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eBook editions

God Says No

by James Hannaham

God Says No Cover

ISBN13: 9781934781401
ISBN10: 1934781401
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
All Product Details

Only 1 left in stock at $8.50!

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

“A tender, funny tour of a mind struggling to do the right thing. A

revelatory and sympathetic guide to a misunderstood world.”

--Steve Martin, author of "Shopgirl" and "Born Standing Up"

"James Hannaham's GOD SAYS NO introduces a groundbreaking new American

voice: a writer of spectacular sentences who has trained his sights on a

world that has hardly been touched by literary fiction. Topical and

ambitious, disturbing and hilarious, GOD SAYS NO is everything a person

could ask of a first novel — and twice that much. "

--Jennifer Egan, author of "Look at Me" and "The Keep"

"This novel is an absolute original. Gary Gray's search for wholeness and

acceptance is a heartfelt (and often very funny) plea for all men (and

women) to be embraced just as they are. A wonderful debut."

--Martha Southgate, author of "Third Girl From The Left"

“GOD SAYS NO is a book that was desperate to be written but well out of

reach. And then James Hannaham came along and wrote it, with the kind of

care, wit, sympathy and fury that the book deserved. Imagine Candide…—

okay, imagine Candide as a black man, a southerner, a Christian

fundamentalist, middle-class, obese, married, a father, and utterly, even

profoundly gay.

If a comedy, in the classical sense, is a story then ends in a

marriage, and a tragedy is a story that ends with a death, then what do you

call a book that ends with a split and a resurrection? A truly daring first

novel, and something to read.”

--Jim Lewis, author of "Why the Tree Loves the Ax"

Review:

"A tender, funny tour of a mind struggling to do the right thing. A revelatory and sympathetic guide to a misunderstood world." Steve Martin

Review:

"James Hannaham's God Says No introduces a groundbreaking new American voice: a writer of spectacular sentences who has trained his sights on a world that has hardly been touched by literary fiction. Topical and ambitious, disturbing and hilarious, God Says No is everything a person could ask of a first novel — and twice that much." Jennifer Egan

Review:

"This novel is an absolute original. Gary Gray's search for wholeness and acceptance is a heartfelt (and often very funny) plea for all men (and women) to be embraced just as they are. A wonderful debut." Martha Southgate

Review:

"God Says No is a book that was desperate to be written but well out of reach. And then James Hannaham came along and wrote it, with the kind of care, wit, sympathy and fury that the book deserved. Imagine Candide... okay, imagine Candide as a black man, a southerner, a Christian fundamentalist, middle-class, obese, married, a father, and utterly, even profoundly gay. If a comedy, in the classical sense, is a story then ends in a marriage, and a tragedy is a story that ends with a death, then what do you call a book that ends with a split and a resurrection? A truly daring first novel, and something to read." Jim Lewis

Synopsis:

Gary Gray marries his first girlfriend, a fellow student from Central Florida Christian College who loves Disney World as much as he does. They are 19 years old, God-fearing, and eager to start a family, but a week before their wedding Gary goes into a rest-stop bathroom and lets something happen. God Says No is his testimony — the story of a young black Christian struggling with desire and belief, with his love for his wife and his appetite for other men, told in a singular, emotional voice. Driven by desperation and religious visions, the path that Gary Gray takes — from revival meetings to "out" life in Atlanta to a pray-away-the-gay ministry in Memphis, Tennessee — gives a riveting picture of how a life like his can be lived, and how it can't.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:

mattyaneo, March 16, 2010 (view all comments by mattyaneo)
A beautiful and amazing book about finding ones self and redemption, a brilliant book that is a must read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(2 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)
amabre, September 16, 2009 (view all comments by amabre)
The protagonist is Gary Gray, a God fearing, food loving black man struggling with his sexuality.

Early on in the novel, you discover Gary's feelings for his college roommate cause him to impregnate his girlfriend. He leaves school and gets a job, gets promoted, and gets a cozy apartment for his new family. He wants desperately to be a "family man" and he really does try but he's having trouble in the bedroom which puts pressure on his new marriage. Work is sending him on more and more business trips. Gary needs some man action. And he gets some. In public parks and public restrooms, all the while concerned that God is watching him.

Gary takes on a few different identities, trying to avoid or indulge his sexuality. There are lots surprises along the way...The ending is not too happy, not too sad but redemptive and believable. During most of the novel I pitied Gary...but his story was engaging!
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
View all 2 comments

Product Details

ISBN:
9781934781401
Author:
Hannaham, James
Publisher:
McSweeney's Books
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Homosexuality -- Religious aspects.
Subject:
Christian gay men - Religious life
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Copyright:
Edition Description:
Trade Cloth
Publication Date:
20090531
Binding:
HARDCOVER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
300
Dimensions:
8.50 x 6.00 in

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Related Aisles

God Says No Used Hardcover
0 stars - 0 reviews
$8.50 In Stock
Product details 300 pages McSweeney's Books - English 9781934781401 Reviews:
"Review" by , "A tender, funny tour of a mind struggling to do the right thing. A revelatory and sympathetic guide to a misunderstood world."
"Review" by , "James Hannaham's God Says No introduces a groundbreaking new American voice: a writer of spectacular sentences who has trained his sights on a world that has hardly been touched by literary fiction. Topical and ambitious, disturbing and hilarious, God Says No is everything a person could ask of a first novel — and twice that much."
"Review" by , "This novel is an absolute original. Gary Gray's search for wholeness and acceptance is a heartfelt (and often very funny) plea for all men (and women) to be embraced just as they are. A wonderful debut."
"Review" by , "God Says No is a book that was desperate to be written but well out of reach. And then James Hannaham came along and wrote it, with the kind of care, wit, sympathy and fury that the book deserved. Imagine Candide... okay, imagine Candide as a black man, a southerner, a Christian fundamentalist, middle-class, obese, married, a father, and utterly, even profoundly gay. If a comedy, in the classical sense, is a story then ends in a marriage, and a tragedy is a story that ends with a death, then what do you call a book that ends with a split and a resurrection? A truly daring first novel, and something to read."
"Synopsis" by ,
Gary Gray marries his first girlfriend, a fellow student from Central Florida Christian College who loves Disney World as much as he does. They are 19 years old, God-fearing, and eager to start a family, but a week before their wedding Gary goes into a rest-stop bathroom and lets something happen. God Says No is his testimony — the story of a young black Christian struggling with desire and belief, with his love for his wife and his appetite for other men, told in a singular, emotional voice. Driven by desperation and religious visions, the path that Gary Gray takes — from revival meetings to "out" life in Atlanta to a pray-away-the-gay ministry in Memphis, Tennessee — gives a riveting picture of how a life like his can be lived, and how it can't.
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