Reviews

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God and Forgiveness on the Bathroom Floor: Immaculee Ilibagiza and the Rwandan Genocide

Some books are so powerful, so disturbing, I almost hesitates to recommend them or pass along a copy to a friend. Left to Tell, a spiritual autobiography written by a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, is one such book. A friend who read it at her church lent it to me, and the book spent […]

17Jun2008 | Andrea Useem | 3 comments | Continued
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When Orthodoxy Is Good for You: Making Sense of the “Hajj Effect”

Headlines about Islam usually write themselves: A Muslim blowing up innocent people is dog-bites-man. A Muslim acting thoughtful or funny or anything besides angry is man-bites-dog. The obvious headline from a recent academic study, “Estimating the Impact of the Hajj: Religion and Tolerance in Islam’s Global Gathering,” fell into the latter category: Three economists […]

10Jun2008 | Andrea Useem | 6 comments | Continued
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Is Obama’s Real “Faith Asset” His Ability to Speak the Language of American Civil Religion?

Last June, at the Wharton Leadership Conference, Richard Greene, a well-known public speaking coach, offered his prediction that Barack Obama would win the Democratic nomination on the basis of his amazing strengths as an orator. Glossing over the fact that Greene said Romney would win the Republican nomination for the same reason (great speaking skills), […]

4Jun2008 | Andrea Useem | 3 comments | Continued
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Neuroscience is Not Just for Buddhists: Reflections on the Physiology of Belief

Mega-pundit David Brooks has been talking a lot about neuroscience and religion lately. His column, “The Neural Buddhists,” was on the New York Times‘ “Most Emailed” list, and at this month’s Faith Angle conference in Key West — where the Pew Forum on Religion & Public LIfe invites the nation’s elite journalists to talk religion […]

29May2008 | Andrea Useem | 3 comments | Continued
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Mormon American Idol, Church on Second Life and Barack Obama in Indiana

It’s been a big night, yet another Tuesday evening of clicking back and forth between American Idol and Democratic primary results. So first things first: It looks like America is going to have its first-ever Mormon American Idol in 17-year-old David Archuleta. The three judges, Randy, Paula and Simon, go crazy for Archuleta’s earnest crooning, […]

6May2008 | Andrea Useem | 4 comments | Continued
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The Most Mysterious Haggadah: Q+A with “People of the Book” author Geraldine Brooks

A sweeping narrative set in multiple locations with a myriad cast of characters, People of the Book, a novel by Pulitzer-prize winning author Geraldine Brooks, is held together by one thing – a powerful fascination with a deceptively tattered book. The maxim “don’t judge a book by its cover” couldn’t be more applicable as the […]

24Apr2008 | Shona Crabtree | 3 comments | Continued
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Trying, and Failing, to Measure Religion Online

First off, Happy First Birthday to ReligionWriter — this website went live a year ago today, featuring my interview with religion journalist and blogger Gary Stern. The day I launched the site was, of course, the day of the Virginia Tech massacre, so that week also featured my interviews with religion experts on evil and […]

16Apr2008 | Andrea Useem | 1 comment | Continued
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When a Woman Runs for President — in Afghanistan

I’ve just finished watching FrontRunner, the new documentary from New View Films about Massouda Jalal, the only female candidate in Afghanistan’s 2004 elections. It’s hard, of course, to think about a woman running for president without immediately making comparisons to the current presidential race in the U.S. - it’s like a cartoon that needs a […]

9Apr2008 | Andrea Useem | 2 comments | Continued
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The Religion of American Idol: Random Faith Facts about Season 7 Finalists

UPDATE April 22: For the first time (I think) Jason Castro wore a cross during the show — maybe a shout out to his fellow Christians?
No distraction is more satisfying for me right now than watching American Idol, which I look forward to watching tonight with my neighbor and husband while folding laundry. I’ve written […]

1Apr2008 | Andrea Useem | 6 comments | Continued
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American Muslims are so American they are…boring?

At last September’s Religion Newswriters Association pow-wow in San Antonio, veteran religion reporter (and bead-blogger) Kimberly Winston pulled me aside to tell me about Melody Moezzi, the young author of the Dec. 2007 book, War on Error: Real Stories of American Muslims. “You have to meet her,” said Kimberly, who profiled Moezzi and her book […]

24Mar2008 | Andrea Useem | 5 comments | Continued
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