Judaism Books

I loved this book. Mystery, history, romance, suspense....it has it all. I also now have a much greater appreciation for the value placed on historical books and their painstaking restoration process. Very informative in an entertaining way.

This book takes you on a journey as you discover the history of an ancient Jewish prayer book. The author skillfully weaves the tales of everyone who has touched the book and impacted it's history while relating the story of religious conflict, persecution and times of cooperation between Muslims, Jews and Christians throughout the Centuries. This is all done while telling the story of the young woman who is sent to restore the book.
Well written; a book that I truly enjoyed!

Geraldine Brooks did it again! This book should capture the reader from the very first line. My book group reviewed People of the Book recently and gave it high ratings; everyone took something different away from the story. Not only will the reader discover what a book conservationist is, but the importance of maintaining & preserving books throughout history. The main character is like a detective who can take a grain of salt found in the binding of an ancient prayer book, research it, then discover the exact location where it came from. From that tiny grain of salt, she weaves a whole story that connects to the next discovered particle - until she pieces together the entire background of the prayer book. The final piece of the puzzle links together why and how the book came to be found in a Sarajevo library. The book highlights the common thread among all religions that many lose sight of in today's world.

I first heard about the book on a radio program. I found the book at the library, recognized the title and decided to give it a shot. What good fortune it was! The best book I read this summer...well written, interesting, enlighten and couldn't put it down. The fiction is believable, facts accurate and story plausible. what more can you ask for in historical fiction!

I saw this book at BN when it came out in December and would not have read it had I not read an article written by Geraldine Brooks published in "The New Yorker" on December 3, 2007, later that same week. The article tells the almost unbelievable but TRUE story of the Sarajevo Haggadah - how Dervis Efendi Korkut, a devout Muslim, saved the Haggadah from confiscation by the Nazis, how he and his wife Servet also saved Mira Papo, a Jewish girl, how he was later tried as a Nazi Sympathizer, how Mira later encountered Servet and leared of the pending trial but failed to testify on his behalf at that trial and then later redeemed herself by writing an account of his deeds that resulted in Dervis and Servet being declared Righteous Amonig Nations by the Commission for the Designation of the Righteous at Yad Vashem (yeah, this is a bad sentence). I keep a photocopy of the article with my copy of the book.

Having read the article, I bought the book. Given the known facts about the book and the amazing story about the people involved in its rescue from the Nazis, it was enjoyable to read a FICTIONAL account about how a Spanish Haggadah written in Hebrew but illuminated with Islamic ornamentation (Brooks points out that Jews, Christians and Muslims peacefully co-existed in Spain during a time known as the Convivencia) could travel from Morocco to Spain to Venice to Vienna, and ultimately resurface in the twice war-torn Sarajevo of our time. In a time where "Christians" and "Muslims" "hate" each other while equally "hating" the "Jews" it is refreshing to see just a glimmer of what we could all be and accomplish if we could see past the labels we put on each other.

If any of the negative reviews have you worried - read the article first if you can, then read the book.

Primo Levi was an Italian Jew arrested for anti-Fascist resistance in 1944 and sent to the camps of Auschwitz. His short, vivid portrayal of the horrors of the Nazi camps there, the depravity of human nature and the extremes that the human psyche can endure, makes for a lasting literary contribution. Not sermonizing about theology or lecturing about good and evil, this bare-bones account nonetheless has dramatic questions for those interested in human nature, the holocaust, and evil. Very fleetingly does he comment on religion (the problem of theodicy is never made as clear as in Elie Wiesel's Night), but he certainly has captured some of the horrible drama of the Nazi death camps.

