|
|  | Author: Bruce Feiler
Publisher: William Morrow
Category: Book
List Price: $26.99
Buy New: $6.23
as of 9/5/2010 05:31 CDT details
You Save: $20.76 (77%)
Seller: bookcloseouts_us
Rating:  54 reviews
Sales Rank: 9780
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Original Language), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1St Edition
Pages: 368
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.4
ISBN: 0060574887
Dewey Decimal Number: 973
EAN: 9780060574888
ASIN: 0060574887
Publication Date: October 1, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: New, unread, publisher over-stock copies. Ships out by NEXT Business Day. We have shipped TWO MILLION+ Amazon orders to-date. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee!
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 26-30 of 54
 interesting look at American mythologies December 17, 2009
M. Tanenbaum (Claremont, CA USA)
This was a very interesting book about how the story of Moses inspired Americans throughout our history. Likely to appeal to Jews and non-Jews alike, this book portrays a part of our American iconography that is somehow skipped over in our schools. Who knew that Moses was on another design of the American seal, for example? The author weaves the inspiration of Moses' story throughout our history, from the founding fathers to the present day.
 Factually challenged December 11, 2009
Russell Sims
14 out of 22 found this review helpful
While somewhat entertaining and interesting, the lack of honest research caused me to put the book away before finishing. The author first buys into the theory that the Bible has been mistranslated and that the Israelites crossed through the "Reed Sea" instead of the "Red Sea." Obvioulsy, this is on the fringe of Biblical research. Then he discusses freemasonry and presents as fact ideas that he must have gotten from a two page flyer written by someone in Hollywood. Finally, he calls George Washington a "luke warm Episcopalian" who "never took communion" and a "quasi-deist" while discussing Washington's belief in divine providence. The slightest understanding of what a deist is would rule out any discussion of divine providence and the smallest amount of research would enlighten the author as to Washington's true leanings in regards to religion. The author makes some great comparisons between events in American history and the Exodus, but the fact that he fumbles such easily uncovered historical truths, leads me to question the remainder of his research.
 Find Moses in America! December 5, 2009
James Gallen (St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
"America's Prophet" is author Bruce Feiler's case for Moses as America's role model, prophet and even Founding Father. He makes a good case. We have all heard of Moses and Crossing the Red Sea, but most of us have not realized how pervasive his influence is. This book brings it all together. Feiler illustrates that Moses, as a human being, both failing and triumphant, so well personifies the American myth of the struggle for freedom.
This book follows Moses' role as the Father Figure for a series of American leaders and movements. The Pilgrims identified with the Israelites as they left their home for a new life of Freedom in the wilderness. The crossed the Atlantic which separated them from the tyrannies of the Old World, as the Red Sea protected the Israelites from Pharaoh .
As the thirst for Liberty grew stronger in America, orators and writers, including Thomas Payne, drew on Old Testament sources to connect to the traditions of their people. With Independence a reality, the Liberty Bell fulfilled the Leviticus command to "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof." George Washington chose to take the presidential oath while his hand rested on an open page of Genesis. The Old Testament would play a major role in the literature of the Masonic movement, which was so important to our Founding Fathers.
The chapters on the Abolitionist movement make fascinating reading. Feiler shows how the movements leaders, including Harriet Beecher Stowe and her brother, Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, incorporated the story of Israel's liberation from slavery into the struggle for abolition in the U.S. When Civil War came, both sides invoked Moses as a model in their struggles for freedom. Lincoln would be eulogized in predominantly Old Testament terms. When America was flooded by wave of immigrants, Moses' admonition to welcome the stranger because you too were strangers in the land of Egypt gave hope to those coming to a new land.
In the Twentieth Century, the struggle over the role of religion in America again drew heavily on the Old Testament and the Moses Story. Feiler tells the story of Cecil B. DeMille who sent Moses into the Cold War in his classic movie, "The Ten Commandments." As DeMille says at the start of the movie, it is about freedom. The Israelites are all played by Americans and the Egyptians are all Europeans. It is interesting that DeMille, a strong Christian, chose Moses, not Jesus, to tell his story of freedom. Feiler presents the argument that Moses, being merely human, presents a more universal story than does Jesus, who is also Divine. Finally it is Dr. Martin Luther King, the minister who preaches freedom to his people and, in his final speech, tells his listeners that "he's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I have se-e-e-e-e-n the promised land. And I may not get there with you."
After that high, this book shows us Moses on the Supreme Court Building and other inclusions of Moses and his story in our national life.
The story is impressive. The telling is typical Bruce Feiler. As readers of his earlier books, and readers of my Amazon reviews know that I am a Bruce Feiler fan, Feiler does not just tell us a story, he takes us on a journey. Whether it is Walking the Bible, Following Abraham or tracking Moses across America, Feiler takes the readers to the places and meets the keepers of the flame. In this book, we visit Plimouth Plantation and meet Rev. Peter Gomes, the black, gay, Republican who keeps the Pilgrims' flame burning bright. We visit the Stowe House and visit Barbara Furr, the docent. We enjoy a chat as Cecilia Presley, Cecil B. DeMille's granddaughter tells us what motivated her grandfather to make his movie the way he did. We visit the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, where Martin Luther King died and sit in as Andrew Young shares his recollections of that moment in history. This is history and investigation not to be found elsewhere.
