God Is Disappointed in You

I have to say that this book has brought more laugh to my life that anything or anybody else this year. Laughing out loud continuously while reading anything is a gift that one has to appreciate for its rarity.God is not Disappointed in You summarises and condensates all the texts and books contained in the Bible in 220 pages, writing the story in a contemporary "dude-whats-up" sort of language.Russell has an amazing wit, a a daring sense of irreverence, a profane humour, and a great insight into the incongruence of the historical figures and events the Bible presents us with. It reminds me, in a way, of the way Monty Python approached Biblical facts in their unforgettable film "The Life of Brian". However, Russell does not deform or twists the stories and behaviours or laws contained in the Bible no matter how nonsensical or farcical they might appear. We have to remind ourselves that these stories were written and compiled thousands of years ago. In the introduction, Russell says: "It is not my intention to mock the Bible with this book, nor to endorse it, but merely to present it on its own terms in a way that is accessible and which relays the same sense of fascination I had when I truly discovered the Bible for the first time. If you want to reject the Bible as ancient superstition or digest it as the holy word of God, that's up to you. I just thought you might like to know what's actually in the hot dog."Russell's approach to the Bible is not historical or contextual, but I would have been bored to death if he had tried to do that. That is not his job or intention. "God is Disappointed..." is not an exegesis of the Bible, just a funny book on the Bible's texts.You might think that reading anything Biblical is too serious, uninteresting, or religious. You might adduce that you aren't a believer, or a Christian. It doesn't matter. Russell's book is almost better than the original, forgive my enthusiasm. The book will especially appeal to agnostics, atheists and lax Christians and Jews with a sense of humour. I guarantee, that you will still find yourself laughing out loud. To those who are practising believers, you might be irritated by the tone of some of the language used, but you won't find anything you haven't heard before in more dramatic formal terms if you go to Mass every Sunday and listen (i.e. with full attention) to the readings.This not a book for everybody, though, because it touches on divine matters, and that is always a sensitive pruritus to scratch. Zealots, bigots, fundamentalists and any other -ish people who take religion to the letter might be angry, upset and even deprecatory. Knowing that, please dear bigot don't make a ziggurat of an issue about the authors' enterprise if you decide to go ahead and read it. You've been warned. You are very welcome.The books that I found funnier and more enjoyable were, in the Old Testament, the Books of Nehemiah and Esther and the Songs of Songs; I also loved the Book of Ecclesiastes because Russell really likes it (how not to?) and condensates it quite well and with less mock than the rest. In the New Testament, I thought all the Gospels were lovely, but the wittiest to me was the Gospel of Luke.I was a bit disappointed with Wheeler's illustrations. I like his drawing technique and character creation, and his illustrations are funny, some of them matching Russell's inspiration perfectly. However, many of the illustrations are just OK, and are overshadowed by Russell's tsunami-like wit. The cover of the book is fantastic, very simple, stylish and expressive.The book is for adults as it contains swearing words, obscenity, profanity, sex references and other godly but sinful events happened thousands of years ago. Blame it on History; Russell is just making you laugh.The adjective that most describe the book is hilarious.It made it to my top five of the year.The rendering of the illustrations for Kindle is so-so. Quite good if you are reading your book on Kindle for PC, but not good if you are reading it in your tablet. You will find frustrating the small size of the images and not being able to zoom them (or the attached text) in. I would have given the illustration way more space in the page for the Kindle edition of the book, something really easy to do if you think a bit more about the e-book reader.

This is exactly what I have been wishing I could find for some time, and thought I would have to attempt it myself, a cliff notes version of the bible that I might stand a chance of actually reading all the way through. Yes, I do see where some might consider it irreverent or worse - I know folks who take their bible very, VERY seriously. As far as I'm concerned, however, it is no worse than some newer versions of the actual bible in modern vernacular, some of which do not set well with me at all--I grew up with the KJV and, even if the motivations behind that translation were political, I find comfort in the language.. At least THIS book is a starting point to get into the "real thing" to get my own take on various happenings that I'd like to know more about. I dinged the book one star in the rating ( could have done two) for the sloppy editing throughout the book or at least the first two-thirds, which is how far into it I am. There are wrong words, missing words, inconsistencies -- strangely, The 1st Book of Chronicles is neatly followed by The 1st Book of Chronicles. In spite of all that, I am seriously considering getting a print version, primarily for the wonderful illustrations (I am a big fan of New Yorker cartoons), and also for the ease of leafing back and forth while making my own notes about biblical events.

Mark Russell has surely written the best paraphrase of the Bible you will ever encounter. It is simultaneously both hilarious and thought-provoking. You will be reading along, find yourself snickering and then laughing loudly, only to stop and start thinking of the message that Russell has pulled out of a Bible passage. He has both the qualities of a standup comedian and a Biblical scholar. It is rare that I have enjoyed a book so much and learned so much. Thank you, Mark, for such a fine book.I won't try to go into all the detail of other reviewers here. They have done an excellent job. But, I just want to say to those who read this particular review and are wondering if they should buy the book or not: BUY THE BOOK! NOW! You will not regret it. Unless ...Unless you are a staunch, unmoving believer that the Bible (Which translation do you use?) is the perfect word of God. It would do you good to read the book, but you would surely be offended and outraged at this frank and unflinching distillation of God's message to Humankind. Please, please, get off your high-horse for just a while and give this book a chance. Do not immediately discount it because of the humor. At the end, you may still be outraged, but perhaps some seed of a new perspective will also begin to grow in your mind.Thanks again, Mark, for such a fine book. This book will stay on my iPad until I croak. (At which point I may find myself in a lake of everlasting fire, but I hope at least that they will allow me to keep my iPad.)

Brilliant satire.  Very well-written.

Absolutely loved reading it! I hope we get such books written on all religious books so make us more 'aware'.

Hilarious, fun and accurate. I could not believe how much I enjoyed reading it. I got it on audible as well because it is such a unique book to tell stories in Bible. Highly recommend!

Just brilliant! A weight has been lifted off my chest! Thoroughly entertaining!

This book gives us a very simple and open eyed look at the relationship of God and us over the centuries of the bible in common with every day terminology.

Everyone should be made to read this book, an excellent re-write that makes the bible truly accessible.