"New Jesus"

Submitted by LT_Sargent on Tue, 05/05/2020 - 10:30
Title"New Jesus"
Year for Search2019
AuthorsOrange, Tommy(b. 1982)
Secondary TitleMcSweeney’s 58. 2040 A.D.
Volume / Edition58
Pagination66-75
Date Published2019
PublisherMcSweeney’s Quarterly Concern
Place PublishedSan Francisco, CA
KeywordsMale author, Native American author
Annotation

The story is set in Oakland, California, which is now at sea level and most of the time Oaklanders are walking through water and most people had left for higher ground or moved onto a boat. The story concerns the impact of stories of a New Jesus is not the Second Coming but “lives in each of us and in our action. . . . New Jesus is our cooperation with each other and with the earth” (69). The protagonist rejects and makes fun of his niece, who is telling him and his wife about the New Jesus.

Info Notes

The authors of the stories were each “assigned a specific climate event mentioned” in the 2018 UN climate report collaborating with experts recommended by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) who “provide a scientific backbone” for the stories while giving the writers free rein to determine how closely they adhered to that science” (6-7). The Introduction to the volume (7-12) is by Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, Chief Program Officer of the NDRC.

Illustration

Illus. Wesley Allsbrook
Holding Institutions

PSt, PU
Author Note

The Native American (Cheyenne and Arapaho) author (b. 1982) was born and raised in Oakland.
Full Text

2019 Orange, Tommy. “New Jesus.” Illus. Wesley Allsbrook. 2040 A.D. McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern 58 (Winter 2019): 67-75. PSt, PU

The story is set in Oakland, California, which is now at sea level and most of the time Oaklanders are walking through water and most people had left for higher ground or moved onto a boat. The story concerns the impact of stories of a New Jesus is not the Second Coming but “lives in each of us and in our action. . . . New Jesus is our cooperation with each other and with the earth” (69). The protagonist rejects and makes fun of his niece, who is telling him and his wife about the New Jesus. The authors of the stories were each “assigned a specific climate event mentioned” in the 2018 UN climate report collaborating with experts recommended by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) who “provide a scientific backbone” for the stories while giving the writers free rein to determine how closely they adhered to that science” (6-7). The Introduction to the volume (7-12) is by Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, Chief Program Officer of the NDRC. The Native American (Cheyenne and Arapaho) author was born and raised in Oakland.