Primo Levy, a twenty-four-year-old Italian Jew captured "on 13 December 1943" and imprisoned for ten months, provides a chilling, though often poetic, account of his so called life in a concentration camp, while hitting home the frustration and futility of his situation. The best way to describe his story and style is through his own words: (p 15) as they prepared the night before they were to be deported "Everyone felt this: not one of the guards, neither Italian or German, had the courage to come and see what men do when they know they have to die," of the next morning (p 16) "Dawn came on us like a betrayer; it seemed as through the new sun rose as an ally of our enemies to assist in our destruction," after the "six hundred and fifty `pieces'" were loaded "Here we received the first blows; and it was so new and senseless that we felt no pain, neither in body nor in spirit. Only a profound amazement: how can one hit a man without anger?" He is first taken to a camp of 10,000 called Buna, where prisoners work at producing rubber. After being thrown together naked with the others, showered, shaved, disinfected and relieved of all possessions, (p 26) he writes "Then for the first time we became aware that our language lacks words to express this offence, the demolition of a man." About the time they have been settled in to the camp, they learn that they will soon be sent out for their first day of work. A French-speaking prisoner replies to their questions with (p 29) "...you are not at home, this is not a sanatorium, the only exit is by way of the Chimney." They are scheduled to work all but every other Sunday (during which they must work "on upkeep of the Lager") (p 36) "Such will be our life. Every day, according to the established rhythm...go out and come in; work, sleep and eat; fall ill, get better or die." The reader later learns (p 73) "...the Buna factory, on which the Germans were busy for four years and for which countless of us suffered and died, never produced a pound of synthetic rubber."

He writes about the typical prisoner (p 90) "They crowd my memory with their faceless presences, and if I could enclose all the evil of our time in one image, I would choose this image which is familiar to me: an emaciated man, with head drooped and shoulders curved, on whose face and in whose eyes not a trace of a thought could be seen." Fortunately, Mr. Levy qualifies to work in a chemical laboratory, which results in an improvement in his living conditions. Yet the usual worries remained, especially (p 126) the "selections" (those chosen to be exterminated) "the percentage was seven percent of the whole camp." He writes as 1944 comes to a close, after almost a year in captivity (p 143-144) about his thoughts on life only twelve months before, "...the future stood before me as a great treasure. Today the only thing left of the life of those days is what one needs to suffer hunger and cold: I am not even alive enough to know how to kill myself." Eventually, the camp is evacuated. Mr. Levy lives on to provide a wealth of wonderful writing to the world, then dies in 1987 at the age of sixty-seven, falling three storeys from a building to his death (either accidentally or intentionally). Also good, Time's Arrow by Martin Amis, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and Night by Elle Wiesel.

Mr. Levi's ability to recount his experience with such emotional clarity allowed me to take in a piece of this dark chapter in European history that I might not have been able to otherwise, given the immensity of the horror. I look forward to reading the other two books he wrote on Auschwitz. Highly recommended.

We had to read this book for a World History class I took in college. I was taking 5 classes at the time, so you can imagine how much reading I had to do on a daily basis. I read this book in ONE sitting (very unusual for me). I could not put it down! I laughed. I cried. I read it again! I recommend this book to EVERYONE!

My review of this classic emphasizes matters not raised by previous reviewers, and is based upon the 1986 edition which combines SURVIVAL IN AUSCHWITZ, THE REAWAKENING, and AFTERWORD...

Levi wasn't sent to or near the gas chambers and crematoria. Instead, he was diverted into forced labor in the sub-camp of Monowitz (p. 386), some 7 km east of Auschwitz proper. Poles had to wear a large "P". German political prisoners got various privileges, such as food and clothes from home, and exemption from the dreaded "selections". (p. 183) He saw the bombed-out ruins of the Buna synthetic rubber plant. (p. 137) He predicted that, in the winter of 1944-1945, 7/10ths of the prisoners like him will die. (p. 123)

The reader may not realize that western European Jews commonly looked down upon eastern European Jews as "backward". These feelings were fully reciprocated. Levi comments: "The Germans call them [the Italian Jews] `zwei linke Hande' (two left hands) and even the Polish Jews despise them as they do not speak Yiddish." (p. 49) After his release from Auschwitz, Levi ran across Polish Jews who couldn't believe that Levi was even possibly Jewish because he didn't speak Yiddish. (p. 279)

Unlike most Auschwitz survivors, who traveled west, he traveled east and then south (for map, see pages 178-179). He saw for himself the victimization of the Poles: "In Katowice, and in all Poland, there was a shortage of men; the male population of working age had disappeared, prisoners in Germany and Russia, dispersed among partisan bands, massacred in battle, in the bombardments, in the reprisals, in the Lagers, in the ghettos. Poland was a country in mourning, a country of old men and widows." (p. 239)

In the AFTERWORD, Levi said that, whereas the Nazi concentration camps had 90-98% mortality, the figure for Soviet concentration camps was 30% maximum (p. 389). This is incorrect. Slaves toiling in the gold mines in the Soviet Far East faced close to 100% mortality. And, of course, particular groups targeted for annihilation experienced 100% mortality, be they Jews sent to the gas chambers by the Nazis, or the Polish officers and intellectuals sent to the killing forests near Katyn by the Communists.

