The Dirty Parts of the Bible -- A Novel [Kindle Edition]

Sam Torode (Author)

Book Description

Semifinalist for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

The Dirty Parts of the Bible is a humorous novel set during the Great Depression---a rollicking tale of love and liquor, preachers and prostitutes, trains and treasure, sure to appeal to fans of Water for Elephants, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Mark Twain, and Johnny Cash.

Publishers Weekly says: 

"While the title suggests a raunchy read, this rich and soulful novel is actually a rather well-done bildungsroman [coming-of-age story] steeped in wanderlust and whimsy that at times recalls The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and at others a tamer On the Road. The story begins in 1936 as 19-year-old Tobias is thumbing his way from Remus, Mich., to his uncle's farm in Glen Rose, Tex., to find a hidden bag of money, after his father, a Baptist pastor, drunkenly slams his car into the church and is removed from the parsonage. The author does an excellent job in making well-charted territory (riding the rails; scavenged campfire meals under the stars) seem vibrant and new. Snippets of scripture, Southern spirituals, and folk ballads lend context and flavor to the text. Most impressive are the jangly dialogue and the characters' distinctive voices, which are authentic and earthy but not remotely hoary. When Tobias finally arrives at his uncle's, the surprises that await him are more than enough to keep his--and readers'--interests piqued." (Review from the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award)

Companion volume now available: The Book of Craw: A Hobo's Testament

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

It's 1936, and Tobias Henry is stuck in the frozen hinterlands of Michigan. Tobias is obsessed with two things: God and girls. 

Mostly girls, of course. 

But being a Baptist preacher's son, he can't escape God. 

When his father is blinded in a bizarre accident (involving hard cider and bird droppings), Tobias must ride the rails to Texas to recover a long-hidden stash of money. Along the way, he's initiated into the hobo brotherhood by Craw, a ribald vagabond-philosopher. Obstacles arise in the form of a saucy prostitute, a flaming boxcar, and a man-eating catfish. But when he meets Sarah, a tough farm girl under a dark curse, he finds out that the greatest challenge of all is love.

About the Author

Sam Torode is the author of The Dirty Parts of the Bible: A Novel and its companion volume, The Book of Craw: A Hobo's Testament.

Product Details

• File Size: 544 KB
• Print Length: 286 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Sam Torode Book Arts; 3 edition (April 1, 2013)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003K15MO0
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,992 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #44 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Humor & Entertainment
  • #59 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Humor
  • #71 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Religious Fiction

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

129 of 131 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, a Bit Naughty, with Youth and Innocence of a By-Gone Era February 19, 2011

By Roxanne Mchenry TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

There's so much to love about Sam Torode's story and writing. I have 75+ plus books on my Kindle that I've _read_ since August, and The Dirty Parts of the Bible is the first one to grab me and take me to another era from page 1. The style of the prose, the imagery, and the guileless thoughts of a young boy of the 30's come across so vividly and takes you away to another place and time. That's what every good story should do, and many of the contemporary fiction books I read don't have much of this quality.

The story made me laugh out loud often in the first chapter of the Kindle sample, and so I had to buy the book right away. I gladly paid $2.99 -- a total no-brainer. The clever interplay of scene, language--and surprisingly scripture and conservative Christian values in a home of a Pastor's son--works beautifully. If you know much about the Bible, this story will strike a chord with you--it's almost like an inside joke. Very clever.

The title has such a hook and sounds like the story itself may be "dirty," but it's not. There's some naughty parts in the story that's the kind of stuff that makes kids laugh in the back of a classroom. The title fits the story and the character of Tobias Henry.

Sam Torode is a book designer, and it's clear that the same level of care and creativity he used for this book's cover and titillating title went into writing this Huckleberry-Finn-for-Adults story of Tobias Henry.

69 of 71 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fun and Thought-provoking Read January 17, 2011

By T. Hartford

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I simply enjoyed this book. Having grown up Baptist and am now currently a minister in another denomination, many of the questions of morality and Scriptural interpretation that I continue to wrestle with in my line of work, are brought up in this text. And they are brought up through funny yarns, crisp one-liners, and vivid imagery (Sarah shows up for the dance in a dress made red by dying it in wine - a beautifully multilayered image).

I can't wait for the next novel from this guy.

67 of 69 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring! November 9, 2011

By Janet E. Wall

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is the best book I have read in a long time. It is sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, and other times spiritually inspiring. I loved it so much that I bought copies for my friends, who loved it as much as I did. I highly recommend this book, especially to those who were raised in strict, religious households. The characters are true to life. Many novels with Christian themes depict the characters as unrealistically all good, or all bad. The characters in this work are portrayed as humans really are; a complex mix of strength and weakness, of faith and doubt. This book was a great boost for me when I needed it. I hope reading it brings you as much joy as it did me.

More About the Author

I'm a writer, artist, and book designer enjoying life in Nashville, Tennessee.

Favorite authors include Emerson, Hawthorne, Twain, Flannery O'Connor, Garrison Keillor, G. K. Chesterton, P. G. Wodehouse, Joseph Campbell, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and many others.

As Groucho Marx said, "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."