Rating: 
Summary: Eating the Bible
Review: Two incidents happened as I read "Walking the Bible" which convinced me of the book's success. First, a string of terrorist incidents in Israel and Kenya, on the U.S. Thanksgiving, which illustrated the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict that's repeatedly described in the book. Second, while I read the chapter set in Petra, the ancient Jordanian city featured in the climactic battle of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", I was interrupted with the news that "Last Crusade" was on TV that very minute. Since "Walking the Bible" is utterly devoid of pictures, I put the book down momentarily to watch the real thing for myself.It was easier for Bruce Feiler to experience the many personal revelations he undergoes in "Walking the Bible". He had remarkable company -- archaelogist Avner Goren, his walking companion for most of the book's episodes, is former chief archaeologist of the Sinai peninsula. Feiler also interviews a bevy of other biblical archaeologists, and sits down with former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres. No typical tourist will ever receive this much direct insight into the region. However, Feiler has written a great armchair journey for the rest of us. He divides his book (of course) into five parts, matching the Five Books of Moses he seeks to recreate. He journeys from Turkey to Mesopotamia to Israel, Egypt, the Sinai, and Jordan, reading passages from the Torah along the way to illustrate key moments in the story. "Walking" is part travelogue, part spiritual journey, part textbook, and part recipe book. The hunger Feiler feels in the desert is never explicitly mentioned, but the Georgia-born author must have been well and truly starving, because every three pages, a bit of timeless Biblical landscape is described in food metaphor. These are too numerous to mention, but I will say that the most bizarre is the Israeli truck that reminds him of a box of Sweet Tarts. Because Feiler does so much wandering, both geographically and emotionally, some parts of "Walking the Bible" are inevitably less enjoyable than others. I felt that the strongest writing occurs in Jordan, at the end of the book, at the end of Moses' life. When Feiler gets into a Biblical argument with Muslim bedouins about just who Moses was, over discrepancies between the Torah and the Koran, it becomes easier to see just why the Middle East conflict has persisted for so long. The journey through the remnants of Petra, a city carved from sandstone cliffs, is truly awe-inspiring (again, despite the lack of pictures). I also enjoyed his journeys to Mount Ararat, the Great Pyramid, and the Wailing Wall. As to the book's brief descriptions of 20th century conflict, some readers will doubtless be offended by the appearance of a Jordanian minister (whose own words reveal him to be a narrow-minded hypocrite), or by Feiler's interviews with American-born Israelis living in the disputed territories of the West Bank. However, in the context of the larger story -- four thousand years of history, in which little has truly changed -- I feel that these detours are necessary and well-balanced.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting - Ultimately Superficial
Review: As a believing Christian, I purchased this book as an opportunity to "see" the Biblical lands vicariously through the eyes of Bruce Feiler. I have always dreamed of seeing these lands for myself. For every Christian, I believe that Israel is in a sense our "homeland" - much in the same way that Mr. Feiler experienced it. You can read the book on several different levels. First, it can be read simply as a travelog that describes the experiences of a somewhat naive American tourist attempting to navigate unfamiliar territory in the Middle East. Mr. Feiler is an excellent writer and this portion of the book is very engaging. I enjoyed it immensely. Second, for those of us who are Non-Jewish Christians, it can be read from the aspect of gaining an insight into the mind of a modern secular Jew. I realize that Jewish people are no more homogeneous that Christians in their beliefs - but insight into Mr. Feiler's belief system was educational. His approach to the Bible (and from my perspective, his religeous heritage) was one of secular disinterest. He approached the Bible stories involving the patriarchs, Joseph and Moses as Middle Eastern stories that have been in many cases borrowed from other cultures and synthesized into a religeous philosophy for the Jewish people. In others words, the Bible is not unique and is primarily useful as a tool to understand a religeous tradition. To quote the book,"In a sense, it doesn't matter where the event happened, or whether it happened ... What is vital is only that what happened was experienced, while it happened, as the act of God." This is a restatement of the popular idea that it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you believe it strongly enough. Mr. Feiler's position is politically correct in that it doesn't require either the reader or himself to confront whether the Bible is actually something more than a collection of stories. In this sense, it is a very disappointing book. Given the time, effort and money involved in producing this book - it would have been nice if he had