Great book, really helps you get perspective on what kind of people you want your kids to be. I liked it because it reinforced my own beliefs and helped articulate some thoughts I had about parenting. 10 Conversations You Need to Have with Your Children

This is a great book! I read it all and now I want to go back and read each individual chapter. This is more than a parenting book--it will really help you reflect our your own life. The writing is non-judgemental and easy to read. The author comes off as very friendly. I don't agree with the reviewer that says the religious chapter at the end ruins the book. It has a base in Judiasm but comes across as more spirtually based that can be applied to any religion you are. I am a psych nurse and have used these techniques in dealing with my adult inpatients so the information is very transferable to all aspects of your own life, not just your life as a parent.
This is a great book!

I must admit that I am a bit biased towards Rabbi Shmuley - I am a huge fan of his TV and XM radio show. I found this book to be yet another example of Shmuley giving practical pointers that truly help parents navigate in this crazy world where many people seem to be traveling w/out rudders or sails! The book is not going to tell you something you don't know....but it is written in a way that helps you articulate important, sound, common sense advice to your kids. I am already incorporating several of his suggestions into our home, and it is definitely reaching my children. These are important conversations that all parents should be having with their families!!

I've seen Shmuley on TLC's "Shalom in the Home" and I really like the advice and counsel he gives on the show. When I saw that he also wrote books, I decided to check this one out. I ended up reading this book in one day. I could not put it down.

Shmuley uses situations from his own life raising eight children as well as stories from the people he meets to illustrate the importance of a parent's role in their child's life. He has inspired me to be a better role model for my children, and also inspired me not to be afraid to discuss some of these critical topics with my children. This book has had a HUGE impact on how I look at my role as a parent: not simply as making my kids do what I want, but inspiring them to be the best individuals they can be. To discuss these deeply important topics, like what kind of person they want to be, the importance of dignity and forgiveness, being happy, how to ignite their passion for knowledge... these are critical things we simply are NOT teaching our children, which I believe is the reason why so many children have such a hard time dealing with the challenges of life today.

This book has also helped me see that I can integrate these concepts into my own life to be an inspiration for my children. Many people tend to focus on Shmuley's Jewish beliefs, which he clearly articulates in this book. Come on! He's a Rabbi! Would you expect him NOT to write about them?? I am not Jewish nor Christian. I choose not to label or identify myself with any organized religion. Shmuley writes in the last chapter about the importance of teaching children about God. He gives very compelling reasons why this is important. He also gives examples of how America was founded "Under God," which is true. Shmuley simply states why he believes children need the concept of God, and of course he's going to talk about it from a Jewish perspective. Like I said, he's a Rabbi!! If people take his discussion on God as a condemnation of their own beliefs or some kind of Jewish recruiting ploy, I think they missed the point completely.

This is a wonderful book that will inspire you to be a better person and parent.

This is such an important topic to address in our busy 24/7 world. Raising healthy and happy children requires that we have that special relationship with them where the communication gates are open wide. A must conversation that every parent must have should address the issue of bullying...which is so prevalent. Bully-Proofing Children: A Practical, Hands-On Guide to Stop Bullying is a fabulous must-read book for every parent on raising empowered children who will never become bullies or victims.

The book is in really good condition, and the vendor was out of town but he sent an email apologizing for the delay. After that I got it right away.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was easy to understand and well organized. I was able to learn a lot about Eastern Religions with this book that I got an 'A' in my Religions class. Yay!

This book is one of the most interesting text book i have come across. It gives enough details of every well known religion. there are also photographs giveen to show you what the tevt is explaining.

