Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know—and Doesn’t

For a nation brimming with religion, Prothero wants to know why so many people lack genuine knowledge about their religion as well as others. Believing that American culture seriously lacks knowledge about the fundamentals of most world religions, he argues that schools need to teach classes that legitimately explore all world religions. In the tradition of E.D. Hirsch, he provides a collection of quintessential terms that define the current religious landscape. While the dominant presence of Christianity may cause resentment among secularists, the author is fairly objective in his discussion and justification for such reliance on Christianity. In terms of sound quality, the editors missed several vocal shifts, points where the author begins reading a new sentence in a distinctively different voice than the previous sentence. As narrator, Prothero proves competent but not entirely compelling. His pacing and emphasis certainly work well with his material, but his soft voice and relaxed tone leave something to be desired. Though these are his own written words, he doesn’t command the text in the way one would expect. Simultaneous release with the Harper San Francisco hardcover (Reviews, Nov. 20). (Mar.)