Coaltown Jesus

De: Ron Koertge

Narrado por: Nick Podehl

"I would have been here sooner, but traffic on I-55 was awful." Walker shouldn’t be so surprised to find Jesus standing in the middle of his bedroom. After all, he prayed for whoever was up there to help his mom, who hasn’t stopped crying since Noah died, two months ago. But since when have prayers actually been answered? And since when has Jesus been so...irreverent?

As astounding as Jesus’ sudden appearance is, it’s going to take more than divine intervention for Walker to come to terms with his brother’s death. Why would God take 17-year-old Noah when half of the residents in his mom’s nursing home are waiting to die? And why would he send Jesus to Coaltown, Illinois, to pick up the pieces? If he really wanted to help, why couldn’t he have kept Noah from dying?

In a spare, weighty, and often humorous text, renowned poet Ron Koertge tackles some of life’s biggest questions - and humanizes the savior in a way that highlights the divinity in all of us.

©2013 Ron Koertge (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Quick and Quirky

Coaltown Jesus is a novel in verse, and the first I’ve read by Ron Koertge. I like quirky books, though I usually stay away from books with religious overtones. Coaltown Jesus, though is witty and accessible, and talks about questions everyone has about death.

So, Jesus has quite the sense of humor in this book, describing his appearance as “Robe, sandals, beard – just like my action figure.” Though he later swaps his sandals for red Chucks. Jesus bonds with Walker like a friend, even nudging him to go for it with the girl he likes. Only Walker can see Jesus, though his presence his felt in various ways by others, and when he laughs the ground shakes like an earthquake. “I’m sorry, I can’t just giggle. I’m God.” I literally could quote all of Jesus’ lines.

Free verse works well for this quick, but meaningful read. Anyone who’s lost someone close to them will relate to Walker’s struggle and survivor’s guilt.

One of my favorite male narrators, Nick Podehl reads the book. Most of the book consists of conversations between Walker and Jesus, and I suppose it was intimidating coming up with the voice of Jesus, but Podehl was up to the task. His reading matches the witty tone of the book, and brings Walker’s story to life. At just over an hour, this audiobook is a fast-paced, entertaining listen.

Ron Koertge takes on a weighty subject in Coaltown Jesus in a humorous manner that will stick with me.