Review of Working At The Warehouse

[Em Gun]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Working At The Warehouse" by Jerry A. Greenberg.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Lew Thompson works at a warehouse that specializes in religious items, and his life is changed when the warehouse receives an anonymous shipment of 10,000-year-old prayers. What follows in Jerry A Greenberg's Working at the Warehouse is a series of adventures including Interpol, Elvis sandwiches, and a talking monkey. When the mysterious Ahmad drugs Lew with B824JX, a drug that makes the consumer undeniably charismatic, Ahmad tasks Lew with becoming a messiah and spreading the message that organized religion has become corrupt in its monetization of religion. In reality, religion should come from within. Lew and his warehouse crew are challenged by both Ahmad and the powerful Almighty Dollar Foundation, and the group must figure out how to band together in defeating both.

Greenberg's novel is creative and funny as it keeps the story moving along with interesting twists and turns. The author mixes religious philosophy with an easy-to-understand plot that keeps the message from being preachy or overbearing. This is not what a reader may picture when they think of a religious text-- on the contrary, Greenberg has figured out how to mix humor and religion without complications.

However, Greenberg's humor and message may be lost on some readers when the sexist and racist stereotypes are considered. When women are described, they are more often than not described by how men view their bodies. Delores is characterized as overly sexual and "voluptuous", and is not afforded much personality past that. Ahmad is characterized as an ethnically mysterious terrorist, playing into multiple racist stereotypes. The story is also hard to follow and confusing at points because of Greenberg's grammar and sentence structure.

I rate this novel a 2 out of 4 because while these stereotypes are noticeable, the religious philosophy is intriguing in its assimilation into the fantasy and fun of the story. Although the message becomes repetitive at points, it becomes understandable and relatable in its repetition.

I recommend this novel to anyone who is interested in religion and is open to critiquing it and how it has evolved. I also recommend it to people who are fans of fantasy and satire.

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Working At The Warehouse
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