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Okay, So Look: A Humorous Retelling of the Book of Genesis
Genesis… retold for those of us who could never make it past all those “begats.”
The Book of Genesis has some truly great stories, and is the foundation of many themes that are used again and again in literature. But many of us skip it because we bog down in the long series of "begats." Comedian Micah Edwards applied his comedic skills to his lifelong interest in the Bible, and the result is a funny, but accurate, retelling of The Book of Genesis.
The Book of Genesis has some truly great stories, and is the foundation of many themes that are used again and again in literature. But many of us skip it because we bog down in the long series of "begats." Comedian Micah Edwards applied his comedic skills to his lifelong interest in the Bible, and the result is a funny, but accurate, retelling of The Book of Genesis.
135 pages, Paperback
First published October 14, 2015
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251 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 14, 2015
If you're like me, you only pick up the bible with the intention of reading it when your phone is dead and you're stuck in a hotel room for a while. Still, you want to sound smart when the category comes up on Jeopardy, or when that hipster friend you have starts spouting off about the religious idolatry in today's consumerist culture. Or something like that.
Okay, So Look takes all the guess work out of figuring out what the sometimes convoluted language of the Bible is actually saying, and brings it down to a comfortable narrative style.
The Forward (subtitled "What the heck?") defines the author's purpose in clear terms: "...I'm just another person telling people what's in Genesis, but at least I'm up front about it. I don't claim to have a lock on the truth; I'm just trying to make this fun." In my opinion, "fun" is just the starting point - we then touch on "sometimes insightful" and "humorous but purposeful."
This interpretation splits the Book of Genesis into distinct separate sections, starting with "Adam & Eve," "Noah," and "Abraham." As someone who knows very little past the first several verses ("In the beginning..."), I definitely wasn't prepared for the Bible's switch-backs and switcheroos, especially concerning names and places for its characters. I've always approached the Bible as historical fiction - something that has a basis in fact, but was otherwise left up to interpretation by its several authors - and this rendition both confirms my approach and builds on it, leaving me with the feeling that the Bible really could have used an editor for consistency.
The tone of Okay, So Look is generally jovial and light-hearted, letting the Bible's inconsistencies speak for themselves, but every once and a while the author's strong voice shines through the narrative, and not always in a positive way. Still, for a first-time author, it's a good effort, and I hope to learn more about future Books if he continues to publish about them!
Okay, So Look takes all the guess work out of figuring out what the sometimes convoluted language of the Bible is actually saying, and brings it down to a comfortable narrative style.
The Forward (subtitled "What the heck?") defines the author's purpose in clear terms: "...I'm just another person telling people what's in Genesis, but at least I'm up front about it. I don't claim to have a lock on the truth; I'm just trying to make this fun." In my opinion, "fun" is just the starting point - we then touch on "sometimes insightful" and "humorous but purposeful."
This interpretation splits the Book of Genesis into distinct separate sections, starting with "Adam & Eve," "Noah," and "Abraham." As someone who knows very little past the first several verses ("In the beginning..."), I definitely wasn't prepared for the Bible's switch-backs and switcheroos, especially concerning names and places for its characters. I've always approached the Bible as historical fiction - something that has a basis in fact, but was otherwise left up to interpretation by its several authors - and this rendition both confirms my approach and builds on it, leaving me with the feeling that the Bible really could have used an editor for consistency.
The tone of Okay, So Look is generally jovial and light-hearted, letting the Bible's inconsistencies speak for themselves, but every once and a while the author's strong voice shines through the narrative, and not always in a positive way. Still, for a first-time author, it's a good effort, and I hope to learn more about future Books if he continues to publish about them!
January 2, 2017
"So on the first day, God just created the first day."
August 20, 2018
I love it when an author interprets a portion of the Bible in a way that had eluded me or better yet in a way I’d always secretly considered but never divulged because it was too weird.
Micah Edwards, the author, asserts that just because a book is considered divinely inspired doesn’t mean that one can’t put one’s own spin on it.
Micah Edwards, the author, asserts that just because a book is considered divinely inspired doesn’t mean that one can’t put one’s own spin on it.
January 4, 2019
Say what?
