Customer Reviews

The Life of God (as Told by Himself)

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The Life of God (As Told by Himself) is a charming knit of secular and ecclesiastic views of the world told from the viewpoint of God, Himself. God rises out of chaos and brings into being, with a scientifically approved chronology, the universe as we know it. "The truth is that the world began when it dawned on me that I was all alone and I tried to do something about it. Everything that came later was a consequence of that moment..." God creates the sun, the other stars and the planets, of which he much prefers the Earth.

So, God decides to settle on Earth and proceeds to create life, marine and amphibious. He soon grows tired of reptiles, however, and wanting "life to meditate upon itself so as to better comprehend itself," he shifts from eggs to live birth and mammals are born. Eventually, he finds in the monkey just the right blend of melancholy and humor to impel him to create the human soul.

"I would have a notion of a tree and bang, there it was roots and branches and leaves and trunk and bark, rooting in the earth, with arms flung wide in the open air." God can mold his creations, but he cannot alter or destroy them. As he, himself puts it, "I could not play around with the created world, and make and unmake as I pleased."

Ferrucci's God is likable, sweet and utterly human but he is neither omnipotent nor omniscient. More importantly, he his constantly learning from his own creations. God's world is inhabited by characters whose relationships are independent of him. who know more than he does about certain topics and who have power over one another with which he cannot interfere.

This is an extremely mobile God, capable of skimming through the cosmos and merging with any one of his creations, yet he cannot save Christ from Crucifixion, he cannot paint as well as Caravaggio nor can he understand Einstein, although he listens appreciatively. Most of the Great Minds with whom God interacts recognize him; some understand him, some ignore him and some blatantly reject him. Mozart is, of course, irreverent, Freud is quite unpleasant and Dante sees him as he is..."father and son of my very own self, the fire of intelligence that circulates through the cosmos and pours into humankind in order to attain the form of thought and words."

Translated freely from the original Italian, we are told that "it often departs freely from the Italian original and at points is better characterized as an adaptation." Translation or adaptation, the prose is always delightful, the writing is consistently witty and intelligent, sometimes even hilarious.

The Life of God does a wonderful job of reconciling the chaotic progress of human events with a higher but endearingly non-absolute power. It begins toward this end buoyed by a deft usage of anachronistic simile; the dinosaurs are "extremely conservative and not particularly bright...like old aristocrats in remote provincial towns, handing down to new generations both their idleness and a disquieting physical resemblance." Mixed among adorable descriptions such as the above are weighty and unscientific pronouncements attributed to this God, who, though no Einstein, himself, is setting in motion the meaning beneath the mystery of the natural world.

Ferrucci's decision to characterize the God who has set us all in motion as both sentient and chaotic, amiable and divine, is clever, compelling and more than eminently readable. Did Moses really spend all that time with God? Why are Bach's symphonies so utterly divine? Did Einstein ever have anyone to talk to about his work? This is both a very small and a very large idea. Ferrucci's whimsy protects this book from any serious criticism, because, after all, the book only smilingly claims to be about everything that ever happened. The Life of God (As Told by Himself) is a different but utterly charming, sweet and lovable autobiography.

I don't understand why anyone would judge this book on its historical or Biblical accuracy, which is in fact rather childish. This is literature at its best, where the pages come to life as the history of humanity is altered to fit the tale. Nothing is sacred in this book, and thank God for that. In fact, better to say that humanity is made sacred in this work, for all its mistakes and errors.

Look elsewhere for a cruel and heartless diety of scripture, look here to find a God gifted with the highest quality--that of being human.

Clever and thought provoking, the protagonist (God) details his efforts to understand his creation (man). Ferrucci's God is a rather amiable fellow who can't seem to fathom what makes his creation tick, nor why man insists on creating a deity in his own image - angry, vengeful, and unforgiving. A number of discourses with Moses all prove futile - Moses insists on reading more into God's simple message than is intended. Conversations with poets and philosophers throughout the ages; God also takes a hand in murder to, hopefully, come to grips with what he has created. Still, if man cannot come to understand his maker, how can the creator hope to understand his creation? Humorous at times, but it is a rather melancholy humor as, in the end, God abandons his creation in the hope of better success elsewhere. A philosophical read, I found myself questioning my ideals, both spiritual as well as societal. Not recommended for everyone, but for the thinkers among us, a real gem.

Clever and thought provoking, the protagonist (God) details his efforts to understand his creation (man). Ferrucci's God is a rather amiable fellow who can't seem to fathom what makes his creation tick, nor why man insists on creating a deity in his own image - angry, vengeful, and unforgiving. A number of discourses with Moses all prove futile - Moses insists on reading more into God's simple message than is intended. Conversations with poets and philosophers throughout the ages; God also takes a hand in murder to, hopefully, come to grips with what he has created. Still, if man cannot come to understand his maker, how can the creator hope to understand his creation? Humorous at times, but it is a rather melancholy humor as, in the end, God abandons his creation in the hope of better success elsewhere. A philosophical read, I found myself questioning my ideals, both spiritual as well as societal. Not recommended for everyone, but for the thinkers among us, a real gem.

This book should become a classic if it hasn't done so already! It's the sort of book I can imagine on future reading lists in schools and colleges. It is a mind-blowing, deeply thought-provoking book, following and challenging the history of creation and mankind, right up to present day, with plenty of nail-biting yarns along the way!. You will be drawn in by the humble, bewildered character, God, who longs to communicate with man and find out what he's doing here on earth, and why these creatures worship him so much, when he, God, is just as flawed, imperfect and base as man himself. It's God's own personal journey (like all of us) trying to make sense of life, trying to follow different philosophies, trying to understand man and at the same time, falling in love with beauty, nature and all the pleasures that life entices us with. Ferrucci shows an extensive knowledge of history, philosophy and religion, but he also writes a compelling story too.

I bought this book for several friends, dying to hear their reaction too.

This book is extremely good. I loved reading section 1, it was fabulous, then section 2, was still good, and three a little less, then four finally, was just ok, and the ending died out. He should have put a more dominant and firm ending. Like someone said, this book isn't for everyone, but for "the thinkers of Mankind". And it is a wonderful novel AND philisophical book. A Must read for anyone interested in the concept of "god" and his existence. (mind my spelling)

Leave the Old Testament and New Testament god at the side of the road and get to know a sensitive, thoughtful introspective unsure diety. This book was a delight to read.

This book is funny, odd and informative all at the same time.

I bought this book because a good friend who is studying religion was reading it in Dutch. Everyday he would fill me in on God's latest adventure. So I had to buy it in English and read it for myself.

God's autobiography really sets the record straight about His origins, the Creation and organized religions. God doesn't know where he came from and he created the world because he was lonely. He is rather shocked when he sees that some of his creations eat other of his creations. And he can't figure out from which part of his mind bugs came from.

God is basically muddling his way through just like the rest of us. He doesn't have the answers but basically the same questions that we, his creations do. So looking for answers, God inhabits people's bodies and becomes that person and lives their life.

My favorite part of the book is the exorcism that God performs. It had me laughing out loud on the train to work. Oh and there is no afterlife.

I have owned this book before and it was great. Love it so when mine got damaged I bought another one, It is well written and very funny a great read

If you like this kind of theng buy it , its is not Holy Holy or anything just a great story It is Fiction, but you will laugh

Though this was fiction (obviously), it truly made me reconsider my already skeptical point of view of God, mankind, and the universe. It was creative and thought-provoking. I highly recommend it!