Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Book Giveaway of The Bible Salesman by Clyde Edgerton

Thanks to Valerie and Hatchette Book Group, we have a giveaway of 5 copies of The Bible Salesman by Clyde Edgerton.

About the Book, courtesy of the publisher:

Preston Clearwater has been a criminal since stealing two chain saws and 1,600 pairs of aviator sunglasses from the army during the Second World War. Back on the road in postwar North Carolina, now a member of a car-theft ring, he picks up hitchhiking Henry Dampier, an innocent twenty-year-old Bible salesman. Clearwater immediately recognizes Henry as smart but gullible, just the associate he needs--one who will believe Clearwater is working undercover for the F.B.I.; one who will drive the cars Clearwater steals as Clearwater follows along in his own car at a safe distance. Henry joyfully sees a chance to lead a dual life as a Bible salesman and a G-man.

During his hilarious and scary adventures, Henry grapples with doubts about the Bible's accuracy, and we learn of his fundamentalist upbringing, an upbringing that doesn't prepared him for his new life. As he falls in love with the captivating Marleen Green and questions his religious training, Henry begins to see he's being used--that he is on his own in a way he never imagined.

About the Author, courtesy of the publisher:

Clyde Edgerton is the author nine novels, a memoir, short stories, and essays. He has been a Guggenheim Fellow and five of his novels have been New York Times Notable Books. He is a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers and teaches creative writing at UNC Wilmington. He lives in Wilmington, NC, with his wife, Kristina, and their children. Learn more on Clyde Edgerton's website at http://www.clydeedgerton.com/index.html

Reading Group Guide, courtesy of the publisher:

1. Henry sells free Bibles he receives from Bible societies across the country, which he has requested under less-than-honest pretenses. Discuss how Henry reconciles his actions with his morality. Does he feel that his actions are acceptable? Do you?

2. From the moment Henry and Preston meet, Henry’s innocence contrasts with the older man’s manipulativeness. Discuss the relationship between these men. How does Henry’s naïveté ultimately allow him to upset Preston’s plans for him? In what ways are the two men similar?

3. Henry’s family is charitable (sending blankets to Yancy), but their church is sometimes harsh (warning the child Henry about being a blasphemer). How does Henry’s Uncle Jack help him navigate these contradictions?

4. How do the elderly, especially women, contribute to the comic scenes in The Bible Salesman? Does their unworldliness add to their being funny? Are they similar to Henry in this respect?

5. The Biblical characters of Abraham, his wife Sarah, and his mistress Hagar intrigue and puzzle Henry. Does his knowing their story make it easier for him to accept his attraction to Marleen Green?

6. Henry’s childhood is revealed over the course of The Bible Salesman, as are the numerous forces that shaped his Christianity—Aunt Dorie, the Bible salesman instructor, and Henry’s church, just to name a few. To what extent does each influence how he approaches his faith? How do his beliefs change over the course of the novel?

7. Although he initially views Henry as a gullible boy, Preston eventually realizes that he is not as clueless as he thought. How do you see Henry? Did your opinion change as you read? Why and in what ways?

8. Henry’s beloved Uncle Jack is ejected from a surfside club as “white trash.” Clearwater feels justified in burglarizing a plantation house owned by rich northerners in Florida. Does class conflict lead to the doctor’s death in Drain, Georgia? Or is Clearwater’s character the sole culprit?

9. In what ways does Henry mature from a child to an adult over the course of the novel? How is he still like a boy? What characters and events influence his growth? Do you think it is possible to maintain a positive outlook such as his in the face of the trials of adulthood?

10. Henry and Preston’s journey through the South is the focus of the novel, but they travel in other ways as well. How does movement, in both the physical and psychological sense, cause the characters to change? Do you think Henry would be the same man at the end of the novel had he not partnered with Preston?

11. Family reunions play a big part in Henry’s past. How does the extended family unify the disparate personalities and bloodlines in The Bible Salesman? Does it assuage the fact that Henry’s parents are absent and that his sister’s son looks nothing like his brother-in-law?

12. Did The Bible Salesman inspire you to compare parts of the Hebrew Bible to the King James Version and the Chicago Bible? If so, what differences in interpretations of the text did you find interesting?


CONTEST DETAILS

To enter, tell us your favorite book of the summer.

Rules:
Please include your email address, so that I can contact you if you win. No email address and answer, no entry. The contest is limited to US and Canada only. No P.O. boxes. The contest ends at noon on November 26, 2009.

Thanks so much, Valerie and Hatchette Book Group for this generous giveaway!

25 comments:

  1. My favorite book of the summer was, A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand.

    bgcchs(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  2. My favorite of the summer was If Angels Burn by Lynn Viehl.

    lizzi0915 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  3. The favorite book I read this summer was BoneMan's Daughters by Ted Dekker.

    rsgrandinetti@yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have read alot about this book and would really like to win it.
    My favourite book this summer was Still Life
    by Joy Fielding, a very good mystery.
    I follow by email.
    I follow by google reader.

    cenya2 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  5. my favourite book was: Eve: a novel of the first woman by elissa elliott.

    karen k
    kmkuka(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I loved 20 Boy Summer.

    mj.coward[at]gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. hard to choose but my favorite i think was
    "The Girls" lori Lansson
    wheresmyrain at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. count me in!
    My favorite book this summer was One Perfect Day!

    Thanks
    dcf_beth at verizon dot net

    ReplyDelete
  9. My favorite book this summer was The Help.

    Thanks for the chance to win.
    JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  10. I don't really have a favourite book this summer; I have read so many that have been wonderful in their own ways. 'The Lost Dog' really stuck with me, because of the "journey for that missing piece" which hit me personally. Please accept this as my entry. Thank you!

    Aliya D.
    aliyadaya(at)shaw(dot)ca

    ReplyDelete
  11. My favorite book was Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews.

    Thanks! :0)
    librarygrinch at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  12. one book I read this summer that I enjoyed was Beyond Reach by Karin slaughter

    tiramisu392 (at) yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Turning Japanese.

    dorcontest at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  14. My favourite book this summer was Poison Study

    alannakurt at gmail dot com

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I've really enjoyed the sookie stack house series
    amanda
    catss99@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. I liked Swimsuit by James Patterson.

    rhoneygtn at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Three weeks with my brother was my favorite so far.
    I would love to win this book!

    robby1_asst at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  18. Mine was The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

    Thanks for the lovely giveaway.
    s.mickelson at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  19. fave book this summer was Alex Cross's Trial
    copperllama at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  20. Subscriber and follower

    My favourite book this summer was Healing Stones by Nancy Rue and Stephen Arterburn.

    alongtheway(at)telus(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  21. My favorite book of the summer was "East of the Sun" by Julia Gregson.
    Thanks ~ megalon22{at}yahoo{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  22. My favorite book this summer was Off Season by Ann River Siddoms

    chocolate and croissants at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  23. I'm also a follower.

    sharon54220@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  24. How do you choose a favorite book. I've read so many, I can't choose.

    sharon54220@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  25. Breaking the Bank! Aitmama {{ta}} gmail {{tod}} com

    ReplyDelete