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The Two Kings: Jesus & Elvis
FIRST Edition 1995 by Jossey-Bass Publ, Hardcover w dust jacket 320 pages.
- GenresNonfictionMusicHumor
Hardcover
Published July 10, 1996
290 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 25, 2026
The Two Kings by A.J. Jacobs is a short, irreverent, and intentionally ridiculous debut that announces its premise immediately and never lets go of it. Originally published in 1994, the book asks a question that is clearly not meant to be answered seriously: what if Elvis Presley really was Jesus Christ?
Jacobs builds the book as a parody of scholarly research. He treats the Bible, Elvis biographies, movie soundtracks, and pop culture trivia as equivalent sources, lining them up in mock-academic fashion to demonstrate “evidence” of their shared identity. Jesus walked on water. Elvis surfed. Jesus was a carpenter. Elvis took woodshop. A star appeared at Jesus’s birth. Elvis almost appeared in A Star Is Born. The joke is not that these parallels are convincing, but that when presented in the language of citation and comparison, they briefly feel plausible.
What makes the book work, to the extent that it does, is Jacobs’s commitment to the format. He never abandons the conceit, never explains the joke, and never apologizes for it. The humor comes from structure rather than punchlines. This is parody aimed less at religion itself than at the seriousness with which arguments are sometimes constructed. If you stack enough references together, even nonsense can resemble scholarship.
That said, this is very much a one-joke book. The joke is clever, but it does not deepen or evolve significantly. Readers looking for narrative development, thematic complexity, or sustained insight will not find it here. The book is best read quickly and with the right expectations.
From the perspective of Jacobs’s later career, The Two Kings is most interesting as an origin point. You can already see his fascination with absurd premises treated seriously and his interest in how form shapes meaning. Those instincts would later mature into far more substantive and reflective works.
This is not essential reading, but it is amusing, brief, and oddly confident. A curiosity rather than a classic, but an enjoyable one if you are in the mood for committed silliness presented with a straight face.
For more check out my video:
https://youtu.be/GpkV4yQiaeY
For more reviews, check out my channel:
www.youtube.com/@SpencerReadsEverything
Jacobs builds the book as a parody of scholarly research. He treats the Bible, Elvis biographies, movie soundtracks, and pop culture trivia as equivalent sources, lining them up in mock-academic fashion to demonstrate “evidence” of their shared identity. Jesus walked on water. Elvis surfed. Jesus was a carpenter. Elvis took woodshop. A star appeared at Jesus’s birth. Elvis almost appeared in A Star Is Born. The joke is not that these parallels are convincing, but that when presented in the language of citation and comparison, they briefly feel plausible.
What makes the book work, to the extent that it does, is Jacobs’s commitment to the format. He never abandons the conceit, never explains the joke, and never apologizes for it. The humor comes from structure rather than punchlines. This is parody aimed less at religion itself than at the seriousness with which arguments are sometimes constructed. If you stack enough references together, even nonsense can resemble scholarship.
That said, this is very much a one-joke book. The joke is clever, but it does not deepen or evolve significantly. Readers looking for narrative development, thematic complexity, or sustained insight will not find it here. The book is best read quickly and with the right expectations.
From the perspective of Jacobs’s later career, The Two Kings is most interesting as an origin point. You can already see his fascination with absurd premises treated seriously and his interest in how form shapes meaning. Those instincts would later mature into far more substantive and reflective works.
This is not essential reading, but it is amusing, brief, and oddly confident. A curiosity rather than a classic, but an enjoyable one if you are in the mood for committed silliness presented with a straight face.
For more check out my video:
https://youtu.be/GpkV4yQiaeY
For more reviews, check out my channel:
www.youtube.com/@SpencerReadsEverything
October 22, 2009
It really wasn't at all what I was expecting. Then again, nothing really explained it besides a comparison study of Jesus versus Elvis - so I was thinking more essays, fewer pictures. This is a funny read, probably best relegated to the coffee table or the bathroom, it pairs quick one liners 'Jesus was the light of God' 'Elvis studied to be an electrician' with a caricature of Elvis. If you are an AJ Jacobs fan, I recommend it for your shelves - to find it, try AbeBooks.com.
September 16, 2014
I fell in love with the books of A.J. Jacobs and quickly ordered them from the library. This one however was a true waste of time! A little over 100 words and great graphics, it compares the King of Rock and Roll to the King of the Jews. It was good for a laugh, but not much more than one laugh. I still love the author and many of his books but this one can only be used to level a table.
January 3, 2009
One of my favorite books ever. Makes me laugh just thinking about it.
March 31, 2010
Not at all what I was expecting . . .
April 9, 2012
Funny, inventive book, although I believe Christians would find it a bit offensive. More of a picture book and unlike anything I have read of Jacobs, but his iconoclastic wit had me chuckling.
August 7, 2017
I have read a couple of books described as hilarious that just don't measure up. This one at least made me smile. Maybe even chuckle.
February 28, 2025
The Two Kings: Jesus & Elvis by A.J. Jacobs, illustrated by Eric White (Bantam Books 1994) (818) (4027).
This book is HILARIOUS. Here’s the premise, as set forth in this little volume’s “Introduction”:
“On a clear night in Palm Springs in 1974, Elvis Aaron Presley confided a secret to his personal hairdresser: He believed he was Jesus Christ.
Astounding and shocking, no doubt. But what if Elvis was right?
Religious scholars and musicologists have been strangely silent on the issue…..
In the interest of truth and enlightenment, an intensive three-year investigation was launched to examine the Elvis-as-Messiah theory….
Although dubious at first, researchers began to notice bizarre parallels and strange similarities between the King of Kings and the King of Rock ’n’ Roll….
Here, for the first time ever, are the results of this groundbreaking research….
Coincidences? Perhaps. You be the judge.”
What follows is a rib-tickling comparison of the accomplishments of the two kings. For instance, “Jesus walked on water. (Matthew 14:25). Elvis surfed. (Blue Hawaii, 1961).” And another: “Jesus’ mother was a virgin. Elvis’ mother was a virgin - at one time.” One more? “They took up stones to cast at Jesus. (John 8:59). Elvis was often stoned.”
Readers will either love this book or burn it; it all depends on which king they bow to.
My people are getting copies of this next Christmas!
I purchased my used PB copy in brand-new condition from Amazon for $6.71 on 1/07/25.
My rating: 9/10, finished 2/28/25 (4027).
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
May 21, 2023
WOO IT COUNTS
August 13, 2008
I laughed a lot.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews