The credibility of Elmer Gantry is something that will keep this book eternally great. Although the actual time period is dated, the plot is not dated. Most people can relate to the different characters in the book. Elmer is a pompous football player who thinks that he is higher than any religion. However, people try, and successfully convert him. He attempts to please two masters at first: his vices and God. He eventually makes the decision to live by God, but of course he will occasionally fool around with his old vices, especially adultery. Most people know someone who is like this and still somehow succeeds although he shouldn't have. Although Elmer is more extreme than the people the reader is likely to know, he is still a very credibl

Everyone should read a book like this because he can learn something from it. However, many right wing conservative Christians want to censor this book because they say it attacks the Christian religion and is in poor taste. They are completely wrong, however. They should embrace this book as a warning on what not to do.

Another thing that makes this a timeless novel is that it has the needed action to attract the reader who only wants entertainment. Elmer often gets into fights that will keep the reader in the edge of their seat. He will face odds that most would run away from, but also has times when he backs down from a fight, such as when Brother Naylor and Brother Bains confront him about "fooling around" with Lulu. It also has enough opportunities for the modern person to think about sex although it doesn't graphically say what happens. This makes all the sex scenes up to the reader which may dismiss them or relish on them. A book with

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Approximate Word count = 646
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)