by Bruce Feiler
Maybe the Middle East uprisings were a Facebook Revolution after all. They were a massive, generation-wide Facebook friend request from a people as enamored of freedom as we are that arrives in our inbox looking for support at exactly the moment we had all but turned up our noses and turned our backs on anyone from their neighborhood. And in that way in which the Internet tries to make things easy, this request comes with two helpful options: CONFIRM or NOT NOW. The choice is ours: Which will it be?
Acknowledgments
I am extremely grateful to the vast network of people on multiple continents who themselves cooperated via Facebook, Twitter, Skype, telephone, mobile phone, fax, courier, and good old-fashioned late-night editing sessions to make this book possible under sometimes challenging conditions. Special thanks to Ahmed Ezzat, Romany Helwi, and particularly Nagwa Hassaan for their assistance in Egypt. At HarperCollins, I have innovative and fast-moving colleagues in Michael Morrison, Liate Stehlik, Carrie Kania, Sharyn Rosenblum, Amy Baker, Jennifer Hart, Danny Goldstein, and especially the tireless and high-minded Henry Ferris. Special thanks to Stuart Emmrich, Laura Marmor, Ben Sherwood, Joshua Ramo, and Chadwick Moore.
David Black shared this journey alongside me. Andrew Feiler read every page of the manuscript and improved it immeasurably. Linda Rottenberg added her grace to the words and ideas, but even more provided the confidence and enthusiasm that made the entire project possible in the first place. Eden and Tybee Feiler got great belly-dancing outfits out of the deal, and we all got a memorable birthday dance from them in return. But I am most indebted to the quiet wisdom and gentle hands of Dr. John Healey, who at exactly the moment it seemed as if I might never walk again, gave me back the gift of walking. This book is dedicated to him.
For more information about this and other projects,
and to join the conversation, please visit
www.brucefeiler.com,
where you can email me directly.
You can also follow me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/brucefeilerpage
or Twitter at
www.twitter.com/brucefeiler.
If Generation Freedom can do it, why can’t we!
About the Author
Meet Bruce Feiler
BRUCE FEILER is one of America’s most popular voices on religion, the Middle East, and contemporary affairs. He is the best-selling author of ten books, including Walking the Bible, Abraham, and Where God Was Born. He also writes the “This Life” column for the Sunday New York Times and is the writer/presenter of the PBS miniseries Walking the Bible. His last book, The Council of Dads, tells the uplifting story of how friendship and community can help one survive life’s greatest challenge.
Bruce Feiler’s early books involve immersing himself in different cultures and bringing other worlds vividly to life. These include Learning to Bow, an account of the year he spent teaching in rural Japan; Looking for Class, about life inside Oxford and Cambridge; and Under the Big Top, which depicts the year he spent performing as a circus clown.
His recent work has made him one of the country’s most respected authorities on religion. Walking the Bible describes his perilous, 10,000-mile journey retracing the Five Books of Moses through the desert. The book was hailed as an “instant classic” by the Washington Post. It spent more than a year and a half on the New York Times bestseller list, has been translated into fifteen languages, and is the subject of a children’s book and a photography book.
Abraham recounts his personal search for the shared ancestor of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. “Exquisitely written,” wrote the Boston Globe, “100 percent engaging.” The book was featured on the cover of Time and inspired thousands of grassroots interfaith discussions.
Where God Was Born describes his year-long trek retracing the Bible through Israel, Iraq, and Iran. “Bruce Feiler is a real-life Indiana Jones,” wrote the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. America’s Prophet recounts his unprecedented journey through American history—from the pilgrims to the Founding Fathers, the Civil War to the Civil Rights movement—exploring how the story of Moses helped shaped America.
In 2006, PBS aired the miniseries Walking the Bible that received record ratings and was viewed by 50 million people around the world. “Beguiling,” wrote the Wall Street Journal. “Mr. Feiler is an engaging and informed guide.”
Bruce Feiler has written for numerous publications, including The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, and Gourmet, where he won three James Beard Awards. He is also a frequent contributor to National Public Radio, CNN, and Fox News. He has been the subject of Jay Leno jokes and a JEOPARDY! question, and his face appears on a postage stamp in the Grenadines.
The Council of Dads is the international sensation that describes how he asked six men from his life to form a support group for his young daughters. The book was profiled in People, USA Today, Time, and the Washington Post, was included in O! The Oprah Magazine Reading Club, and was the subject of a one-hour special hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta on CNN.
A native of Savannah, Georgia, Bruce Feiler lives in New York with wife, Linda Rottenberg, and their twin daughters. For more information, please visit www.brucefeiler.com.
Have You Read?
More by Bruce Feiler
WALKING THE BIBLE
Feeling disconnected from the religious community he had known as a child, Bruce Feiler set out on a perilous ten-thousand-mile journey across the Middle East to discover the roots of the Bible. Traveling through three continents, five countries, and four war zones, Feiler is the first person ever to complete such an adventure in an attempt to answer the question: Is the Bible just an abstraction, some book gathering dust, or is it a living, breathing entity with relevance to contemporary life? From Turkey to Israel, the Sinai to the heart of Egypt, Feiler explores how geography affects the larger narrative of the Bible and ultimately realizes how much these places—and his experience—have affected his faith.
“Ranks among the great spiritual autobiographies.”
—Washington Post Book World
ABRAHAM
Both immediate and timeless, Abraham tells the powerful story of one man’s search for the shared ancestor of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Traveling through war zones, braving violence at religious sites, and seeking out faith leaders, Bruce Feiler uncovers the defining yet divisive role that Abraham plays for half the world’s believers. Provocative and uplifting, Abraham offers a thoughtful and inspiring vision of unity that redefines what we think about our neighbors, our future, and ourselves.
“An exquisitely written journey.”
—Boston Globe
AMERICA’S PROPHET
For four hundred years, one figure has inspired more Americans than any other. His name is Moses. Traveling through touchstones in American history, bestselling author Bruce Feiler traces the biblical prophet’s influence from the Mayflower through today. Meticulously researched and highly readable, America’s Prophet is a thrilling, original work of history that will forever change how we view America, our faith, and our future.
“Audacious. . . . Classically Feiler.”
—USA Today
WHERE GOD WAS BORN
Continuing the gripping journey he began with Walking the Bible, Bruce Feiler travels ten thousand miles through the heart of the Middle East—from the Garden of Eden to the rivers of Babylon—uncovering the little-known origins of Western religion. Combining the excitement of an adventure story and the insight of spiritual exploration, Where God Was Born offers a rare, universal vision of God that can inspire different faiths into a shared dialogue for hope.
“Breathtaking. . . . Goes from cover to cover, from one eye-opening story to the next, without letup.”
—Boston Globe
THE COUNCIL OF DADS
When Bruce Feiler was diagnosed with cancer in 2008, he instantly worried what his daughters’ lives would be like with him not around: “Would they wonder who I was? Would they wonder what I thought? Would they lack
for my approval, my discipline, my voice?” The Council of Dads is the inspiring story of what happened after he decided how to give his daughters that voice. Bruce reached out to six men from all the passages in his life and asked them to be present in his daughters’ lives. And he would call this group “The Council of Dads.” This is a touching, funny, and ultimately deeply moving book on how to live life, how the human spirit can respond to adversity, and how to deepen and cherish the friendships that enrich our lives.
“The Council of Dads . . . reminds us of which values we value most, and helps us make sure we transmit them.”
—Time
WALKING THE BIBLE: A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY
Featuring Bruce Feiler’s own photography as well as his selections from professional collections, Walking the Bible: A Photographic Journey brings together breathtaking vistas, intimate portraits, and fascinating panoramas, providing firsthand access to the inscrutable land where three of the world’s great religions were born—and finally puts a face on the stories that have long inspired the human spirit.
“Beautifully depicts the dramatic land that gave birth to three of the world’s great religions.”
—USA Today
DREAMING OUT LOUD
Country music has exploded across the United States and undergone a sweeping revolution, transforming the once ridiculed world of Nashville into an unlikely focal point of American pop culture. In writing this fascinating book, Feiler was granted unprecedented access to the private moments of the revolution. Here is the acclaimed report: a chronicle of the genre’s biggest stars as they changed the face of American music. With intimate portraits of Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd, and Wade Hayes, Feiler has written the defining book on the new Nashville.
“Penetrating and insightful.”
—Elvis Mitchell, New York Times
UNDER THE BIG TOP
It’s every child’s dream: to run away and join the circus. Feiler did just that, joining the Clyde Beatty–Cole Bros. Circus as a clown for one year. This is the story of that crazy, chaotic, heartbreaking ride, a book that will remind you of how dreams can go horribly wrong—and then miraculously come true.
“A stunning collective portrait.”
—The New Yorker
LOOKING FOR CLASS
An irresistible, entertaining peek into the privileged realm of Wordsworth and Wodehouse, Chelsea Clinton and Hugh Grant, Looking for Class offers a hilarious account of Feiler’s year at Britain’s most exclusive universities, Oxford and Cambridge—the garden parties and formal balls, the high-minded debates and drinking Olympics—and gives us a eye-opening view of the often romanticized but rarely seen British upper class.
“A trenchant, witty, and engaging critique of the English establishment.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
LEARNING TO BOW
Feiler’s first book, Learning to Bow, is one of the funniest, liveliest, and most insightful books ever written about the clash of cultures between America and Japan. With warmth and candor, Feiler recounts the year he spent as a teacher in a small rural Japanese town. Beginning with a ritual outdoor bath and culminating in an all-night trek to the top of Mount Fuji, Feiler teaches his students about American culture, while they teach him everything from how to properly address an envelope to how to date a Japanese girl.
“Incisive, often hilarious, and presents a rounded portrait of the modern Japanese.”
—USA Today
Don’t miss the next book by your favorite author. Sign up now for AuthorTracker by visiting www.AuthorTracker.com.
Books by Bruce Feiler
Under the Big Top A Season with the Circus
The Secrets of Happy Families "Improve Your Mornings, Tell Your Family History, Fight Smarter, Go Out and Play, and Much More"
Generation Freedom The Middle East Uprisings and the Remaking of the Modern World
The Council of Dads "A Story of Family, Friendship, and Learning How to Live"
America's Prophet How the Story of Moses Shaped America
Where God Was Born A Daring Adventure Through the Bible's Greatest Stories
Abraham A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths
Walking the Bible A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses
Dreaming Out Loud "Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd, Wade Hayes, and the Changing Face of Nashville"
Looking for Class Days and Nights at Oxford and Cambridge
Learning to Bow Inside the Heart of Japan
Walking the Bible A Photographic Journey
Credits
Cover design by Milan Bozic
Cover photograph © REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic
Copyright
GENERATION FREEDOM Copyright © 2011 by Bruce Feiler. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
ISBN 978-0-06-210498-4
EPub Edition © 2011 ISBN: 9780062104991
11 12 13 14 15 DIX/RRD 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (P.O. Box 321)
Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
www.harpercollins.com.au/ebooks
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor
Toronto, ON, M4W, 1A8, Canada
http://www.harpercollins.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollins.com
