Jesus Swept [Paperback]

James A;exander Protzman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2008

Following in the tradition of John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces and William Kotzwinkle's The Fan Man, James Protzman's Jesus Swept plays fast and loose with every known Southern archetype and stands magical realism on its head without missing a beat. Joining classic hippie-jester-heroes Ignatius C. Reilly and Horse Badorties is Gary Gray, part-time sidewalk sweeper and full-time savior. The unlikely story of hope lost, found, and lost again on the North Carolina coast, Jesus Swept celebrates a philosophy of life you can put on a bumper sticker: Do Good, Be Nice, Have Fun. Meet Hook, Sinker, Liz, Frank, Dog and Jesus himself, six souls twisted in a tangle of threads that will make you cry until you laugh - or until you try dying.

Editorial Reviews

Review

James Protzman is the George Carlin of the literary world, skewering with brilliant characterization and storyline the veil of religious mythology that threatens to suffocate our society. But Protzman also understands and respects our longing for answers in life. Jesus Swept embraces the mad chase in all its futility, humor, and hope. --John Manuel, The Canoeist

Chock-a-block with local color and cosmic lunacy, James Alexander Protzman's first novel is the opposite of a Chinese meal: the prose is lean and the style spare, but this tasty text continues to satisfy long after the last page is turned. --James Morrow, The Last Witchfinder, The Philosopher's Apprentice

About the Author

James Alexander Protzman lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with Jane (his wife) and their dog Jack. James was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1950. In the early years, his family followed his Navy father from coast to coast, finally settling in Hampton, Virginia. James left home at 17 to attend the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, where he graduated in 1972. After five years in the Navy, including a stint with 2nd Anglico at Camp Lejeune, James enrolled in the School of Journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He graduated from there with an MA in 1980. Over the next 30 years, James built a successful career in advertising and marketing in Chapel Hill. Today he is a freelance business writer, avid blogger, and novelist.

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: Kitsune Books (December 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979270073
• ISBN-13: 978-0979270079
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,755,369 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Swept Away, December 13, 2008

By 

Anna Jean Mayhew (Hillsborough, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jesus Swept (Paperback)

JESUS SWEPT satisfies on many levels. If you're looking for a laugh, for a new look at old questions, and for an engrossing story, read this book. The cast of characters includes people we often ignore: indigents Mark, Luke, and Gary/aka Jesus, who buy their daily bread with the proceeds earned sweeping store fronts. Doped-up beach bums like angel-tattooed Hook, her angry brother Sinker, and her stalker boyfriend Eddie Junior. These human oddments cross unlikely paths with Liz--Assistant Director of Development at Duke University--and her husband Frank, a misunderstood hypochondriac with a charming devotion to Liz. Early in the novel, I found myself invested in this motley crew, wanting to know how their lives played out. Protzman makes hamburger out of sacred cows, and confronts beliefs about religion and spirituality in a world where we too often judge others by where and how they worship. The story evoked my indignation--I wanted to slap the Marine bully who torments Mark, Luke, and Gary; was intrigued by the ancient bracelet Liz finds in the surf, and empathetic with Frank, almost hoping he would indeed have an illness so that he'd be taken seriously. Dénouement is a challenge for such an intricate novel, but Protzman pulls all the threads together with an ending that left me sad, hopeful, wanting more of his unique point of view, and--most of all--eager to spread the message: "Do good. Be nice. Have fun."

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When's the next one?, January 17, 2009

By 

Janene M. Blakley "JJ" (OP, KS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jesus Swept (Paperback)

Jesus Swept is a creative example of how far off preconceived notions can be. When you first meet each character you assume how they will be. They are realistic examples of life. You are caught unaware by some of the events that alter their lives. Pretty soon you start wanting to jump into the pages and help them. You become involved with the characters to the point of wanting to defend their actions and become their champions. This was an exciting story to follow. Like life, sometimes things go a different way. You start to embrace their differences as well as their achievements. It touches on the secrets we all bare in life. I find myself reflecting on events in his book and pondering the outcome had his book gone longer. It has a sweet ending that leaves you feeling life can be good and sometimes you can have find happiness. I look forward to another book from James Protzman.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Swept up with a new broom, December 22, 2008

By 

Alfred D. Wallace (Del Norte, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jesus Swept (Paperback)

Placed in a magical land of the ordinary this novel draws extraordinary conclusions from a mixed bag of characters that oscillate from the realms of the divine to those of the electronic; passing through real life... touching base with love and laughter, loss and enlightenment. I couldn't put the book down, and now that it's done and the last page closed I wonder what is happening to my new friends and where they are.