Heaven

I recently finished the last selection made by my book group: Heaven: Our Enduring Fascination with the Afterlife, by Lisa Miller.

This is my review:

Despite having heard of this book and it's author, it took the push of my book club to make me read Miller's Heaven.  Once I picked it up, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it.

I'm perpetually wary of journalists who pursue topics generally reserved for academics and that's what initially kept me from reading this. Miller has no religion degree or history degree...  She's a journalist with years of experience writing about religion.
 
But Miller proves to be a competent researcher.  She is looking for her own answers with this book and in many ways, this is a personal pilgrimage for her.  She visits academics, ministers, ascetics, and people of every religion.  Along the way, Miller traces a lot of history of the major religions and I particularly enjoyed the parts on Judaism.  It's an enjoyable and enlightening read.

I can't believe I've already read two nonfiction books this year!  Dang!