Book Description
Imagine, thirty years after the end of World War II, Israeli Nazi-hunters, some of whom lost relatives in the gas chambers of Nazi Germany, find a silent old man deep in the Amazon jungle. He is Adolph Hitler. The narrative that follows is a profound and disturbing exploration of the nature of guilt, vengeance, language, and the power of evil--each undiminished over time. George Steiner's stunning novel, now with a new afterword, will continue to provoke our thinking about Nazi Germany's unforgettable past.
"Two readings have convinced me that this is a fiction of extraordinary power and thoughtfulness. . . . [A] remarkable novel."--Bernard Bergonzi, Times Literary Supplement
"In this tour de force Mr. Steiner makes his reader re-examine, to whatever conclusions each may choose, a history from which we would prefer to avert our eyes."--Edmund Fuller, Wall Street Journal
"Portage largely avoids both the satisfactions of the traditional novel and the horrifying details of Holocaust literature. Instead, Steiner has taken as his model the political imaginings of an Orwell or Koestler. . . . He has produced a philosophic fantasy of remarkable intensity."--Otto Friedrich, Time
Customer Reviews:
"Steiner's Frankenstein".......2005-12-15
I first read "The Portage" completely unaware of the great controversy which had surrounded the book during its initial publication, learning of it only after finishing the book and reading the author's afterword detailing the controversy that arose upon the book's original publication in 1970/71. Steiner has described the book as a philosophical text written in the guise of a work of pulp fiction; I'm not so sure of that.
Most of the work does follows the standard drama of your typical thriller: the book opens with an Israeli Nazi-hunter team finding Hitler deep up the heart of the Amazonian backwater, with flashbacks used to let the reader in on the events leading them to him. The central part of the book is the struggle referred to by the book's title: the Israeli plan is to abduct Hitler from these backwaters in Brazil to the Venezuelan city of San Cristobal, where an Israeli plane awaits to take him to trial in Jerusalem. During this time, we are given glimpses of how the rest of the world reacts to the rumors that Hitler still lives and has been found. The drama throughout most of the book comes from two sources: firstly, will the team get Hitler, now in his eighties (the novel takes place around 1970), through the malaria-infested swamps and rainforests alive? Secondly, even if they do, will they get him back to Israel before the rest of the world learns of his existence and intercept him for their own trials?
I don't wish to spoil this drama, so I will skip to the ending. What makes the book more than a simple work of alternative history, and what has made the book quite controversial, is its ending: Hitler is on trial, and the man put in charge of Hitler rises to give his opening remarks. But Hitler, who until now has been mute, almost catatonic, will have none of it. After shouting his lawyer into silence, Hitler launches into a sweeping, ten page list of arguments that ends the book. The book essentially ends with this speech, a fact that seems to have created much of the controversy, inasmuch that many critics seem to believe that such an ending serves as an implicit approval of Hitler's arguments (that is, because no one is allowed to refute Hitler, the book de facto supports him). It is an unfair criticism, in my opinion, as texts should be allowed to show disturbing characters and ideas, if only to let them fail on their own merit, or to let the reader decide for him or herself.
I won't spoil the ending by detailing the arguments Hitler makes, other than to say that Hitler takes the concept of "blaming the victim" to new heights of rhetoric and imagery. He doesn't deny the Holocaust, but (attempts to) justify it in ways you have likely never come across before. Forget the usual theories regarding Hitler - that he feared he was part-Jew, that he got syphilis from a Jewish prostitute: by the end, Hitler is not only blaming the victim, but creates an argument bordering on blasphemy and full-on disturbing (and disturbed).
Steiner's work outraged many, who felt that Steiner should have, ironically, listened to the advice the Israeli team's handler gives them early on in the novel: under no circumstances should Hitler be allowed to speak, because his evil rests in his mastery of language, his charismatic ability to seduce the listener with his arguments and appeals.
