The Prophet (a.k.a. Ward Ricker). Holy Hustle! A Bible Parody. Containing All 66 Books of Both the Old and the New Hustles

Ward Ricker, 2019. — 937 p.The entire Holy Bible rewritten as parody. The history, poetry, gospels, prophets of the Old Testament, letters of the New Testament -- the entire thing rewritten to make you laugh as it points out the lunacy, immorality and horror of the "good book". Audacious, sacrilegious, blasphemous, scandalous, but most of all hilarious, as long as you are not one who takes this book of mythology seriously. You may learn more about the Bible by reading this version than by reading the original.
‘This book is obviously not for everyone, so for my review to be most meaningful, I need to define my perspective. I believe the Bible deserves respect as an historical, cultural anthropological document. I believe the same applies to other documents such as the Quran or Bhagavad Gita. I have no intention of insulting anyone’s religion or sacred text. I live in a culture where millions of people think the Bible is historical truth and the word of a supreme being that created the universe. That’s bat crap crazy. In the face of reverence, I tend to get irreverent even about something I respect. Since I don’t like to criticize something to which I have little knowledge I have wanted to read the Bible. To my tastes “Holy Hustle” is the most palatable version of the Bible in existence. It includes every book of both the Old and New Testaments. It tells the essence, with tongue in cheek. It points out contradictions and absurdities but it’s not a critique, it’s a retelling with sarcasm. It’s not “fall on the floor” funny but it is amusing. It’s a massive and impressive effort. It’s long, but that’s because the Bible is long, and the author does a comprehensive job of representing the Bible while tearing it apart. I loved it. In a word, “WOW!” Review by Robert A. Griffith