God Is My Broker

By: Brother Ty, Christopher Buckley, John Tierney

Narrated by: Mark Linn-Baker

With this latest work of fiction, a collaboration with New York Times writer, John Tierney, Christopher Buckley promises to be every bit as hilarious and witty as in his previous audiobook, Thank You for Smoking.

In God Is My Broker, Buckley aims his sharp humor at the self-help gurus; and the likes of Stephen Covey, Anthony Robbins, and Deepak Chopra had better watch out. Down to their last $304, the abbots in this story make a bunch of money playing the stock market - and then get carried away in today's commercialism and self-help principles when they begin to market their homemade wine. From redecorating their decrepit digs in the "peasant chic" style to outrageous television commercials to a "Cask-cade" water slide and artificial alp behind their monastery, (and passing off "decent Chilean table wine" as their own $16 a bottle brew) these monks will stop at nothing to get to the top of the wine business!

God Is My Broker includes actual excerpts from the writings of Robbins, Chopra, and Covey, and lists hysterical questions about God, money, etc., that followers of the "program" can ask themselves!

Don't miss Christopher Buckley, Steve Martin, and other humorists discussing their craft at the New Yorker Festival.©1998 Christopher Buckley and John Tierney (P)1998 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House Inc.

what good satire is all about

I hate abridged audiobooks. You never know what you really are missing, you just know something is missing. Is it a good part, a lousy part. Is it five minutes or three-quarters of the book?

But I also love Christopher Buckley. And I am running out of his books. I reserve them for reading emergencies, but that comes along about every 3 to 4 months. I am not sure what I will do when I run out. I have listened to all of the unabridged Christopher Buckley books. Now I am going to have to work through the abridged. I picked God is My Broker, both because it looked hilarious, and because it looks like it is out of print, so it is unlikely to ever get an unabridged audiobook. And it is not available on kindle.

The set up is that Brother Ty is a monk. He was an alcoholic Wall Street trader, but he got fired and ended up in a monastery. Now sober for a couple years, his monastery is facing financial problems when God starts giving him stock tips. His abbot is convinced it is the power of positive thinking from Deepak Chopra that is providing the money. But Brother Ty knows it is actually God.

As with all of Buckley’s humor, nothing is safe. This book targets self help books, Wall Street, the Catholic Church and a host of other likely targets.

In the end, what I like about Buckley, is that he know that ideas are nothing without a story. Buckley knows how to write a story with people that you care about, even those that are not the heroes.

If you care, this is one of the cleaner stories by Buckley, no sex, barely any language. A rated PG book.

Very Amusing

I enjoyed this light read (listen) a great deal. No deeper message found within. I wouldn't spend hours discussing the story with my book club. However, this is a really fun and entertaining listen.

The funniest book you’ve never heard of!

This book is absolutely hilarious! It is well-read and well-performed by Mark Linn Baker.
Do yourself a much needed favor and listen to this one over and over.

Funny, funny; Even for an Atheist!

Would you listen to God Is My Broker again? Why?

YES!

Who was your favorite character and why?

No doubt, Brother Ty (Stock Broker)

What about Mark Linn-Baker’s performance did you like?

He did a wonderful job in slipping into each character.

What’s an idea from the book that you will remember?

That an organization is an organization (Church) is an organization and ultimately run by people who can be inclined to look to shortcuts.

Any additional comments?

Absolutely entertaining and the message about living right is so subtle in terms of being a spiritual that it could be geared toward the fundamentals of organization management.

Terrific

Laughed my way around the house. Hilarious. Start crying with laughter remembering poor brother Ty and his merry band of misfits in upstate New York.

Delightful satire

These effortless comedy relies on real self-help books to skewer the self-help craze. And given the religious wars between different self-help gurus, Chopra, Covey, and such, what better venue than a monastery? Laugh out loud!

Biting, Dry, Sarcastic, Hilarious!

Would you listen to God Is My Broker again? Why?

Probably. It's a relatively short book so I'll have to wait until I've forgotten most of it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of God Is My Broker?

The "miracle." I don't want to spoil it, but it's funny and sticks in your mind.

What about Mark Linn-Baker’s performance did you like?

He perfectly captured the author's dry, cynical humor while voicing the characters in a serious way.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Lots of laughs, especially if you like cynical satire. The author pokes fun at sacred cows and popular culture trends.

An entertaining fiction

I rate this book only three stars because the the publisher's review leads one ot believe the reader may learn something about investing. I enjoyed the book, but was disappointed because it wasn't what I expected. It is a great story and the reader is good, but don't expect to learn how to apply spirituality to your investment decisions.

A good book to help you escape

I have read/listen to three of Buckley's books and this is the one I enjoy the most. Funny and possible in today's world. The term "snow balling out of control" is a good describtion of this very funny book. My wife who is not much on listening to books can't put this one in the "off" position. Have fun and this will take you away from some of your troubles.

Another Good Chuckle from Christopher Buckley

If you're a long-time fan of Christopher Buckley's, like I am, you'll probably enjoy this novel too. If you're new to Buckley's work, I'd begin elsewhere. It's not that this book isn't good. It's a fun, quick read and well worth the time. It's just that Buckley has been so much better in his other books.

The title of this book might give some people the wrong impression. It has very little to with God and even less to do with investing. It's a satire that pokes good fun at the self-improvement industry and its gurus: Depak Chopra, Tony Robbins, Stephen Covey, et al. Chopra in particular gets hung up to some pretty harsh (and well deserved) ridicule.

The plot revolves around a group of monks in upstate New York struggling to keep their monastary/winery afloat. With their finances exhausted and the situation grim, the abbot grasps for any solution he can get. He turns to the apparent wisdom he has found in a Depak Chopra book, and, as they say, hilarity ensues.

I'm not sure why I didn't enjoy this book as much as Buckley's others. It could be that it is one of his earliest efforts (though I believe it came after the excellent "Thank You For Smoking"). It could be that he was collaborating with another author, John Tierney. It could be the hokey "meditations" at the end of each chapter. In any case, though it was funny and ejoyable, I was disappointed that it wasn't up to what I've come to expect from a Christopher Buckley novel.

If you haven't read Buckley before, I recommend that you skip this one for now and read one of these instead:

- Thank You For Smoking
- Little Green Men
- No Way to Treat a First Lady
- Supreme Courtship
- Boomsday
- Florence of Arabia
- They Eat Puppies Don't They