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Paul Cicchini is a psychologist that specializes in character education. He has held Associate Press credentials as a journalist as well as former school adviser for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He has melded these experiences to create fiction that spreads a message of hope through absurdist humor.
His list of accomplishments includes sports journalist, psychology professor, character educator, and “the oldest semi-pro linebacker in South Jersey history.”
His book was conceived while convalescing from being, well, ‘Godsmacked’ with kidney stones. A combination of major prescription painkillers and exposure to too many badly-coiffed daytime televangelists fueled his already over-torqued sense of humor to yield “Godsmacked,” a work of farcical fiction that conveys a message of personal integrity and good character.
He is available for lectures and appearances at book stores, book fairs, and book clubs.
Reviewed by Lori M. for Readers' Favorite
Imagine living a boring life, having a boring job, and being, well, boring in general. Then, suddenly, you fall into a vortex and meet Herc, a young God who doesn’t understand why a puny mortal would be in the Fifth Dimension realm of the Gods. This is Charlie, the main character in Paul Cicchini’s book, Godsmacked. Herc turns out to be a good kid, grows into his birthright, and tries to help Charlie find his way back to Earth. In the meantime, Charlie meets Zeus, Apollo, Narcissus, and more.
Irreverent, witty, and sarcastic as heck, Cicchini takes a hard look at religion and what we "worship" these days and throws it right back into our faces. Nobody is safe from Cicchini’s stabbing humor, including when Jesus tells Charlie that God has a sense of humor as evidenced by creating aardvarks and having Michele Bachman run for president. I couldn’t keep up with the count of hilariously salacious references to pop culture such as "My parents vacationed at Delphi and I predicted they’d bring me back this crummy t-shirt." He also gave the Gods weird habits like Apollo listening to rap music and treating his muses like "hos." Can you imagine a New Jersey nerd talking to the great Olympians about Kate Gosselin, Joey Bag-o-Doughnuts, PMS, and Marilyn McCoo?
You almost have to be a genius to catch all of the jokes and witticisms thrown at you in this book. Let’s just say that the ending is worth it and leaves you with a warm happy feeling for Charlie’s future. This book does need some editing and proofreading, and readers will need to read to the end to truly enjoy this clever book.
