The pagan in me was really interested in this book at first, but about 100 pages in, I lost interest. I think the idea was really good, and so is the set up, and I will say, it's a fairly easy read, but I didn't connect with it the way I wanted to, so I DNF.

3/5 Stars

I learned some new facts about the Bible, as well as politics of the regions such as the North vs the South and how the editors that came from the separate regions letting their regional pride affect the way the stories were edited.

Yoreh’s writing had some humor mixed in with the seriousness of the topic which made it a lot of fun and held my attention. He brings up the fact that later editors added lists of names for family trees and building materials a lot and poked fun at them for doing so, which I loved because those sections always seemed strange to include in my opinion!

Nice to see that scholars like Yoreh acknowledge the fallibility of humans and how it affected the stories of the Bible. The editors affected how the stories and their “characters” have changed over time and through each interpretation.

Highly recommend if you’re interested in an introduction to religious studies or history of religion.

Bible stories have been my chosen connection with my Christian heritage. The author follows and studies the Jewish faith but since both religions hold in common what I know as the Old Testament, this book was definitely something I could understand.
It was great to know that experts and believers like the author understand that religious texts have evolved with additions and revisions such as the story of Abraham that the author has highlighted.
Many people might disagree with or be offended by such alternative narratives but I connected to it and especially liked the historical insights such as the mentions regarding the Northern and Southern kingdoms, their geo-political relations that may have influenced the Bible.
Anyone curious about religion and it's evolution will enjoy this book.

An interesting read that left me wanting to know more, I recommend for any religious or biblicial reader

Though I was very intrigued by the premise of this book, I never imagined that I would find it so addictive. I just couldn’t put it down and ended up devouring it in a few hours.
The author masterfully and with wit and humor, untangles the mysterious contradictions of the first five chapters of the Bible. We start by learning that Abraham was not meant to be the Patriarch of the three religions that bear his name (The Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and did indeed kill Isaac. He also walks us through my personal favorite stories, those of Joseph and Moses in Egypt.
Whether you are Jewish, Christian or Muslim or simply have an interest in Bible studies, I can’t recommend this book enough.