The book is shocking, but I'm not sure if that shock manages to sustain itself into any deep or meaningful insight. I would recommend that those who read this check out two relevant books, if they can. One is "The World Hitler Never Made," by Gavriel D. Rosenfeld; the other is "Explaining Hitler" by Ron Rosenbaum. Rosenfeld's book deals with the growing number of alternative history works (in literature, film, and television) that reference Hitler and/or Nazism, from Robert Harris' book "Fatherland" to the Star Trek episode "The City on the Edge of Forever." Rosenbaum's is just what the title indicates: an examination of the various theories and explanations given as to how and why Hitler became Hitler.
Both books feature sections on Steiner's novel; Rosenbaum's book also features what I can only frankly describe as a bizarre interview with the author himself. Rosenfeld makes the case that Steiner's work represented a growing Cold War disillusionment with the notion that in defeating Hitler, humanity had defeated its greatest evil. The discoveries of the evils committed by the likes of Stalin, Mao, and Pol-Pot (amongst many) seemed to only confirm that humanity remained as evil as ever, if not more so, and that, ironically, the Holocaust-related notion that "we must never forget" not only didn't stop evil, it may in fact help fuel it (by keeping alive the seductive allure of Hitler's words and imagery). Steiner's Hitler, then, is meant to be seductive and persuasive, because Steiner is showing the irony of what Holocaust studies and Shoah memorials are doing: by keeping the image and voice of Hitler alive, they also keep his most diabolical assets - force of personality, the rhetoric, the seductive power of evil - alive as well. It's as if, one might say, a work like Spielberg's "Schindler's List" creates as much evil as it hopes to prevent, and as such it would be better to indeed forget, to just forget and move on, rid of the allure and temptation that evil possesses.
For Rosenbaum, the character "Hitler" of "The Portage" is unforgivable: he calls him "Steiner's Frankenstein", the created monster that the creator cannot control. While this gives him a bias against Steiner, his interview nonetheless begins with him giving the author several attempts to take the easy way out. Steiner doesn't, and in fact turns the book on its head. The novel, he states, isn't meant to show the fallacies of Hitler's arguments (which some defenders of the work have claimed occurs), but to actually put forward the argument that the Jews might indeed be responsible for their own Holocaust, and that the world might actually be better off if they'd never existed. Steiner, in this interview, seems obsessed with the idea of breaking the boundary of what is taboo, especially (what I take to be) the sensitive taboos and other undiscussable topics within Jewish communities (Steiner himself is Jewish). I found the interview interesting because it changes how you view the book, so you may want to refrain from reading it until once you're finished with the novel itself.
I apologize for giving so much space to discussing works other than the one I'm ostensibly reviewing, but I think a work like this, given the nature of its ending, is really helped by doing some outside reading. Using Rosenfeld, it is interesting to see how "The Portage" works in relation to a number of other 'Nazi alternate history' works that came out at the same time. Rosenbaum too is quite useful for context, although quite honestly Steiner comes across as somewhat unhinged by the time his interview in that book comes to a close.
So, overall, why the three stars? It is a decently entertaining book, readable in an evening as other reviewers have mentioned (this brevity being a good or bad thing, I don't know), and I disagree that it drags in the middle sections - some of the international settings, such as those that deal with a retired Red Army doctor and another with East and West German lawyers are quite interesting capsule stories in their own right (it should be said, though, that the book was written during the Cold War and all the international intrigue in the plot falls completely within that now somewhat dated framework). Hitler's words at the end are shocking and, so to speak, "novel" enough to make them seem much more explosive or thought-provoking than I suspect they really are.
Ultimately, however, especially if you read it in conjunction with some additional reading as I've described, the book does become an interesting study of the question of how artists approach dangerous subjects. How do you invoke Hitler without invoking the charismatic who seduced millions into evil? Can works be considered critically apart from their authors? (Steiner was often labelled a "self-hating Jew" by critics of the book; his resultant bitterness from this is quite apparent in the Rosenbaum interview)
It raises some interesting questions, but ultimately it is not the philosophical novel Steiner seems to have envisioned it being. It is really more a pulp work that makes dangerous use of a real-life villain. Not a bad read, but not quite the challenging or provoking work it might have been had the overall plot and story been fleshed out.
