American Savior: A Novel of Divine Politics

Jesus Christ for President of the United States. I expected this book to be entertaining, somewhat amusing, maybe Pratchett like. I was right. I was also wrong. This was a fascinating political satire that challenges our political system, the media and indeed our very culture.

It does this in a way that is certainly entertaining. At times it is amusing. But essentially, it is so much more. This book forces us to look more deeply into our beliefs, and the way we live and behave. It forces the reader to see that there are options and that perhaps more than options, possibilities.

What would the country be like if we chose kindness over cruelty. Generosity over greed. Truth over lies.
Compelling stuff. It had the effect of making me more show more dissatisfied than ever with the status quo. I miss more than ever, something that we never really had.

Read this book. It doesn't preach to you. It is a quick read, it won't strain your brain, it will make you smile. It is certainly an easy read. But when you close the cover after you have read the last word. You will feel better about yourself. You will know just a little bit more about love. show less

I went back and forth between 3 and 4 stars for this novel. It is the story of Jesus Christ (yes, THAT Jesus Christ) returning to earth in a small town in Massachusetts sometime around 2008-2012. After performing a few miracles and coming to the attention of the media, he decides to run for President of the United States. He chooses his staff (apostles?) from ordinary folks and as in the Gospels, he just tells them to leave their jobs and work for him. He has a motley crew of people running his campaign, including a cynical and doubting TV anchorman along with his Jewish father, Catholic mother and brother with Down Syndrome, a psychologist, a drug-using gang member, and other misfit characters. Jesus runs on a platform of returning the show more US to a place where kindness replaces cruelty, generosity replaces greed, and truth replaces lies. He talks about issues of abortion, war, healthcare, the economy – everything a candidate would talk about. The cheesiness and clichés come in with the media people he meets. He is interviewed by Lenny Queen (Larry King?), and Ann Canter (Ann Coulter?) is constantly railing about what an imposter he is. There are numerous other news people and media and movie stars with similar names. I won’t even begin to try to remember how to spell the take-off on George Stephanopoulos. There were some truly funny moments in this book and some truly inspirational moments, but also some that made me groan. No, Jesus did not wear sandals and robes, but he did take walks in the desert, order Indian food and then wash a few feet, and ride a bull in a rodeo. In short, the book is a satire on the life of Jesus as it would be in the 2000’s. show less

“American Savior” reminded me a lot of the movie “Dogma,” but without the gratuitous sex, language, and drug use and with more political satire. At times I was not sure if Merullo’s biggest point in the book was religious or political. He seemed to be making a point about what it means to actually follow Christ, as opposed to simply calling oneself a Christian, but he also seemed to be mercilessly ripping on politics and news media. I finally decided that his intentions could not truly be separated, just as politics and religion are seemingly inextricably linked in the United States. Overall I though Merullo did a wonderful job with both points. The book was poignant, thought-provoking, funny, and brutal. The only thing that show more bothered me a bit was Merullo’s treatment of the news media. Now, I think he was fair in the characterizations he made, but he basically used real people and only very thinly disguised their names; examples: Lenny Queen (Larry King), Hurry Linneament (Rush Limbaugh - Hurry, Rush, get it?), Anne Canter (Anne Coulter), Bulf Spritzer (Wolf Blitzer), and others. That seemed just a little too cutesy for me in a book that was otherwise very well done.

I think this is a great book for anyone interested in religion, politics, or both - even if you are only ‘interested’ in so far as you are disenchanted with either thing. “American Savior” will make you look at what you know a little differently.

For the full review:
http://www.devourerofbooks.com/2008/08/american-savior-book-review/ show less

Dee-lightful. What if Jesus Christ, THE Jesus Christ, ran for president? His platform is the beatitudes? How well would that play in Peoria? Told from the point of view of Russell, a cynical low level TV journalist recruited to be on Jesus' campaign. I don't want to give too much away, suffice it to say that this book brings forth negative things about politics (some of the characters are THINLY veiled people currently in American media and politics. VERY thinly veiled) and is quite thought provoking and insightful. Not sure I can part with this one yet.

I rather enjoyed reading this book, despite its premise. Jesus reappears on earth in a small Western Massachusetts town and builds a campaign for the U.S. presidency with a varied group of people who live there. It is narrated by a cynical newspaper reporter Russ, who is brought haltingly into the effort. Jesus as candidate does project a numbr of different images, some of them surprising, not unlike the gospel story. His mother, who has an intriguing heritage, figure fairly prominently in potios of the story. This is more of the liberal Jesus, who is fighting the people who pull the strings of political power, not unlike politicians of 2012. I don't want to say much about the denouement of this novel.

Russ Thomas is a reporter for WZIZ, a TV station in Massachusetts, when he is sent to report on the story of a young child who had fallen three stories, seemed dead, and came back to life when a stranger came up and touched him. Others were calling it a miracle, but Russ remained skeptical. Later, he's sent to a hospital where the same stranger has visited a young girl and seemingly cured her of a chronic illness.

The stranger becomes known as "The Good Visitor," and he turns out to be Jesus Christ. Jesus calls Russ on his private phone and tells him that he's running for President of the United States and would like for Russ to work on his campaign. Russ is not convinced at first, but finally agrees when Jesus visits Russ's girlfriend show more in a dream.

Jesus assembles a ragtag campaign team and heads out on the road as the candidate for The Divinity Party and chooses his mother as his running mate. Jesus runs an unusual campaign - he doesn't criticize his opponents and he's available for questions.

American Savior by Roland Merullo started out with a bang for me. The middle of the book, with all of it's campaign details, did drag a little bit, though. When it gets to the end of the campaign, the book really picked up again. It is worth reading for all of the questions it brings up. When a woman screams that the candidate is not Jesus,

"I might not be," he said slowly. "I might not be. But my question to you is this: would you know him if he came into your midst? If he came into your midst and did not look the way you expected him to look, and did not speak as you expected him to speak, would you know him?"

That really made me sit and think for a little while. This book is humorous as well as thought provoking and I enjoyed reading it.

Roland Merulla has written ten books, including Golfing with God and Breakfast with Buddha. He lives with his wife and children in Massachusetts. show less

I was very hesitant to read this book. It's one I would skim right over in a bookstore. Fortunately, I read it and loved it. Roland Merullo somehow has managed to create a completely unbiased tale of what Jesus would do if he were to run for President. Humorous, thoughtful, and a book I've passed along for others to read.