{"product_id":"the-messiah-of-morris-avenue-9780312425395","title":"The Messiah of Morris Avenue","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Messiah of Morris Avenue\u003c\/i\u003e, Tony Hendra--the acclaimed satirist and \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eFather Joe\u003c\/i\u003e--poses the question: would we recognize the messiah if he appeared today? And delivers, in the words of Frank McCourt, \"just what the country needs now--a good dose of merriment in the face of crawthumping righteousness.\"\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the not so distant future, the tide of righteousness--in the form of executions, barking evangelists, tank-like SUVs, and a movie industry run entirely by the Christian right--has swept the nation. Aside from the non-white, the non-Christian, and the non-wealthy, all are believers. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAmong the skeptics is a washed-up journalist named Johnny Greco, who hears of a media-shy young man known as \"Jay\" roaming through ghettos, healing the sick, and tossing off miracles. Soft-spoken and shabbily dressed, Jay is an unlikely savior for this anxious and intolerant America. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut as he makes his rounds, gathers followers, and makes furious enemies among the righteous powers that be, Johnny finds it harder and harder to doubt him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTony Hendra\u003c\/b\u003e (1941-2021) was a multimedia humorist and the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of the memoir \u003ci\u003eFather Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul\u003c\/i\u003e, and the novel \u003ci\u003eThe Messiah of Morris Avenue\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEducated at Cambridge in the early 1960s, Hendra developed his satirical style as a writer and performer with the university's Footlights theatrical group alongside future Monty Pythons John Cleese and Graham Chapman. After stints in a comedy act in New York and as a television writer in Los Angeles, he joined the staff of Harvard's \u003ci\u003eNational Lampoon\u003c\/i\u003e from its inception in 1970. As a writer and managing editor, Hendra was instrumental in transforming the magazine into a popular media franchise. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 1984, he wrote for the BAFTA Award-winning \u003ci\u003eSpitting Image\u003c\/i\u003e television puppet program satirizing politics and pop culture, and portrayed heavy metal band manager Ian Faith in Rob Reiner's mockumentary \u003ci\u003eThis is Spinal Tap\u003c\/i\u003e. He also appeared on such television shows as \u003ci\u003eMiami Vice\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eLaw and Order: Criminal Intent\u003c\/i\u003e, and cowrote the film satire \u003ci\u003eThe Great White Hype\u003c\/i\u003e starring Samuel L. Jackson and Jamie Foxx. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA frequent contributor to \u003ci\u003eNew York\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHarper's\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGQ\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eVanity Fair\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMen's Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eEsquire\u003c\/i\u003e, Hendra was the last editor-in-chief of the satirical magazine \u003ci\u003eSpy\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"St. Martins Press-3PL","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50844302541074,"sku":"9780312425395","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_21d0d70a-a422-4e1c-83cd-684ac3fefaf2.jpg?v=1737316735","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-messiah-of-morris-avenue-9780312425395","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}