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A review by patlo
Imaginary Jesus by Matt Mikalatos
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.