Walking the Bible

Beginning at the foot of Mount Ararat, in eastern Turkey--the first identifiable location named in the Bible--journalist Bruce Feiler narrates his own journey following the footsteps of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses, covering 10,000 miles across Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Israel, and the Sinai Desert. Feiler's voice is not that of a trained actor or performer. But that doesn't stop him from expressing the archaeological, geographical, and theological insights he found on his way. This is a genuinely inspiring and thought-provoking travelogue and a candid disclosure of the author/narrator's own spiritual growth. S.E.S. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

Starred review from April 1, 2001
Prolific author Feiler has turned from his earlier subject (clowning, in Under the Big Top) to more serious fare: the Bible and the Middle East. Jewish author Feiler offers himself here as a pilgrim, walking through biblical lands and interviewing individuals from many religious traditions and walks of life. He reads the stories of the Pentateuch in the places they are thought to have happened, he records the latest archaeological understandings of the Bible, and he wrestles with his own faith. Of course, contemporary politics sneaks into the story, too; Arab-Israeli conflicts are hard to avoid when one is writing about the biblical Canaan. Feiler is an accomplished wordsmith. When he describes the "smells of dawn cinnamon, cardamom, a whiff of burnt sugar," the reader is transported to Turkey. He has the rare talent of being able to write in the second person, a gift he uses sparingly here: "Light. The first thing you notice about the desert is the light." In the sections of the book where his content is banal (readers can only take so many descriptions of dusty museums, bustling streets and breathtaking sunsets), Feiler's prose carries the narrative through. This book belongs on the shelves next to classics such as Wendy Orange's Coming Home to Jerusalem. Readers who find Westerners' encounters with the Holy Land enchanting will cherish this book.

Author Bruce Feiler is the ideal guide for his memoir about his on-site exploration of the Old Testament. He tours the deserts and mountains and oceans by foot, camel, rowboat and Jeep, maintaining his humor, humility, and intellectual curiosity about the "greatest stories ever told." He grounds the Bible in the soil from which it grew and makes it a story for everyone who cares about history, whether believer or nonbeliever. Brian Keeler narrates the absorbing tale so artfully that he makes one believe he wrote the story. He brings a subtle use of vocal pacing and intonation that few authors possess, and keeps listeners hooked on this adventure tale and spiritual quest. A.C.S. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine