The Book of Bob, Second Edition

“In the beginning, Bob didn’t plan to start a religion; it just happened.” So begins a wild and fantastic ride through the fictional Free Nation, satirizing religious fanaticism, politics, and human fumbling. The plot is driven by a host of quirky characters: Bob, a blank slate living in the Northwest Region to who is ordered by God to take dictation for a new book; nineteen-year-old Sophia Wise, whose life’s goal is to cover her entire body with tattoos; Roland Brand, a chameleon whose ascension to power becomes progressively more outrageous; Lakshmi Jackson, Sophia’s best friend who feels like a “kite without a string;” Ivan Bunt, a wheelchair-bound veteran, given to colorful declarations in a language all his own; Delbert Thorne, the Chosen Leader of the Free Nation, who is on a continually fruitless search for a Secretary of Religion, and bears a striking resemblance to another world leader we know. The Book of Bob is a welcome balm to social and political progressives who need a good laugh.