Genesis: A Living Conversation (Pbs Series) [Paperback]

Bill Moyers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1997 | Series: Pbs Series

People need stories to make sense of the world--to hold their lives together, and to fasten on to those values that last. The greatest stories are found in the Bible, enduring through the centuries. In Genesis, acclaimed television journalist Bill Moyers brings together some of the world's liveliest minds for spirited round-table discussions of the ageless stories from the Bible's first, towering book.



Creation, temptation, murder, exile, and family strife--these emerge from every page of Genesis and speak to us today. Genesis invites readers into a lively and accessible discussion of the manifold meanings of these stories, and engages us in a fascinating exploration of the relationship between interpreter and text. Among the scores of writers, theologians, artists, and thinkers in the series are Mary Gordon, Phyllis Trible, John Barth, Faye Kellerman, Samuel Proctor, Aviva Zornberg, Walter Brueggemann, Robert Alter, Oscar Hijuelos, Charles Johnson, Stephen Mitchell, Leon Kass, Elaine Pagels, Bharati Mukherjee, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Elizabeth Swados, Renita Weems--all in a dazzling, multi-layered chorus of voices.



With the same interplay of text, photographs, and art that made The Power of Myth and Healing and the Mind so dynamic and unforgettable, Genesis has the capacity to enrich people's lives intellectually and spiritually.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In all honesty, when I first tuned into Genesis the PBS series, I wasn't really in the mood to hear a cabal of hyper-intellectual critics enlighten me with their interpretations of an already widely familiar religious text. Within seconds of watching, however, I was completely engrossed in a conversation unlike any I'd experienced before--lively, intelligent, generous, illuminating, exciting. If you didn't catch the series, or even if you did and you still want more, pick up this book. It expands in places where the program had to be cut and is just as riveting. The commentary and the "already familiar text" prove as multidimensional and visceral as life itself. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Having brought Joseph Campbell's ideas on world mythologies (The Power of Myth, 1988) and the intricacies and rhythms of modern poetry (The Language of Life, 1995) to a general audience, journalist Moyers now seeks to do the same to stories contained in the book of Genesis. In this companion to the PBS series of the same name (to air October 16), Moyers gathers the voices of numerous thinkers and writers: novelists Mary Gordon and John Barth; theologians Elaine Pagels and Phyllis Trible; biblical critics Robert Alter (whose own translation of Genesis has just been published by Norton) and Walter Breuggeman; and cultural critics like Karen Armstrong and Carol Gilligan, among others, into a fascinating, often tendentious, conversation about the living character of stories that address everything from the creation of the world and the temptations of the first couple to the internecine struggles of Jacob's family and the slavery of Joseph. In the end, however, listening in on these discussions is a little like sitting in on a therapy session, listening to participants rant about the ways they have become victims of these grand cultural stories. For example, in discussing the story of Abraham's rejection of Hagar, novelist Bharati Mukherjee complains that the story has reduced women to wombs. Moyers enjoys his role as middlebrow guru, orchestrating these disparate voices into a merely edifying conversation that tries too hard to make Genesis into a weekly supplement to Time magazine?as when, in speaking of the temptation of the first couple, Moyers remarks rather simplistically, "Genesis confronts us with many tempting questions." (Oct.) FYI: Doubleday is simultaneously releasing a study guide for discussion groups and for personal use, Talking About Genesis: A Guide ($4.95 paper ISBN 0-385-48580-8), as well as a 10-cassette audio version of Genesis: A Living Conversation ($29.95 ISBN
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Anchor (September 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385490437
• ISBN-13: 978-0385490436
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #589,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bill Moyers was a founding organizer of the Peace Corps, a senior White House assistant(and press secretary) to President Lyndon Johnson from 1963 until 1967, the publisher of Newsday, a senior news analyst for CBS News, and the producer of groundbreaking series for public television. He is the winner of more than thirty Emmy awards and nine Peabody awards. Among his bestselling books are Listening to America; A World of Ideas; The Power of Myth (with Joseph Campbell); and Moyers on America. His latest book is Bill Moyers Journal: The Conversation Continues. He lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Response to complaint about book being to liberal, April 30, 2001

By 

Michael W. Scarbrough (fort worth, texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Genesis: A living Coversation (Pbs Series) (Audio Cassette)

I don't agree...I found this book exciting. Most books today considering the question of Genesis are generally written by conservative believers and marketed to the faithful. We've been fed the conservative point of view fairly consistantly since the founding of this country. In my experience, I find that the conservative rarely reach out to conduct this kind of inquiry, instead focusing on "spreading the word" they personally endorse with very little time for others' interpretations of the bible's message. They rarely reccomend such books as this to their peers, for fear of the questions which may arise from the text. (this is, as I've said, based upon my own experiences, and doesn't apply to conservatives as a whole, I should hope.) I read and consider both camps, but have always seen the field as unbalanced in the conservative direction, especially here in the south. Welcome this book, read this book, and consider this book. It's a rare thing thoughtfully constructed.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars God wrestling with God, July 5, 2001

By 

Gary Sprandel (Frankfort, Kentucky) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Genesis: A Living Conversation (Pbs Series) (Paperback)

Perhaps if you haven't read these since childhood Sunday school, you still think these are simple stories. These compact stories all have deep issues about life and what it means to be human. I was surprised by the feeling that God may be wresting with what it means to be God and allow humans freedom. There almost seems to be a trial and error approach to creation. The people in Genesis are all exposed as being very human, with fractured families. The people on the video are also very human, and at time the discussions are very personal, like sitting in with an old friend. This book and videos offered an amazing number of views, and one shouldn't view them as dogma. I was particularly surprised by feminist and Koran views. I hope to read further by Burton Visotzky who was a participant. For an example of unique reading of Abraham and Isaac see Kierkegaard's "Fear and Trembling".

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Illuminating conversation, December 15, 2004

By 

J. Johnson "Allman Brothers obsessive" (Manassas, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Genesis: A Living Conversation (Pbs Series) (Paperback)

When I watched the PBS series, I locked myself in the room each week so I wouldn't be disturbed. Imagine several bright, articulate folks who weren't arguing over the historicity of the Gensis accounts, but simply looking for their meaning. Moreover, all weren't Biblical scholars. Their ranks included novelists and playwrights who understand the narrative elements far better than I. As I watched I developed favorites who I looked forward to hearing from again and others who drove me batty.

When I bought the book, I found it to be incredibly helpful for me as a preacher to identify the questions that might be asked of the Genesis text that I would fail to ask because of my own biases or my own fear of asking a sacreligious question. The book is especially good in it's examination of the image of God and the wrestling Jacob stories, but perhaps my favorite is the discussion of call and promise, particularly because of strength of the scholars-Robert Alter, Burt Visotzky and my favorite, Lew Smedes.

This book can help us answer the questions people are really asking, instead of the ones we want them to ask. Highly recomended