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Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible

David Plotz

3.80 · Rating details · 1,500 ratings · 264 reviews

At a time when wars are fought over scriptural interpretation, when the influence of religion on American politics has never been greater, when many Americans still believe in the Bible’s literal truth, it has never been more important to get to know the Bible. Good Book is what happens when a regular guy—an average Job—actually reads the book on which his religion, his cu ...more

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Published March 10th 2009 by HarperLuxe (first published March 1st 2009)

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Start your review of Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible

Jul 23, 2015 David rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: religion

This is a fascinating, irreverent book that that summarizes the Bible, chapter by chapter. Oh, some chapters are bypassed, because in the words of David Plotz, "it is boring."

The last chapter stands out as the most interesting, as the author asks the question, "Should you read the Bible?" The first reason is that so much of Western culture comes from the Bible. Plotz writes that it is difficult to get through a chapter--even a chapter in some obscure book--"without encountering a phrase, a name This is a fascinating, irreverent book that that summarizes the Bible, chapter by chapter. Oh, some chapters are bypassed, because in the words of David Plotz, "it is boring."

The last chapter stands out as the most interesting, as the author asks the question, "Should you read the Bible?" The first reason is that so much of Western culture comes from the Bible. Plotz writes that it is difficult to get through a chapter--even a chapter in some obscure book--"without encountering a phrase, a name, a character, or an idea that has come down to us from 3,000 years ago." So many plot twists and fundamental ideas come to us from the Bible. And, throughout the book, Plotz reminds readers when a particular chapter contains these fundamental ideas, names, or phrases. The second reason for reading the Bible is to understand religious traditions--even traditions with which one does not agree.

After reading the Bible, it is difficult to answer the question, "Why believe in a God that is unjust, merciless, unforgiving, and unloving?" That question comes up because the God described in the Bible is all those things. And besides, God is fickle and inconsistent! So much of the Bible is filled with barbaric concepts and commandments; at least by today's standards. These barbaric acts were probably commonplace in their own time. But then, how can we possibly say that the concept of a God makes moral laws absolute?

I have never read the Bible in full. I guess I only have read the Sunday School portions. For example, in the Book of Esther, I thought that the book ended when the evil Haman was killed. But I do not recall that later, Esther persuaded the king to allow an extra day for a killing spree against the Jews' enemies. I never realized that Lot's daughters got their father drunk in order to commit incest. In Leviticus, God killed Aaron's sons because they used the wrong type of incense. And, if you have a disobedient son, you can take him to the elders of the town and have him stoned to death.

This book, by recounting some of the inconsistencies in the Bible's precepts, is quite hilarious. David Plotz tries to get to the bottom of some of the motivations of the characters. For example, when God causes the ten plagues on the Pharoah, when you get down to it, the reason for the plagues is that God wanted us to tell stories about them! Plotz wonders why, when the Israelites were wandering through the desert for forty years, they were in constant rebellion. After all, didn't they recall all the amazing miracles that were happening all that time?

In many of the chapters, Plotz shows how God hates brothers, detests women, but loves bald people. God likes carnivores, but not vegetarians. To get a flavor for the book, I offer this quote from the section on Chapter 16 of Ezekiel,

This chapter is like the bad parts of Portrait of a Lady, Madame Bovary, and Married with Children all rolled up into a ball of rage. It's the first story to correctly understand that the psychological relationship between God and His people is not parent and child, but spouses.

Returning to the question of why God would act like this, Plotz mentions the usual answer that "God acts in mysterious ways." But, he points out that we were born as rational beings. If God made us, giving us the tools to think, then we must examine God with "rational and moral inquiry. And He fails that examination." ...more

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Mar 09, 2009 Eris rated it really liked it · review of another edition

David Plotz, a secular Jew, discovers a horrifying story while browsing the Old Testament in a fit of boredom during an infrequent visit to a Temple service. So horrifying that he is compelled to pick up the Book and read the whole thing to see what other horrors he has missed. This book is a chapter by chapter (mostly) synopsis of the Old Testament, with commentary and some biting observations. I found his play by play color commentary to be insightful at times, and did very much enjoy this wor ...more

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Jun 02, 2016 Daniel rated it did not like it · review of another edition

An ignorant Jewish writer decided to read the Tanakh (Jewish Bible) for the first time and write about the experience book by book. Billed as "hilarious" and "inspiring" it isn't much of either in large part because of the lack of any real Jewish knowledge by the author. He reads Psalm 118 and says, "I don't think this psalm has much sway over Jews..." unaware that it is part of the Hallel service that is part of every holiday service and then skips over Psalm 145 (Ashrei) which is read three ti ...more

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May 28, 2014 Corey Edwards rated it it was ok

Not quite the book I was hoping for but an interesting read none the less. Further, the book illustrates a contradiction that has perplexed me for years: faith despite wisdom.

