Rating: 
Summary: Walking the Bible
Review: This was a very interesting book about the land of the Bible. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in history or the Bible.
Rating: 
Summary: What a wonderful idea... Poorly executed
Review: As the subtitle suggests, the author retraces the Pentateuch as best he can, Bible in hand and affable expert in tow. Mostly a disappointing book, I'm afraid. First, Feiler is a rather laborious writer --- the 424 pages are packed with rather stilted purple prose at times (his imagery is wild and uninformative: mountains resemble pies, "a drip castle," "sweet potatoes," "rancid hamburger meat," or bizarrely, "melting dinosaurs" [!]). Second, Feiler is one of those travel writer who feels the need to make every single thing an epiphany: this is okay for places like Mount Ararat, or the possible site of the burning bush; but I counted at least ten places where Feiler recorded a soul-shaking discovery (Egypt isn't the bad guy in the Bible!, The actual spot where things happened doesn't matter! "The desert was part of my own geography"! The desert gives you confidence by showing you how small you are! Etc etc). By the way, he feels fear of that inner geography ebbing away not once, but twice. Third, Feiler is a rather naive scholar. He tries to get at the "truth" of the Bible by asking stupid questions about the context of the stories: yes, they really had birthrights that could be sold, for example. Well of course: the stories don't take place in a fictional universe, they're products of their time! It's like approaching the "truth" of Dickens by triumphantly showing that people really did talk like his characters in 19thcentury London. His naivite is deeper than that: "I basically believed there was a unified notion of God," he writes. What?! He never considered that God differs in Islam, Christianity, Judaism, even within the Bible itself?! Is he really the best person to write this book? Obviously not. There's a lot that's very informative and interesting in this tome --- ruminations on and possible explanations for manna, Moses' name, the location of the Sea of Reeds, even the abundance of quail during the exodus. But there's too few gems to justify slogging through this mountain of banality, really.
Rating: 
Summary: Recommended, but not highly
Review: I have to agree with some of the other reviewers that Walking The Bible is NOT great prose; for example, Feiler likes his junk-food metaphors such as when the desert landscape is described as resembling "trail mix" one place and Cracker Jacks in another. And the story IS too drawn out. And there isn't even all that much actual walking; Feiler rides camels up Mt Sinai and Mt. Aaron and drives to the top of Mt. Nebo.Nevertheless, Feiler presents a lot of interesting thoughts on the meaning of the Old Testament Biblical stories, their applications to ourselves, and the possible roots of the development of the Jewish people and their culture which is so foundational to Western morals and culture. Whether or not you agree with Feiler, I'm sure some of his theories will stimulate your own counter-thoughts and inspire additional research. Therefore, although I don’t believe this will prove to be either a travel or spiritual classic, I suggest you read it if you have an interest in Feiler's topic. I discovered a number of odd errors in the book which make me concerned as to how many mistakes there are on topics I'm not familiar with. Feiler asserts on page 4 that Mt. Ararat "is the highest peak in the Middle East (and the second highest in Europe)". That is only true if you simultaneously define Iran as NOT being in the Middle East (even though it is) and redefine the Middle East as part of Europe (which it is not). Even then, the highest mountains in Europe are in the Caucasus and there are at least three peaks in that range higher than Ararat. He also describes a vehicle as a "Toyota Land Rover"; the Land Rover has been a world famous British-made vehicle for many years while Toyota has makes an excellent vehicle called the Land Cruiser. Another ... reviewer wonders why famous Israeli archeologist Avner Goren would bother to spend so many months traveling with Feiler. Without Goren's knowledge, field experience and contacts Feiler wouldn't have had much of a story to tell. Well, as they say, "follow the money". According to an interview with Feiler I saw in a newspaper in Virginia last week, Feiler paid Goren to travel with him as his guide for most of the trip. In his last chapter, Feiler describes a number of books he relied on in planning his travels and writing the book. One he mentions favorably is Dalrymple's From the Holy Mountain, which covers almost the identical trip as Feiler except rather than following the route of Old Testament events, Dalrymple follows the route of a 6th century Christian monk. Although the topic is not the same, I found Dalrymple's book both better written and more insightful (it regards Christianity, of course, rather than Judaism) and I recommend it very highly.
Rating:
Summary: an interesting journey
Review: this is a book about faith rather than fact.yet it is very informative about the geography of the old middle east and sheds a little light on the conflict today.the author seem more interested in his own interpretation than the people he interviews.i happened to read "the bible unearthed" right afterwards,and it dampened my enthousiasm for the book
Rating:
Summary: A Refreshing New Pilgrimage Through the Bible's Stories
Review: Walking the Bible is an absorbing & informative travel memoir of Feiler's journeys through the first five books of the Old Testament. Feiler presents a refreshingly different perpective on this subject because he admittedly comes to the project as a young, semi-inactive-in-the-faith Jewish man. What he learns through the trip by reading, interacting, and observing doesn't seem to give him concrete "proof" of the historical veracity of the events, but nonetheless leads him down a path to understanding faith and to realization of the enormous meaning found within the Holy Land. His appreciation for that land and the conflict and beauty found within it are apparent throughout the book, and I found that appreciation to be contagious. The best thing about this book is that it enlightens and entertains on spiritual, historical, and travel adventure levels. Scholarly views on the interpretation of Biblical events as well as the geography and culture of the Holy Land are researched and well-presented. Avner Goren was a fantastic guide/mentor who has a greater knowledge of pre-historic and Biblical archaeology than most anyone else around -- his input is priceless. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a thirst for more knowledge about Old Testament times in the Holy Land, and particularly to those in their 20s or 30s who may come to the book with backgrounds similar to that of Feiler. I learned quite a bit, particularly in regards to the motivations of Israeli immigrants and Judaistic views on God's interaction with his people during Exodus. And yet that book does not proselytize in any way -- it simply presents the experiences on the journey. As to those reviewers who critize Feiler's undertaking of the Biblical journey as unoriginal: "Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it." - C.S. Lewis, MERE CHRISTIANITY I believe that most people will walk away from reading this book glad that they read it, laden with new information and, perhaps, new questions.
Rating: 
Summary: Indiana Jones meets Moses
Review: Feiler has done a good job here of producing an adventurous "page turner." For me, the book was thrilling to the point I was carrying it with me in the car to read at red lights. Bear in mind, I'm also a complete nerd and become unusually excited by talk about migrating quail and mysterious illuminated manuscripts. My suggestion to the author for future work is to shed a bit of his boyish charm and tackle some of the more difficult issues related to his subject. For example, the book might have included a discussion regarding the bifurcation in thought processes that people undergo when they simultaneously attempt to "prove" that God exists while maintaining they have "faith" (I believe faith precludes proof). He might also have included a hard-hitting discussion regarding the manner in which people **use** the Bible in order to justify their own (sometimes sick) behavior such as killing children over land, hissing at people who don't wear hats, spitting on people who don't interpret the Bible literally, or punching women in the stomach at holy sites in a manufactured evangelical ritual. But other than the "overly nice" viewpoint of the book, it really was a great read and memorable in its moments. Congratulations are in order for Feiler.
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Summary: Travel, Adventure and the Bible
Review: I don't think I've ever read a more delightful book on Biblical history. Bruce Feiler has done a remarkable job of creating an engaging, readable account of his journey through the first five books of the Old Testament. His actual physical journey takes him as close as possible to the original paths traveled by those famous Biblical characters from Abraham to Moses. The journey takes us across five countries, thousands of miles, into deserts, to the tops of mountains and into ancient cities and long forgotten sites. Along the way, he continually reads the accounts of these areas as set forth in the Bible intending to tie the story to his own physical presence at each location. His traveling companions, the people he meets and his vivid descriptions make the journey come alive. Most importantly, he reinforces his belief in the Bible as the living word of God. Regardless of your personal beliefs, reading this book will be a big plus in your life. I only wish I could have tagged along on this trip!
Rating: 
Summary: CONTRIVED, BORING AND SELF-INDULGENT
Review: In a book about a journey through Biblical territory, one might expect some interesting revelations -- either about the author or the Bible. Unfortunately, this tedious, self-indulgent, trite, yawner of a story offers neither. Feiler's "insights" could have been arrived at by a five-year-old. His comparisons to Biblical characters are a stretch bordering on the absurd. While tries to instill "meaning" in his every action (even in the air he breathes- as if HE's the only one breathing it!), I found these passages overwrought and juvenile (not to mention just plain long-winded, inelegant, and boring). The so-called "prose" was so plodding and full of self-aborbed sentiment that I didn't waste my time finishing the book. I kept waiting for something interesting to be revealed, or for a moment that felt genuine (as opposed to the embarrassingly contrived tone of nearly every sentence), but when it didn't, I put the book down. (It's so boring, in fact, I recommend it as an inexpensive sleeping aid.) Too bad that a book can become "the thing to read" based on high-profile reviews, a commercial concept, and some of the worst writing I've ever read. Don't waste your time or money.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Book !
Review: Mr. Feiler takes us on a fascinating journey where he is able to blend modern-day religion and politics with ancient history and personal insights that leave the reader ready to hop on the next plane to the Middle East. The book is great, especially if you have already studied ancient history and have a good knowledge of the Bible. It fills in some gaps and brings you up to modern times without losing the flavor of the past. I don't want to get too long winded here with my review or I may start sounding a bit self-important and pretentious. So for the sake of simplicity I say treat yourself to this wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: Makes you wish that you had followed the author on his trail
Review: You're 'carried' along with Mr. Feiler on a journey that inspires your heart and your mind. One of those books that you spend time with, only wishing that you could have shared the time on 'location' with the author. He draws you into his experience in a way that makes you truly feel part of it.
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