Review by ShiRah185 -- Call Me Pomeroy by James Hanna

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ShiRah185
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Review by ShiRah185 -- Call Me Pomeroy by James Hanna

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[Following is a volunteer review of "Call Me Pomeroy" by James Hanna.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Call Me Pomeroy by James Hanna is a fictitious novel based on the adventures of a Vietnam War veteran who obviously lost all his marbles on the battle ground. Pomeroy has this absurd penchant for blindly and completely trusting the very snakes he should not, his parole officer being the only exception. He seemed likable at first, but I grew tired of his disconnection from reality.

He envisions himself as the most magnificent stud ever born with galactic stage presence. However, the audience will find him to be a colossal clown with delusions as numerous as the books he claims to have read while incarcerated at San Quentin.

Beware for he is severely foul-mouthed. While he certainly makes up for his many flaws with his humor, I still found that there were times when he left me totally exasperated. I kept asking myself, "How could one individual have so strong a proclivity for disaster?"

I found the parole officer and leading lady, Jessica Jimenez, to be absolutely fabulous. Her every action is completely relatable and appropriate, the protagonist being such a loose canon. She quickly became my favorite character and she is responsible for me finishing the book. I do, nevertheless, applaud Pomeroy for being so protective of the hot Latina. I was relieved that he did, after all, have some redeeming qualities.

Very sensitive women and religious types should not dive into these pages. I myself at times found Pomeroy to be unduly base and sexually crude. Neither is this novel suitable to minors. The leading character is easily deceived, disrespectful to women and he is a hell-raiser who loves to resist arrest.

Truly this is a novel of satire and political dissent. The author allows Pomeroy to tell his tale first hand using dialect rather than perfect English. Yet, as annoyed as this buffoon made me, I must admit that the story is skillfully conveyed. I greatly appreciated the Song Credits at the end. Under careful scrutiny the reader will realize that Hanna selected mostly songs which are a call to action. The majority are laments about wars in foreign lands and injustice on home soil.

The most potent statement in my judgment is,

"If votin' made a difference, folks wouldn't be allowed to do it."

Upon reading the above, the revelation came to me. We are all in a sense obscenely raving madmen like Pomeroy, all delusional and all politically impotent. For this unmasking, Mr. Hanna, I thank you.

This was not a comfortable read for me. Notwithstanding, one must accept that the truth usually is a difficult pill to swallow. It is for this reason that I do not hesitate to award Call Me Pomeroy 4 out of 4 stars.

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Call Me Pomeroy
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