The author is a self-described faithful Jew whose rather shaky faith was greatly strengthened by reading every word of the bible. This despite the fact that doing so caused him to write a book that - very gently but also thoroughly - pokes holes both great and small in the fabric of the text throughout, leaving a tattered m ...more

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Jun 19, 2011 Lee Harmon rated it it was amazing

100% recommended! This romp through the Hebrew Bible is much more than just fascinating and funny. It’s also engrossing, mildly irreverent, thought-provoking, disturbing--you'll love the Good Book whether you’re a believer or not. This is the Bible unveiled in all its grime and greatness. The characters in Genesis are especially unforgettable, from the story of Abimalech lusting after a 90-year-old woman (Sarah, Abraham's wife) to a diabolical mother-and-son plot to rob the simple-minded Esau of ...more

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Feb 27, 2013 Joseph Rizzo rated it it was ok

What I enjoyed about this book:

Seeing this through the eyes of a non-christian. He actually takes the time to read the OT.

The things that caught his attention were interesting.

What I didn't enjoy:

Taking some of the OT narrative wildly out of context and reducing the actions of Almighty God to a petty, vindictive, and unjustly punitive God. It is unfortunate, but I know he is not the only one who sees it this way. It is his misunderstanding of human nature and the requisite judicial actions of G ...more

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Nov 07, 2012 Jay Glickman rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nonfiction-religion

Have I mentioned my profound contempt and loathing of religious fundamentalists? Probably. I was reminded today of the staggering loopiness of these right-wingnuts when Bobo Smyth-Bullard sent me a clipping concerning a fundamentalist's response to the late unpleasantness at Sea World, in which Shamu the "Killer Whale" lived up to his description and iced one of his trainers.

Said response was swift and merciless; according to scripture, Shamu must be killed forthwith - via stoning. (How do you Have I mentioned my profound contempt and loathing of religious fundamentalists? Probably. I was reminded today of the staggering loopiness of these right-wingnuts when Bobo Smyth-Bullard sent me a clipping concerning a fundamentalist's response to the late unpleasantness at Sea World, in which Shamu the "Killer Whale" lived up to his description and iced one of his trainers.

Said response was swift and merciless; according to scripture, Shamu must be killed forthwith - via stoning. (How do you stone to death something that lives underwater?) Also, his surviving trainers must likewise be stoned to death for good measure, says the Bible. As often claimed, the Good Book has a solution for every problem, even if most of them involving throwing rocks at people (or aquatic mammals).

I mention this as an introduction to a delightful book by David Plotz, the editor of Slate, in which he describes, chapter by chapter, his experience reading the whole of the Old Testament. (Like myself, Plotz is a mostly non-observant Jew - neither of us has much interest in the events that follow.) The result is an informative, thoughtful, and very, very funny look at the Good Book's many contradictions, acts of violence, pornographic interludes, and refreshing bits of fine poetry.

Seriously, though - the Old Testament (which includes the five books of the Torah, plus a bunch of books about Prophets, Judges, Psalms, and a poor bastard named Job), is completely whacked. Some of the more outlandish incidents involve: golden hemorrhoids, a mountain of foreskins, killing a thousand people with a donkey's jawbone, the genocide of a dozen or more societies, and an almost endless number of hookers. Any fundie who claims to literally believe everything in here is unquestionably certifiable.

Its not all hookers and hemorrhoids, though. Plotz's evaluation of the Bible, while frequently snarky, is also frequently thoughtful and respectful. His chief problem seems to lie in reconciling the notion of a loving and merciful God with the psychotically jealous and angry deity that informs most of the Bible's events. And it is a tough problem - frankly God's actions throughout tend to make lowly humans seem like paragons of virtue and sanity.

Much of the wackiness of fundamentalism must come from trying to integrate the bitchy, vengeful God of the Old Testament with the cuddly, loving God of the Jesus era. In my opinion, fundies would save themselves a lot of needless anxiety by simply stipulating that God had a stroke sometime around 50 BC, and afterward had a whole different personality.

Anyway, Plotz is at his best when he tries to resolve the violence, misogyny, and chaos of the Bible by applying his own personal interpretations of the text - simultaneously perplexed, humorous and humane, he demonstrates that taking anything in the book literally is the worst possible move. Ultimately, he advises his readers to do the work themselves - read the book, and work through the many contradictions on their own, and, as he did, find themselves deriving new inspiration from the process. I plan to start soon, and will post a review of the Good Book in due course. ...more

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Sep 15, 2009 Chris rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Because I grew up in a religious environment, I find secular views on the bible interesting. David Plotz made the choice to read his Jewish Bible for the first time. This was a new experience for him as he had forgotten most of the things he learned in Hebrew School.

