Review by Anonymouskern -- Call Me Pomeroy by James Hanna

[Anonymouskern]

[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 about the protagonist Edward Beasley, who being recently released from prison and on parole, is waiting to be discovered as the next big thing in the music industry. Beasley, also known as Pomeroy, is swept up in a frenzy of revolution and radical protesters, which leave a trail of chaos and anarchy. Pomeroy, is ready to do anything to become famous and get his million-dollar record deal, even if it means prison.

This is a short novel standing at 183 pages divided into 6 chapters, and told in the untrustworthy, egocentric, delusional narrative of Edward Beasley. The entire book is written in a dialectic slang that the author expertly uses to acquaint ourselves intimately with the character Pomeroy. Simultaneously the author uses the slang and conversations in the book to provide a whimsical rhythmic read that is very quick and easy. There were no grammatical errors, it was concise, and it looked professionally edited.

Pomeroy begins his journey joining the Occupy Oakland movement where he showcases his epic guitar wielding ability to his ‘groupies’, by bashing cops and strumming his working-class ditty “Ants in My Pants”. Pomeroy’s catchy song escalates to a worldwide anarchist anthem. This all happens at the expense and distress of Pomeroy’s parole officer, Jessica Jiménez, who Pomeroy disappoints time after time. Like Jessica, we are conflicted with the very flawed character of Pomeroy. Between his misogynistic remarks and his controversial behavior, it’s a wonder why we sympathize with him at all. E. Brandan Hart described it well when he wrote in the foreword; “His thoughts about women may be antiquated, and he might be a tad narcissistic, and his optimism might be so blind that it leads him to the edge of the cliff, but he’s honest.”

A tad narcissistic is putting it kindly, but this ‘honesty’ is what makes the character well developed and real. James Hanna’s previous career in the criminal justice system is what must give this sense of authenticity. In consequence, this allows a freedom for the author to comically write Pomeroy’s antics. The book is paced at a high tempo with a rhythmic beat that often breaks into song. The jokes, like the tempo, come at you fast and quick. For the sheer amount of jokes crammed into this short book, it is a testament to James Hanna that so many of them actually make you laugh out loud. The book calls on all its wit from pop cultural references, politics, and sex!

There is political satire throughout the book mainly from the anarchist perspective. These outsiders, who don’t conform to societies’ rigorous rules, are vehemently against the powerful elite and will protest and create havoc whenever they get the opportunity. Hanna did not glorify these groups of radicalized thinkers and often made fun of them in all their extremism. However, through this thick viscous madness cuts sharp observations of hypocrisy and inequality that is systemic in modern culture.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed the fast paced politically incorrect humor, the pop cultural references, and most of all, the book didn’t take itself seriously. I did have some qualms with aspects of the plot; it felt repetitive at times, and the ending seemed to convey a message that wasn’t consistent with the rest of the novel. However, this is my own personal bias for how I like story structure, so objectively another reader may have really enjoyed the plot and ending. Bottom line, it is a quick entertaining read that will make you laugh out loud and that is why I gave it full stars.

Disclaimer: the humor is offensive full of profanities and sex. You will know in the first two pages whether you will like the book or not.

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Call Me Pomeroy
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