taken the stated subject of the book and his own faith more seriously. Third, this can be read simply as the emotional reconnection of a traveler with his homeland. This is done very well. In fact, Mr. Feiler throughout the book is much more interested in his emotional response to the land and sites that he visits than he is in whether the events really happened. One is left wondering how mythical events borrowed from other cultures could evoke an emotional response - but no matter - in our society emotions are currently more important that facts - so maybe I am the one who is out of touch. Fourth, it was facinating for me to gain insight into the thought processes of the archeologists who Mr. Feiler interviewed. The fact that their personal beliefs often differed from their formal scientific views was striking. In a nutshell, given the effort and money expended and the access that Mr. Feiler had, one could have hoped for much more from this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A Silly, Self-indulgent Book
Review: Thank you, thank you to the reviewer who recommended William Dalrymple's To the Holy Mountain over this book - you saved me from wasting my money and opened a whole new world to me. I borrowed both books from the library and read them simultaneously. Don't bother with Walking the Bible - it is silly and self-indulgent and just made me angry. I am going to buy the Dalrymple book and insist that everyone I know read it. He has done an amazing amount of research and put himself at considerable risk to tell the world what is really going on in the Middle East. It is imperative that we all make ourselves aware of the injustice our country has been supporting. I am on to Xanadu!
Rating: 
Summary: An amazing journey - an insightful view
Review: This is an amazing book. While I doubt any of us would have the opportunity (or the traveling companion) that Feiler had in his quest to review the Pentauch, we are richer for his trip. Launching from the premise that the Bible had roots in history and developing culture (if not exactly a fact by fact account), the travelers look to tread where the stories come from, and to read the portions of the first 5 books of the Bible that relate to that location. Thus they can take the land, which is forever written about and under conflict, and the word, which often gets more remote from us, and joins them back together to see what we can learn. The connection begins with the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and the fertile crescent giving birth to Genesis and the patriarchs, and continues through Israel, Egypt and Jordan until Feiler stands on the mountain top where Moses may have seen the promised land and then died. In addition, there is an exploration of what the bible means today, and what it means to the people who live in the area where the stories take place. The five books of Moses are extremely important becuase they form the starting off point for Judiasm (and later Christianity) and Islam. Thus the area, and the book, have varying importance to a large amount of the world. But does a book written 2-3 thousand years ago still resonate today in the lands of desert and oasis? Feiler finds that it does, even more so than he expected. In the way of discovering a new nuance of our heritage - what is part of our collective cultural history. The writing is easy going, insightful and fun. The author is able to draw out new visions and stories from one of the most written about areas of the world. I came away from the book with a much better and new understanding of the early stories of the Bible and look at their place in history in a new light. A great read, that teaches you without lecturing to you.
Rating:
Summary: A walk I'll take more than once
Review: I enjoyed this book thoroughly! Bruce Feiler tells retells the stories of Moses skillfully. He makes them much more interesting that I ever thought they could be. Plus, he reads beautifully, painting vivid pictures of what he saw on his trip. His rich voice kept me entranced. I listen to audiobooks while I drive and I hated arriving at my destination because it meant I had to stop listening! At the end, I found myself wanting to take the same trip he had taken. And, I found that Moses was now a real person to me, with real fears and real needs and a real love for God. He was no longer just another story. And that was the best part of all.
Rating:
Summary: A compelling travelogue...
Review: As a PhD student in the archaeology of ancient Israel, I picked up this book to get an idea of how a present-day American journalist would experience the lands associated with the Bible. While at times the author glosses over some pretty serious historical and archaeological debates (much to the benefit of a popular audience),I was quite impressed with the scope and depth of this work. Feiler certainly did his background work and his companion, Avner Goren, is a legend in the field. This book reminded me once again of the thrill of seeing Jerusalem, Petra, the Sinai, Egypt, etc. for the first time and Feiler did an excellent job of meshing the spiritually profound aspect of the region together with the environmentally unique landscape which he was traveling through. Especially for anybody planning their own travels to Israel, this book is a great companion!
