America's Prophet

September 14, 2009
A bestselling author for his popular explorations of the lands of the Bible, Feiler turns his attention to the biblical figure of Moses in U.S. history. He argues that the story of the life of Moses as told in the book of Exodus has been the dominant metanarrative employed by political and social leaders in shaping America's identity, from the Pilgrims escaping religious persecution to the civil rights movement with its vision of a Promised Land. A journalist rather than a historian, Feiler approaches his subject using the same formula he has employed in previous books: physical walks through historic sites and interviews with experts. Although the book offers snippets of interesting anecdotes, the approach is uncontroversial and the book lacks forward momentum. Feiler is a popularizer, and readers interested in a light and cursory treatment of a theme in U.S. history will enjoy it. Readers wanting a more in-depth and critical understanding of the subject may want to look elsewhere.

October 1, 2009
Many books that examine the influence of the Bible on American society focus on controversies such as the true meaning of Genesis ("Storms over Genesis: Biblical Battleground in America's Wars of Religion" by William H. Jennings, Fortress, 2007) or Christmas displays on government property ("War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot To Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday Is Worse Than You Thought" by John Gibson, Sentinel, 2005). Others, such as Melanie J. Wright's "Moses in America: The Cultural Uses of Biblical Narrative" (Oxford Univ., 2003), relate the Bible to aspects of popular culture. Feiler ("Walking the Bible") goes in a different direction, starting with the unique thesis of Moses as Founding Father: the story of Moses as the story of America. Part history, part religious study, "America's Prophet" examines the American cycle of oppression, followed by inspired leadership, and culminating in the sometimes violent journey toward freedom. Feiler posits that from William Bradford and George Washington to Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr., the United States has been a nation of many Moseses, reluctant leaders giving voice and vision to those with neither, the very human leaders who ultimately fail in some respects, after many trials, to reach the Promised Land. Feiler gives us the American strugglefrom the Pilgrims escaping religious persecution and slaves seeking human dignity to European Jews fleeing anti-Semitism and African Americans demanding equal rightsand in the same straightforward, readable style as his previous works. Yet the book possesses a depth and a gravitas that belie the accessible text, attributable to the numerous authoritiesreligious and civic, historians, and othersinterviewed for the book. VERDICT Both students of the Bible and of American history will find insight in the connections Feiler makes, and both specialists and lay readers in religious studies will want this.Michael F. Russo, Louisiana State Univ. Libs., Baton Rouge

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2009
A breezy look at the story of Moses and its role in the making of America.

During his studies and travels, writes popular religion commentator Feiler (Where God Was Born: A Journey by Land to the Roots of Religion, 2005, etc.), he stumbled on a"little-known storyline" of American history—the influence of Moses in the making of the nation. The author claims that Moses' imprint can be seen on many major figures, including the Pilgrims, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr. and, most recently, Barack Obama, who used the Exodus story throughout his presidential campaign."One person has inspired more Americans than any other. One man is America's true founding father," writes Feiler in his typically bombastic style."His name is Moses." In the introduction, the author twists himself into knots—"Could the persistence of his story serve as a reminder of our shared national values? Could he serve as a unifying force in a disunifying time? If Moses could split the Red Sea, could he unsplit America?"—to justify a narrative that settles into a predictable pattern: first-person reporting at a historic landmark, an interview with a historian and fairly standard textbook history. Feiler indulges a few tangents but always dutifully returns to Moses. Like a conspiracy theorist, the author often mistakes coincidence for portent."Just because some of our ideas correlate with the Revolution doesn't mean there's causality," says one of Feiler's interviewees. Though his subject is discussing the history of the Freemasons, it could easily apply to the author's Moses thesis. However, even though the author stretches his thesis too far, he does provide an interesting greatest-hits digest of American history from the point of view of revolutionaries.

A facile retracing of American history on a Mosaic theme—which is not to say Feiler fans won't love it.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from September 15, 2009
To Feiler, one figure above all others symbolizes Americanot a politician or a war hero but Moses. Feiler persuasively and entertainingly chronicles how Moses as action hero, Moses as role model has affected virtually every level of American society. He insists that Americans of different eras, from Harriet Beecher Stowe writing Uncle Toms Cabin to the Jewish creators of Superman, based in part on the hero of the Torah, were inspired by Moses. Its an eye-opening contention, beautifully argued. Feiler begins with the arrival of the first permanent English settlers in Jamestown, who compared their struggles to Moses, and the colonists who broke away from Britain as, their conceit ran, the Israelites did from Egypt. In the Civil War era, the Israelites escape from slavery became the master motif of spirituals, with Moses himself the hero in many. Other examples of American Moses imagery that Feiler cites include the frontiersman Daniel Boone being styled the Moses of the West and Cecil B. DeMilles two influential films entitled The Ten Commandments, which, he claims, did more to define Moses in the popular mindset than anyone since King James. Feiler confidently concludes that the major themes of Moses story continue to shape America and affect the lives of countless Americans, such as Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Fascinating and thought provoking.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)