An excellent introduction to the world's primary religious and wisdom traditions: their origins, major tenets, peculiarities and similarities across the spectrum, and contemporary manifestations. Along with the companion book, An Anthology of Living Religions, this text offers a solid study in the world's religions.

While Living Religions is a good source of information, it was incredibly difficult to read. It was like reading an encyclopedia. I did not like the authors gender bias.

This book was amongst one of the very best books i have ever read. I honestly must say this books looks so well into the boys lives. The Choosen is amazingly insightful and Chaim Potok just has an amazing way with words. If you're looking for a book that will keep you drawn into the story, this is it. You will want to read it a million times.

The Chosen is a book that will, not only produces a full, rich, exhilarating experience, but stays with you for quite some time. There can be no doubt that this book, along with its author have reached the pinnacle of the literary world and achieved what few books can: Masterpiece. The book's backdrop is set in Brooklyn and the premis is off two young boys who have traveled very different roads, who have seen life through very different views, come together at a baseball game where these two unlikely souls form a close friendship that lasts a life-time and shapes their path toward manhood. The time is set just prior to WWII and Reuven and Danny are Orthodox Jews who will capture your hearts as Chaim Potok pens his masterpiece. This is definetly one book that should find a home in everyone's library.

Amazon displays links, editorial descriptions and user reviews for the actual mass market paperback on the web page for the Bloom's Guide. Basically, the Amazon web page for the Bloom's Guide is selling Harold Bloom's in-depth, college level analysis of the book, not the book itself.

Yet, the identical information shown on this product page is displayed on the mass market Chaim Potok book pages - there is no distinction that these are two different books.

This was very misleading to my 15 year old high school student who needed the actual book for a school assignment and we purchased the Bloom version by accident. Bloom's analysis is of no use to her as it is over her head and won't help her achieve what her assignment entails.

Very disappointed in Amazon - I hope they fix this.

I really liked the historical aspect of the book. Though a work of fiction, it helped me to understand many ideas among the Jewish followers. A little too slow at times for my tastes (particularly the Talmud discussions). A certain amount was necessary to comprehend the background and situation but it went a bit overboard for me.

Overall I thought this was worth the time invested in reading it and I feel like a gained new insight into the Jewish faith and relationships in general.

The chronological lives of Danny Saunders (Hasidic) and Dave Melter (Orthodox) as they graduate high school and then college in Brooklyn. We meet the boys' passionate families, watch their ardent study of Talmud, and perceive the clash between their beliefs and expectations as their steadfast friendship supports them through the late teen years. A peephole into the state of world affairs around 1945 that helps to explain the history of the conflict between Israel and Palestine today.

This product is superbe. I was not happy with the way it was packaged. This is a havy book and it must be wrapped individually. The outer jackets of all of the books I ordered were damaged and wrinkled.

Excellent study guide. Great for definitions of words . Explains from Jewish perspective. Each Chapter gives background of the Torah, Nevi'im and other important Jewish and Chritian text. If you want to study the Bible or Tanakh this is great for beginners.

I have between 10-12 different versions of the Jewish Bible, and this one is my least favorite. I am a fluent Hebrew reader and I find that the English translation is limited and not accurate. The commentaries are un-original and often quite shallow. What I do like in this book are the maps, I find them helpful.
I would not recommend buying this book.

The Jewish Study Bible: featuring The Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation is a superb edition of the Holy Bible. As a dedicated Christian, I have a desire to learn more and more about the Word of God. God used the Jewish people to provide humanity with His Word and His Son; therefore, their point of view is valuable to me in my quest for a deeper walk with Him. Although the vast majority of Jews do not yet accept Jesus as their Messiah, The Jewish Study Bible, an easily read English translation written by Jewish scholars, is full of prophetic scriptures pointing to Him (obvious to the Christian) and confirming His exalted position in God the Father's kingdom. Historical explanations of "Old Testament" Tanakh time periods are fascinatingly inserted throughout this Bible as side notes and essays. Linguistic helps also appear to provide greater understanding of individual words and phrases commonly used in the Near Eastern languages of that day. Cultural insights abound. From time to time, this wonderful translation also provides side notes and commentaries that are purposefully inserted explaining Christian principles, beliefs, and teachings from the Jewish point of view. I highly recommend this translation of the Word of God to all who are willing to learn, grow, and be surprised by our Heavenly Father's wisdom, knowledge, and will for our lives. If you do not yet own a copy of this translation, you have no idea how much revelation you are missing!

