What Would Jesus Buy?: Fabulous Prayers in the Face of the Shopocalypse

Billy, the ringleader of the ""Church of Stop Shopping""-whose protests have gotten him arrested multiple times-presents his philosophy and plan of action in this tongue-in-cheek guide to buying less and loving more-what Billy calls the ""Love-a-Lujah Revival."" Despite this welcome thesis, Billy's mission barely gets off the ground amid his slim volume's jokey tone. With a sermon-like delivery, Billy can prove amusing in small doses, but quickly overwhelms readers with too many odd phrasings, vain attempts at comedy and random capitalization: ""Let me ask you a question. IS THERE ANYONE HERE AMONG US WHO HAS NOT BEEN CHASED DOWN AND KILLED BY A DISCOUNTED LUXURY ITEM?"" Paradoxically, Billy's plea for honest expression gets mired in new-age vagary: ""We have learned in the Church of Stop Shopping that memory reclamation is key, then sharing and comparing."" Even when these kinds of statements get proper support, they're undermined by Billy's punch-line-happy prose, making it tough to take the actor/activist/author seriously. Relentlessly sarcastic, deadly repetitive and almost entirely reference-free, this book feels more like an attention-getting device than an earnest attempt at either social change or satire.