The God Factor: Inside the Spiritual
Lives of Public People by Cathleen
Falsani
Now The Rest Of You Can Enjoy Cathleen Falsani's Writing
“This sensitive spiritual portrait of popular culture evokes, in thought
provoking fashion, the vibrant and highly individualized nature of
contemporary faith. ” — The Christian Science Monitor
It goes without saying that spirituality now plays an enormous role in the
United States. But while this may be a nation of believers, it’s not of one
belief, but of many. To shape a candid picture of modern faith, the popular
Chicago Sun-Times religion writer Cathleen Falsani—who the Chicago
Tribune praised as “above all, an exemplary conversationalist”—sat down
with an array of people who shape our culture. She discussed Jesus with
Anne Rice; explored “Playboy theology” with Hugh Hefner; talked about
evil with crusading attorney Barry Scheck and heaven with Senator Barack
Obama. Writers Laura Esquivel and Jonathan Safran Foer, guru Iyanla

Vanzant, rocker Melissa Etheridge, economist Jeffrey Sachs, Pulitzer-
winning playwright John Patrick Shanley—all opened up to her.
The resulting interviews, more than thirty in all, offer an illuminating look at
the beliefs that shape our lives. In the words of one reviewer, Falsani “has
done what only great interviewers have the wisdom and patience to do.
She has set the stage and dimmed the lights just so. She has invited us
into the conversation and left us with wonder, confusion, elation and
grace.”
“Whimsical and absorbing . . . Falsani handles the profiles with sensitivity,
painting the book’s diverse spiritual seekers with compassion and grace.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review) Included are interviews with
Sherman Alexie, Bono, Dusty Baker, Sandra Bernhard, Sandra Cisneros,
Billy Corgan, Kurt Elling, Laura Esquivel, Melissa Etheridge, Jonathan
Safran Foer, Mike Gerson, Seamus Heaney, Hugh Hefner, Dr. Henry Lee,
Annie Lennox, David Lynch, John Mahoney, Mark Morris, Mancow Muller,
Senator Barack Obama, Hakeem Olajuwon, Harold Ramis, Anne Rice,
Tom Robbins, Russell Simmons, Jeffrey Sachs , Barry Scheck, John
Patrick Shanley , The Reverend Al Sharpton, Studs Terkel, Iyanla
Vanzant, and Elie Wiesel.
Personal Review: The God Factor: Inside the Spiritual Lives of
Public People by Cathleen Falsani
Whatever your spiritual bent (or even if you are bent about spirituality), this
wonderful work is valuable in its wide-ranging subjects, as well as the
respect, curiosity and non-judgmental way in which Cathleen Falsani
shares these 30-plus people's stories.
There are numerous gems in here...Sandra Bernhardt is a riot---and truly
fascinating. Leading off with Bono was a good choice---it hooked me into
the next one, and the next one. With more room than her customary
newspaper space, Falsani allows the reader into the setting...how an
individual carries himself or herself, little moments that reveal so much.
The essay on Hugh Hefner was beautifully done, with sparkling moments,
including the one when Hef discovered he was not toe-to-toe with a
stereotypical fire-and-brimstone Christian, but an intelligent, thoughtful
person yearning to understand what makes others tick, on a spiritual level,
and its impact on their public works and whatever remains of their private
lives.

Perhaps more than anything else about Falsani, I admire her courageous
honesty. When Jerry Falwell died a few months ago, in her Chicago Sun-
Times column she admitted that her first reaction to the news was
something along the lines of "Good!" She then goes on to explore why that
was, and delve into more of her thoughts on Falwell's legacy.
Like Falsani, I am Christian, and like Falsani, that happened to my own
initial (but not overall, I should note) response to news of Falwell's death.
But you need not be Christian, or of any particular faith, to benefit from
reading The God Factor. As Falsani probes people about such a significant
aspect of their lives, any reader paying even a bit of attention can gain
important insights into their own choices, the common ground that so many
of us share as well as the many differences that go a long way toward
making life so interesting.
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