A-B-C reading

Finished today:



This book started out well, but didn't maintain.

blurb from amazon:

A thousand years ago, the most perfect copy of the Hebrew Bible was written. It was kept safe through one upheaval after another in the Middle East, and by the 1940s it was housed in a dark grotto in Aleppo, Syria, and had become known around the world as the Aleppo Codex.
Journalist Matti Friedman's true-life detective story traces how this precious manuscript was smuggled from its hiding place in Syria into the newly founded state of Israel and how and why many of its most sacred and valuable pages went missing. It's a tale that involves grizzled secret agents, pious clergymen, shrewd antiquities collectors, and highly placed national figures who, as it turns out, would do anything to get their hands on an ancient, decaying book. What it reveals are uncomfortable truths about greed, state cover-ups, and the fascinating role of historical treasures in creating a national identity.

Freidman tries to mix the history of the codex itself with his (I'm assuming Matti is a male, but don't quote me on that) investigation on how the codex got from Syria to Israel and the fate of pages believed to be missing from the codex. But his attempts fail, and neither story is interesting, and the constant cross cutting is distracting. Most annoying is his habit of using variations on "this will be important later." This is not a technique I'd expect from a seasoned journalist as Friedman at first seems to be (one who states "Fortunately for journalists, surreptitiously taping conversations to which you are party is legal in Israel". One thing that I did appreciate that he was definitely not of the camp that anything the Israeli government does is okay. He seems to sound even handed about the actions of both Arabs and Israelis after the UN vote to create an Israeli state.

I think the book would have worked better if he'd told it in a more linear manner and if he hadn't attempted to dangle clues in front of us and then left us hanging for chapters. And if I hadn't figured out where he was going way before he got there.

amazon blurb:
What if Jesus suddenly appeared and announced that he planned to run for President of the United States? Yes, that Jesus. And what if a well-meaning but utterly inexperienced band of disciples not only helped him mount a seat-of-the-pants campaign but also ran it well, getting millions of people to support him and in the process throwing the other two major party candidates-as well as the world's news media-into a frenzy as they scramble to discredit him?

Roland Merullo's bitingly clever satirical novel about the state of American politics follows one man's campaign to bring back goodness and kindness (real goodness and kindness this time) in a country that has fallen into a divisive state of fear and hatred. Merullo takes us into the heart of "a nation in grave spiritual danger" as the Son of man sets out to make everyone realize that "politics as usual" is no longer an acceptable alternative.

American Savior is a remarkably innovative novel that challenges our perceptions and beliefs while it wags a finger at the folly of our self-righteousness. It is sure to cause controversy among those for whom politics itself has become a kind of religion.

"bitingly clever satirical novel"?

I found parts of the novel clever, but I apparently missed the satire. Other parts of the novel were not so clever, and the ending was disappointing to me. And "that Jesus"? Well, as someone commented to me, that Jesus wouldn't have been eligible to run for president, since he wasn't born in the US. So this is not a return of Jesus, but rather a re-incarnation.

The book is written as a first person narration by one Russ Thomas, a beat TV reporter in West Zenith, MA. A mysterious man appears, does a couple of miracles (both involving saving children, whose parents become part of his following), announces his name is Jesus Christ and that he is running for President. He gathers around him a group of advisors that run the gamut from a street smart motorcycle enthusiast to a billionaire couple. And which includes not only Russ, but his ex-boss and the boss's wife, Russ's fiancee, his parents, and his brother, who spoiler alert . I put that as a spoiler, because even when we first meet Stab, Merullo does not make it clear that this is the situation. Merullo never really develops most of the characters, they just seem to be there because he needs to give Jesus a dozen followers. The two characters who get the most attention are Russ himself (who I really wanted to smack several times during the book) and Jesus. Merullo might have been trying for a satire of religion with his character of Jesus, but in my eyes, he just made the character bland. His Jesus felt like a new age guru, with a feel good, know yourself, the power is within you message. He may be running an a campaign to "bring back goodness and kindness", but I never really understand why anyone would vote for him. The most annoying part of the book was Merullo's renaming of news personalities and shows (Larry King became Larry Queen, Meet the Press became Meet the Media). I understand that he couldn't use real names, but I think I would have been happier if he created new characters instead of caricatures. I think that's my basic problem with the book, there are no real characters. And no real story. If you want to read the story of Jesus, I suggest the Bible, not this attempt at a modernization. Especially not at the current price.