I was loaned this by a nominally Catholic friend who is attracted to offbeat books. Though an autobiography of the first person of the trinity, the creater of heaven and earth, is certainly unusual, this one made the mainstream, winning a Pulitzer for biography. Normally, I wouldn't have touched the thing, but this friend's recommendations have weight.

As it was, I found the deity's life story less interesting than any number of biographies I've read of human beings. What interest the book held was in seeing how the author handled the various gods of the Hebrew canon, combining disparate traditions into a single picture--which is, after all, what believing, conservative theologians do in any case. The job was done intelligently, but, for me, uncompellingly. Not being a Jew or a Christian, I have no motive to reconcile such irreconcilables.

There is nothing I can write that can reach the level of scholarship, thought, writing, originality, and sheer mental discipline of this work. The author has taken the Hebrew Bible not as a religious work, but rather as a literary work. He then analyzes the character "God" in the same way he would analyze the character Prospero in Shakespeare's "The Tempest". He is not interested in theological questions, nor is he interested in proving religious interpretations. He is only interested in God, what he says, does, and even feels. When he refers to actual history and the formation of the Bible, he does so in order to explain what concepts, words, and comparisons meant to the Jews at the likely point in time when a particular book of the Bible is thought to have been written. It is a truly awesome accomplishment. "God: A Biography." should be read carefully and analyzed thoughtfully by all capable of setting aside their prejudices and preconceived notions. This book offers great rewards to all - regardless of their religious convictions.

3,5 stars

I'm having a hard time rating this book. It lacks suspense and I am not particularly taken by the language of the bible which is necessarily quoted at length. But it is certainly an ambitious and interesting book, which made me think about the bible and religion differently.

Interesting perspective into the Old Testament. Instead of a historical or religious analysis, the author approaches God as a literary character. Who is he, how does he develop as a character, what does he stand for?
Some interesting ideas. God and The Lord God are basically two different characters merged into one. It got a bit heavy and academic for me to get through. I am reminded of this quote: it is better to love God than to know God, but it is better to know things than to love things.