A Good Read -- But That's All.......2004-07-07
This strange novella feels padded even though it's less than 200 pages long and can be read over a weekend. The story is simple: Israeli Nazi-hunters capture Adolf Hitler in the depths of the Amazon rain forest. Their radio broadcasts to Israel are intercepted and decoded by various governments, which deliberate about how to respond before the news leaks out. Meanwhile, the Nazi-hunters, weakened by their ordeal in the jungle, decide to put their captive on trial. Hitler defends himself in a longish speech that has given solace to anti-Semitic readers (such as one Amazon reviewer below). Then the book ends. That's it. Really.
Some of the writing is powerful, such as the radio broadcast from Israel reminding the Nazi-hunters of the horrors of the Holocaust. Other parts of the book are at least entertainingly bizarre, such as Hitler's super-intellectual defense of his decision to destroy European Jewry (since the Jews invented monotheism and guilt, they had to be wiped out). But at other times, the book is painfully cliche'd, as in its endless descriptions of the muck and leeches of Amazonia, or its quotes from the diary of a French diplomat (he's wily! he has a mistress! he is acutely self-aware!), or its rendering of the ponderous metaphysical/historical musings of a legal advisor to the German foreign ministry.
Most readers will close the book scratching their heads and wondering what it was all about -- but at least it's short and holds one's attention.
Bluebeard's Castle revisited........2002-10-22
In this novel, Adolf H. did not commit suicide at the end of World War II, but escaped to South-America. After he is captured, he can defend himself for his crimes. His defence contains the same items as these developed in another book of the author 'In Bluebeard's Castle'. Adolf H. took revenge by organizing the holocaust because mankind was blackmailed three times in an absolute manner: by one terrifying almighty God, by the limitless love of his son Christ and by Rabbi-Marx, who wanted to create heaven on earth.
I found the first part of the novel 'the chase of Adolf H.' rather average.
The second part 'The defence of Adolf H.' is a powerful text, but I prefer the treatment of the same themes in his book 'In Bluebeard's Castle': a bold and compelling conjecture about the subconscious motives of the holocaust.
Nazism - theory, causality, failure.......2001-10-31
This book describes the causality of Nazism (cultural), the theory, and why it failed.
A provocative look at the legacy of A.H........2000-11-05
At it most pedestrian moments, George Steiner's novel "The Portage to San Cristobal of A.H." is a "what if" story in which young Israeli Nazihunters find Hitler in the Amazonian jungle thirty years after the end of the Second World War. The genesis for the story comes from the historical disappearance of Hitler's body after his suicide as well as the apprehension, trial and execution of Adolf Eichmann. Now we know that Stalin had Hitler's remains brought to the Soviet Union to prove that the madman was indeed dead, but the idea of holding Hitler accountable for his sins is certainly compelling. While this book does not provide a formal trial, it does raise some fascinating questions.
There are a pair of chapters in Steiner's book that stand out from the mere mechanics of capturing Hitler. In the first the question on the table is what would you do with Hitler once you had him in custody? Here is a man responsible for the deaths of millions, who remains in our minds the greatest mass murderer of the past century no matter what truths come to us about Stalih's purges. How do you extract judgment? Without access to the hellish inferno of Dante's imagination, what punishment could ever hope to provide closure? The fact that a satisfactory answer cannot be found does not detract from the merit of the line of inquiry.
The second important chapter is the last, where Hitler is allowed to speak. The value of this chapter is that it gets beyond the memory of history to the heart of the evil. There is a fatal tendency in the modern world to equate Fascism with Hitler and the Nazis, which means anti-semitism and the Holocaust. The common folk on the street today would point to skinheads as being fascists. But Fascism is a dynamic built upon the Struggle for Order, a world in which the ends justify means that a democratic populace should scorn. Ultimately Steiner speaks to the ironic level on which Hitler achieved a victory of sorts, having cast the world in the image of his own ideology. Certainly the Cold War, which was still in bloom when Steiner wrote this book, is an example of the fascist ideology, where the demands of "national security" becomes a justification for blind obedience.
Reading these two chapters is well worth reading the entire volume, which is but an evening's read. Certainly you can give over one evening of your life to consider the issues raised by "The Portage to San Cristobal of A.H." and come to terms with them on your own. Hitler has become a caricature and while it is difficult to see him for what he truly was, this book definitely looks in the right direction.
