This is the funniest book about a fictitious Quaker paster I have read this week. Maybe even in the past month. Below is my “Home to Harmony” book review.
What now about a Quaker pastor?
First of all, if you googled “What is a Quaker pastor?”, you are not alone. I had heard of Quakers but didn’t know much about them besides the guy on the oatmeal box. Which is to say, I was very ignorant, per usual.
Before I say something dumb….well something even dumber than the oatmeal guy reference, here is a quick study on the Quaker “Religious Society of Friends”:
Isn’t that interesting? You read all of it, right? If not, the important thing to know, or at least for purposes of this book review is that Quakers are Christian, or Christian-adjacent (but sometimes not Christian at all.) And they call their church a meeting of “Friends”, which is pretty cool because that’s how I address people when I send a group email! This book is about a fictitious Quaker paster who comes home (Harmony) to lead a “Friends” Meeting. The author (Philip Gulley) is ACTUALLY a Quaker pastor writing a fictitious tale about a Quaker pastor. I’m guessing he sprinkled in some tales influenced by his real life. He indicates that the similarities between the characters in the book and people in real life are just coincidental.
“Except that I know a man who is every bit as aggravating as Dale Hinshaw.” – Philip Gulley
Who is Philip Gulley?
He’s a Quaker pastor, writer, and other things. He probably explains himself better on his own website:
www.philipgulley.com/about-philip-gulley/
What is Home to Harmony About?
“Home to Harmony” by Philip Gulley is a delightful slice of small-town life featuring the aforementioned fictitious Quaker pastor (a.k.a. Sam Gardner.) Sam returns to his hometown of Harmony, Indiana, to become the pastor of the local church. It’s the classic story of going back to your roots. Sam’s roots come with quirky neighbors, potluck dinners, and debates over low-flow toilets.
Each chapter is a stand-alone short story that ends with a life lesson or “moral of the story”. The stories are delivered via first-person narration from Sam. His accounts flow like a G-rated sitcom/sermon focusing on the flawed, yet lovable characters of Harmony. Their adventures are sprinkled with inspiration, nuggets of wisdom, faith, and …sarcasm. Gulley speaks through his protagonist Sam Gardner with a masterful tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic spin. His observations about small-town life and leading his eccentric flock of faithful followers are hilarious and often poignant.
Home to Harmony is quintessential Americana. Think Garrison Keillor, baseball game, and Dairy Queen. Even the book’s cover art looks like a Grant Wood painting!
This is the first of 8 books in Gulley’s Home to Harmony Series. It covers Sam Gardner’s first year returning to his hometown.
Now onto the ranking of Home to Harmony!
My innovative system for rating humor books is explained here
Wholesomeness Score: 5/5
Pretty dang squeaky clean! Sorry, pretty DARN squeaky clean! Finally, a CLEAN funny book seems to be difficult these days. I was more than pleasantly surprised by the wholesomeness. While definitely a faith-themed read, Gulley hits universal themes of love, tolerance, acceptance, and hope. It’s not exclusively for the Christian and/or Quaker crowd. (Is there a Quaker “crowd”?)
Hilarity Score: 4/5
Sarcasm, tongue-in-cheek, outrageous characters. Don’t let the wholesomeness fool you – this book is funny.
“When I was in second grade, my teacher, Miss Maxwell, read from The Harmony Herald that one in every four children lived in China. I remember looking over the room, guessing which children they might be.“
-Sam Gardner, but actually Phillip Gulley, Home to Harmony
Gulley acknowledges the sheltered, and sometimes outright ignorance born of small-town living. And he pokes fun at it.
“Both his parents had died of heart problems, which he feared would happen to him, so he’d begun to jog and was hit by a truck.”
-Phillip Gulley, Home to Harmony
Don’t worry, that wasn’t a sad part of the story. It’s fine. On a related note…
“For a minister, that was pretty inconsiderate of him to go and get killed during Lent,” she said.””
-Phillip Gulley, Home to Harmony
“I kissed her. Then we did something else, on which I won’t elaborate because I’m a traditionalist”
-Phillip Gulley, Home to Harmony
This is the most risque part of the book. Sorry if I’ve offended anyone with this rubbish.
Overall Book Awesomeness Score: 4.5/5
This book is highly awesome. It felt very familiar to me – short, wholesome, relatable stories with a few jokes, goofy characters, and ending with a universal life lesson. (Like MY book, I’m talking about MY book!) I will be reading the rest of the Home to Harmony series and other offerings from Phillip Gulley!
Conclusion: Home to Harmony Book Review
“Home to Harmony” is a wholesomely hilarious story about returning to your roots. If you like clean humor, small-town nostalgia, or stories about annual Chicken Noodle Dinners served by Church Women’s Circle, this book might be for you.
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