The Autobiography of God A Novel

Rebecca Nachman is a Rabbi without a synagogue. Having resigned from her dwindling congregation, she now works as a college counselor at a small Vermont college advising students about private matters and offering the "Jewish perspective" on issues raised at faculty dinner parties. Deeply lonely and on the edge of losing her faith, she comes into possession of a Torah, the last relic of Czechowa, a village of Polish Jews who were exterminated by the Nazis. With the Torah, the unquiet spirits of the village dead begin to visit Rebecca. On one visit they leave a manuscript written in Hebrew and titled My Life, an autobiography by God who, like any eager author, is seeking a sympathetic reader. No one has ever finished reading the manuscript, including Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, Maimonides, and Augustine. God thinks Rebecca will. Rebecca's life is further complicated when one of her advisees-a troubled young woman who seemed on the verge of confessing something-is found murdered. As the college struggles to comprehend the tragedy and a police investigation is launched, Rebecca begins reading, and so comes to confront the central challenge to her faith in His most troubling and unlikely incarnation. Julius Lester's first adult novel in more than a decade, The Autobiography of God marks the return of an utterly original and provocative voice in American letters, addressing religion with wicked humor and profound reverence.

Julius Lester is the author of over 30 books for children and adults, for which he has received numerous awards including a Newbery Honor, ALA Notable Book, and Smithsonian Magazine Best Book of the Year. He lives in Belcherdown, MA.

Praise for Julius Lester and his previous books

Lovesong: Becoming a Jew

"A spiritual journey such as Lester's demands our respect."
- Richard Gilman, The Los Angeles Times

"A moving memoir...Mr. Lester has paid attention, so it's worth paying attention to him."
- Joel Oppenheimer, The New York Times Book Review


And All Our Wounds Forgiven

"Lester belongs with writers like William Faulkner and Ralph Ellison."
- The Washington Post Book World


Do Lord Remember Me

"This is an important book. It tells the truth and tells it eloquently. It is gentle poetry and biting prose. I love this book. I love Julius Lester."
- Maya Angelou

"[A] convincing, tender account of black life through the civil rights movement and into the present....The writing is distinguished by a simplicity and clarity that seems exactly right."
- People

"An intense and passionate story of family, politics, and religion."
- Ebony