David writes this book in a chapter by chapter approach; the reader can see his understanding grow and his reactions change throughout the book. Many of his musings are notable, but two stand out: his acceptable name list and his re ...more

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Jul 15, 2015 Grumpus rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: spiritual, audiobook

I enjoyed the slightly irreverent look at his chapter-by-chapter reading of the Old Testament. Each Biblical chapter of significance (his opinion) is addressed through a brief summary of what is happening in “everyday” language and his humorous lens. It will shed new light on all those biblical stories you’ve heard about since you were a child. The appendix was especially interesting as it was a synopsis of useful (and not so useful) Bible lists. You never really knew what was in the Bible until ...more

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May 11, 2009 Natali rated it it was amazing

One of the funniest books I've ever read. I loved it! Good Book is a summary of the Old Testament, told by David Plotz, an editor for Slate Magazine. It is his sincere effort to better understand the bible but his compendium is sarcastic, sardonic, and hilarious.

I enjoyed the first half a lot more than I enjoyed the second half but that is not really Plotz's fault. The first half of the Old Testament has a lot more action than the last half. Still, the writing is fun enough to keep you engaged. One of the funniest books I've ever read. I loved it! Good Book is a summary of the Old Testament, told by David Plotz, an editor for Slate Magazine. It is his sincere effort to better understand the bible but his compendium is sarcastic, sardonic, and hilarious.

I enjoyed the first half a lot more than I enjoyed the second half but that is not really Plotz's fault. The first half of the Old Testament has a lot more action than the last half. Still, the writing is fun enough to keep you engaged.

Ii is interesting that researching the bible left Plotz more committed to Judaism, yet less committed to God. He concludes that there must not be a God, at least not the one that is described in the bible.

I really can't do Plotz's humor justice so here are a few of my favorite snippets:

"In other words, God is causing the plagues so that we can tell stories about the plagues. He's torturing the Egyptians so that we will worship Him. What kind of insecure and cruel God murders children so that His followers will obey Him, and will tell stories about him? This is the behavior of a serial killer."

"Once we finish with slavery, it becomes clear that God is a hanging judge. His punishment for intentional killing is death. Punishment for kidnapping: death. Punishment for idolatry: death. Punishment for striking a parent: death. Punishment for insulting a parent: death. Punishment for bestiality: death. On the other hand, if you seduce a virgin, you only have to pay off her family. I don't understand how modern liberal Catholics, Jews, and Protestants can use the bible to justify their opposition to capital punishment. If there is one thing God truly believes in, it's a good old firing squad."

"It turns out Deuteronomy consists of several rambling, Fidel Castro-length speeches by the dying Moses to his people. Think of it as the Moses farewell tour."

"And there, my friends, you have practically the entire history of Israel, of the Middle East, and of planet Earth, in two short sentences. Your God says it's yours. Our god says it's ours. Meet you at nine AM on the battlefield." ...more

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Oct 08, 2016 Yaaresse rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: first-read-2016, humor, myth-legend-folklore, books-about-books, religion-christianity

David Plotz is a secular Jew who stumbled upon a biblical story that was so outrageous and appalling that it made him question his education (at a Jewish school) and his memory. He decided to read the Jewish Bible (aka Old Testament) to see what other bits of melodramatic crazy was tucked away in there. This book is the result of his effort to make sense of it. It is fascinating, subjective, and hilarious. Bible literalists and "because God says so" types are going to hate it.
Those of us who ha David Plotz is a secular Jew who stumbled upon a biblical story that was so outrageous and appalling that it made him question his education (at a Jewish school) and his memory. He decided to read the Jewish Bible (aka Old Testament) to see what other bits of melodramatic crazy was tucked away in there. This book is the result of his effort to make sense of it. It is fascinating, subjective, and hilarious. Bible literalists and "because God says so" types are going to hate it.
Those of us who have heard/read these stories and muttered, "Now wait just a dang minute..." will love it.

When I was a kid and being dragged to a fundie church by my grandmother, I got into a heap of trouble for asking questions such as "If Adam and Ever were the first people and we're all descended form them, where did Adam and Eve's kids find their spouses unless there was some inbreeding going on?" and "If the only people who survived the great flood were those on the Ark, who were all related, then how did the repopulate the earth without...ok, again, incest?" (It's not that I was fixated on incest; it's that the expulsion from Eden and The Great Flood are on very heavy rotation in most Baptist Sunday Schools, so after a million repetitions, the flaws became obvious.) There was also, "Why, if God is supposedly omniscient, would he need a census taken? And then when David complies and takes one, why did God get all pissed off about it and punish David?" The answer to all the above and the bazillion others I came up with was "because." As anyone above the age of four knows, that's not an answer.

Churches that practice literal interpretation twist themselves in knots trying to explain the inconsistencies. My opinion has always been that the answer to them is pretty simple: the Bible is comprised of folk tales. I'd read enough fairy tales, fables, and folklore when I was a kid to recognize the structure even then. Also? I was/am fairly certain that no one in the ancient Middle East spoke Elizabethan English, so there was no way to take anything in the KJV (or any version derived from it) literally.

So, I was exposed to the Sunday School versions of these stories as a kid, then I read the whole Bible in college when I took world religion--and because our American Lit professor suggested a basic familiarity with the not-so-good book made understanding the neurosis of early American authors so much easier. I came to three conclusions about it: first, it's a hot mess (God apparently needs a good editor...and a anger management class); second, in order to be culturally literate in the western world, one needs a passing acquaintance with that hot mess because so many words, metaphors, and idioms are derived from it; three, all the stuff that people condemn other religions for is no worse or crazier than what can be found in the Old Testament. Murder, human sacrifice, infanticide, rape, torture, killing 100 men for their foreskins to buy a bride -- oh, yeah, and incest -- it's all in there. It makes Game of Thrones look like a Disney film. Still, I'd forgotten (or never absorbed) a lot of the things Plotz points out as he does his chapter by chapter read through the OT.

It took a long time for me to read this because I had to keep pulling out the KJV to see if Plotz was exaggerating. (He wasn't.) The other reason it took forever is that the library only had the print version, and it has tiny crap font and lots of passages in teeny-tiny italics. My advice would be to go for the e-book version both to save eyestrain and to make looking up the original material easier should one have a "Wait...what?" moment.

I wish Plotz would take on the New Testament next. I know he says that it's "not his book," but the argument can be made that the OT really wasn't either since he considered himself an agnostic secular Jew. The cultural literacy argument can be made for the NT as easily as the OT. Granted the NT isn't nearly as melodramatic and full of crazy as the OT, but I still think Plotz' read-along of it would be entertaining.

NOTE: Religion tends to bring out the emotional and argumentative side of people heavily invested in it. These are my opinions and notes, not an invitation to argue, bait, or proselytize. If you come across this and don't agree with it or me, that's cool. Just move on. The internet is a big place.

...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Mark Russell rated it really liked it

Shelves: philosophy-religion

Full of wit and insight, this book gives us the play-by-play on each book of the Hebrew Bible. I especially like the fact that Plotz approaches the Bible as an outsider. His critiques and observations are rarely theological, but are more often personal, ethical or literary in nature. He relates the Bible to us, not as a priest, but as a reader. Rather than getting into the murky scholarship of what the religious intent behind a passage might be, he usually opts for lay analysis along the lines o ...more

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Dec 27, 2013 Ruby rated it really liked it

When I began reading this book, I was sure I would be left feeling even more “Bible illiterate” than before, but I found the author to be enlightening and entertaining. I found him to be humorous, yet he seemed more real to me than many other authors who take on this type of commitment. I read the Old Testament as a child, but have to admit that I’d forgotten more than I realized, and never understood much of what I’d read. I also found it interesting that the church tends to pick pieces from th ...more

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Jun 30, 2010 Therese1974 rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: any one interested in the Bible.

There are several aspects of this book that I enjoyed. Firstly, the humor. David Plotz is is laugh out loud funny. Second, his Jewishness. It is my experience that while both Jews and Christians can write about God with various degrees of piety, disbelief, or irreverence, Jewish writers seem much more comfortable arguing with God. I'm Catholic so I find this fascinating... and a bit thrilling. Writers in my tradition seem to maintain a more pious attitude unless they've turned their back on God ...more

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Apr 15, 2009 Tasha rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009

I have a family member who belongs to a church where you can't play music. But in the Bible, God clearly loves music - see David (he loved to dance....wait for it!) and all of Psalms.

Also, David (yes, that David who killed Goliath) was gay. That's quite a shocker. His lover, Jonathan, was the recipient of his tears, kisses, and the confession that his love meant more to him than any woman. If that's not gay, then I don't know what is. It's interesting that Leviticus calls lying with a man as yo ...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Kerith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: religion-spirituality

As someone who has read the Bible numerous times, I read this with a grin on my face and enjoyed it very much. Plotz admits at the beginning that while he has gone to synagogue all his life and even went to an Episcopal high school, he has never read the Bible and intends to read it for the first time while blogging about the experience. I read most of this on slate.com when it was just a blog and the book is even more fun.

He takes the Bible straight and writes about what he finds in it, his sh ...more

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Mar 26, 2009 Sarah added it

Shelves: theology-philosophy

Simply excellent! I only made it through Exodus in my one attempt to read the bible, but through the conduit of David Plotz, I was riveted. And I assure you, he noticed far more of the consistencies (the importance of the number 40, the parallels or... em borrowed bits from one famous story to the next)and inconsistencies (in one chapter family values reigns supreme, in the next, women and children are cast off into the desert) than I ever would have.

