Pocket Guide to the Bible: A Little Book about the Big Book

I grew up in the church - Sunday School, Bible Quizzing, Pioneer Girls, Potlucks - so I consider myself FULLY indoctrinated. I loved the book. Even though it was hilarious, I actually learned a bunch of stuff I didn't know. For the un-indoctrinated, you are in for some great laughs along with an excellent education. I really think it should be required reading for Bible 101.* *And Jason Boyett writes great footnotes...don't miss them.

In reading the Pocket Guide to the Bible I found myself re-visiting the good old days of Bible Study, Church History and general theological development that took place during my studies. This was a refreshing recap of things learned in the past with the pleasant and entertaining insertion of quick humor and hip language. If all you remember about studying the Bible is long and boring, keep-yourself-awake-with-a-whole-pot-of-coffee cram sessions then Pocket Guide will definately revive your soul and help you realize how exciting this big "book" really was, AND IS, to you. Overall, I definately recommend this book to anyone. (well, anyone of the adequate age anyway) I especially recommend it to the "I'm too spiritual, you can't say those things about God and the Bible" type of people because it may help them out of their stuffiness. (Sorry, just had to write that.) ENJOY!

Here's the thing you have to know about PGttB: it's fun to read. Yes, it's about the Bible. Yes, you actually learn stuff. But Boyett does the impossible and takes some very dry material and injects it with a huge dose of humor and gobs of intelligence. A lot of research clearly went into the book to pack it full of this much information. The book is well-organized as well. Here's the ToC: Biblicabulary - "A glossary of the Good Book," pretty self-explanatory Cast of Characters (A to J) - The major players of the Bible, plus some of the weirder minor ones too. Cast of Characters (K to Z) - See above. What Happens, Part 1 - "The Old Testament at breakneck speed," pretty much the Cliff Notes version of the Bible What Happens, Part 2 - "The New Testament at breakneck speed." The Brief History of the Holy Writ - "A timeline," basically the complete history of the Bible. Versions and Perversions - "A selective survey of translations," this chapter runs through the major players in the translation game. Disappointingly doesn't cover the Hippie Bible, but I'm letting it slide. List Ye Be Smitten - "Biblical Flotsam and Jetsam," a bunch of lists of really random stuff, really funny, weird things here. Who to recommend this book to? I think that anyone could get something out of this book. People who know everything about the Bible will enjoy the dry wit applied to the subject. Those who know nothing about the Bible will find themselves amused and learning quite a bit in a short amount of time. Those who have no sense of humor about the subject will probably hate this book. I was caught off guard by some of the jokes myself (in terms of being surprised, not offended), but it's always good to have fun with fundamentalists. That is what fundamentalist starts with anyways. So, in other words, I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a few laughs at the expense of long-dead biblical characters while learning a thing here and there as well. Boyett does it again with a book that makes biblical theology fun.

Jason Boyett's Pocket Guide to the Bible is an easy read. This, as it turns out, is quite a compliment, given the difficult nature of the subject he is covering - no less than the Good Book itself. Boyett stuffs PGTTB's 191 pages with a veritable Biblepalooza's-worth of information (biblical terminology, character and content summaries, history of the Bible itself). To some, this might sound duller than sitting through last quarter's earnings summary report again. However, Boyett's conversational tone is both humorous and engaging, making PGTTB a very enjoyable reading experience. Beneath the winking and smirking, readers will find PGTTB a useful reference - and not only Bible novices. Even long-time Bible readers will probably find themselves asking, "Is that in there?" as they read through some of Boyett's insightful breakneck summaries. The Biblicabulary will help readers understand key insider lingo faster than King Nebuchadnezzar can say to the Israelites, "All your base are belong to us." Chapter Six, "The Brief History of Holy Writ," is an invaluable resource for both understanding how that Purpose-Driven Pimply Teen Boy's Extreme Study Bible ended up on your coffee table and as a concise survey of some important church history. And, really, what Bible readers haven't found their thoughts wandering in some of the more obscure texts into thoughts such as, "Now *that* would totally rule as a band name!" Look no further than page 186 for seven such would-be awesome band names. In fact, I think his list of awful health conditions (see page 173) would make correspondingly wicked lead singles for some of these bands. Imagine the intro, "And after the break, we'll hear `Smited Bowels,' the hot new track from Forsake My Sweetness."

I enjoyed this book. It provides a fresh, modern approach to the Bible, spelling out characters, plots, and the history of the Bible itself in a way that is funny and informative. I could not help but laugh and share the funny things I was reading with my friends. This book is surprisingly funny and I would highly recommend it for some enjoyable yet educational reading. I wish Jason Boyett was writing my college textbooks.