I'll definitely remember this book & will probably recommend it to some people.
kellyhitchcock's review against another edition
3.0
The story was absurd and enjoyable - talking donkeys and a circus of Jesuses. At one point the amount of the different categories of Jesus was hard to follow, but I loved the sheer absurdity of the story and liked that it was not too overly pro- or con-religion. It's an enjoyable story, well-written, and extremely well formatted for the Kindle.
lisagray68's review against another edition
4.0
I bought this book because it was free in the Amazon Kindle shop, and had some good reviews. HAHA, is all I can say! This is an EXTREMELY irreverent book about Jesus, so if you are the reverent type, it's not for you. A good message, though -- that we tend to serve the parts of Jesus that we like, that are easy for us...our own Imaginary Jesus'. There was Legalist Jesus; Political Party Jesus; CEO Jesus; Social Justice Jesus and many others -- my personal favorite being Magic 8 Ball Jesus. Some very good points made while you are laughing out loud.
ivygirl1937's review against another edition
4.25
I like the unique way that Matt went about this book and highlighting some of the things about Jesus that we believe that aren't necessarily true. Do I think everyone will like this book? No, probably not. But if you like more a more humorous way to look at spiritual truths, you will probably like this book.
laughing_penguin's review against another edition
2.0
This book was simply ok. The ending was good, and there was one good quote in the middle, but other than that I found it fairly boring. If the author would have gone into more detail regarding the many forms of imaginary Jesus that he met, I probably would have enjoyed it more, but then it might have been more "preachy." It was a fast read, though, and since I was able to borrow it on the kindle, it didn't cost me anything, which is a plus :)