I feel more connected to the anthropological ...more

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Mar 01, 2009 Laurie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015

I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. Plotz reads the entire Bible and basically sums it up in this book. I found his tone perfect-- irreverent but not insulting. This was a nice way to be refreshed on a lot of the parts of the Bible I had forgotten. ...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Guy Cranswick rated it really liked it

Extremely engaging and not only provides a superb overview of the old Testament but also insights into the books from a textual perspective. The humor adds tot eh irony and distance between the times in which it was written and our own.

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Feb 18, 2015 Melissa Service rated it liked it

Interesting, but a bit irreverent. Most of his comments were based on a literal English reading of the text,and were similar to those from people who haven't actually taken the time to study or understand the culture or history of the Bible. ...more

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May 25, 2012 Hope rated it liked it

The premise of the book is great. I enjoyed the first few chapters... and then... it gets really boring and repetitive....

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Sep 21, 2015 Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: christian-bible-study, christian-general-non-fiction

Loved the appendix with all the lists. Interesting read, review to come soon.

++++++++++++++++++++++

My book blog: http://allthebookblognamesaretaken.bl...

As anyone who knows me may have guessed by now, I am something of a reader. I devoured books left and right from elementary school on, and this love of reading (and writing!) was fostered even more in 6th grade by quite possibly one of the best teachers I have ever had, Mr. Hanzlik - more affectionately referred to simply as H. Seriously, he's o ...more

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Aug 15, 2009 Emilia P rated it liked it

Shelves: real-books, churrrch

This book was many things, and ultimately I think it worked pretty well.
The voice and tone was consistent and I learned a lot... so, I'll say what I didn't like first and then get into what I did.

I have to be honest, the cataloging style of this, chapter by chapter, piece by piece, without overarching themes, was distracting and seemed too easy to me. Of course, it started out as a blogging project, so I guess I could let it slide. Also, of course, duh, the fact that he's a secular Jew and the S This book was many things, and ultimately I think it worked pretty well.
The voice and tone was consistent and I learned a lot... so, I'll say what I didn't like first and then get into what I did.

I have to be honest, the cataloging style of this, chapter by chapter, piece by piece, without overarching themes, was distracting and seemed too easy to me. Of course, it started out as a blogging project, so I guess I could let it slide. Also, of course, duh, the fact that he's a secular Jew and the Slate editor with a serious lack of misty-eyed reverence for tradition, meant that he wasn't talking about the Bible in the context of the traditions that reflected it. Also, sometimes he was a little overly self-conscious about saying "I don't believe this stuff." Ok, dude, cool, doesn't matter to the reade. So...I like those traditions, of course, and would like to know more about the connections, and thought maybe he would find the opportunity to talk about them. His humor seemed a bit flat to me because I felt like the humor of religious context adds to the stories -- references to Hannukah and Purim looking a bit different much appreciated though.

But of course, there's an upside to his single-mindness. The book really makes clear how varied in tone and subject the O.T. is, how it is largely a Israelite history, and how God was a big old jerk a lot of the time. Plotz seems to appreciate laws a lot. He also makes a really great point about how just because God gives people gifts doesn't mean they use them well (Samson, Solomon), and some of the best people do great (and holy) stuff not for God, but because they care about their fellow man. Ruth is particularly good on that. I did like it when he brought meaning together from the disparate text, and I wish he had done it a bit more.

I loved the last chapter where he said - I'm brokenhearted about God, and angry and arguing with him, but 't isn't engaging in argument with God and his supposed text a form of belief in itself? I think so. To each his own, it is a scary thing to think about, and it's nice that he admits that.

The O.T., The Hebrew Bible, etc. It's pretty violent and hard to take, but has some lovely moments (oh, you Song of Songs, you...Psalms, some crazy prophets) and it was nice to learn about that and maybe a bit will stick. Of course, my main source of O.T. knowledge remains Veggie Tales, and I like that too, maybe a little more. Shadrach, Meesach, and a Bumblebee, indeed.

...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Blysse rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

Review posted on Reading Lark After Dark (18+ reviews):

Excuse me? What is a book about The Bible doing in an adult only book review blog? You may well ask. It is non-fiction but any book featuring murder, rape, incest, bestiality, masturbation, the rhythm method, mental illness, betrayal, property fraud, genocide, natural disasters and a talking snake has got to count for 18+, right?

I will start with a disclaimer. I picked this book up quite by accident. I was not looking for anything biblical a Review posted on Reading Lark After Dark (18+ reviews):

Excuse me? What is a book about The Bible doing in an adult only book review blog? You may well ask. It is non-fiction but any book featuring murder, rape, incest, bestiality, masturbation, the rhythm method, mental illness, betrayal, property fraud, genocide, natural disasters and a talking snake has got to count for 18+, right?