I have been studying the Word of God for 6 years and I felt a hunger for more. I purchased this Tanakh (Jewish Study Bible) and found it difficult to put down! It is so clear and understandable to a layman in the Torah ,Prophets and Writings. This book draws me closer to God! ; and I am so ever thankful.

Child rearing is tough work, as tough or tougher now than ever. Mogul, a psychologist, sought to find a different, healthy approach to managing children and parenthood. She came to Judaism's traditional ways. For much of the book, the theme is simple: given three thousand years of parenthood, what are the lessons of what works? These lessons are presented clearly and helpfully. There's a bit of promoting Judaism in here, but anyone willing to read critically will easily be able to come away with some parenting gold nuggets. As the parent of young adults, I found some things that will even help me with their finishing the entry to adulthood and only the smallest number of ideas with which I disagreed. Highly recommended to prospective parents, those with youngsters, and anyone working with children.

The Blessing of a Skinned Knee is the best parenting book I've ever read. It has a common sense approach and really works. I can hardly wait to read her next book, The Blessing of a B-

Raising a healthy family in today's world is challenging for even the most insightful of parents. The Blessings of a Skinned Knee provides psychological and spiritual wisdom as well as practical guidance and parenting skills to enable every parent to succeed in creating a healthy and happy home. This book belongs on every parent's nightstand!
Amy Hirshberg Lederman [...], author of "To Life! Jewish Reflections on Everyday Living" and "One God, Many Paths: Finding Meaning and Inspiration in Jewish Teachings."

Concepts clearly presented. I looked for curative truths related to children who have everything but are demanding, unhappy and unsuccessful. I found many truths in this book. They were identified as spirituality, family involvement, natural consequences and responsibility, not exclusively. Did I agree with everything? No. For instance: Jewish mother's drive their children toward "success" less than other mothers. This was a book about finding speciality by being responsible. I've already given two books to other family members.

Based on Torah examples she show us how to get involve with our kids, and create a great relation.

I get highly frustrated at people who think their view of the Bible is the ONLY correct one, that EVERYTHING in the Bible is true and the literal "write this down" word from God's mouth. I think that's why I love this book so much -- because in addition to being hilarious, Jacobs points out all sorts of silly, absurd, and random selections from the Bible. And he does so without being offensive or crass or mean -- just presents a passage and then gets to "Huh. So what does this mean?" He consults a variety of spiritual advisors and reads MANY MANY books to help find answers. He presents all sorts of fun trivia tid-bits and potential explainations to try to make sense of the oddness.

At its core, the process for this book was maybe a bit more excessive and random than, say, just writing an in-depth scholarly summarization of Biblical literalism would have been. But this is SO much more fun.

I'm going to read this book again just as soon as I can steal it back from my best friend, who tried to take it before I was even done reading it! (She obviously needs to brush up on commandment #8.)

My mom's library book club was reading this book. One day while at her house, I opened it up and read the first 20 pages. I was hooked. The concept alone, of someone deciding to spend an entire year living according to the Bible, was interesting enough. However, the author's subtle sense of humor adds to the enjoyment of the book. It was a very quick and easy read. Unlike some, who would have used this same concept to create a book that slams you with heavy-handed religious lectures, he shares every day successes and failures in his quest. Reading his book actually made me want to be a better person; it made me want to do better at following some of the more mainstream Bible directives such as not lying about anything, doing more to honor your parents, trying to do more good deeds for strangers, etc. I highly recommend this book. I plan on looking up other books by this author.

The author has a very keen sense of humor and did a great job of portraying a complicated subject. I've been a moderate Christian my whole life and I really learned a lot from this book, both about variations of my own religion as well as Judaism. I also just flat out enjoyed reading it. I appreciated his candor in stating his biases and his attempts to overcome them. Most of all I enjoyed his dry wit, it made the book eminently readable. I look forward to going out and getting "Know it All".

