" City of the Good provides a chronologically and geographically wide-ranging romp through unusually diverse religious phenomena, advancing a dramatically innovative analysis of the ethical dimensions of our relationship with nature. It is accessible, interdisciplinary, provocative, evocative, and even entertaining. A must-read for anyone interested in the religion/nature nexus." --Bron Taylor, author of Dark Green Religion: Nature Spirituality and the Planetary Future and editor of the Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture "An innovative and empathetic depiction of the world's great faiths as authoritative fairy tales. Blending personal exploration with textual synthesis and social critique, Michael Mayerfeld Bell offers a compellingly provocative and highly readable discourse on the certitudes that too often divide us and too seldom enhance understanding. He shows how our differences can inspire affection for the diverse mystiques that enrich all human communities." --David Lowenthal, author of The Past Is a Foreign Country "This is a superb work of scholarship and wise insight. Bell asks important questions for this troubled age: How shall we live? Where can we find truth? How can we best steward the world for all its inhabitants?" --Jules Pretty, author of The Edge of Extinction: Travels with Enduring People in Vanishing Lands " City of the Good is an ambitious effort to tell the history of the interconnections between religion, nature, and community.

This is an important book with big ideas, fresh perspectives, and a broad sweep." --Colin Jerolmack, author of The Global Pigeon.