Religion is a funny thing. Each and every one claims to be the one that is right. Almost all have some connection with the bible. This is a great retelling of Genesis. The facts are the same but the humor makes it a joy to read. There are many observations made by the author that will cause you to laugh out loud. It is well worth reading.
Religion is a funny thing. Each and every one claims to be the one that is right. Almost all have some connection with the bible. This is a great retelling of Genesis. The facts are the same but the humor makes it a joy to read. There are many observations made by the author that will cause you to laugh out loud. It is well worth reading.
September 23, 2019
Very funny. A nice way to digest the craziness of the bible.
March 20, 2016
Last year I started reading the Bible and made it to somewhere in the middle of Leviticus before realizing that I wasn't interested in going further with it. I have some very strong opinions about the books I did read, but I do my best to keep my opinions to myself out of respect for my peers as Faith is a sensitive topic.
Anyway, considering that Genesis was a chore to get through the first time, it doesn't matter how much humor and paraphrasing a person throws in, digesting the same stories a second time is never going to be my ideal way to spend an afternoon. I thought the humorous look at the Bible stories would pique my interest, which is why I picked it up in the first place, and it was nice to see that someone else spotted some of the absurdities that I did on my first reading. On the other hand, Edwards interprets much of the Genesis content differently than I did. I'm not sure if this is because my memory of what I read is hazy or if it's because he was reading a different translation or what, but I'm too lazy to open my Bible to find out.
The author is funny and caused me to laugh out loud in a couple of places, but I'm not at all the target audience.
On a side note, I also tried to read Good Book (concurrently while reading the Bible) - both of these books were written by non-practicing Jewish men. I find it interesting that both, while making light of the content, do seem to have an overarching respect for the Old Testament and religion in general. Now that I'm thinking about it, Plotz also interpreted the Bible stories differently than I did, so it could very well be the translations we were reading from.
Anyway, considering that Genesis was a chore to get through the first time, it doesn't matter how much humor and paraphrasing a person throws in, digesting the same stories a second time is never going to be my ideal way to spend an afternoon. I thought the humorous look at the Bible stories would pique my interest, which is why I picked it up in the first place, and it was nice to see that someone else spotted some of the absurdities that I did on my first reading. On the other hand, Edwards interprets much of the Genesis content differently than I did. I'm not sure if this is because my memory of what I read is hazy or if it's because he was reading a different translation or what, but I'm too lazy to open my Bible to find out.
The author is funny and caused me to laugh out loud in a couple of places, but I'm not at all the target audience.
On a side note, I also tried to read Good Book (concurrently while reading the Bible) - both of these books were written by non-practicing Jewish men. I find it interesting that both, while making light of the content, do seem to have an overarching respect for the Old Testament and religion in general. Now that I'm thinking about it, Plotz also interpreted the Bible stories differently than I did, so it could very well be the translations we were reading from.
February 9, 2017
Reviewed by Kitty Forbes
In the beginning...in a way you've never seen it before. Hilariously funny take on Genesis with irreverent answers to all those niggling questions everyone that has read the Bible has, whether they admit it or not. Beginning with the foreword; Genesis takes on a whole new meaning as God creates the heavens and earth and everything else, or does he?
You can read this entire review and others like it at San Diego Book Review.
In the beginning...in a way you've never seen it before. Hilariously funny take on Genesis with irreverent answers to all those niggling questions everyone that has read the Bible has, whether they admit it or not. Beginning with the foreword; Genesis takes on a whole new meaning as God creates the heavens and earth and everything else, or does he?
You can read this entire review and others like it at San Diego Book Review.
January 4, 2016
In Between the Begats
A close and funny reading of Genesis by Mr. Edwards that describes one of our culture's first books with open-eyed candor and unrelenting accuracy, but not meanness.
A close and funny reading of Genesis by Mr. Edwards that describes one of our culture's first books with open-eyed candor and unrelenting accuracy, but not meanness.
January 17, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author doesn't like the "begats" in Genesis or other books of the Bible. I feel he is really missing some very interesting history in Bible times.
June 13, 2016
Super fun! If you like snark and are at all interested in Bible stories this is for you. Was laughing out loud in public.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews