The Search for God at Harvard [Paperback]

Ari L. Goldman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 21, 1992

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR

In 1985 Ari L. Goldman took a year’s leave from his job as a religion reporter for The New York Times and enrolled in the Harvard Divinity School. What began as a project to deepen his knowledge of the world’s sacred beliefs turned out to be an extraordinary journey of spiritual illumination, one in which Goldman reexamined his own faith as an Orthodox Jew and opened his mind to the great religions of the world.

In his year at Harvard, Goldman found to his surprise that his fellow students were not straitlaced, somber clerics, but a diverse, vibrant, and sometimes embattled group from every major religion, united by their deep spiritual commitment. Even more surprising was the spiritual climate of the Divinity School itself: Far from being an ivory tower or a bastion of old-time Christian piety, the school was a forum for passionate debate on the relationships between religion and politics, social mores and sexuality.

Written with warmth, humor, and penetrating clarity, The Search for God at Harvard is a book for anyone who has wrestled with the question of what it means to take religion seriously today.

Praise for The Search for God at Harvard:

“Personal yet informative, warm and humorous, beautifully written. In a word, superb.”
–Elie Wiesel

“Is it possible to honor the truth of one’s own religion while being genuinely open to others? In The Search for God at Harvard, Ari Goldman tells his story in so fine a manner that he helps us to understand why the answer must be yes.”
–The New York Times Book Review

“Excellent: intelligent, informative, infused with humor.”
–Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Enriching . . . well-written, absorbing.”
–The Boston Globe

“A valuable and unique contribution.”
–The Washington Post Book World

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

New York Times reporter Goldman's offbeat, soul-baring, spiritually challenging odyssey describes his year at Harvard Divinity School, in 1985. Sent by his newspaper to immerse himself in the world's religions, this Orthodox Jew felt irresistibly drawn to the rite of Catholic communion; he experienced Buddhist meditation, found close parallels between Judaism and Islam, and gauged the disarray in mainstream Protestantism. Studying sacrificial rites of the Nuer, a Sudanese tribe, helped him better understand Jewish tradition. Besides crystallizing his own beliefs, his encounters at Harvard triggered a personal catharsis as he sorted out the early trauma of his parents' divorce, a repressive yeshiva environment, his sexual liberation in the 1970s and his rise from copyboy to Times religion reporter. His painstakingly candid account is an enriching read.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Here's something you don't see every day: an Orthodox Jewish reporter attending Harvard Divinity School. That's what Goldman did in 1985, as much for his own edification as for professional purposes. Goldman, religion writer for the New York Times , here chronicles his year at Harvard, where he tested the waters of his own faith while immersing himself in the study of the major religious traditions. He comes away with a disdain for the Divinity School (more reputation than reality) and a profound sense of the richness and depth of his own religious convictions. For Goldman, Judaism is strengthened as it is challenged; this insight is finally the message of this thoughtful, well-written pilgrimage. Highly recommended for all searching souls and lovers of spiritual autobiographies as well as those concerned with contemporary religious education.
- Sandra Collins, Trinity Sch . for Ministry, Ambridge, Pa.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 283 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (April 21, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345377060
• ISBN-13: 978-0345377067
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #538,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, February 11, 2001

By 

RigelK - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Search for God at Harvard (Paperback)

The first time I read _The Search for God at Harvard_, I could not put it down until the end. I was enthralled. I have turned many people, including ministers, onto this book and have yet to receive less than favorable comments.

Ari Goldman tells a story of Orthodox Judaism, journalism, academia, and personal exploration. On sabatical from his job as religion writer for the New York Times, Goldman spends a year studying other religions at Harvard Divinity School. The people he introduces us to in this book are real and rivetting, but none moreso than Ari Goldman himself. His book is genial but very honest. I believe it took real courage for him to share this story with the public.

This book provides an interesting taste of comparitive religion. As a Protestant Christian, I was grateful for the chance to glimpse other religions (and my own) through Orthodox Jewish eyes.

This is a gentle yet powerful tale of one man's intellectual and spiritual adventure which holds lessons for all of us. I can't do this book justice in a review...it' too deep and beautiful. Please have the pleasure of reading it for yourself.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing story of Orthodox Jew Studying Other Religions, January 26, 2000

By 

Helene Hoffman (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Search for God at Harvard (Paperback)

I expected this story to be merely a recitation of "what grad school was like for me". Boy, was I happily surprised! I was raised in an Orthodox environment myself, and the author does a great job of relating what that is like, the good and the bad, and even showing that there are differences among the Orthodox. (However, I was shocked at his revelation that the Orthodox engage in pre-marital sex - this has not been my experence!) At any rate, he does a fantastic job showing how he not only learned about other religions at Harvard, but was moved by them. In particular, I loved his explanation of how he actively searched for (and ultimately found) a class on Christianity that explained the passion of Christians for their religion, rather than just some intellectual lectures on the New Testament. Another thing that floored me was his openness about his personal life: how his parents' divorce devastated him, and how he wrestled with pondering how he could pursue journalism while keeping all the tenets of Orthodox Judaism (it was his mother who was his biggest support!). I also loved how Orthodox Judaism was a way of life for him, and that he was so secure in it, that he really could go to Harvard and throw himself into the study of other religions. If you are curious about religions, this is an absolute must-read.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Memoir and Spiritual Biography, August 3, 2003

By 

E. L. Weinhold "Lolly" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Search for God at Harvard (Paperback)

Ari Goldman, a New York Times Religion reporter, proposes a sabbatical leave to his editors. He wants to study at Harvard Divinity School for one year to improve his perspective on world religions, and add depth and knowledge to his articles concerning religion for the newspaper. When he arrives at Harvard, in the mid-1980s, he is surprised to find an eclectic mix of students, from all the major religions, debating about major issues of the day. His view of Harvard's Divinity school as uppity, straight-laced ministers is challenged with every new student he meets.

Goldman discusses his own religious life and spiritual memoirs. A yeshiva-educated Orthodox Jew, Goldman struggled in college with his career interests and his religious training. How could one keep kosher in a foreign country? How could one keep Sabbath when a huge news story breaks?

There are chapters in the book describing the major religions and the courses that Goldman took at the Divinity School to help him understand each. There are also chapters discussing Women in Religion, Orthodoxy, and other issues that modern religions encounter.

Goldman's writing style is very readable (no doubt because of his journalism background) and he writes with spirit. He does not hesitate to discuss trials and struggles that the people at the Divinity School have, or things that he struggles with himself.