Rating: 
Summary: Great book!
Review: I really love the author's diction. My, what diction she has!
Rating: 
Summary: A Spiritual Sigh of Relief
Review: I was asked recently in my bible study group who I would most like to meet. It was an easy answer -- Harold Kushner. I struggled for many years (after a private Baptist school upbringing) to come to terms with my doubts about God, who was presented to me as a cruel, vengeful God. My struggle turned toward anger. After reading Rabbi Kushner's book, I felt as if a great weight were lifted from me. My soul just seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. God, as introduced by Rabbi Kushner, makes sense to me now. I have begun to see that God has simply been poorly represented by so many. This book gave me (a hard sell if there ever was one) peace. I began to study the Bible with new eyes. I began to look at myself and others with greater compassion. This is a simple book -- with life altering implications. Buy this book. Read this book. Share this book with others. (Note: Kushner's other books are wonderful as well!)
Rating:
Summary: A Spiritual Sigh of Relief
Review: I was asked recently in my bible study group who I would most like to meet. It was an easy answer -- Harold Kushner. I struggled for many years (after a private Baptist school upbringing) to come to terms with my doubts about God, who was presented to me as a cruel, vengeful God. My struggle turned toward anger. After reading Rabbi Kushner's book, I felt as if a great weight were lifted from me. My soul just seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. God, as introduced by Rabbi Kushner, makes sense to me now. I have begun to see that God has simply been poorly represented by so many. This book gave me (a hard sell if there ever was one) peace. I began to study the Bible with new eyes. I began to look at myself and others with greater compassion. This is a simple book -- with life altering implications. Buy this book. Read this book. Share this book with others. (Note: Kushner's other books are wonderful as well!)
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best "Self-Help" Books Ever
Review: I'm not much on self-help books, and I really never have been. Three years ago, a college course required me to pick up a self help book and evaluate it. This just happened to be the book I picked up- and by the end of the very day I picked it up, I was finished with it. Since then, I have used it as a reference to help me clear guilty/remorseful/vengeful/spiteful & other mentally draining thoughts from my head.Kushner has a God-given ability to write from the very depths of his soul, and in doing so, he creates an instant rapport with his readers- one that hits them in the heart emotionally, and causes the reader to sit and reflect often. His "arguments" are wonderfully explained, some may be too "radical" for those who are of the Christian Right mentality, but Kushner defends his points with flair, and a deep down desire to find true meaning in our daily lives. Kushner reveals incredible, thought provoking stories and parables of his life- soem of bliss, some of personal discovery, and some of hardship and pain- and all of these stories are pertinent and relevant to the material at hand. If words make you cry, several of these stories, and several of these conclusions may just hit a soft spot, even for those who are hardened. Guilt and Forgiveness- to incredibly difficult subjects that the "human condition" has a hard time dealing with. Kushner takes the reader by the hand, calms you, and walks you down a road and path that more people should consider taking. If you read any self help book, read this one.
Rating:
Summary: Help if you think you need to be perfect
Review: I've been trying to learn that it's ok to be imperfect, and reading this book has been very helpful to me. I'm not even totally sure what "God" is, but I did grow up Jewish and with a sense that no matter what I did, I wasn't good enough. It's nice to think that trying hard is enough for God.
Rating:
Summary: Rabbi of Peace
Review: If you ever felt that you wanted to be "somebody else," if you ever felt that you "were not good enough," this book explains where these feelings and thoughts might have come from. It does not go into great detail as to what you can do about it, but it is very insightful and serves as a proverbial wake-up call to "perfectionists" all over. He sorta argues that we are all on this quest to be 'perfect,' but this quest is destined to failure before it even begins. Read this book to gain insight and move forward on the journey. Also, read "There is Nothing Wrong with You" by Cheri Huber to really give yourself a "1-2" knockout of wisdom.
Rating:
Summary: This is a keeper.
Review: If you waste valuable time and spiritual energy obsessing about your little imperfections, (and who doesn't? I know I do. Why can't I stop doing that?) this is a great read and an even better reread. Keep it handy for a booster shot when this nasty little habit creeps back into your life. It's also a great help in forgiving the most important people in your life for being who they are. And THAT is liberating.
Rating: 
Summary: Where's the beef?
Review: In America today, there are 3 accepted ways of dealing with personal anguish: religion, psychology, and beer. "How Good Do We Have To Be?" combines a great deal of Old Testament religion (not surprising since the author is a rabbi), quite a few Freudian theories, and leaves the amount of beer to use up to the reader. The "radically new interpretation" of the story of Eden is nothing new. It has always been a central understanding of my religious background that we are human (and able to experience the joys and pains of being human) only because of what happened in Eden. How Kushner is able to suddenly stumble on this is beyond me (of course I don't have much experience with the Jewish faith). Overall the book is well written and easily understandable. Chapters deal with forgiving family members, life partners, and ourselves. These chapters are backed up with personal stories (which are probably the book's strongest point). So how good do we have to be? The answer is "pretty good" if you want to have a job, friends, and good family relations. This book offers no excuses for personal behavior (and repeatedly points out that we must be responsible for our actions). If you come from a guilt producing religion or are carrying a large amount of guilt for any reason, you may find the message in this book useful.
Rating:
Summary: Where's the beef?
Review: In America today, there are 3 accepted ways of dealing with personal anguish: religion, psychology, and beer. "How Good Do We Have To Be?" combines a great deal of Old Testament religion (not surprising since the author is a rabbi), quite a few Freudian theories, and leaves the amount of beer to use up to the reader. The "radically new interpretation" of the story of Eden is nothing new. It has always been a central understanding of my religious background that we are human (and able to experience the joys and pains of being human) only because of what happened in Eden. How Kushner is able to suddenly stumble on this is beyond me (of course I don't have much experience with the Jewish faith). Overall the book is well written and easily understandable. Chapters deal with forgiving family members, life partners, and ourselves. These chapters are backed up with personal stories (which are probably the book's strongest point). So how good do we have to be? The answer is "pretty good" if you want to have a job, friends, and good family relations. This book offers no excuses for personal behavior (and repeatedly points out that we must be responsible for our actions). If you come from a guilt producing religion or are carrying a large amount of guilt for any reason, you may find the message in this book useful.
Rating: 
Summary: A different perspective
Review: My response is based only on chapter 2, What Really Happened in the Garden of Eden? I have a very different opinion than Kushner on Genesis 3. I think people of all religions are turned off by the word sin or original sin that to even offer it as an explanation of human behavior is an offense. Kushner seems to be downplaying sin as well, not wanting to call it what it is. The NT letters of Paul (Romans 5, especially) do not paint Genesis 3 in the same light as Kushner. Jesus is the very Adam that Adam wasn't. And among other things, Jesus came to show us how to be the human creatures we were created to be: dependent on God the Father to be completely human. Kushner, on the other hand, interprets Gen 3 as moral human evolution, or a God-intentioned growing up and becoming independent. Also, he attributes many pleasureable human experiences as results of Gen 3, making Adam and Eve's choice a necessary contingent. He's almost saying, Adam and Eve didn't become fully human until they disobeyed God. However, the Bible shows us that Jesus, fully human, is our best example of what God intended humans to be. Jesus certainly knew choice, pain, work, and forgiveness, yet He did not sin. I encourage you to read Romans 5 (and why not the whole book?) to get Paul's view of Gen 3. Also, consider this: Kushner fails to mention God's promise of a Redeemer in Gen 3:15. Jesus was God's answer to sin, and no other word that makes us feel better or more forgiven can compare to the Word. Scott
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