MY CHRISTIAN PENIS by R. TYLER.SOURCE: A GoodReads win.
The classic tale of a boy and his sentient, fundamentalist penis.
Manfred is not quite Westboro Baptist Church crazy, but he's close. He's also casually racist, incessantly demanding, and has a puddle-deep understanding of his professed religion. And Sam Meyers can't get away. Because Manfred is Sam's penis, and they share an open brain connection. For 20 years, Sam has suffered in secret, as the only person who can hear Manfred. This ill-fated arrangement is becoming worse for both of them: Sam desperately wants to lead a normal life, while Manfred desperately wants Sam to get baptized, reject his agnostic and Jewish heritage.
My Christian Penis explores the themes of redemption, identity, empathy and human evolution ..... all while revelling in absurdity. It is, after all, the story of a talking penis.
.... Outer back cover (Please note this is an ever so slightly revised synopsis)
FIRST SENTENCE {Chapter 1}: She saw it happen as if in slow motion.
MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 228}: "My name is Jim," he said after a moment of hesitation during which he reflected on the fact he was having a conversation with a penis.
MY THOUGHTS: Crude? Yes, especially early on.
Offensive? Hmm, it depends on how easily offended you are/what you are offended by. If an outspoken, right-wing evangelic penis who actually knows very little about what it is to be a Christian or a certain Monty Python film (yes, Manfred is 'a very naughty penis' who, without giving too much away, at one point is worshipped as a Messiah) offends you than perhaps you'd best give this one a miss.
Funny? Once again that depends on your sense of humour. For myself though I only actually laughed out loud once (anyone for a game of Crazy Man bingo?) I did find it highly amusing in that it laughed out loud in the faces of Political Correctness and fundamentalism.
The story of twenty year old Sam, a non practising Jew, and Manfred, his talking penis whose only ambition in life is to be baptised. My Christian Penis is the most unusual and bizarre story of friendship you are ever likely to read.
And yet it is so much more than a story about a young man's relationship with his penis. With themes of intolerance, hypocrisy and the Afterlife My Christian Penis is readable on so many different levels and as such is one of those books that I'm sure everyone will get something different out of depending on what they bring to it.
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12 comments:
I just have one thing to say--that title woke me up, for sure!
This really does sound like one that it would depend on what you bring in to what you get out of it
After doing a double take on the title, I read on and decided this might be quite an interesting (and entertaining) book.
I've certainly heard of men giving their "member" a name, but ongoing conversations? Well....maybe that's just a man thing?
I must guiltily confess that this sounds awesome!
With that said I think that I would have enjoyed it a lot more when I was younger as I was personally exploring my feelings and attitudes towards intolerant and fanatical people.
Just don't think I could read this one. It did grab my attention though.
That's certainly a title to catch a reader's attention!
"An outspoken, right-wing evangelic penis who actually knows very little about what it is to be a Christian?"
Sounds a lot like watching the news!
Hi Tracy,
I am not sure that I would have even bothered entering a competition with this book as the prize!
Prude I most certainly am not, however this just isn't my kind of thing and I thought that you managed to stay very focused and even handed in your review.
I found it difficult to find out anything much about the author, although I was quite surprised to learn that 'Goodreads' lists R. Tyler, as female.
I particularly liked the opening sentence and let my imagination run a little wild, about what she saw happening in slow motion!! (perhaps just my mucky mind?)
My sister-in-law did make the fatal mistake of naming a certain part of my nieces' anatomy when they were very young .... it's a good job that neither of them had a friend called 'Suzy'!
Yvonne
Ha! This one sounds unique and like you say, it sounds like it depends on what the reader brings to it.
Fantastic review.
Wonderful review! The title and premise of this book are certainly different.
Well- this definitely sounds like a unique book. I don't recall ever hearing of anything like it! Thanks for sharing. :)
I confess that I was surprised by the title lol, it's different so I'm not surprised that it's also really original as well.
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