Rating:
Summary: Better than Expected!
Review: I admit I was skeptical. As one who has traveled to the Holy Land and experienced it firsthand, I doubted Feiler's ability to capture not only the land, but the people, both present and past. To his credit, he does a good job of seeing the physical and spiritual, as well as how they are intertwined. This is a fun read and well worth your time and money.
Rating:
Summary: it will open your eyes again
Review: I bought this book on a whim, and I'm glad that I did. When it arrived, I wanted to read it as a companion to reading the first five books of the Bible again with new eyes. After a couple chapters, I looked forward to having the time to read it increasingly more. I love the way Bruce combines narrative of his trip across the region, archeological history, and Biblical narratives. About half way through the book, I wanted to find pictures on the web of sites he describes. My understanding of the Bible was definately enriched by reading this book. I highly recommend it for someone who has not given much thought or attention to the beginning of the Bible, but instead focused solely on the Gospel... it will open your eyes again.
Rating: 
Summary: Oprah does the Pentateuch
Review: *Walking the Bible* recounts Bruce's Feiler's attempts to trace the footsteps of the patriarchs as they are recorded in the first five books of the Bible. It's a perennially interesting -- if unoriginal -- premise. On the plus side, Feiler is a solid reporter. He spins good background, and he's persistent enough to go to some rough places and dig up some interesting people to talk with. But just a few pages into this longish (428 page) endeavour, it's obvious Feiler is trying to write on an epic scale armed only with sitcom language. His voice and diction are consistently impoverished; in particular, his struggles trying to word-paint landscapes are initially laughable and eventually unreadable. Other reviewers have noted his inexplicable reliance on junk food metaphors to describe landscape features, and they have not exaggerated. More damning, however, is Feiler's inability to communicate much that's new or interesting about the places he sees or, as he's more consciously striving to do, about his own internal journey running in parallel with his travels. His 'insights' are banal and repetitious. He also can't resist flashing an 'Admire Me' sign every time he's been 'enlightened' -- and these breakthroughs occur with rather exhausting frequency. In fact, Feiler's epiphanies can be boiled down to: 1 Lots of people think the Bible is important, whether they believe its stories are literally true or not. 2 The land people live on is important and affects the ways they view the world. And that's it. Feiler discovers, and re-discovers, and re-re-discovers these two valid but not exactly earth-shaking truisms, and like a dim but earnest terrier worries them, and gnaws on them, and drops them at our feet on nearly every page. For a book conceived along similar lines but far superior in both depth of insight and quality of writing, please read William Dalrymple's *From the Holy Mountain* instead.
Rating:
Summary: A Journey of Truth
Review: Bruce Feiler's Walking the Bible is a must read for any one desiring to edge themselves closer to the land where the Bible was born and continues to live. As an American student studying in Israel for the year, I am simply amazed by how true-to-life Feiler's descriptions are as he paints a picture of all of the history which stands in this land. I am so grateful to have found this book, for it brings everything to light-- It puts pieces of history and culture, both past and present together to depict the history of the lands of the Bible as an everliving presence. If one could create a detailed written map of the Bible lands, then this is exactly what Feiler has done. If you have never been to the Middle East and to the lands of the Bible, reading this book will transport you here and give you a starting glimpse at all the amazing history which is continually being uncovered. If you have been here (or are living here like me), the book adds to the very reality of the setting. Now, if you can just drum up all the money Feiler needed to make this trip (his tour is amazing because of its extensiveness!), you can follow in his footsteps. :-) Nonetheless, I think this book makes an excellent prelude to a trip to the Middle East, whether you are coming here definitely or just thinking or dreaming about it. Enjoy the read... You will learn so much from the book.
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