Review by SilviaP21 -- Who Told You That You Were Naked?

[SilviaP21]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Who Told You That You Were Naked?" by William Combs.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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When I first started to read this book I realized it was a religious one but I really didn’t expect to like it so much. It offers new interpretations to the primordial sin and ways to understand how Eve and Adam failed to fight temptation. Even from the first chapter, the author speaks about parts of the Bible we all thought we already knew. There are passages which in a way seem familiar for every Christian but William E. Combs always manages to teach us something new.

The book is not just an interpretation of the Bible but it also analyzes the text on a lexical level. We learn about basic words which can be translated and understood in different ways. Also the origin of some key words seems to be more important than we might have thought. Each of these aspects is discussed in Who Told You That You Were Naked?

The thing that I liked the most when reading this book was the feeling of surprise that not everything is as I learned. I think reinterpreting the Bible in the 21st century in an enjoyable and interesting manner can be something very difficult. But this was definitely a success. Another way to establish a connection with the reader were the questions at the end of every chapter. This way I could remember and summarize everything I read and give my own opinion regarding the previous passages. Also reading this kind of book at this moment in time, filled with violence, destruction and frivolity, was a real bliss and a way to remind me how fragile we are and how much care we should take care of us and each other.

The parts of the book that I thought were a bit uninteresting were the short stories about the author and his wife, their experiences and the way they found their path. Some of them were captivating and intriguing but some of them seemed more like a way to reassure the reader that the author is truly religious, faithful, a family guy and that there is no reason for us not to trust him or believe his words. For some readers this might have worked, but for me, personally, they were unnecessary and all I really wanted was to get back to the main story of the book.

I give Who Told You That You Were Naked? 3 out of 4 stars because it managed to keep me interested and captivated. It is also obvious that the author studied very much before writing it and I think we need more writings like this one, especially in these times of global turbulences.

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Who Told You That You Were Naked?
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Like SilviaP21's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Manang Muyang]

Hi SilviaP21. I somehow feel an affinity with you and the many new members who went through the "baptism of fire" with Mois Benarroch's enigmatic works. He is an author with a unique writing style that's a challenge to read. Let's call ourselves the Benarroch survivors haha. I feel sure he is amused by all our reviews.

Thanks for this review of "the story of Eden." I too hope to read the book and get a refreshing viewpoint of this familiar story. See you in the forums.

[Madalin]

I think your review is very interesting and it's a big deal that people still read religious books. Maybe I will try one too

[SilviaP21]

Thank you. I recommend this book, especially if it's not your usual genre but I think there are many others to choose from

[Madalin]

I will definitely think about it.

-- 14 Jul 2017, 05:17 --

I haven't read the Bible yet. Maybe I should start with that. Although this type of book may be a little more easy to read.

[SilviaP21]

I think so too. The Bible is difficult to read and I might take you a while. But Who Told You That You Were Naked is a really great place to start. And, of course, if you like it, you can start reading the Bible too. I think that is something every Christian should do.

[Madalin]

My grandmother used to read me the Bible for children and I enjoyed it a lot. But I don't know if I am ready to start the real thing just yet. But thank you for your advice.

[Darakhshan Nazir]

I am going to start this book soon so I was checking its reviews . Very well written