Book Description
Never-before-told tales of action and adventure
revealing the early days of Dark Angel!
Los Angeles, 2019. Large sections of Tinseltown are in Richter-scale ruins in the aftermath of the Pulse and a devastating earthquake. Surviving among a ragtag pack of street kids, agile as a cat, and an expert thief, Max steals from the rich and gives to Moody, her mentor in crime and leader of the gang. But with no real family to speak of, Max longs for her missing “brothers and sisters” from Manticore, the covert agency with a sinister history of militaristic manipulation and control.
By chance, Max sees a news story on TV about a dissident cyberjournalist in Seattle, known to everyone as “Eyes Only.” The police are searching for his accomplice, a young rebel whose image flashes on the screen. Max immediately recognizes Seth, one of her Manticore siblings. She mounts her motorcycle and hightails it north. What she rides into is an elaborate web of betrayal, greed, revenge, and selfless heroism that will only further fuel her quest to uncover the secrets of her past—and seize hope for the future. . . .
Download Description
Based on the television series created by James Cameron and Charles H. Eglee
Los Angeles, 2019. Large sections of Tinseltown are in Richter-scale ruins in the aftermath of the Pulse and a devastating earthquake. Surviving among a ragtag pack of street kids, agile as a cat, and an expert thief, Max steals from the rich and gives to Moody, her mentor in crime and leader of the gang. But with no real family to speak of, Max longs for her missing "brothers and sisters" from Manticore, the covert agency with a sinister history of militaristic manipulation and control.
By chance, Max sees a news story on TV about a dissident cyberjournalist in Seattle, known to everyone as "Eyes Only." The police are searching for his accomplice, a young rebel whose image flashes on the screen. Max immediately recognizes Seth, one of her Manticore siblings. She mounts her motorcycle and hightails it north. What she rides into is an elaborate web of betrayal, greed, revenge, and selfless heroism that will only further fuel her quest to uncover the secrets of her past -- and seize hope for the future....
Customer Reviews:
Action with Thin Substance.......2007-09-05
Let me preface this by stating I have never seen an episode of the T.V. series, (or movies, if any) and am judging the book solely on it's own merits.
This book follows Max, and to a small extent Seth, soldiers from an illegal government super soldier program called Manticore. They escaped while extremely young after their handlers shot and killed one of their classmates, showing that weren't stupid and could the writing on the wall. The author takes this too far, referring at times to both Max and Seth in the novel as "the X5" which serves to dehumanize them in the mind's eye of the reader. Dehumanizing the hero isn't a great idea, since the story suffers if the reader doesn't care about the protagonist's fate.
Pacing is fast but not overwhelming. Setting is not well explained (As in electronics were supposedly fried, what about those shielded or repairable?) since I thought the degeneration of the USA caused by the Pulse event was simply glossed over. Characterization is not very deep, but typical for an action novel. I don't really understand why Max didn't have her barcode tattoo laser-surgery erased, and how she hides her 'cat's eyes' which the author gave me the impression of not looking like normal human eyes. I did think the dialogue had it's witty moments, but I also thought Max's vocabulary didn't match her upbringing.
On it's own as a novel, this was a quick fluffy read that broke down if you thought about it too much. I give this type of book three stars and recommend better novels. Maybe it was written only for fans of the series?
Quite Disappointing.......2007-08-27
This book does not do justice to this series, which is saying quite a bit, given how quickly the show met its demise. First of all, there are many inconsistencies between the book and the series. Facts just don't match up. Second, there is pointless and frequent profanity. Come on, this was a TV show, not an R rated movie. Kids who could handle the series shouldn't go near this book. Third, the editing is lousy. At times, even names were spelled incorrectly.
Overall, the story isn't bad. It's entertaining and a quick read. If it was just another book, the rating would be at least a three. But given the way it fails to mesh with the series, I can't give it anything besides a 2.
Super Reader.......2007-08-07
A nice solid prequel story, detailing how Max gets to Seattle, meets Original Cindy, and Lydecker learns that she may be there, along with learning what Logan is up to, and why.
