Coaltown Jesus
Written by Ron Koertge
Narrated by Nick Podehl
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
"I would have been here sooner, but traffic on I-55 was awful."
Walker shouldn't be so surprised to find Jesus standing in the middle of his bedroom. After all, he prayed for whoever was up there to help his mom, who hasn't stopped crying since Noah died, two months ago. But since when have prayers actually been answered? And since when has Jesus been so...irreverent?
As astounding as Jesus' sudden appearance is, it's going to take more than divine intervention for Walker to come to terms with his brother's death. Why would God take seventeen-year-old Noah when half of the residents in his mom's nursing home are waiting to die? And why would he send Jesus to Coaltown, Illinois, to pick up the pieces? If he really wanted to help, why couldn't he have kept Noah from dying?
In a spare, weighty, and often humorous text, renowned poet Ron Koertge tackles some of life's biggest questions-and humanizes the savior in a way that highlights the divinity in all of us.
Ron Koertge
Ron Koertge is the author of many acclaimed novels for young people, including Stoner & Spaz and Shakespeare Bats Cleanup. A two-time winner of the PEN Award, Ron lives in South Pasadena, California, where he is currently the city’s poet laureate.
Related to Coaltown Jesus
Related audiobooks
Vivian Apple Needs a Miracle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTen Miles Past Normal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Paper Covers Rock Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Once More to the Rodeo: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Two Moms: Lessons of Love, Strength, and What Makes a Family Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lost Kites and Other Treasures Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Never Said Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Boy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Beauty Mark: A Verse Novel of Marilyn Monroe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hello Now Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Y Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unbeatable Lily Hong Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWholly Jesus Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Torch Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kian and Jc: Don't Try This at Home! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Matteo Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Easy Part of Impossible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Twenty-One: The True Story of the Youth Who Sued the US Government Over Climate Change Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThis Might Hurt a Bit Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rats Saw God Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSin Bravely: A Memoir of Spiritual Disobedience Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On the Outskirts of Normal Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSerious Sweet Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Carnival at Bray Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Devoted Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Redwoods and Whales: Becoming Who You Actually Are Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Kinda Like Grace: A Homeless Man, a Broken Woman, and the Decision That Made Them Family Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Out of Focus: My Story of Sexuality, Shame, and Toxic Evangelicalism Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
YA Religious For You
Artifice Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Outdated: Find Love That Lasts When Dating Has Changed Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5UFO of GOD: The Extraordinary True Story of Chris Bledsoe Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Today Tonight Tomorrow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Very Large Expanse of Sea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chosen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Four: The Initiate Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Circle Maker Student Edition: Dream big, Pray hard, Think long. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Brave: A Teen Girl's Guide to Beating Worry and Anxiety Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Opal: A Raven Cycle Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crazy Dangerous Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Purpose Driven Life Selected Thoughts and Scriptures for the Graduate Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Live on Purpose: 100 Devotions for Letting Go of Fear and Following God Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Story of God's Love for You Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Teen's Guide to the 5 Love Languages: How to Understand Yourself and Improve All Your Relationships Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Set Fire to the Gods Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Awakening of Malcolm X: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5When the Angels Left the Old Country Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Live Fearless: A Call to Power, Passion, and Purpose Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Healer's Apprentice Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Straight Up: Honest, Unfiltered, As-Real-As-I-Can-Put-It Advice for Life’s Biggest Challenges Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Live: remain alive, be alive at a specified time, have an exciting or fulfilling life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5On Wings of Ash and Dust Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rumble Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An Emotion of Great Delight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Renegade Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Infidel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In the Hall of the Dragon King: The Dragon King Trilogy - Book 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Coaltown Jesus
29 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Walker, a teenager grieving his brother's death, gets a visit from Jesus after praying for help. He and his mother, who live above the nursing home she runs, have been struggling to deal with Noah's death. This modern day Jesus spends some time with Walker and helps him come to terms with his loss. This is a very quick read, written in verse, and in a lighthearted, humorous manner despite the heavier content. Good pick for reluctant readers. Lexile: 390AR BL: 3.1Recommended for: teens/tweens
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jesus comes to Coaltown to comfort a grieving teen. Slim but funny and poignant. Raises some big ideas worthy of pondering. A savior that sports Chuck Taylor high tops is alright with me.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Written in verse, this is a quick read and is a good choice for reluctant readers. Walker and his mother are grieving over the loss of Walker's brother Noah. A highly unconventional Jesus appears in response to a plea from Walker. This has a light touch so as not to turn off readers but it is thought provoking.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book was recommended to me because it was a book in verse. It is a small book and therefore a quick read. What would you do if your brother died and you kept praying for God to take your mother's grief away and suddenly Jesus is in your bedroom. A nice book about healing after death.