The Gospel According to Larry

The Gospel According to Larry (Gospel According to Larry #1)

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3.82 of 5 stars 3.82  ·  rating details  ·  1,926 ratings  ·  246 reviews
Josh Swenson is not your average seventeen-year-old. At the age of two, he was figuring out algebraic equations with colored magnetic numbers. He is a prodigy who had always enjoyed learning. And he's only wanted one thing his entire life-to contribute and make the world a better place.
Josh's wish comes true when his virtual alter ego, Larry, becomes a huge media sensatio...more
Paperback, 219 pages
Published May 13th 2003 by Laurel Leaf (first published June 1st 2001)
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Jackie "the Librarian"
Aug 27, 2008 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: environmentally minded teens 13 and up
The kids in my teen book group loved this, it really captured their imaginations. Josh is a high school kid posting editorials under the guise of his alterego, Larry. Josh loves to hike and spend days outdoors alone. His favorite book is Walden. He rails against consumerism and our shallow infotainment culture, and finds himself a cult hit in his high school.

He teases his readers with clues to his identity. For example, he keeps his possessions at 75 items, so if he gets something new, he has t...more
Jennifer Wardrip
Reviewed by Taylor Rector for TeensReadToo.com

Josh is a bored seventeen-year-old genius. That is just a recipe for disaster!

Just for something to do, he creates a website where he posts all of his rants about our celebrity-obsessed culture, anti-communism, and any other random thing that he thinks of. Josh names his site "The Gospel According To Larry" because that is the most unreligious name he could possibly think of. He's getting two or three hits a day, until some kids from his school find...more
Deborah
TEEN LIT. ---Loved it.
All Josh wants to do is make a difference in the world, and he does this by starting a website called the Gospel According to Larry. As Larry, he can rant all he wants about the ills of society...mainly consumerism, materialism, celebrity worship, etc. He soon becomes so popular, that he has become everything he hates...a brand name. I think what I loved most about this book was his relationship with his dead mother, whom he talks to frequently at the Bloomingdale cosmetic...more
Jennie
Initially I was amused by the layout of the book- the typewritten manuscript, the pictures and the wrap around story. Tashjian sells a convincing tale with these elements. However, I was rather dissapointed in the ending. Also I felt Josh’s rants were too unoriginal to fuel the amount of fame and hype that he received from his website.

Most teenagers would probably enjoy Josh’s story. Also the dark side of Internet fame is a modern reality. The book’s strongest message regards the repercussions...more
Mr.G
Josh Swensen starts a blog called "the Gospel According to Larry" in which he shares his thoughts about high school, relationships, commercials, and God. His website rapidly becomes the most popular at his school, in his city, and in the world. Bands like U2 participate in "Larryfest", politicians opine on it, cable news shows debate it, and the true identity of Larry becomes the obsession of people everywhere.
How will the world react when Josh's secret gets out. And more importantly, how will...more
Chrissie
Still not sure how to rate this. Halfway through the book, I decided to give this 2 stars, 'cause of the improbable transition of scenes. I'm not buying into the sudden rise of fame (call it cult if you must) of the Larry website, as I think that his "sermons" are not really worth that much hype. I mean, I can also make a blog and rant about the corruption in my country and still would be overlooked because I'll only be stating the obvious, so what's the point? What I'm trying to say is, the pro...more
Gemma
The closest thing I can compare the Gospel According to Larry is the Dark Knight movies, which have been on my mind recently (can't help it; I'm geeking out again).

Josh is Bruce, and Larry is his Batman. No one really listens to him as Josh, but when he's Larry, he becomes a powerful force who stirs both a cult following and some haters.

Betagold is the Joker, constantly asking for Larry to be unmasked and threatening to blow up hospitals sign a petition if Larry doesn't reveal his true identity...more
Tessa
I thought this was going to be a lighter story than it was, and was glad that it wasn't. There are a lot of parallels between this and Destroy All Cars, but not so many that one could replace the other, and I wish I'd known a ranty, environmentally-minded but sweet and funny boy in my adolescence so he could be secretly or not-so-secretly in love with me. But I digress.