Interesting.......2007-06-15
This book lets you know what happened before the TV show. It helps set the stage but you need not read it.
WARNING.......2007-05-12
I enjoyed the story of this book very much, but was very disappointed with all the profanity in it. I know the show used swearing a good bit, but this was excessive and foul.
Customer Reviews:
Time Travelers does it again.......2001-06-27
This book was positively a blast to read!! The hero is a banker in Texas in 1871 and a veteran of the Civil War. The heroine is a rancher's daughter. He forecloses on her father's ranch so she shoots him--but misses. A drunken circuit judge sentences her to hang, but the time tunnel opens and takes the two of them back to 1066 England. Now the story is told from their point of view all the way through the book--one chapter is his--one is hers. These two have no concept of European history at all. He thinks a castle is a fort! As it turns out, he's a Robin Hood type in this century, and she's a baron's daughter. All this is set just as William the Conqueror is about to land his foot on English soil. Bruce Wainwright and Jim Cooper, the continuing characters in the Time Travelers series, are in this book to help these two out. Do they need help? Read it. It's book 3 in the series, and what I like best about this author--each book is its own unique story told in its own unique way. The time tunnel and the minor characters stay in the series, but the main characters always change. If you like time travel or historic fiction books, you have to read this series!!!!!
Average customer rating:
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McKnight's Revenge
Hollie Van Horne
Manufacturer: Time Travelers LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Historical
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Romance
| Subjects
| Books
Time Travel
| Romance
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Historical
| Romance
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0979054109 |
Book Description
McKnight's Revenge ~ Matt McKnight and Jessie Callahan travel from 1871 Texas, where Jessie is about to be hanged, to 1066 England, where they are ready (sort of) to meet invaders of England. Matt is a Rebel veteran of the War between the States, and once he gets the hang of the broadsword, he'll take care of any Norman that sets foot on English soil! Then there's Jessie, who is now Lady Gwynth. With a whole staff of servants waiting on her hand and foot, she can start to forget the feel of the hangman's noose that was around her neck in 1871 Calhoun, Texas!
Book Description
Islamic peoples account for one fifth of the world's population and yet there is widespread misunderstanding in the West of what Islam really is. Francis Robinson and his team set out to address this, revealing the complex and sometimes contrary nature of Muslim culture. As well as taking on the issues uppermost in everyone's minds, such as the role of religious and political fundamentalism, they demonstrate the importance of commerce; literacy and learning; Islamic art; the effects of immigration, exodus, and conquest; and the roots of current crises in the Middle East, Bosnia, and the Gulf. Throughout, emphasis is placed on the interaction between Islam and the West, from the first Latin translations of the Quran to the fatwa on Salman Rushdie. This elegant book deliberately sets out to dismantle the Western impression of Islam as a monolithic world and replace it with a balanced view, from current issues of fundamentalism to its dynamic culture and art. Francis Robinson is the editor of two outstanding reference works: Atlas of the Islamic World Since 1500 (Cambridge, 1982) and The Cambridge Encyclopedia of India (1989).
Customer Reviews:
gives an appreciation of Muslim nations and history.......2007-01-17
Lapidus has assembled a set of authors to write this nicely done summation of the Muslim world. Well accompanied by numerous photos of current Islamic architecture. From Spain to Arabia and further. Plus, there are also centuries-old illustrations of important personages. Notwithstanding the Koranic prohibition against the depiction of the human form. Apparently, in many Muslim societies, that was not strictly adhered to, especially for rulers who wanted their visages immortalised.
The book covers both the history and the current state of these societies. Several authors appear to be Muslim, and certainly the tone of the book is strongly sympathetic towards Muslims. Though the book also makes us aware that there is a great variety of opinions and customs amongst Muslims. Not a monolithic bloc.
Plus, the long tradition of Muslim scholarship is explained. It helped preserve knowledge when Europe fell into the Dark Ages.