I will start with a disclaimer. I picked this book up quite by accident. I was not looking for anything biblical and although I am Christian, it is only in the loosest sense of the term. Beware! This book will get you thinking, but maybe not in the way you could predict.

Plotz is editor at Slate.com and is a secular Jew who decided to read the bible (well, his Bible which is the Old Testament) and blog his thoughts on it, out of which was born this book. He has a dry sardonic sense of humour and his comments occasionally verge on the smartarse but his irreverently reverent approach to this is truly engaging.

This is not a theological exegesis. It is a hilarious romp through thousands of years of Jewish history, with true glimpses of horror at both God and man’s cruelty. You may think you know the plot of the Old Testament, but I can assure you, you don’t! The God of the Israelites is mostly capricious, litigious and cruel. He favours those who argue with him rather than the blindly faithful, and he loves the bald men! Really.

I enjoyed the author’s recontextualising of past events using modern pop culture reference points- Steven Spielberg apparently missed a plot point to do with the Ark, David and Jonathon may have been going all Brokeback, and the first High Priest, Aaron was the Fredo Corleone of the Sinai.

Just to give you a flavour of his writing style, I will leave you with a quote from the chapter on the Song of Songs:
‘The Song of Songs- also called the ‘Song of Solomon- is like nothing else in the Bible, a steamy poem narrated by two lovers. She is foxy, young, and dark. He is strong,sexy, and seductive. …. Some biblical scholars, whose libidos we must question, insist that the song is merely an allegory, that the verses are just enthusiastic prayers. No way. This is no religious metaphor. This is Last Tango in Judah.’

Overall I really enjoyed his writing style. I laughed - a lot, out loud- and I certainly learnt more about Jewish culture and religion. ...more

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May 10, 2017 Adam Glantz rated it it was amazing

David Plotz is no fool, but he does rush in where angels fear to tread, reading his way through the Hebrew Bible without much help from the massive and multi-generational tradition of commentary on the work. He's irreverent and skeptical, yet not dourly obsessed with disproving the Bible; he's also more sophisticated and well-read than his frequent self-deprecation would lead one to believe. The result is an account that's thoughtful, sensitive, and frequently laugh-out-loud hilarious, though it David Plotz is no fool, but he does rush in where angels fear to tread, reading his way through the Hebrew Bible without much help from the massive and multi-generational tradition of commentary on the work. He's irreverent and skeptical, yet not dourly obsessed with disproving the Bible; he's also more sophisticated and well-read than his frequent self-deprecation would lead one to believe. The result is an account that's thoughtful, sensitive, and frequently laugh-out-loud hilarious, though it shows its origin as a blog in its unevenness (e.g., among other things, Plotz doesn't have an entry for every chapter in the Bible, and some entries are themselves perfunctory). The fact that Plotz is an agnostic Jew with scholastic and friendship links with Christianity makes his book appropriate for Jews, Christians, and non-believers alike.

In his march through the Bible, Plotz makes numerous interesting connections and draws enlightening conclusions. I wasn't surprised by his anguished discovery of lots of nigh-genocidal violence, unethical sex, and family conflict in Scripture, but I was particularly struck by his observation that God seems to prefer clever (e.g., Solomon) and contentious (e.g., Moses) spokesmen above the naive and the good (e.g., Esau). At a higher level, I also appreciated Plotz's evolutionary analysis of the Bible, marking its progression from the self-interested motivations of the patriarchs to the ethical imperative of Samuel to the universal morality of the literary prophets; and from the ethnocentric insularity of the Torah-era community to the universal morality of some of the later writings and even to the world-weary skepticism of Habakkuk and Ecclesiastes.

In the end, Plotz encourages a study of the Bible as indispensable for any well-rounded person. Its metaphors are the foundation of Western languages like English, its books are often the first treatment of particular theological and philosophical subjects in Western civilization, and its pronouncements are the bedrock of our religious and social life to this day. He's less optimistic about God, whose vengeful biblical characteristics he finds alienating. But he notes, in a classically Judaic coda, that engaging with the God of the Bible got him to think seriously about numerous moral and theological topics: this engagement, rather than resigned belief, is the real import of the Bible's theophany. ...more

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Apr 01, 2010 Kennedy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2010, non-fiction, religion

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. The author is Jewish so it only covers the Old Testament.

In a fluke move, the author picks up a Bible and reads the story of Dinah and is horrified by it. This is not the warm fuzzy Bible he remembers from teachings when he was young. So, he decides to read the entire thing to see what's really in there.

