Dying for Heaven: Holy pleasure and suicide bombers—why the best qualities of religion are also its most dangerous by Ariel Glucklich. Library Call Number: BP190.5.T47G57 2009. From the Library Journal review, (11/1/09):
With profound clarity, insight, and skill, Glucklich (Hinduism, Georgetown Univ.; Sacred Pain) e nters into the fray of post-9/11 discourses on religion…by examining the social, psychological, and historical roles of pleasure. Moving away from an oft-perceived Islamic-West dualism, Glucklich probes the very nature of what it means to be religious and the attractiveness of becoming religious. In nine chapters, he digs into the role that such concepts as pleasure, happiness, humor, and ridicule play in the social and religious realities of our worlds (Islamic or not), complete with examples from Mozart to the KKK….He successfully elucidates both the emotive and the visceral foundations of not only the suicide bomber but also our Western perceptions and reactions…Extremely well written, and at times quite funny (e.g., when Glucklich writes about humor), this book is an absolute necessity for a public seeking to understand religious nuance and zealotry; it deserves careful attention and a broad readership. Highly recommended. -–Anthony J. Elia, JKM Library, Chicago, IL.
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