RaveJewish QuarterlyIn times like these, where it can seem that our differences outweigh our commonalities, Neil MacGregor’s Living with the Gods is a comforting big-picture consideration of the significance of belief and religious practice ... uncovering along the way some surprising—at least to anyone allergic to the topic of religion—arguments about the way religion has been used to shape the relationship of the individual with the collective ... An ideal rainy Sunday read, MacGregor’s writing is accessible and unpretentious. A profusion of avuncular anecdotes about various practices, rituals, turning points and objects becomes an overall exploration of what he terms the essential \'human predicament\' ... the book transcends the merely interesting ... he deftly navigates complex assertions for and against religion, avoiding straw men, and allowing those he quotes to speak without interruption. At the same time, the structure of his argument tends to encourage the view that institutional religion is a necessity for community ... Living with the Gods is a valuable reminder, in these troubled times, of why and how we live together.