And goodness, is it crazy. We quickly jump in to Noah's story, which gives an example of how we usually only know the cleaned-up easy version. You know the b 4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. The author is Jewish so it only covers the Old Testament.

In a fluke move, the author picks up a Bible and reads the story of Dinah and is horrified by it. This is not the warm fuzzy Bible he remembers from teachings when he was young. So, he decides to read the entire thing to see what's really in there.

And goodness, is it crazy. We quickly jump in to Noah's story, which gives an example of how we usually only know the cleaned-up easy version. You know the basics: God is punishing the wickedness in the world through the big flood. Noah takes the animals aboard the ark presumably to save them from the flood. However, as soon as he's back on land he makes an animal sacrifice. (I feel like a sacrificial altar should be included in kids' playsets of Noah and his ark.) And really, what were people doing that was so awful they deserved to be wiped off the face of the earth?

Many of the stories are awful. It's obvious to see the basis of the Crusades, hatred of homosexuals, and other follies: It's certainly acceptable, even expected to kill those who do not have the same beliefs. The innocent are regularly killed or harmed. Women are rarely seen, except for the prostitutes, and always treated as lesser individuals.

As the author says, "Why would I want any 'relationship' with such a jealous, erratic, brutal, unmerciful, unloving, unkind God?" I am really turned off to this image of God.

I've never read the Bible so one might argue I need to do that before I pass any judgments. And, in fact, the author does advocate reading the Bible. His suggestion makes a lot of sense as the Bible is so important in our culture. I am interested in reading some of the books myself. I don't think reading them directly for myself will change the impressions I have though.

At the end of the book, Plotz has a number of Bible lists. Bible's best pick-up lines, "heroes" you don't want to be named after (Aaron, Jacob, Sarah, and more), spectacular murders are a couple of my favorite.

All in all, even though I found the Old Testament so appalling, I really enjoyed this book. Plotz's commentary is humorous and thoughtful. I learned a lot about the Bible. ...more

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Jan 11, 2014 Liz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: religion, biography-and-memoir

I found this fascinating. David Plotz, nominally Jewish, schooled as a child in Hebrew school, and as an adolescent in an Episcopalian high school, was pretty sure he knew the Bible well. But at his cousin’s bat mitzvah, picking up a pew-rack Torah and thumbing through, he was startled by the story of Dinah’s rape, a story he never remembered having read, or even heard about. Further, this wasn’t the happily-ever-after sort of Bible story he was accustomed to hearing. His curiosity piqued, Plotz I found this fascinating. David Plotz, nominally Jewish, schooled as a child in Hebrew school, and as an adolescent in an Episcopalian high school, was pretty sure he knew the Bible well. But at his cousin’s bat mitzvah, picking up a pew-rack Torah and thumbing through, he was startled by the story of Dinah’s rape, a story he never remembered having read, or even heard about. Further, this wasn’t the happily-ever-after sort of Bible story he was accustomed to hearing. His curiosity piqued, Plotz decided to read the Bible (the Hebrew Bible, or what Christians call the Old Testament), and this book is a distilling of his gut-reaction journal, kept as he read. It’s an eye-opener for me, a sort of complacent Bible reader, raised on the Sunday-school versions of these stories. I have read the whole Bible, even studied it, but always guided by a book by some Christian writer or other who explains what it means. To see it through Plotz’s eyes, to read his thinking and reaction to the words on the pages, is to me to hear another voice entirely, one without an agenda to teach me something, or to make me see the Bible as he does. He says, “By reading the whole book, I have given myself a Bible that’s vastly more interesting than the vanilla-pudding version I was fed by Sunday school teachers and the popular culture. The Bible’s gatekeepers have attempted to dupe us into adopting a Bible with a straightforward morality and delightful heroes. The real book is messier, nastier, and infinitely more complex. In other words, it’s much more like life.” He urges us all to read the Bible, for the cultural, literary, and intellectual references that inform Western society. On a personal level, it did not make him a “true believer” of any ilk. He writes, “I came to the Bible hoping to be inspired and awed. I have been, sometimes. But mostly I’ve ended up in a yearlong argument with my Boss. This argument has weakened my faith, and turned me against my God. Yet the argument itself represents a kind of belief, because it commits me to engaging with God.” I laughed out loud in some places. I thought about things I had never thought about before when reading the Bible, or thinking about religion. Well worth the read. ...more

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Aug 14, 2015 Donna Robbins rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of books about people closely examining their religion

Recommended to Donna by: Goodreads Audiobook group member

I listened to the audio book narrated by the author. I never read Plotz' "Blogging the Bible" on slate.com but I'm assuming pretty much everything in the blog ended up in this book. Good Book is not a work of biblical scholarship, but it is a funny and irreverent look at a text that people think they know better than they actually do.

