God: An Itinerary

This book is not for the fainthearted or the intellectually insecure. It is HARD WORK; every paragraph, every page will require setting aside some time to reflect on what Debray is saying. In minor part this is perhaps due to some difficulties in translation; but in far greater part these required - and rewarding - reflections are the result of contact with the towering genius of the author. Many persons (and certainly this reviewer) may approach Debray with certain reservations, the result of unanswered questions about Debray's proximity to the murder of Che Guevara; those concerns are simply and quickly forgotten, as they have no relevance to Debray's subject. This is not a book of history so much as it is a book of historiography. Persons who have been seduced by that rather arcane field will find themselves in awe of Debray's remarkable talent for research, exploration, and exposition, but reading and understanding the work requires a firm hold on rationality. Debray's central question is "How is it possible for God to be younger than His creations?", which, more than a simple question, reflects a startling way to view to the world. More important, however, are the answers...which go a great distance in explaining who we are and how we got to this level of species screwed-up-ness. The bad news is that it takes work to understand; the good news is that it is well worth it. And for the cost-conscious among us, a happy plus: prices for the book have fallen - an indicator of the difficulty of thought, not of value - and one can scarf up on copies at a ridiculously low price. Reading the book may or may not contribute (or detract) from one's understanding of the nature of deities: but it will most certainly facilitate clarity of thought... and foster a new appreciation of historiography, perhaps the most difficult of the social sciences.