Although Josh's voice has a little too much Janet T. behind it, he's definitely a type that is around, so even though the plot g...more
Cassandra Barboza
The Gospel According to Larry was a book that I found in seventh grade and I constantly return to it, especially when I feel stressed from the constant consumerism that goes on all around me and when I feel like a hermit. It's a book that gives me a sense of people always being able to take back some control in their lives if they are willing to make the choice and the idea that we can't always prevent our secrets from blowing up in our faces. It was also the book that inspired me to read Thorea...more
Pam
Teens love this book. I completely understand why after almost 10 years this book still flies off the shelf at the school library. Tashjian captures the teen psyche and the way kids are trying to figure out their views and beliefs in life during this time with "rules for life" and "the best way to..." sort of thoughts that preoccupy teens.

Josh is a geeky over the top bright senior who creates an alter ego that helps him express his views on the world, his philosophy, and his beliefs about how pe...more
Scarlett Sims
This book was... disappointing. I picked it up at a thrift store after hearing a classmate book-talk it. It sounded like a contemporary version of Valentine and Ender's brother... I forget his name... hang on, Wiki-ing... Peter... yes so it sounded sort of like a contemporary YA version of what they did.

For the first half of the book, I really didn't like it. It had a very blatant anti-consumerism message. I don't necessarily have a problem with the message, it was just very Anvilicious and I fi...more
Robin Cicchetti
Inspired by Thoreau's messages of simplicity and anti-materialism, Larry is an Internet sensation with millions of followers. His "gospel" rails against the cult of celebrity and our consumer culture, and it resonates with people around the world who form clubs and discussion groups to more fully explore Larry's ideas. There is a manic fascination as to the true identity of Larry with reporters sniffing out every clue in a race to "out" this spiritual guru of contemporary culture.

There is only o...more
Emma
Sep 13, 2009 Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Jill
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Kathryn
Super easy read (finished in two days?! unheard of!), with a fun and interesting plot. I actually picked the book off of the Summer Reading shelf at the library (yes, I deprived some poor student of checking it out from the library for free, but I didn't need to borrow it for long!), and I thought it was a great book for students.

Evaluating it from an educational perspective (not that I'm a professional educator or anything), I thought it had a lot of great themes for youth to discuss. I was imp...more
Gorfo
This book is an attack on consumerism and how shallow the world has become, it's about how most of us would die before we even ate a breakfast cereal without a label. Sadly it's true. How many times have you scoffed at something because it was obscure of foreign? Why do we choose labels instead of the unknown? We choose them because they make us feel safe, they make us feel like we fit in, like we're a part of our society, they make us feel important. We're glued to the media stuck on the latest...more
Handan
Summary
Framed as a manuscript given to the author by a scruffy, secretive young man, this is the story of Larry, a blogger who calls out America's greed and corruptions in the everyday in "sermons" he posts. It is also the story of Josh, who (spoiler) happens to be Larry. Josh purposefully is not forward in real life, he can't even tell his best friend Beth how much he loves her, and is an inconspicuous as possible. He'll leave for days to get back to nature and be at peace (very Thoreau/Zen) an...more
Elaina
The Gospel According to Larry is my favorite realistic fiction novel of all time. At the beginning, it seems like a regular book, but towards the end, you realize that it's so much more. The most moving part for me would be when Josh/Larry decides to commit pseudocide. From that point on in the book, it becomes a much more emotional book than expected. I think one of the best themes in this book is fame. When people don't know who Larry is, they celebrate kindness and non-commercialism. But as s...more
Jeremy
I'm afraid I found it tedious. The characters behaved according to the plot, and not like real people. There was not a single three-dimensional character to be found, not even the ones that thought they were. It was hard to say when any of them behaved out of character, since their characters were very unestablished.

It made me hate teenagers, and I usually like teenagers. I was frustrated with the way Josh felt and acted toward the lady who was dating his step-dad, because I thought he should ha...more
Kaylee~
I was VERY impressed with this book. It most definetely deserves more than just five stars. I'd give it a hundred, if that was an option. It meant a whole lot to me... but let the rant begin:

So... I don't know how to start it, so it might be totally off track. So what's with this betagold chick? Doesn't she HAVE a life? I mean, give me a f*cking break. Why would you set out to ruin someone's life for them? How inconsiderate. People are assholes, all they want is money. MONEY ISN'T IMPORTANT(ok,...more
Maggie Hargrave
I didn't know anything about this book when I started reading it, but I'm glad I picked it up. At times it became a little preachy and redundant, but the message was good. I wish the author had spent time explaining why Betagold wants to unmask "Larry." Readers know about Josh's motivation and even some of Beth's actions are explained, but never this character who changes the entire plot.