Plotz reads the entire Jewish (Hebrew) Bible and writes about the experience; he summarizes the interesting parts, muses about the "why" of surprising sections, moa I listened to the audio book narrated by the author. I never read Plotz' "Blogging the Bible" on slate.com but I'm assuming pretty much everything in the blog ended up in this book. Good Book is not a work of biblical scholarship, but it is a funny and irreverent look at a text that people think they know better than they actually do.

Plotz reads the entire Jewish (Hebrew) Bible and writes about the experience; he summarizes the interesting parts, muses about the "why" of surprising sections, moans about the boring bits and explores his own experience of being Jewish and his relationship with religion. Unlike most people who would characterize themselves as unbelievers or agnostics, Plotz has a real affection for this book. He doesn't see it as the literal word of a supreme being, but he has respect for its place in human (and particularly Jewish) history and literature and thinks everyone should be more familiar with it.

He talks about struggling to balance his rationalist world view (and lack of belief) with his desire to pass on what are essentially religious traditions to his children; it's a common dilemma - we crave a connection with the past, but we know much more about how the world works than our ancestors did and it can be hard to reconcile the two.

I really enjoyed the retelling of familiar Bible stories as well as hearing the sections which were apparently omitted from my evangelical Christian upbringing. I also felt like I finally saw the Old Testament from a Jewish point of view; I guess my experience of the Bible was Protestant-centric which seems odd to me after reading this book. (Just to clarify for uninformed folks like me - the Hebrew bible is pretty much the
Protestant Old Testament, but arranged in a slightly different order.)

By the end of the book, I had to agree with Plotz that everyone should be more familiar with what's actually written in the Bible; so long as there are people promoting a literal interpretation of this ancient book as the guide to good governance, all of us need to better understand the details of what's being promoted.

Note specific to the audio: Plotz isn't a professional narrator, but he's not bad, and since the book is part memoir, I liked hearing it read by the author.

...more

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Apr 22, 2019 Bryn (Plus Others) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: popular-religion

The difficulty with a book such as this -- a book of a person's thoughts and opinions as they engage with some piece of literature or television or whatever-it-is -- is that so much depends upon the reader enjoying the writer. I did not enjoy David Plotz; I do not judge him as a person, but his worldview had so many assumptions about men and women, so many judgements about relationships and people, and so much belief in capitalism and property rights and such, that even when he was funny or inte ...more

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May 27, 2009 Rod Hilton rated it really liked it

Shelves: religion, audiobooks

"The Good Book" is one man's journey through the Bible. What is interesting is that it is not the account of a religious man that reveres the book in any particularly strong way; David Plotz is an agnostic Jew.

"The Good Book" is a chapter-by-chapter account as Plotz reads through the entire Old Testament (it's worth mentioning that "The Bible" refers to the Hebrew Bible, which may disappoint Christians). It is generally as interesting as its source material. The book is engrossing when covering "The Good Book" is one man's journey through the Bible. What is interesting is that it is not the account of a religious man that reveres the book in any particularly strong way; David Plotz is an agnostic Jew.

"The Good Book" is a chapter-by-chapter account as Plotz reads through the entire Old Testament (it's worth mentioning that "The Bible" refers to the Hebrew Bible, which may disappoint Christians). It is generally as interesting as its source material. The book is engrossing when covering many of the earlier books of the Hebrew Bible, such as Exodus or Leviticus, but dull when covering many other books. To Plotz's credit, he speeds through particularly boring books and makes some of the less interesting books more interesting.

When I was younger, I decided to read the entire Bible from cover to cover. I had grown up Christian, and I felt it was my duty. Of course, I read the book as a Christian, and viewed everything through very Christian eyes. Some of the more despicable deeds of God were shrugged off or rationalized at the time. Sometimes I skimmed difficult parts. This fact made "The Good Book" even more interesting to me.

Hearing Plotz take on the Bible is quite an experience - it's like convincing a friend who has never seen one of your favorite movies to watch it with you. As you sit there, watching a movie you've seen a hundred times before, because you know someone else is experiencing it for the first time, you watch it almost through objective eyes. Some parts of the movie may stick out as particularly embarrassing, even though you never noticed anything strange about them before. Since Plotz reads the Bible without any preconceptions, you are taken on an adventure through the book from objective eyes. I view a number of parts of the Bible differently now than I did before reading "The Good Book".

I recommend "The Good Book" to any Jewish or Christian person that takes their bible very seriously, if for no other reason than when Plotz encounters what he calls the "messy bible" - the nastier bits of the bible that surround some of the stories our culture knows. ...more

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About David Plotz

David Plotz

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Plotz, an American journalist, has been a writer with Slate since its inception and was designated as the online magazine's editor in June 2008.

He is the author of "The Genius Factory: The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank" (2005) and "Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned when I Read Every Single Word of the Bible" (2009). ...more