Wonderful Intro to Islamic Culture and Belief.......2004-01-13
In an age of prejudice towards the Islamic faith, it is nice to see a more accurate and even-handed book covering the Muslim world. This book gives an excellent introduction, going into depth on how the west has viwed the Islamic world, and vice-versca. Then it goes onto the first chapter, where it discusses pre-Islamic Arabia, the life of Mohammad, the Rashidun, the schism between Sunni and Shi'a, and the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties. This chapter is especially interesting in laying the framework for the foundations of the Islamic world, as well as the spread of Islam and Arabic culture, and later conversion of non-Arab peoples (most notably the Persians). In the next chapter, the Islamic world from 1000 to 1500 AD is covered, when Islam had spread across the Middle East, west to Spain and west Africa and east towards India and Central Asia. This chapter covers many interesting subjects, such as the Fatimid dynasty, the Crusades, the Mongols, Byzantium and the Turks, and Islamic states in East Asia and Africa. The third chapter covers the period from 1500 to 1800 AD, a period of both great achievements and decline. The Persian, Mongol and Turkish powers are mentioned (such as the Safavids, Mughals and Ottomans), alongside mention of Islam in Africa and elsehwere in Asia (mainly China and Southeast Asia).
The subsequent chapter focuses on the 1800s to the present day, and a growing western presence in Islamic lands. This chapter shows how European powers carved up Islamic lands (the French in Syria and north/west Africa, the Brits in Iraq, Palestine, Egypt and South Asia, the Italians in north Africa, Russians in central Asia, etc), and how Islamicist reformer movements arose because of this. Mention is also made of non-colonized states (such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran), and of the emergence of independant Islamic states. The second section of the book goes more into cultural studies, delving into economies, trade routes and social structure within the Islamic world. Mention is made of both historical traderoutes and interconnectedness in the Islamic world, stretching from Morocco to Indonesia, and of modern economies in predominantly Muslim states. In chapter seven, the book explores learning in Islamic societies. Mention is made of the high degree of literacy in Islam, and the many great scientific achievements in medicine, astronomy and mathematics. Mention is also made of the impact of the west on Islamic learning. This is followed by a chapter on the arts in the Islamic world, ranging from calligraphy to architecture to classical Arabic music (including mention of legendary Egyptian singer Umm Kalthum) and everything in between. This is an excellent chapter for understanding and appreciating Islamic culture.
The book closes out with a conclusion on Islam in the modern world, relationships with the west, the spread of Islam to every country in the world and crises in Bosnia, Palestine, Kashmir and Chechnya. It also has a wonderful timeline covering various Islamic dynasties around the world and a short glossary of Arabic terms. Its quite a nice book for getting to understand some of the basic history and culture of the Islamic world and some of the current issues facing the Islamic world. For the purposes of this book, by the way, the Islamic world counts as any country where the majority of the population is Muslim, not just self-declared Islamic states (which would be limited to Iran, Pakistan, Mauritania and such). Hence it covers almost all of the Middle East, north Africa, Central Asia and much of South Asia, as well as Bosnia, Albania, parts of west and east Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and so forth. In fact, the book makes a point of examining Islam in South Asia, Africa, China and elsewhere beyond the Middle East. It also includes many illustrations and maps of the Islamic world. Hence its an invaluable aid for anyone, Muslim or non-Muslim, in understanding the wonderful history and culture of Islam. However, it doesn't go into depth on beliefs or specific cultures (such as Arabs, Persians, Malay, Mongols and whatnot), so you would need to look elsewhere for that.
Book Description
The Cambridge Illustrated History of Religions is a comprehensive survey of world religions from pre-history to the present day. Each religion is treated in depth, with text written by a recognized academic expert, and supported by extensive illustrations. The religions covered include Jainism, Chinese and Japanese religions, Hindu religions, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism, along with smaller sections on Zoroaster and Parsis, Greek and Rome, Egypt and Mesopotamia, aboriginal religions, Shamanism, and modern religions such as Bahai. The book includes a substantial bibliography, a full chronology for each section, a general chronology giving the most significant dates from all religions, and information on religious phenomena such as festivals and calendars. This is an authoritative reference book which will appeal equally to students of religion, teachers, and general interested readers. John Bowker is the author of The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (Oxford, 2000), The Complete Bible Handbook: An Illustrated Companion (DK Publishing, 1998) and and The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (Oxford, 1997). He is Greshan Professor, Greshan College, London and Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and North Carolina State University.
