God, Forgive These Bastards: Stories from the Forgotten Life of Henry Turner

Not only is this a companion book to the jazz punk album of the same name by the Taxpayers, this is a remembrance of a life filled with contradictions - cowardice and bravery, falsehoods and candidness, glory and failure - told from the perspective of Henry Turner, a baseball hero turned psyche ward street minstrel. In the late 1970s, Henry Turner went from being a local hero and star pitcher of the Georgia Tech Wildcats to an abusive, alcoholic drifter. After spending his later years in homeless encampments and psych wards, Turner turned his demons to his advantage and became a kind, beloved street story-teller, a friend of the down-and-out, and a public transit angel. God, Forgive These Bastards explores the brief moments that can shape or lives and the power of forgiving even the most wretched actions with compassion and understanding.

“"To be honest, stories and legends of people like Henry Turner scare the shit out of me. I'm 44 years old and finding that I have to start my life all over again. My wife has left me, I'm mired in student loan debt, and I don't have much of a future ahead. Also, like Henry Turner, I'm a baseball player. And I've been homeless for years at a time, from when I was fifteen years old. I'm scared shitless I'm going to end up like Henry Turner. This is a collection of stories by Henry Turner retransmitted by the author. The stories are well-told with bright, colorful language describing things that are dark, scary, sad, and like the author states, the more unbelievable they are, the more they are grounded in truth. This is a powerful book and I highly recommend it." -Razorcake”

To be honest, stories and legends of people like Henry Turner scare the shit out of me. I'm 44 years old and finding that I have to start my life all over again. My wife has left me, I'm mired in student loan debt, and I don't have much of a future ahead. Also, like Henry Turner, I'm a baseball player. And I've been homeless for years at a time, from when I was fifteen years old. I'm scared shitless I'm going to end up like Henry Turner. This is a collection of stories by Henry Turner retransmitted by the author. The stories are well-told with bright, colorful language describing things that are dark, scary, sad, and like the author states, the more unbelievable they are, the more they are grounded in truth. This is a powerful book and I highly recommend it. - Razorcake

Rob Morton is a preschool teacher and a member of the punk band the Taxpayers. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Not only is this a companion book to the jazz punk album of the same name by the Taxpayers, this is a remembrance of a life filled with contradictions -- cowardice and bravery, falsehoods and candidness, glory and failure -- told from the perspective of Henry Turner, a baseball hero turned psyche ward street minstrel. In the late 1970s, Henry Turner went from being a local hero and star pitcher of the Georgia Tech Wildcats to an abusive, alcoholic drifter. After spending his later years in homeless encampments and psych wards, Turner turned his demons to his advantage and became a kind, beloved street story-teller, a friend of the down-and-out, and a public transit angel. God, Forgive These Bastards explores the brief moments that can shape or lives and the power of forgiving even the most wretched actions with compassion and understanding.

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