God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World - and Why Their Differences Matter by Stephen Prothero

This review is part of a TLC Book Tour.

Stars: ****

HarperOne (2010)
Adult Nonfiction
388 pages

Summary: Stephen Prothero doesn't believe that all religions are paths to the same place like the popular idea of paths up a mountain is about. He talks about what he considers the 8 rival religions and explains them well. His main focus is that the religions aren't similar because each religion addresses a different problem and therefore has a different solution. 

The religions Prothero includes are Islam, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Yoruba Religion, Judaism and Daoism plus he includes a chapter on Atheism which is over and above the "Great Eight."

I'm not sure I agree with his choice of religions but he knows more than me on religions. He does state that:

"Much is missing here. Shinto is not covered. Neither is Jainism, Zorastrianism, Wicca or the Baha'i faith. Also neglected are new religious movements such as Rastafarianism and Scientology. But the religion I most regret excluding is Sikhism." - p. 15-16

As I said, he explains that each religion addresses a different human problem and therefore a different solution. For example:

In Islam, the problem is pride, the solution is submission.
In Christianity, the problem is sin, the solution is salvation.
In Judaism, the problem is exile, the solution is to return to God.

It's hard to review this book without talking about my religious views but I just want to say that I always believe that each religion was a path to the same end but Prothero does make a good point I never thought about with regards to the problem/solution idea.

Discussion of the God is not One theory though isn't the majority of the book. The majority is discussion of each of those eight religion which in general I found very interesting. For anyone interested in learning the basics about other religions, this would be a great read. I do wish he'd come out with another book which explains some of the religions that were omitted. I love learning about other religions and often can't find an explanation I can understand.

Links of Interest: Browse Inside the Book, God is Not One on YouTube, Stephen Prothero,

Other Reviews: Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom, Knowing the Difference, Anchors and Masts,  Amy Reads,

Buy God is Not One at amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review. All reviews are honest and are not affected by how I acquired the book.

Sex, Drugs & Gefilte Fish edited by Shana Liebman + giveaway

This week is all about SEX! You can read more here but check back every day this week for reviews and giveaways.  

Well today's the last day of my Week With No Name event. I hope you've enjoyed yourself and entered a few giveaways. More importantly, I hope I haven't scared you away! I promise, no more sex books for a while!

UPDATE: This post is now a giveaway too! Thanks to Hachette Book Group

Stars: ***1/2

Hachette Book Group (2009)
Adult Nonfiction: Humour
266 pages
Forward by A.J. Jacobs

Summary:  Scoring weed for your uncle...Hanging out with porn stars on Christmas Eve...Eating nachos with the Mossad...Observing the Dyke Days of Awe...Getting held up at a Weight Watcher's meeting...Spying on your naked Hebrew School teacher. From Heeb magazine--the definitive voice of a proud, searching, and irreverent new generation of American Jews--this first-of-a-kind fast and fun showcase spotlights the hilarious and heartful raconteurial gifts of many of today's leading writers, comedians, actors, artists, and musicians.

This book wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be. The stories are funny. It's just that I'm not Jewish enough to understand some of the jokes and words used. Even some of the references to Christianity I didn't understand. Each chapter starts with a comic, NONE of which I found funny. However the stories themselves were great. Some were shocking, some were alright, some were hilarious and some were intriguing. It was neat seeing a different side of Jews. I'm just trying to figure out if I should pass it on to any of my Jewish family members or not. I don't know if they would think the stories are funny or not.

The stories are not only about sex and drugs. The other chapters are Work, Youth, Family and Body & Soul. However some of the other chapters' stories included sex in the story. There is also a large amount of GLBT authors. It was nice not always hearing heterosexual stories. All the stories are American. I would have liked to see some Canadian stories.

The stories are by:

"today's leading writers, comedians, actors, artists" - Hachette

although I can't say I've ever heard of any of them. However I'm not up on the names of famous people.

Overall it's a humourous read but one that would be enjoyed more by someone who is more Jewish than I am.

Links of Interest: Heeb Magazine,

Other Reviews: Carol's Notebook, In Bed With Books, Madeleine's Book and Photo Blog, One Swede Read,

Buy Sex, Drugs and Gefilte Fish at amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

A Jewish Holiday ABC by Malka Drucker

Stars: ****

This is a book for preschoolers about some common Jewish Holidays in ABC format. The following holidays are covered (some more than once):  Hanukkah, Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shabbat, Lag B'omer, Purim, Simhat torah, Yom Ha'Atzma'ut and Shavuot.

The illustrations are by Rita Pocock and look like paper ripped into shapes and placed in the proper spot. I've seen this format below (Anyone know the name for it?) and I like it.

Here are some quotes:

"E: Each time Minnie eats lunch in the sukkah, she sniffs the sweet etrog and shakes the tall lulav."
"P: On Passover, Raffy sings the prayers he learned in Hebrew School to the family sitting around the table"
"S: On Saturday Morning, Minnie says, "Shabbat shalom" to everyone she sees."

Links of Interest: Malka Drucker,

Other Reviews: NONE YET

Buy A Jewish Holiday ABC at Amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

Crafting Jewish by Rivky Koenig

Subtitle: Fun holiday crafts and party ideas for the whole family

Stars: ****1/2

I received this book for review many months ago and I finished it almost right away. So why hasn't the review been posted? Beats me! If you're a fellow book blogger, you know that sometimes certain reviews get put on the back burner for no good reason. If you aren't a book blogger, I'm sure there is something else in your life that you can relate this too.

Anyways, if you haven't already seen this book around, it is a good book full of crafts and party ideas for many of the Jewish holidays: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Succot, Chanukah, Tu B'Shevat, Purim, Pesach, Shavuot as well as for Shabbat and For Every Day.

Before you even get into any of that there is a product guide that shows a picture of and explains some basic crafting supplies you will need to do the crafts included in the book, from basic items such as pompoms and pipe cleaners to more elaborate items such as Wooden Dowels and Flat Glass Marbles. None of the supplies would be very expensive though which is nice. There is also a page on the tools you can use such as wire cutters, brads and craft punches. The next page is all about glues and adhesives such as double-sided adhesive tape, straight pins and magnets. Since the book also has party ideas including some recipes, there is a page on some basic kitchen tools and gadgets such as measuring cups and rolling pins.

Finally you get to the holidays and special occasions. For each one, you get an introductory page that reminds you what the date is about and what we remember during these times. Then there is a short table of contents for just that occasion. Crafts and recipes are interspersed.

Here are some of the craft and recipe ideas you'll find: decoupaged apple dish, break-the-fast muffins, felt Torah, glowing glass menorah, latke servers, handprint tree, almond snowballs, purim puppets, medieval princess hat, purim pops, sedar plate, deviled eggs, afikomen bag, stamped napkins, havdalah candle, challah cover, mezuzah and scrapbook frame.

There are also some party ideas (other than recipes) such as a Chol Hamoed Pesach Picnic, a Purim Masquerade Party or a Doughnut & Ice Cream Party for Chanukah.

Each page is very colourful with colour photos and lots of little colourful designs on the pages. You can view a 16-page sampler on the website.

Other's Reviews

Minds alive on the shelves
Boston Bibliophile
The Friendly Book Nook