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Rag and Bone: A Journey Among the World's Holy Dead by Peter Manseau is a non-fiction book about sacred artifacts -- their history, their veneration, their authenticity (or lack there of), the reliquaries where they reside and the market for them throughout the centuries. The stories behind these items and the strange histories that surround them are fascinating. I'm sure there are more comprehensive and scholarly works on this subject, but for one with a passing interest, like a fantasy writer looking for plot ideas, the book is perfect. For me, it was a bit of a slow starter, and it wasn't that long, but once Manseau began laying out the anecdotes and little known facts, I was hooked. There are pieces about the remains of Joan of Arc, the missing and perhaps rediscovered foreskin of Jesus, a single whisker of Muhammad, St. Anthony's tongue, Lama Yeshe's leg, etc. He discusses the miracles associated with these objects, the miracles of historical coincidence, the every day "miracles" of the every day people who seek them out, study them, and preserve them. A fairly quick and very interesting read. I'd say definitely worth checking out. Here's a little review of it from Booklist:
This is a peculiar book about a peculiar subject, the veneration of the sacred remains of saints and other holy men and women called relics, which every Roman Catholic church possesses. Manseau looks at relics through the prism of history. The Reformation denigrated their use, accentuating the differences between Catholics and Protestants and triggering schisms within the church. But relics aren’t only a Christian tradition. Muslims also revere relics. Nor are relics strictly remnants of the past. When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI, he sequestered himself in his apartment with the heart of Saint Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney, patron saint of priests. The eight chapters of Manseau’s book focus on various body parts—a toe, a leg, a whisker, teeth, and nails—of a holy person as a way of commenting on their contemporary relevance. To some, venerating relics may seem a strange custom, but, Manseau somberly points out, people fight and die over these very artifacts. They are certainly not to be taken lightly. --June Sawyers
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