After ten years of teaching law and religion courses, Wexler decided he wanted to write a book that explained the complex and nuanced legal arguments involving the separation of church and state. And, he reasoned, what better way to do this than a road trip to the very hotspots where the battles took place? The result is a cross-country jaunt that's part travelogue, part law for the layperson, and part humorous anecdotes and impressions. In such chapters as "Hasidic Hullabaloo" (New York state), "Amish Agitation" (Wisconsin), and "Ball-Field Brouhaha" (Texas), we are enlightened on why these cases arose, how they were argued, and the legal reasoning behind the judgments. Readers will learn, among other things, why animal sacrifice is indeed legal in Florida; why a public school district was created to service a deeply religious, homogeneous community that already had a parochial school; and what the law says about another deeply religious community that refuses to send its pre-teens to school at all. These heavyweight issues are handled with a light touch by Wexler who, I imagine, teaches his classes with a similarly wry take on things, and his lively book offers us a perfect way to grasp an ongoing and evolving debate in America today. (Barbara L., Reader's Services)