Rating: 
Summary: Mildly Interesting
Review: As I continue my reading to gain better insight into today's conflict with Islamists, I felt it would help to delve into the common roots of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This book came into view and looked to be a good step in that direction. In fact, it appears to be the very reason Feiler wrote it. "My experience in the region persuaded me that it's possible-maybe even necessary-to gain insight into a contemporary situation by turning away from the present and looking back to its historical source. Especially in matters of faith, even the most modern act is informed by centuries of intermingled belief, blood, and misunderstanding. And in that conflagration, as it has for four millennia, one name echoes behind every conversation. One figure stands at the dawn of every subsequent endeavor. One individual holds the breadth of the past-and perhaps the dimensions of the future-in his life story. Abraham." (9)This book is part travelogue and part self-awakening. Feiler explores the role of Abraham-part myth, part oral history-in the growth of the three great monotheistic religions. He uses an airy, enthusiastic style that bespeaks wonderment and excitement at every step of the way. Unfortunately, Feiler often displays a pendulum-like tendency towards hyperbole that is distracting. For example, he refers to Abraham at one point as "the Albert Einstein of his day" (28). In another section he compares Abraham's life to a three-act Hollywood play (70). Incredibly, he goes on to say God was acting "against [His] natural instincts" in this play. This is an amazing statement that bespeaks a presumed, but inappropriate, familiarity with Him. Sometimes I got the sense that Feiler just likes to hear himself talk. Still, there are interesting insights along the way-the root meaning of "Arab" (21) and the symbolism of male circumcision (68), for example. Also, Muhammad's vision (Islam) stems directly and deliberately from the Jewish interpretation of biblical history (76). Particularly interesting, "Abraham, I was discovering, is not just a gentle man of peace. He's as much a model for fanaticism as he is for moderation...[B]y elevating such conduct to the standard of piety, he stirred in his descendants a similar desire to lash out, to view pain as an arm of belief, and to use brutality to advance their vision of a divine-centered world." (108). His discussion helps to explain religious fanaticism and the willingness of some (unfortunately, far too many these days) for martyrdom. Feiler touches on the roots of the enmity between the followers of these religions, but I found his discussion lacking. A few examples pretty well sum up his view: Early, proto-Christians saw the Jews as having "corrupted the Temple...abandoned the poor, and blasphemed the laws of purity" (138). "Church fathers saw in the misfortune of the Jews more evidence of their own triumph and a vindication for their claim to be the true kingdom of Israel" (152). "Pious Muslims continue to see the Koran as the unfiltered word of God, which is one reason for the devotion it elicits. There is no third-person narrative in the Koran. God speaks directly in all of the text's six thousand two hundred verses" (165). "Islamic midrash, know as tafsir, is considered harsher toward Jews than toward Christians, largely because of the political circumstances during the prophet's lifetime" (174). "For Muslims...Islam didn't supersede Christianity and Judaism, it preceded them. Islam, in fact, was the faith of Abraham, which his descendants twisted for their own purposes" (176). He provides glimmers of the underlying friction, but they don't go far enough. I had flirted with the idea that since Abraham was the common source of these three great religions, perhaps he could also be their source of reconciliation-a common bond that could serve as a rallying point. If he could be, this book doesn't hold out much optimism. Overall I found this book only somewhat enlightening, but certainly not to the degree for which I had hoped. It comes across more as a journal of self-discovery punctuated with exposition of the religious meaning or tradition of various aspects of "Abrahamism" to flesh out a book. I'm pleased to have read it, but with an ever-growing reading backlog, had I known more about this book beforehand I would have passed it by.
Rating: 
Summary: Light and fluffy disappointment
Review: If you are looking for a penetrating , interesting,and scholarly exploration of Abraham, this is NOT the book for you. The tone is flippant, casual, and cutesy. In this book Abraham and God negotiate with each other and God isn't much more than Zeus, a weak egocentric being. In fact, God needs Abraham! It's written as a travelogue and an essay. Much of this work is opinion and more opinion. What I liked -- I enjoyed the personal relfections Feiler inserts about his Judaism and his visit to Jerusalem. He has a bright cheerful voice that's nice to read. I expected to learn and for the writing to be backed up with solid scholarship, but it wasn't. This is light, for the beach, summer reading.
