by Lewis Black
First published 2008
Lewis Black takes on religion with his trademark comedic fury. The bestselling author and social critic examines belief through more than two dozen essays that span his lifetime of religious encounters. Black traces his path from surviving Hebrew school as a nonpracticing Jewish kid in 1950s Washington D.C. through his bar mitzvah, college years in the South during the 1960s, and explorations of 1970s self-actualization movements. He dissects the differences between Christian and Jewish holiday celebrations, exposes the politics of faith, and skewers politicians and televangelists who hide moral hypocrisy behind religious righteousness. Black witnessed the strange similarities between religious ecstasy and drug-induced visions during the turbulent sixties. His encounters with rabbis, Mormons, gurus, and psychics fuel his comedic rage about religion's inconsistencies and peculiarities. Black writes with the language of a shock jock and the heart of an iconoclast, exploring how religious rules and constraints shape our lives. This book chronicles his relationship with religion and spiritual journey, revealing what faith has meant and not meant to him.
Genres: essays, humor, religion, non-fiction, comedy, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: iconoclast, social-critic
Setting: Washington D.C.
Period: 1950s, 1960s, 1970s
256 pages · Hardcover · Riverhead Books