A Book and a Chat with Joe Wenke

Joe Wenke is my guest on the first show of 2013 chatting about his book “You Got To be Kidding” the cultural arsonist’s literal reading of “The Bible”

The oldest of eleven children in a strict Catholic family in South Philadelphia and attended a long line of Catholic schools including the University of Notre Dame. One morning Joe woke up and decided he would read the Bible and when he found something funny, he’d write about it.

Never having thought it before, and not knowing why he woke up thinking the Bible was funny, although in truth when taken literally, as Joe’s book proves, it is hilarious.

He went over to my kitchen table, sat down at his laptop and downloaded an electronic version of the Bible. He got as far as reading the Adam and Eve story, when the first sketch of his book came into fruition. Over the next several weeks he read the complete Bible and wrote more than 70 satirical sketches. Writing them very fast like a bunch of emails, hardly changing a word.

The result is his debut book.. . “You Got To Be Kidding”

About “YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING: A LITERAL READING OF THE BIBLE” (taken from the book handout”

As irreverent as the musical The Book of Mormon, “YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING: A LITERAL READING OF THE BIBLE” is an engaging, provocative and often hilarious investigation into the bestselling book of all time. Written to “cause trouble” and provoke deeper thought during a time when religious fundamentalism is gaining strength around the world, Wenke, a marketing executive, former corporate speechwriter and keen observer of human gullibility, lures readers out of their mental closets and tempts them to more closely examine the stories they think they know about the Bible.

Drawing upon the same pool of incendiary and cerebral humor as Bill Maher, Jon Stewart and the late, great George Carlin, YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING follows a trail of talking angels, fratricidal siblings, divinely sanctioned massacres and surprised lepers from the Old to the New Testament pointing out the impossible, the illogical and the unrealistic. Among the stories laid bare, are:

·         Noah’s Ark: How big was that boat—and who cleaned up after the animals and what about the fish?

   Jonah and the Whale: Just how does one survive being digested for three days?

   The Three Wise Men: If they were so wise, why did they get lost?

     Jesus, Miracle Worker: Where did Jesus learn how to perform miracles—at Hogwarts?

YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING is a call for humor to restore our sanity and our ability to think for ourselves. Just as it was written in the Bible—or was it?

 The book is a fun read and Joe already has a follow up completed

So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on A Book and a Chat with Joe Wenke


Barry

Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with Joe Wenke

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Joe Wenke"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
"Joe Wenke - You Got To Be Kidding"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

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