Rating: 
Summary: For inquiring and open minds -- Hope
Review: While being the common ancestor shared by the three predominate monotheistic faiths, Abraham is revered, respected, interpreted, misinterpreted and sometimes even manipulated by theologians and the faithful who seek claim him as their own. Bruce Feiler attempts to collect the varied and sometimes conflicting stories of the man many believe to be the first to enter into a covenant with God. Universal agreement concerning Abraham does not come easily. Most Jewish, Christian or Moslems would agree that he was the first to acknowledge the existence of a single God, that he entered into a covenant with God wherein he agreed to follow God's instructions to leave his homeland for an unknown destination. Already old and childless, he and his wife Sarah were told by God that they would bear a son, and that their descendants would create a great nation. Later, God instructed Abraham to offer his son, "the son whom you love" as sacrifice to the One God. Beyond those gross generalizations, the story of Abraham morphs in various directions depending upon the beliefs of the story teller. The instruction to take "the son whom you love" serves as a critical focus of debate for many, as Christians and Jews believe that Abraham offered his son Isaac by his wife, Sarah as the sacrifice; whereas Moslems believe that it was his older son Ishmael (born to his slave Hagar) that was placed on the sacrificial altar. Feiler discusses how the various religions interpret similar writings or incidents, and yet arrive at dramatically different conclusions. What elevates this book beyond the realm of a comparative religion text book, is Feiler's balanced portrait of a man who exists in a singular position of relevance to Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Fundamentalists of any persuasion will likely take issue with some of his observations, but Feiler treats his subject with respect and awe, and a desire to place Abraham into a position that might bridge some of the passions that exist today in the Middle East. He succeeds in that regard, with interviews and discussions with Abrahamic scholars and clerics that give a glimmer of hope for all of us.
Rating:
Summary: Should have been called "My Personal Search for Abraham"
Review: The author's goal is apparently to show how Abraham, whose story he says has been claimed and re-invented by three warring religions, can be common ground for a dialog of peace between Jews, Muslims and Christians. The author argues that these religions' tales of Abraham are partly and crucially fabricated. His "biography" of Abraham is crafted to show that, as each of the religions came to need an historical Abraham as its legitimizing patriarch, each defined an Abraham who favored its own followers. Thus, the main source of Jewish/Muslim/Christian inter-religious conflict is not any historical action, viewpoint or instruction of Abraham himself, but arose through the later intervention of partisan religious leaders who, however well-intentioned, poisoned Abraham's legacy. Knowing this, we can now join in the growing conversation for peace that, once again, redefines Abraham--but this time the common father of three religions will be unifying force. All this is well and good, and if your spiritual hopes and existence are attuned to a PBS-style monologue of hand-wringing pleas that we can all just get along if we strive to understand our common heritage while respecting cultural and religious diversity (etc.), you may even find the book as inspiring as do those mainstream publishing professionals whose 5-star reviews seem possibly influenced less by a critical analysis of its content and style than by a desire to believe in (and help propagate) a worldview whereby the author's dreams of Middle East (/world) peace and brotherhood would achieve the historically anomalous status of more than mere wishful fiction. Personally, I was interested in a biography, an unemotional anlysis of what historical evidence exists regarding Abraham's life and what we think we know about his actions and their results. I'm about 20% satisfied in that regard. The book is largely the author's personal story, a tale of how his faith and travels have involved a quest for his own private Abraham (with whom he now hopes to supplant all others). I don't care about his bar mitzvah, don't have any interest in the physical characteristics or speech accents of his various colleagues, and am bored by how he personally felt when looking at this and that holy whatever. He personally reads the audio version of the book, and his diction and emotional inflections seemed off-key and distracting in a way that further alienated me from the text; I kept wondering, "perhaps the style is that of a Jewish sermon, and would be somehow endearing to my Jewish friends?" I wanted to know more about Abraham, and his place in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity; I heard far too much about the author's life, emotions, NY 911 credentials, and dreams for one-world peace. I would recommend this book to those who have little or no knowledge of the religious underpinnings of Arab/Israeli conflict, and who seek a quasi-intellectual emotional understanding of how Abraham's legacy may be a factor in modern perception of that conflict.