As a general rule, I rate a good book as a 4. A 5 is usually reserved for books that really change my outlook on a topic or that spur my interest to study it more. "America's Prophet" passes both tests. Henceforth, as I read American history, I will be looking for Moses. This is a book that lays a foundation upon which the reader can build. Start building!
 If you are a history buff... November 26, 2009
TRFB
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is an interesting look into how the story of Moses and the Exodus played a part in our country's progress. It could of left out the mentioning of Obama and Hillary Clinton. I think doing so, did make the book current, however, it was a mistake to do so as it left the sense of timelessness. But, I won't go into any political statements. Anyway, it is interesting to learn how the theme of Moses' and his Exodus from Egypt played a part in many of our leaders and how they viewed our nation in a similar fashion. From the proposal of the nation's seal which would've included Moses and the pillar of Fire, to the Liberty Bell and it's inscription. What was interesting is that the people of those times didn't have a model or an icon to look to when breaking away from England. Equally interesting is that they chose Moses.
If you are a history buff, you may enjoy this book. I myself enjoyed it for the interesting facts on how our nation was developed with the story of Moses and how he led the people from Egypt and into a new land. The parallel between that and our nation breaking away from England is similar.
My question is what made this country leave the model it was built upon?
Too much ego-autobiography, not enough actual history,connective theme November 25, 2009
Brian (Virginia,USA)
11 out of 23 found this review helpful
I read the book as I do most, by thumbing through the index. You can tell a lot by an index, yet you can tell a lot by a book with an introduction-or lack of one. Then of course there's the chapters. The more I read, the more I hated the book. For someone who went Yale University and the University of Cambridge, Feiler should've known better to take advantage of his readers. The Title "America's Prophet:Moses And the American Story" is just that, a title, I thought of great titles too, and yet community college taught me a good research paper has a good thesis statement. Then it should be developed using arguments. Feiler's theoretical argument should've been in that missing introduction. That was the moment to throw every Book of the Bible and fill out a nice history of America and who exactly Moses was,-which his is severely lacking. Then of course the research. Mountains of mountains of research of America. Its not there. What emerges is the Autobiography of Bruce Feiler a stream of consciousness into American History. He has some awesome times at Thanksgiving, that's in the beginning of the book, then he has some awesome times at Thanksgiving, that's at the end of the book, I know his love of the Bible is great, but I do think that's taking the passage "the last shall be first, and the first shall be last," a bit much. In the Chapter "Let My People Go", the Autobiography continues, as Feiler does the reenactment of the Underground Railroad. The title of the chapter is a quote attributed to Harriet Tubman and Negro Spirituals, yet Feiler puts his little slavery skit first, then like a river it breaks off into the retelling of Uncle Tom's Cabin, so you never get to a realized chapter on How Tubman is called the "Moses of her People." What's the chapter for, then? I both laughed through that part and was angry that it wasn't in the index. I was deeply offended by this chapter, that A. he thinks Stowe's characters are real, B. That is was inspired by Moses-it wasn't it was a response to the Fugitive Slave Act and Daniel Webster's abdication of the slavery issue in the Compromise of 1850(see Webster-Hayne Debate), and C.like no one cared about slavery till Lincoln and Frederick Douglas showed up, when there's able evidence from the Webster-Hayne Debate in 1830, John C. Calhoun's career, the Wilmot Proviso and the Mexican War, J. Q. Adams opposing the gag rule,the Missouri Compromise of 1820, to the contrary, everything was dedicated to the balance of free vs. slave states and "liberty and union," itself. Then there's wordy parts on famous world leaders-er, demagogues, whatever, like Joseph Goebbels, the propaganda minister of Adolph Hitler, a German dictator, Karl Marx the philosopher, and only one page on them. Why are they even there, if its on America? Sticking with the Moses theme, the book talks about anecdotes without rhyme or reason, of Dr. King saying he's going to die the same way as President Kennedy. Dr. King led the Exodus of his people to the promised land of civil rights, but I wish the author could've said a word or two about the Exodus of Black America before King, i.e., the Black Migration to the Northern cities. That would've been a good interlude between civil war and civil rights, and kept the pace going;other Exoduses like Mormons,Trail of Tears,Manifest Destiny get the axe.this is sad because America is God's place on Earth,so it has been argued, and Manifest Destiny was about working God's land and converting the Indians to Christianity, that could've led to a Moses theme had it been developed. There's a lot of in passing references of major figures like Kennedy,William Penn,Woodrow Wilson,Andrew Jackson,Harvey Milk, that are given minor sentences, it reminded me of a college student needing to pass but okay if its a C. The fact that he's trying to break new ground is another thing, we're a religious nation too be sure, but a Moses led nation, where rugged individualism is its other signature,where we denied Catholics the presidency for a long time, and more recently Mormons, at least in the Republican primaries, I don't think so. He may've walked the Bible, but I've walked the Freedom Trail,and Civil War battlefields, and America is so much more.
Showing reviews 26-30 of 54
|
|
|
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME. | |