I really loved this book, and I'm not just saying that so the author's dad won't flag my review as unhelpful. : ) I appreciate Jacob's efforts to challenge himself by actually living a different life rather than just writing about one. It takes a lot of courage to expand one's worldview and admit that previous viewpoints might have been faulty or at least, ill-considered. At the same time, the year of living biblically allows the author to explore his past - not just his own past, but his familial and ancestral past. This lets the reader feel that she's in on an introspective search that provided meaning and was worthwhile for the author, which I consider a gift.

The book is very funny, and who doesn't love humor? But more than that, it challenged me to open my mind to the benefits of religion. While I won't be embarking on an effort quite like the author's, the book reminded me of the value of thinking about and rethinking my place in the world and how I want to proceed through it.

This book is hilariously funny. That's the good news. The bad news...don't read it unless you are open to other viewpoints. Otherwise, it will make you mad. The author decided to take an entire year and attempt to live all of the Bible in the most literal way possible. As is the Bible, the first two-thirds are devoted to the Old Testament and the latter third to the New. The OT section is great. It's a laugh-a-thon as he tries to live and OT life in modern New York. The funniest sections involve how his wife works around his project. The NT section is not as great, partly because he mixes in too much OT, without concentrating wholly on the NT. The New Testament is about giving one's life to Jesus, but Jacobs never goes that far.
Sadly, Jacobs goes into the project with his own mindsets intact, instead of opening himself up completely to new ideas. Two great examples are the issues of creation and homosexuality. His thinking is basically this, he believes in science and has gay friends, therefore skip that section on the literal interpretation. If he believes that way, fine. But the project was to immerse himself in a literal interpretation. He does cover himself in the end by preaching his view that a cafeteria-style religion is best for everyone. In other words, just take what you like from God's word and discard the rest, a New Age philosophy that denounces any belief in the sacred word. The main problem with his cafeteria belief is that if you take something from the buffet line that he doesn't approve of, then you've gone too far. Isn't that always the way it is- any person with more standards than you is a legalist, ultra-conservative, hyper-fundamentalist and anyone with fewer standards than you is a liberal wack-job.
With all that said, buy the book for a few laughs, but expect some of it to make you mad.

You can learn a lot about man's search for GOD from the beginning. 14,000 years ago.

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"A History of God" by Karen Armstrong

The omissions and distortions of this author's other work, "The Battle for God" made me skeptical of this book also. If Karen Armstrong titles a book "A History of God," you can be sure that GOD, in any normative manner of understanding, is not going to be the subject of her book.

From the very beginning, the author begins to play fast and loose with both facts and language. For example, on page xx of the INTRODUCTION, despite the coy proclamation of the title, the author announces:

"This book will not be a history of the ineffable reality of God itself, which is beyond time and change."---page xx, INTRODUCTION, "A History of God" by Karen Armstrong

One has to watch carefully for such contradictions with Armstrong. When she makes an assertion, you can almost invariably depend upon it to have either of two failings.

(1) The author will usually not support any claims with facts, evidence, or even a rationalism. The author simply declares a thing to be SO, because the author writes that it is SO. [CARTESIAN AFFLICTION]

(2) The author uses language in contradictory contexts. Subjective terminology is presented as though it were Objective evidence.

For example, what does the author mean by the following statement?

"Jesus Christ, about whom we talked far more than about "God," seemed a purely historical figure, inextricably embedded in late antiquity."---page xviii, INTRODUCTION, "A History of God" by author Karen Armstrong

What is the meaning by the term "HISTORICAL FIGURE"; and indeed, what is the rational distinction between a:
"HISTORICAL FIGURE" and a "PURELY HISTORICAL FIGURE"?

This is nonsense verbiage at its best. It doesn't mean anything.

What is the meaning of the terms: "LATE ANTIQUITY" or even, "EMBEDDED IN LATE ANTIQUITY". Armstrong's book is rife with such irrational sentences.

