Announcing My New Novel -- Moses the Heretic
Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 9:41 pm
Friends,
I would like to announce the release of my second novel, Moses the Heretic. Heretic is published by Aegis Press, and is available through such outlets as Barnes and Noble (stores or online) and Amazon.com. You can read all about the book, including advance praise by various nationally respected authors and religious leaders, on my website, http://www.danielspiro.com/mosestheheretic.html.
Heretic is a special book for me because it expresses in fictional form my philosophy of religion. The book essentially asks the question: If there were a Moses alive today, what would he be like? Or, if you prefer, “WWMD” (What would Moses do?) Because I read the Biblical Moses to be an all-too-human character, my contemporary Moses is presented warts and all, and yet I would argue that he stands for what is best in religion.
As you might expect, Heretic explores in some depth the spirit behind Judaism. But my approach to Judaism is ecumenical, so I also have much to say about other religions – specifically, Islam, Unitarian Universalism and Christianity, in that order.
Set both in Israel and the United States, Heretic confronts central questions of Middle Eastern and American politics. Anyone who knows me understands that I consider spirituality and religious ritual to be the epitome of emptiness if they are not also coupled with a passion to pursue peace and fight injustice.
Speaking of fighting injustice, my “day job” at the U.S. Department of Justice precludes me from devoting the kind of time I’d like to devote to literary pursuits. Accordingly, my books are few and far between, and my contacts in the world of literature are anything but robust. Consequently, I am dependent largely on the people I know to spread the word about my novels. Consider it a mitzvah to read and buy a book authored by a “little guy” instead of becoming the zillionth reader of a New York Times best-seller.
To those of you who are familiar with my first novel, Heretic has considerably more action than The Creed Room and utilizes a few more literary devices, but let’s face it – my favorite authors tend to be philosophers, not novelists, and those of you who are looking for lyrical prose should look elsewhere. I write instead for people who are interested in thinking about “the big issues,” but enjoy doing so in the context of easy-to-read stories about realistic characters. In any event, no matter how you react to the book, I’d love to read your honest evaluation of it on such sites as Amazon.com, which allows anyone that has an account with that website to critique books, whether or not they are purchased through Amazon. I myself have posted evaluations of numerous books on that site, which you can find at http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A265HMT291FLE2. (Click the link that says “See all 24 reviews”).
With that as an introduction, I want to thank you in advance for taking the time to consider Moses the Heretic. If nothing else, I trust you will find the book extremely provocative – maybe you’ll love it, maybe it will make you angry, but I doubt it will bore you.
Dan
P.S. -- If I can't respond for a few days, it's because I'm leaving town for a business trip late tomorrow morning. But I'll be back before we kick some more butt next weekend.
I would like to announce the release of my second novel, Moses the Heretic. Heretic is published by Aegis Press, and is available through such outlets as Barnes and Noble (stores or online) and Amazon.com. You can read all about the book, including advance praise by various nationally respected authors and religious leaders, on my website, http://www.danielspiro.com/mosestheheretic.html.
Heretic is a special book for me because it expresses in fictional form my philosophy of religion. The book essentially asks the question: If there were a Moses alive today, what would he be like? Or, if you prefer, “WWMD” (What would Moses do?) Because I read the Biblical Moses to be an all-too-human character, my contemporary Moses is presented warts and all, and yet I would argue that he stands for what is best in religion.
As you might expect, Heretic explores in some depth the spirit behind Judaism. But my approach to Judaism is ecumenical, so I also have much to say about other religions – specifically, Islam, Unitarian Universalism and Christianity, in that order.
Set both in Israel and the United States, Heretic confronts central questions of Middle Eastern and American politics. Anyone who knows me understands that I consider spirituality and religious ritual to be the epitome of emptiness if they are not also coupled with a passion to pursue peace and fight injustice.
Speaking of fighting injustice, my “day job” at the U.S. Department of Justice precludes me from devoting the kind of time I’d like to devote to literary pursuits. Accordingly, my books are few and far between, and my contacts in the world of literature are anything but robust. Consequently, I am dependent largely on the people I know to spread the word about my novels. Consider it a mitzvah to read and buy a book authored by a “little guy” instead of becoming the zillionth reader of a New York Times best-seller.
To those of you who are familiar with my first novel, Heretic has considerably more action than The Creed Room and utilizes a few more literary devices, but let’s face it – my favorite authors tend to be philosophers, not novelists, and those of you who are looking for lyrical prose should look elsewhere. I write instead for people who are interested in thinking about “the big issues,” but enjoy doing so in the context of easy-to-read stories about realistic characters. In any event, no matter how you react to the book, I’d love to read your honest evaluation of it on such sites as Amazon.com, which allows anyone that has an account with that website to critique books, whether or not they are purchased through Amazon. I myself have posted evaluations of numerous books on that site, which you can find at http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A265HMT291FLE2. (Click the link that says “See all 24 reviews”).
With that as an introduction, I want to thank you in advance for taking the time to consider Moses the Heretic. If nothing else, I trust you will find the book extremely provocative – maybe you’ll love it, maybe it will make you angry, but I doubt it will bore you.
Dan
P.S. -- If I can't respond for a few days, it's because I'm leaving town for a business trip late tomorrow morning. But I'll be back before we kick some more butt next weekend.
