Man Seeks God by Eric Weiner

Kathmandu, Nepal

This is my second (and hopefully not last) book by Eric Weiner. I adore him. He’s a spectacular travel writer, bringing you to various countries through his imagery and the colorful people that he meets. In Man Seeks God, Weiner attempts to use the same methods that brought about The Geography of Bliss and the Geography of Genius to explore seven world religions: Islam - Sufism, Raelism, Buddhism, Daoism, Wiccan, Catholicism, and Judaism - Kabbalah. He does this because, during a (mild) near-death experience, a nurse asks him the question: “Have you found your God yet?”

I, like Eric, have never been a particularly spiritual person (aside from a desperate need to fit in during middle school and early high school). I’ve always thought religion was silly, and those who believe were kidding themselves or brainwashed. However, now that I’ve been an adult for over 10 years, the idea of this being all that is out there is boring, depressing, and not so good for mental health. I’m starting a little bit of a spiritual journey, so I thought this book would be a good place to start. This book is not meant to be religious text, and it only scratches the surface of what the religions believe in and practice. What this book is good at is allowing the reader to connect with the various people that Eric meets; to hear about everyone’s struggles and attempts to make sense of our world. None of the characters are laughed at or made fun of, even when Eric winds up on some zany adventures (liberating breasts) or meets less-than-traditional people (like a witch named Black Cat).

A criticism I will offer about this book, however, is that Weiner could have researched the subject manner a little better. Weiner seemed to rely on the various (mostly white) people he met to teach him about the subjects, rather than doing academic research. Many of the people he met were converts or practitioners, not leaders. And, they were overwhelmingly white. For Eastern religions, perhaps he should not have relied on fellow tourists or Wayne from Staten Island (no offense since he's one of my favorite characters and the reason why I chose Kathmandu to represent this book) to teach him - especially since he went through the trouble to travel to various locations. As a white person, it’s easy for me to roll my eyes at this and still give him a 4 star review (which I’m going to do), but only because I didn’t set out reading this book for the academic or religious content. It gave me the warm and fuzzies that Weiner’s books give, and it’s making me reflect upon my own personal and religious beliefs. So I would consider that a job well done.

Review by the Numbers

Overall: 4/5

Writing: 4/5

Message: 3/5

Plot: n/a

Character Development: n/a

Challenges Satisfied

- Nepal (Reading My Way Around the World Challenge)

- A Book You Meant to Read in 2022 (2023 PopSugar Reading Challenge)

- A Book You Meant to Read Last Year (52 Book Club’s 2023 Challenge)