Magazine Editor Thumps Bible: Good Book
By Kristin M. Swenson -- Publishers Weekly, 2/26/2009 9:27:00 AM
David Plotz, Slate editor and author of The Genius Factory, decided he should finally really read his Bible. Happily for us, he kept notes: Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible (Harper, March; see starred review below).
RBL: Do you have a favorite book or part of the Bible?
David Plotz: My favorite parts tend to be where you have heroes who are skeptical, questioning and doubtful. But my favorite story of all is the book of Ruth. It is so beautiful and moving, like a Jane Austen novel or a Patsy Cline song.
RBL:You mention that you've become a “full-on Bible thumper.” What do you mean by that?
DP: Every page, every chapter has something that is culturally significant that has come down to us. So going through life without knowing this book is like wearing a veil. Also, there are millions of Americans who believe in the Bible literally—that every single word is true. For you to fully engage in discussion about the issues that they and you care about, you have to do the duty of understanding why they hold the beliefs they do.
RBL: Do you think that the Bible should be taught in public schools?
DP: I do. I understand the issues. But knowledge about the Bible is so incredibly important to understanding our culture and world that it's ridiculous not to equip students with it.
RBL: Were you concerned that the humor and irreverence you bring to Good Book might be insulting or offensive?
DP: I thought a lot about that, and decided that the only honest way I could approach it was just to read it the way I read everything. When you try to read it differently, it becomes forbidding. To appreciate the richness, vitality and comedy that is in the Bible is to make it feel alive, joyful and exuberant. If you can see it for the messy and complicated human book that it is, it's so much more exciting, engaging and appealing.