The nonsensicality is not apparent on a page here or there, willy-nilly. Such irrationalisms appear on nearly every page. For example:

"As I grew up, I realized that there was more to religion than fear."---page xvii, INTRODUCTION, "A History of God" by author Karen Armstrong

This is the kind of redundancy, which, if produced in another context, such as an athletic event like baseball, would read something like:

AS I GREW UP, I REALIZED THAT THERE WAS MORE TO BASEBALL, THAN GETTING RIPPED OFF AT THE TICKET OFFICE!

With Armstrong however, the reader is in for the ultimate course in rocket surgery. There's more.

"My ideas about God were formed in childhood and did not keep abreast of my growing knowledge in other disciplines."---page xix, INTRODUCTION, "A History of God" by Author Karen Armstrong

Perhaps the author could find a more private and therapeutic medium to admit ideological development ended at childhood.

"Yet my study of the history of religion has revealed that human beings are spiritual animals."--page xix, "A History of God" by author Karen Armstrong

The proposition, by reason, that an "ANIMAL" is "SPIRITUAL" is a contradiction in terms. It also serves as evidence for the Error of Eclecticism. The author has a confused understanding of the principle of the GENUS, and is guilty of combining Religious assumptions and Science assumptions regarding the Natural Order which are both inimical and contradictory.

Then there are the quantum leaps, in which the author begins writing of herself as a PLURALITY. For example:

"Our ethical secular ideal has its own disciplines of mind and heart and gives people the means of finding faith in the ultimate meaning of human life that once were provided by the more conventional religions."--page xix, INTRODUCTION, "A History of God" by author Karen Armstrong

This is about as FLUFFY and meaningless as language can get. It utterly begs questions. For example:

(1) Who is identified by the PLURAL possessive pronoun "OUR"?

(2) What is the meaning of the phrase, "ETHICAL SECULAR IDEAL"? What exactly is it, and where can it be studied?

(3) What indeed are the "DISCIPLINES OF MIND AND HEART? Where are these DISCIPLINES objectively identified?

(4) In the context of the author's "ETHICAL SECULAR IDEAL" what are the "MEANS OF FINDING FAITH" and how are the MEANS objectively identified?

(5) In regard to the terminology in (4), the author indicates the existence of something referred to as "THE ULTIMATE MEANING OF HUMAN LIFE" but the author fails to objectively identify what that is, or where it is identified and studied.

(6) If the author is a member of a LESS "conventional religion," does good scholarship not require that the subject be clarified? Of course it does; but Karen Armstrong reveals nothing of this.

You see, Armstrong writes long about the most mundane issues of religion, and yet it obviously is not in the author's interest to bring objective clarity to her own assumptions; for if she did, it would be seen to indicate a most egregious irrationality.

The author has an almost overwhelming ability to generate a never-ending stream of nonsense verbiage. Here's an example:

"We shall see that it is far more important for a particular idea of God to work than for it to be logically or scientifically sound."---page xxi, INTRODUCTION, "A History of God" by author Karen Armstrong

Armstrong never indicates where we are to find a "SCIENTIFICALLY SOUND" idea for God; but then, Armstrong never seems clear about the inablity of SCIENCE to identify the boundaries of God, the subject of which Armstrong herself identified on page xx of the INTRODUCTION as..."beyond time and change".

So this entire book is like the Three Card Monte card game, in which the assumptions of Science, Religion, and Philosophy are all constantly shuffled in context, masquerading as some kind of HYPER-INTELLECTUALITY, which for the lack of any distinct sensibility or underpinning, runs rampant through the alleyways of confused ideation.

_______________________________________________________

*CONCLUSION*

Armstrong fails in the field of scholarship on several identifiable issues:

(1) Failure to define her subject. No clear delineation is offered to distinguish between GOD and RELIGION.

(2) Failure to establish specific SCOPE & BOUNDARY of her subject.

(3) Failure to explain CONFUSING the classification order of GENUS. The author defines man as a "spiritual animal" which is a confusion of the orders of METAPHYSICS and the NATURAL SCIENCES

(4) Failure to qualify shifts in writing in the First Person Singular to writing Third Person Plural; e.g. shifting from writing "I" to writing "WE" and "OUR" without qualification or specification.

