GodGod
Score Modern
What it's about
Jack Miles, a former Jesuit, reads the Hebrew Bible not as scripture but as literature, with God as its main character, and tells God's 'life story' from Genesis onward: how the character changes from creator to destroyer, lawgiver, warrior and finally silent presence, and what that means for the Western idea of the self.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Pulitzer Prize for biography. It's an original, thought-provoking reading of the Bible.
You'll love it if you liked
The Gnostic Gospels
The Varieties of Religious Experience
The MetamorphosesGood to know
It treats God as a literary character, which some believers find uncomfortable.
By the numbers
- Readers28 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics63 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On our reserve shelf: it doesn't have enough readers yet for us to rank it alongside the Must-Read 50 pool. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.
Why it made the list
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Have a Little Faith: A True Story
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The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
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Quick answers
Is God worth reading?
It won the Pulitzer Prize for biography. Its Must-Read Score is 64.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is God about?
Jack Miles, a former Jesuit, reads the Hebrew Bible not as scripture but as literature, with God as its main character, and tells God's 'life story' from Genesis onward: how the character changes from creator to destroyer, lawgiver, warrior and finally silent presence, and what that means for the Western idea of the self.
How long does it take to read God?
About 12 hours (464 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has God won?
Pulitzer Prize (Biography) winner (1996).
What should I read after God?
If you liked it, try The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels, The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James or The Metamorphoses by Ovid.