One major problem I had with the audio is the "Author's note" and "Epilogue" narration. I think it was read b...more
Alicia
This book is hysterical and I think kids would get a kick out if, especially since the world revolves around the Internet. Larry creates a character which people stand up and listen to, create music fests for, and always want to listen to-- his message is going to change the way commercialism is seen. But, when he gets caught, does his stepfather feel like he's done the right thing?
Megan
I was interested to see how a book written in 2000 and dependent on the internet as a major plot device would shake out. I have a theory about the shelf life of YA fiction -- in many cases, it's no better than dairy. This book falls victim to that. The idea of someone posting anonymous manifestos is foreign now, in a world where almost everyone has some kind of web presence. People who "hide" online aren't seen as mysterious -- they're creepy. Regardless, I had a difficult time swallowing Larry'...more
Susan
Though it's not a new-new book, it's just as on-the-button relevant now as ever. Josh is just a boy with a blog, until the blog takes off (and along with it, Larry--his online persona) and suddenly he has to deal with all the pros and cons of sudden fame and living in the spotlight, and what this will mean to his friendships. In that sense, you could almost see this book as an Audrey, Wait! from the male perspective. The message that "Larry" promotes in his humorous and thought-provoking blog ra...more
Avery Barnes
Every now and then you will come across a book that will open your eyes to something you would have never thought about. As a society we tend to oppress members of it. This rings true for the books main character Josh. He is pretty much a lost soul in the start of the book. He has one best friend Beth, and a dead mother. His life has not much going for it. That sort of changes when his web page makes the big time! I say sort of because he still hides under a screen-name "Larry". Its all fine unt...more
Angela
Super-smart seventeen-year-old Josh is always looking for ways to change the world, and also to alleviate his boredom. He believes strongly in Henry David Thoreau’s philosophy of owning only a few necessary possessions, and he also believes strongly that he and his best friend Beth should be more than just best friends. When Josh’s website, written under the pseudonym Larry, goes viral, Josh faces some tough decisions. How does he tell Beth (Larry’s number one fan) that he’s Larry? How can he st...more
Ellen Brandt
A brilliant, but socially awkward teenager wants to honor his mother's memory by doing something to change the world. He creates a blog in which, under the pseudonym of Larry, he preaches against rife consumerism/materialism. Larry's sermons become topics of conversation for high school students around the world (including at his own school). Soon there are Larry clubs and Larry gatherings and Larry concerts.

I was intrigued by the premise, and loved the message, but in the end, I just couldn't...more
Abby Johnson
Josh and his best friend (and secret love interest) Beth are obsessed with a mysterious online prophet who calls himself Larry. Little does Beth know that Josh is the mastermind behind the website. When "Larry" explodes in popularity, Josh will find that making a difference in the world isn't as easy as he'd thought.

I really, really enjoyed this audiobook. It's expertly narrated by an actor who sounds a little bit like John Green (*swoon*). If it hadn't been a bit overproduced (didn't need thos...more
Jennifer Griffith
Okay, it was really well written. I can see the author has skills. I found it when I was browsing the YA section of our library and I can see why it's a YA read. The Larry character is a mysterious blogger who changes the words with his anti-commercialism posts. It was written in the early days of blogging, and now, 10 years later, the likelihood of the impact of a single blog seems a little low. Hindsight, unfortunately, dulls the concept. Also, the diet of liberal tirade wears a little thin on...more
Jen
The title teen is disgusted with the rampant materialism he sees in society and goes about critiquing it with a subversive and controversial website. I think 8th and 9th graders who embrace their uniqueness might identify with this one.
Angela
This book has a special way of writing; footnotes at the end of pages that explain a certain word or topic more clearly. As in getting the point across in a completely different way. I wish the ending was different though.
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what. the. heck?!?! 3 16 Nov 01, 2011 11:49am  
The Gospel According to Larry (Gospel According to Larry, #1)
The Gospel According to Larry (Gospel According to Larry, #1)
The Gospel According to Larry (Hardcover)
Gospel According to (Lib)(CD)
The Gospel According to Larry (Hardcover)

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I write almost every day. If I don't, the words start backing up inside me and it gets ugly fast. My mind pretty much never stops -- I have more ideas than time to write them in. Nothing makes me happier than coming up with characters and story lines for a new project. My family and friends very graciously put up with my barrage of new ideas.

I grew up in East Providence, Rhode Island. My father wa...more
More about Janet Tashjian...
My Life as a Book Vote for Larry (Gospel According to Larry, #2) Fault Line My Life as a Stuntboy Multiple Choice

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