God Does Have a Sense of Humor (Rob Ballister)

I bought this book as a gift for my parents who are dealing with cancer and could use something to brighten their day. It looked promising, but I was let down. I was under the impression that it was a witty book revolving around cancer survival, but instead I found a mishmash of essays and memoirs on nothing in particular, sometimes involving cancer, and rarely impressive. I'm sad to say it came off as amateurish, and I gave my parents a different book (No Place Like Hope). I noticed after I'd bought it that this book was published by a self-publishing company, not a "real" one. If I'd seen that before, I might have saved myself some time. As it was, the most charitable thing I can say about it is that while it wasn't as good as I'd hoped, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. And there may be better material in the parts I didn't read. For the author's sake, I hope so.

When I first saw the cover of Rob Ballister's book with the bed-ridden cancer patient, giant chipmunk, priest and big-busted women, I thought, "Oh, no, some existentialist garbage novel with cliched sick room jokes ending with his traditional, further cliched religious beliefs about his mortality, going into the light, meeting Jesus, and getting off on cancer drugs. Boy was I wrong. Opening the book at random, I began with his vignette, "Christmas in Gingerbread Hell," where his girlfriend keeps the $71.48 gingerbread house gingerly deconstructed by Rob in a bonding frenzy - but gets rid of him. From that story, I was enticed, or rather, hooked further to read the irresistably funny titles, such as: "Why I'm Banished from Victoria's Secret"; "Cindy Brady and the Evils of Nickel Beer Night, "The Appliance Strikes Back," and others. Soon, very soon, I was shrieking with laughter, and as I was at work, my boss assumed I was having reverse PMS. Ballister's writing is in a wor... Read more

After laughing along with Rob Ballister as he tells about his childhood, his bachelor life and dealing with every curve ball and screw ball life throws at him, I can hardly wait for the next installment. The book is well written as a series of essays that stand alone as humorous antidotes on life. As the author states in his forward, "These stories are not intended to educate or preach... but entertain. Some are almost completely fact, because it can be stranger than fiction. Some are absolutely fabricated. Most are somewhere in between." His mixture of fact and fiction is right on target and will make anyone laugh.

Rob Ballister shares his one-of-a-kind sense of humor in this wonderful collection of essays. Ballister's honest appraisal and lack of fear when expressing his emotions exemplify the best kind of writing--from the heart. Whether you're a cancer survivor, US Navy Officer, Sailor or USNA grad, you'll appreciate Ballister's candid and revealing examination of life as he's experienced it. This is a MUST READ for anyone seeking inspiration or the desire to make sense of the craziness of their life.

They say that laughing actually has medicinal value. If that's the case, then this book is truly theraputic. if you are looking for an interesting title that will make you laugh out loud - this is the book to take to the beach this summer!