(5) Failure to elevate her core assumptions beyond the CARTESIAN AFFLICTION.
[ It-Is-So-Because-I-Say-It-Is-So.] This is the common error in New Age authorship, and Armstrong provides a plethora of conclusions that are reached only by way of SELF-AUTHENTICATION.




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please contact me if you really want a page by page breakdown, Karen just is not educated enough to write this book. She comes off as a disgruntled Nun which she actually is. every other page represents a outdated theory, popular when she wrote the book as the mainstream concensus. Also the entire thing is a work of Teleological tunnel vision and is ridden with anachronism. If you wish to learn more about religion consult authors like Pagels and Pelikan, doctors and eminant scholars in their fields. please do not hesitate to contact for additional information, aim = hendrixangus. I do not give this book a one lightly!

What I love and respect about the author, is how she is open minded and honest enough to challenge the reader to think outside their comfort zone and all they have been taught to believe based on faith and not a serious study of history and how religion whatever the belief system, is something that has evolved and changed over the centuries.

She challenges the reader to study and dissect myth from fact. To stop and ponder why we as humans have been given a brain, as well as how over the centuries, a select few have known human weaknesses and the whole herd mentality, and thus, have sought to demean certain groups while building up or making special, other groups.

And how many if not most of the conflicts the world have seen, have been based on made up myths concerning people of other races and regions. Or as Darwin would note, the survival of the fittest or in the case of religions, the religions with the most charismatic leaders. Right or wrong.

The utter, seemingly perpetual redundancy of this book is enough to make me nauseous. The fact that she can't explicate a single religious or philosophical subject without concluding that its proponents originally saw it merely as some "expression of his or her inner notions of God and self" makes this waste of perfectly good paper virtually unreadable. But that she completely destroys Plato (!!!) for the sake of her own little "inner self" fancy is enough to convince me that she has no business even talking about philosophical, historical, or theological subjects. I read this book with an open mind, thinking it would be a postmodern revisionistic history, but history nonetheless. No. It's not. It's her own pathetic, unrefined reflection posing as a well researched deconstructive analysis. If you're a religious skeptic or atheist, you should be let down by this book. If you're a philosopher you should feel extremely irritated. If you're a historian, you should raise an eyebrow and scratch your head. If you're a theologian, you should say "WHAT?!". If you're a mystic, you should be really confused. If you're a Christian thinking that this book will undo your faith...you probably don't even know what you believe or why you believe it.

THIS BOOK IS LIFE CHANGING. I THINK THE RABBI HAS HIS THUMB ON THE TRUE WAYS TO GET WEALTH. IT IS A BOOK FOR THE WHOLE MAN AND NOT JUST ABOUT MONEY.

While this author has some good points and wisdom to share it is a very difficult read because it is horribly wordy. The author seems to go on and on and on about each topic/point. I found it very boring and difficult to read (and I love to read self-help books and have quite a collection of them). I think that the author should have either hired a ghost writer or the editor should have done a better job of cutting the wordiness out of the text. I finally started reading the summaries at the end of the chapters instead of the chapters itself. This had the potential to be a good book if it had been written in an easy read format. It would have been a much shorter book, though.

This is a wonderful book about human culture and the beliefs, attitudes and culture of wealth and prosperity. The book is full of basic wisdom and is an enjoyable and educational read for anyone, regardless of race, creed or national origin. I purchased several copies and gave them as gifts with enthusiastic responses all around.

I believe the world is a better place if we all prosper, and according to this book, we can.

He has done an impressive job in presenting how the Jewish people view making money. Truly, it's in how you view your contribution to others that both can be in a win-win situation. Intense reading, take your time in absorbing the information.

Rabbi Lapin begins by debunking the myths of why Jews are disproportionately successful in business. He then provides a powerful set of principles - the 10 commandments of making money - that can be applied by anyone. What is particularly powerful about the presentation are the spiritual links that Lapin provides from the Torah and the Talmud, as well as a sprinkling of teachings from the Kaballah. After reading this book, you have a strong understanding why business and making money are fundamentally spiritual undertakings. There also interesting and revealing teachings, especially for non-Jews, about the role of Hebrew in the Jewish faith, the meaning of the Star of David, and much more. If you want to grow financially and spiritually, read this book.