I was interested by the title of this book because it is really true that relics have played a major role in people's lives.However my impression was that the author does not really go deep into what a relic represents and means.For him is just a journey in which he is just curious for a couple of relics that get his attention, but does not tackle the issue head on.I guess this book is a good intro to someone who will like to start learning more about the topic,but for serious fans it just fells short.

This is definitely not for the mainstream emo/goth wannabe. It is for someone whose reading is geared more towards the insightful than shallow. My only wish is that it were longer...

A really good book--also occasionally, unexpectedly humorous. I enjoyed the author's style and insights. I've already passed it on to my son to enjoy and would buy it again (if I hadn't already done so).

Unfortunately after watching a program about the Holly Shroud, I thought I will find something about that subject in his book, I was wrong it wasn't what I was looking for.

I was very disappointed in this book. I expected I very interesting tour of relics of the world. Instead, I got just a few visited relics, and a lot of half baked philosophical ramblings. A very superficial coverage of the topic.

There are at least three good reasons to read Peter Manseau's latest book, Rag and Bone: A Journey Among the World's Holy Dead. The most quickly apparent reason is the way Manseau writes. Disguised as a travelogue, Rag and Bone is actually a history of the role relics play in the world's religions. Of the few remains of Joan of Arc Manseau writes,

"The bits and pieces that may have once belonged to the Maid of Orleans, the most popular saint the church ever killed, have been placed inside three glass jars, slid into cloth cozies, and arranged within a pale wooden case the size of a toolbox... First on the the RER commuter train, then the metro, she rides up out of the darkness like a body exhumed, despite the unfortunate fact that she never had a grave to begin with."

Manseau strikes the delicate balance of humor and awe through the book's eight chapters. While not overlooking the odd moments that are bound to take place while traveling the world to view pieces of dead people, the author is careful to treat the relics and those who venerate them with deference and admiration.

The stories that emerge when the reporter's search intersects with those who see something transcendent in old bones and bits of skin is the second reason Rag and Bone is so enjoyable. The best travelogues entertain even while showing the reader fascinating scenes and unknown histories; both are abundant in these pages. Manseau mixes his own adventures of traveling to places like Jerusalem and Syria with the stories of the once living saints whose bodies- or what's left of them- continue to influence the faithful.

There's another reason I so thoroughly enjoyed this book, though I'm not sure the author intended this reaction. Rag and Bone repeatedly shows the human desire for a physical connection with the spiritual world. Officially, many of the world's religions are rather ambivalent- or outright hostile- towards relics and the veneration that often follows. This hasn't stopped believers all around the world from making pilgrimages to see bits of bone, tooth, hair and (yes, it's true) foreskin. While modern religion is often portrayed in otherworldly terms, Manseau compellingly portrays the human need for a tangible connection with the divine.

In the midst of it's adventure, history, and humor there is plenty to ponder in Rag and Bone for those who share my Christian belief. Historic Christianity affirms the physical-ness of creation and humanity and looks to a final restoration of all things that is not less but more physical than what we now experience. Unfortunately Christianity has often moved in more gnostic directions where the body and the world is seen as a temporary existence from which we will one day escape. Within this dualistic worldview it makes sense that believers would grasp at relics as material connections to the out-of-reach spiritual world. A more traditional understanding of Christianity looks not to jars of bones for this connection but to people (the image-bearers of God) and the creation (a reflection of the character and creativity of God). The Christian is directed to God by the living creations of God. We are encouraged to worship as we encounter the beautiful and complex results of God's creative work.

Whether or not a reader finds this type of insight in its pages, Rag and Bone is an enjoyable read- as entertaining as it is informative.

Ritualized burial of the dead extends back at least fifty thousand years and is probably (at least one of) the oldest signs of mankind's emergant civilization.

In this brief and free wheeling book Peter Manseau makes a whirlwind tour of some of the world's hotest relics spots and shows you, among other things:

The Mosque of Muhammed's Beard Hair: Located in the Kashimar region of northern India, this site features a single hair reputed to come from the beard of Islam's Prophet himself.

The Temple of the Tooth: Located in Sri Lanka, this Temple contains a tooth reputed to have been once located in the mouth of the Buddha himself.

The Church of John the Baptist's Father's Head: Located in Aleppo Syria, this church contains an organ reputed to be the head of the father of John the Baptist.

Along the way, Manseau introduces you to the individuals who run the various relic sites, the money they make from their trade and the faithful who come from far and wide to visit and worship.

For my part, the book resembles video vacation footage in that it all too often places its focus not on the objects themselves and the history which surround them but rather the incidental individuals who've happened to wander into the camera angle. Also, Manseau's on the scene research often fails because he doesn't know the local language and therefore you know you're probably missing out on a lot of the story. Also, I honestly don't think photos would have hurt to give readers a better idea of what the items looked like. Indeed, such an addition probably would have fit in nicely with the travelogue nature of this book.

That all being said, it's still a good book for what it is and very much worth reading.

For those whose curiosity in religious artifacts is piqued by reading this book I would also suggest the Cruz book on Christian artifacts known simply as Relics which provides a more thoroughing going review of at least those items not to mention some pictures too.

We've been holidng on to human relics for as long as humans have been burying their dead. Why? Manseau's work is part anthropological study, part travel journal, as he attempts to find answers to this very interesting question.
An interesting perspective from Manseau is that many religions are based upon faith, but use the existence of relics as evidence--that requires no faith! The Buddha's tooth brings thousands (millions?) of pilgrims to Sri Lanka, but Buddhism teaches impermanence. And the respect for relics is an importance aspect of the division of Islam into those who value relics (Shi'a) and those who do not (Sunni). More of a narrative than an analysis, an enjoyable book.