Coaltown Jesus
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Walker shouldn’t have been so surprised to find Jesus standing in the middle of his bedroom. After all, he’d prayed for whoever was up there to help him, and to help his mom, who hadn’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? But 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 sudden death. Why would God take seventeen-year-old Noah when half of the residents in his mom’s nursing home were waiting to die? And why would he send Jesus to Coaltown, Illinois, to pick up the pieces? In a spare and often humorous text, renowned poet Ron Koertge tackles some of life’s biggest questions — and humanizes the divine savior in a way that highlights the divinity in all of us.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Writing in free verse, Koertge (Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses) shows how a personal relationship with Jesus aids a guilt-stricken 14-year-old. It isn't just a turn of phrase Jesus actually manifests in Walker's bedroom after the boy makes a desperate prayer on behalf of his grieving mother. Walker thinks he's going crazy (no one else can see Jesus, though his laughter can shake a building), yet their irreverently funny conversations begin to help in ways that readers will gradually pick up on. Koertge's Jesus is one who considers a smile to be something holy and who tells Walker, "There are limit to even my miracles," when the teen asks to become a better basketball player. "In the Bible, you're always so serious," Walker says. "You're serious enough for both of us," Jesus responds. Koertge parcels out details about Noah's death, and the question of "why" looms over the story, as does the idea that God helps those who help themselves. It's a fast read, but one with substance the conversations linger, and the healing that takes place is subtle. Ages 14 up.
