Synopses & Reviews
In
The Good Book, thirty-two of todays most prominent writers share never-before-published pieces about passages in the Bible that are most meaningful to them.
The Good Book, with an introduction by Adam Gopnik, collects new pieces by writers from many different faiths and ethnicities including literary fiction writers (Colm Tóibín, Edwidge Danticat, Tobias Wolff, Rick Moody); bestselling nonfiction writers (A.J. Jacobs, Ian Frazier, Thomas Lynch); notable figures in the media (Charles McGrath, Cokie Roberts, Steven V. Roberts); and social activists (Al Sharpton, Kerry Kennedy). While these contributors are not primarily known as religious thinkers, they write intelligently and movingly about specific passages in the Bible that inform the way they live, think about past experiences, and see society today. Some pieces are close readings of specific passages, some are anecdotes from everyday life, and all will inspire, provoke, or illuminate.
Addressing some of the best-known and best-loved characters and stories from Genesis to Revelation, The Good Book will be a beautiful, enlightening gift for secular readers and readers of faith as well as a collection of interest to reading groups, readers of creative nonfiction and personal essays, and fans of each of the individual contributors.
Review
"What a marvelous book of encounters and revelations! These writers raise questions that are age-old, yet utterly contemporary, pressing, thoughtful, eternal." Edward Hirsch
Review
"Each of these thoughtful and beautifully written pieces sheds new light on one of the world's oldest and most influential books. People of all faiths will find common ground within these pages." Reza Aslan, author of No god but God and Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
Review
"Reading these writings filled with humor, sadness, grief, anger, deep reflection, and fanciful wit, one is struck by the myriad ways of encountering the Bible, its place in our culture, or at least the culture it helped create.... This collection has something for everyone who appreciates good writing, regardless of what one may think of the Bible as scripture, or for that matter as literature." Library Journal
About the Author
Andrew Blauner is the Editor of four previous anthologies: Coach; Brothers (Finalist, Books for a Better Life Award); Our Boston (for the benefit of the victims of the Boston Marathon Bombings); and Central Park and is the coeditor of For the Love of Baseball. His writing has been published in The New York Times, and he has appeared on NPR’s On Point, The Leonard Lopate Show, Brian Lehrer, On Writing with Ben Cheever, ABC, CBS, NBC, and other media outlets. He is the founder of Blauner Books Literary Agency; a graduate of The Collegiate School, Brown University, and Columbia Business School; and a member of PEN American Center and National Book Critics Circle.