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Why are so many intelligent and compassionate people embarrassed to say they find wisdom and comfort in the Bible? Why do so many seekers turn to New Age religions instead of the Bible? And how, as a society, did we come to cede biblical interpretation to those who would use the Bible as a tool for division and exclusion?

In his groundbreaking work The Good Book, Peter Gomes shows how to read the Bible and what it says about the topics that concern us all, including joy, suffering, evil, and goodness. He also explains what the Bible really says about women, gays and lesbians, and people of color. With compassion, humor, and insight, Gomes, who has been hailed by Time magazine as one of the best seven preachers in America, gives readers the tools and understanding they need to make the ancient wisdom of the Bible a dynamic part of their modern lives.

This New York Times Bestseller is widely acclaimed for its brilliance, compassion, and relevance. It has also opened a new dialogue on the need for biblical literacy and guidance in today's world.

Peter J. Gomes was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1942. He graduated from Bates College and Harvard Divinity School. After teaching and serving as director of freshman studies at Tuskegee Institute, he went to Harvard in 1970 as assistant minister in the Memorial Church. Gomes has been minister in The Memorial Church since 1974, when he was appointed Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard University.

"Gomes can't be pigeonholed--this is a reading not from the right or the left but from the living, loving heart of scripture."

- Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature