Book Review: Pimp in the Pulpit, Parts 1 & 2 by Thomas McRae

Have you ever looked on Amazon or perused a bookstore and decided to check out a book based off of its title alone? Well that was what happened to me when I discovered author Thomas McRae’s books, Pimp in the Pulpit and Pimp in the Pulpit, Part II.

The Pimp in the Pulpit series documents the life and times of a highly dysfunctional family, as told by the main character and member of the family, Edward Jones. Edward seems to be the most normal, level-headed member of the family because the stories he told about his relatives were crazy! Stolen money, kids cussing out parents, crazy parties – you name it, it’s probably in this book!

I’ll be honest, when I first heard the title, I just assumed that it was going to be able to crooked preacher or something. I was off by a good bit, but it’s cool….

Interestingly enough, McRae wrote a disclaimer in the beginning of the book claiming that these stories were based on actual happenings in his family, so you can only understand how much of a page-turner this was.

Were the characters relatable? Yes. Larger than life, but still relatable. There was so much going on that sometimes it was hard to keep up with the characters, but the drama was all there!

I enjoyed reading the book, but I honestly just wish that the stories would have been put in a different order. I feel like sometimes the stories didn’t have a good flow and kind of jumped around the way they were arranged, so if I could change anything I would have changed that in both books.

Now Pimp in the Pulpit seemed to center most around Minister Tierra Joy, Edward’s aunt, who is a sneaky, manipulative, thief and pro storyteller who is always starting some kind of drama with her other colorful family members. Whether she’s stealing money for a retreat out of town, fussing about and throwing parties, or just saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, she keeps you on your toes, that’s for sure. So with that being said, the title made sense.

Pimp in the Pulpit II seems to focus more on the family and their antics in general. Fighting at funerals, getting kicked out of amusement parks, holiday craziness……you name it!!

It was really something else; however, I don’t know if I would have made this Pimp in the Pulpit, Part II. I honestly would have given it a whole other title so it would fit the content.

How would I rate Pimp in the Pulpit, I and II?

I give these a solid three stars! The stories were solid, but I just think if they would have been arranged differently and possibly fleshed out a bit more, it would have gotten 4.5-5 stars. But overall, it was a really solid book!

You can purchase Thomas McRae’s books on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. And be sure to stay tuned because I’ll be releasing an exclusive interview with him next week!