Rating:
Summary: Road to Reconciliation
Review: In his personal quest to understand Abraham, the patriarch of Jews, Christians and Moslems, Bruce Feiler exposes the world's rawest nerve and, perhaps, its road to reconciliation. As the shared ancestor of the faiths that number half of the world's population as believers, Abraham represents the struggle of many who feel they are strangers in a strange land, outsiders who long to number themselves among the insiders, landless who aspire to become landed and believers who seek to assuage their endless pain. He is not special; he is not godly; he is not righteous. Yet God sought him because he was faithful and trusted he would rise to his lofty standards. Don't expect scholarly story. Feiler explores how the three religions viewed Abraham in throughout their history, and how those perspectives have changed. He seeks to unite the three monotheistic religions in a productive dialogue where they meet on the common ground their origins in Abraham. He presents an Abraham to whom we can relate. In doing so, he offers the world a rare vision of hope.
Rating:
Summary: Abraham: A Journey to the Hart of Three Faiths
Review: This book covers Judaism, Christianity and Islam with diginity and thoughtfulness. Our father, Abraham, joins us and separates us at the same time. The author in his searching has found information that helps us to understand each other and how we are all connected through this man named Abraham.
I recommended this book to lay persons as well as ordained clergy in assisting us in clearing our vision of others and how their way of faith is perceived May all God's people be one!
Rating: 
Summary: Not worthy of noteriety!
Review: Feiler does make interesting and true accounts of the three major religions. Feiler also adds far too much personal (and unsubstantiated) conclusions. One is left with as many questions as one started off with. Much of Feiler's "investigations" are not from scholars and are not noted properly. I cannot understand why this novel has had so much success unless it is only because there is not much else to choose from!
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful and Important Book
Review: This is a wonderful and important book. I love the author's honesty, clarity, courage and compassion. I regard his book as a spiritual companion to my book, Abraham, 'The Dreamer/An Erotic and Sacred Love Story. 'May both books lead us to moderation, reconciliation and humility in our dealings with one another and with God.
Rating:
Summary: Short, yet highly insightful and provocative
Review: Having read Walking the Bible just prior to Abraham, I was able to get a good feel for the writing style of Bruce Feiler and his infectious enthusiasm for his subject matter. Feiler objectively delineates the first interfaith examination of the man chosen by God to be the patriarch of his people. He thoughtfully and rigorously dissects Abraham through the scripture, teachings, research, sometimes heated interviews, and, of course, his many dangerous travels through The Holy Land to the very sites of the historic happenings. I must admit, albeit a short work, I gained quite a bit of knowledge from Feiler and his spontaneous, yet well-constructed writing style. I learned quite a bit about the current Middle East conflict between the Palistinians and Israel and the prevailing open hostility of many Muslim people toward Israeli Jews. Feiler discusses jihad - according to The Koran it is NOT a justification for violence, but rather an invitation to Islam for "infidels." Regrettably, the fundamentalist sects have made their own contrary interpretation. One tidbit: Ishmael was purportedly to be sacrificed, not Isaac, by Abraham, according to The Koran. Interesting and provocative stuff. Definitely worth a look-see.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting thesis but ultimately incorrect
Review: This is ultimately an unsatisfactory book. Feiler does little scholarly research and depends mostly on personal encounters. His thesis that Abraham is claimed as the father of three great religions is incorrect. Feiler tries to account for 4000 years of history in a book of a few hundred pages. As a result much history is oversimplified. For a more detailed discussion of this book go to seniornet.org and look at the book discussion section.
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