Customer Reviews:
Picture this!.......2007-06-26
I use the Cambridge Illustrated History of Religions in a course I teach on World Religions for my university -- it has a good breadth of coverage, good detail, wonderful photography, and a very nice colour layout that makes for easier reading. Editor John Bowker provides an introduction and conclusion as well as one of the topical sections.
In the introduction, Bowker writes, 'There is no known society in which religion has not played a part, and frequently a controlling and creative part. This seems to have been true of the earliest societies, but in their case the history of religions is not easy to write.' Bowker traces the reconstruction and speculation of prehistoric societies, with illustrations of cave paintings, totem poles, Mayan pyramid structures, Native American costumes, and maps of South America and Oceania to help illustrate the diversity of ways beyond the printed word that different peoples have kept alive the religious traditions handed down to them.
'The attempt to write history according to laws governing human behaviour had an immensely important influence during much of the twentieth century, because it created those disciplines which called themselves "the social science".' This is not, however, the only possible way to explore religion, and Bowker and his fellow authors do stretch their reporting and analysis beyond this framework. Some tap into the common core of ideas that seems to permeate the different religions, and some do anthropological studies that look for echoes of the present in the past.
This book is useful both as a reference and as a narrative history, designed for reading. The religions are described both in terms of beliefs and in terms of practices, with side-bar commentary that helps to elucidate key points throughout the text. There are also occasional essays, spread across one or two pages, that might highlight in more detail some of the scriptures, cultural issues, historical events, or other key pieces that lend understanding to the religion. For example, in the section on Buddhism, there are special essays on the Buddha's First Sermon, Women in Japanese Buddhism, and Chinese Suppression; in the section on Islam, there are special essays on The Quran, Islam in Pakistan, and Mosques.
The main sections and principle subsections are as follows:
Indian Religions and the Hindu Tradition
Jainism
Sikihism
Buddhism
Þ India and Southeast Asia
Þ Tibet
Þ China
Þ Japan
Þ Korea
Chinese Religion
Korean Religion
Japanese Religions
Judaism
Zarathustra and the Parsis
Mediterranean Religions
Þ Classical Greek and Roman Religion
Þ Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia
Christianity
Þ Christianity
Þ Norse Religion
Islam
New Religions
The concluding section, on new religions, discusses various practices and communities that still hearken back to older traditions. Pagans, for example, tend to dismiss use of the term neo-Pagan, as they maintain that their religion taps into ancient ideas rather than exists as a new creation. Similarly, followers of Wicca see themselves as descendents of older European practices -- some followers of both see their origins in the Druid communities. In Japan, the shinko shukyo, or newer religions, exist in addition to several ancient traditions that continue to be practiced. Post-colonial Africa has seen a resurgence beginning in the recovery of non-Western religious practices alongside continuing growth in both Christian and Islamic communities. The Bahai faith is an example of a new religion growing out of Islamic (and thus the Judeo-Christian-Islamic) tradition; twentieth century groups such as Scientologists and the Unification Church continue to generate controversy, both in terms of belief and practice.
'With so many risks, why do new religions continue to flourish, especially among the young? Many answers have been offered, but fundamental to them all is the fact that the capacity for religious belief and behaviour is deeply embedded in the human brain and body. It is inevitable, therefore, that people will be religious in some sense. ... The human genius for religion leads to the constant development of new religions that seem to their adherents to meet their needs and fulfill their hopes. It leads also to a continuing history of existing religions for exactly the same reason.'
The book includes a chronology presented both in column text and in two-page graphic format as a timeline. There is also a great index, and a useful bibliography. The text is written assuming no particular background in religion, theology or history, but rather a basic beginning college reading level. Advanced students from secondary schools may also find this useful, and the illustrated format makes it an interesting book for almost any reader.
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- Too Many Men: A Novel
- Towelhead: A Novel
- Varieties of Visual Experience (Trade Version) (4th Edition)
Books Index
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Explaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of His Evil
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What She Saw...: A Novel
