America's Prophet

The story of Moses and the Exodus from Egypt has provided inspiration for many throughout the history of the United States. Martin Luther King, Jr. referred to Moses in his famous “I have been to the mountaintop” speech, delivered the day before his assassination. From the arrival of the first Pilgrims to Abraham Lincoln’s address at Gettysburg, it has been a defining theme in American life.

One part adventure story, one part literary detective story, and one part exploration of faith, Bruce Feiler’s America’s Prophet traces the influence of Moses throughout remarkably diverse aspects of American history. Bestselling author Feiler suggests that Moses, who has been heralded by all political parties and embraced as an icon by every generation from Plymouth to today, offers a path to reclaim the unifying vision of America as the beacon of freedom – the new Promised Land.

Bruce Feiler is the New York Times bestselling author of Walking the Bible, Abraham, and Where God Was Born. Feiler is a graduate of Yale and Cambridge Universities. He is a frequent contributor to NPR and CNN, a contributing editor for Parade, and has written for the New Yorker, New York Times Magazine, Washington Post, USA Today, and Gourmet, where he won three James Beard Awards. In 2006, PBS aired a celebrated miniseries based on Walking the Bible, with Feiler as host. His blog, “Feiler Faster,” appears on Beliefnet.org. He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and twin daughters.

“This is one of the most original, intelligent and endlessly fascinating books I have read in years: it should become a set book for anyone wanting to know what truly makes America tick.”

– Simon Winchester