Heaven: Our Enduring Fascination with the Afterlife [Paperback]

“Wonderful…. A smart and accessible take on the ultimate question: What is Heaven? Lisa’s book is a good place to begin to find an answer.”
— Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author ofAmerican Lion

“A rare combination of journalism, memoir, and historical research … this smart yet heartfelt book leads us into the center of one of the greatest conversations of all time. And Lisa Miller is the perfect conversation partner.”
— Stephen Prothero,New York Timesbestselling author ofAmerican JesusandReligious Literacy

A groundbreaking history of the hereafter,HeavenbyNewsweekreporter and religion editor Lisa Miller draws from both history and popular culture to reveal how past and presage visions of heaven have evolved and how they inspire us to both good and evil.

A groundbreaking and accessible history of heaven—from the earliest biblical conceptions of the afterlife to the theologians who frame our understandings to the convictions and perceptions of everyday people.

The desire for a celestial afterlife is universal. It is as old as the Bible itself. While there are many notions of what exactly heaven is and how we get there, Jews, Christians, and Muslims all agree that heaven is God's home. Drawing on history and popular culture, biblical research and everyday beliefs,Heavenoffers a new understanding of one of the most cherished—and shared—ideals of spiritual life.

This fascinating, thoughtful, and challenging study tells us a great deal about what it means to be a human being.Lisa Miller has long been the fairest and most engaging journalist covering religion in America. In Heaven, she has accomplished the impossible: She has written a book about religion that fundamentalists, moderates, liberals, and nonbelievers alike can read with extreme pleasure.Delightful and insightful. . . . This ml³’