Jesus' son
stories
by Denis Johnson · first published 1992
3mentions
2recommended by
3HN commenters
2017–2024first – last mentioned
67% recommend33% neutral
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…and practical discussion between two lovers of language. I keep a copy with me at all times. The Autobiography of Gucci Mane: Just a fun read while on vacation. "If Gucci can do it, you can do it". Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson: A nice if brutal read. It was my first foray in DJ. I felt Cormac McCarthyish vibes. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy: A classic. The Judge. Thinking About Mathematics by Stuart Shapiro:…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗Fair point. I think a lot depends on how "real" the protagonist is. I have read and enjoyed several works with protagonists who make choices that extremely different from my own. Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson comes to mind. Hardly any character in it is good or admirable, but it is written well enough to illuminate why they behave that way, and the rewards that offers. IMO, TFA doesn't pull…
on “It's not what the world needs right now” ↗…nearly transcending the art, as far as my taste is concerned. You don't exactly read Johnson for his plotting. The magic is in getting lost in the sentences, in the weird and painful beauty they open up. Jesus' Son is his most famous book, but his other works have that same characteristic: Turns of phrase and shocking ways-of-seeing that reveal the world's strangeness and fragility. I think of it as the "cradling…
on “Denis Johnson Has Died” ↗