The Book of Lilith

by Robert G. Brown

The Book of Lilith tells the story of Lilith, who was really the first woman created by God, and who just happened to have been created before Adam. Her job is to give all the things in the world souls, while Adam's is to create rules and law out of chaos. Unfortunately, Adam likes to have sex with Lilith only in the Adam-on-top position. This leads to, shall we say, "problems".The Book of Lilith is alternately funny, serious, surreal, and amazing as Lilith embarks on a Zen journey around the world giving things souls and giving birth to a god. It is more than a little bit deep, and yet very, very entertaining.

Genres: Religion, Fiction, Mythology, Feminism, Historical Fiction, Womens, Occult

221 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 2007

About the author

My real biography is way too long and complex for a few hundred words, so this is the reader's digest version. I've lived in Skaneateles, New York, New Delhi, India, West Springfield, Virginia, and for 34 years now in Durham, NC where I teach physics at Duke. I'm married (to Susan F. Isbey MD) and have three boys. We live with three dogs, one cat, and sundry transient animals of all classes.

In addition to doing physics, math, statistics, computing, predictive modelling, and geekstuff like that, I write. A lot. Daily.

I write magazine columns and articles, usually in the field of computing. I've written lots of "learned papers" in physics, mostly published in Physical Review. I've written two books of poetry (much of which has been published on the Internet since before the Web was born), two fictional novels (one of which, The Book of Lilith, has been published), and several topical texts in physics and computing. I'm currently working on more fiction and on what should be THE definitive work on axiomatic metaphysical philosophy.

My books can be found here:

http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcc...

The The Book of Lilith (ISBN: 978-1-4303-2245-0) can be found on Amazon or Barnes and Noble or other fine online booksellers. Some of them are also available for free via my personal website here:
http://www.phy.duke.edu/~rgb.

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, let me be honest -- I wrote this book.

There. That said, I also read a lot -- I own a personal library with maybe 5000 books in it, mostly paperbacks, and have read close to a book a day, on average, over most of my life starting back when I was about 7. So I take books very seriously.

Here, therefore, is an author's review.

The Book of Lilith is a story that should make you laugh, and maybe make you cry, just a bit. It should make you think. Lilith (as some of you may know) is in Jewish myth the first woman made by God on the sixth day of creation. Eve was not made until later.

According to this midrash, Lilith and Adam were created equal, but Adam insisted on being the superior, in particular (and I am not making this up, as Dave Barry might say) on being on top when they had sex "to be closer to God". Lilith, however would have none of it. When she refused Adam's advances altogether, Adam attempted to rape her. In her own defense, she uttered the Name of God and flew up and off into the desert, where she lived giving parthenogenetic birth to little demons. Adam, left alone, then begged God for company and God responded by making Eve, etc.

I didn't like this story. Adam and Eve should have been equals, and Adam had no business committing rape -- some would call this the very original sin, in fact. Lilith was blameless for wanting to own her own body and control her own life, and probably would have been very happy with an Adam that was willing to treat her as an equal.

This led me to muse (to myself) -- what if it were in fact Lilith who was created first, before Adam, so that Adam's response was in fact sour grapes at being created second. What if it was in fact Lilith who gave Adam his soul, wounding his ego even more? What if Lilith, instead of being condemned (by male storytellers) to wander in the desert as the architypical succubus, vampire, mother of demons, mistress of evil (as she is in so many boring stories) wandered the world doing God's work (or even Goddess's work), giving all living creatures a soul and searching for the truth about her own?

What if this Lilith walked with God(dess) at her side, (and occasionally dined with her and went shopping with her)? With this general idea, the story practically wrote itself. If you care about genre in a work like this, it would have to be something like magical realism, that peculiar combination of myth, fantasy, history and just plain storytelling.

Anyway, at this point the book is generally available. Most of the people I know who have read it really liked it -- laughed out loud at parts, got angry at others. Give it a try. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Visit the Book of Lilith Website at http://www.phy.duke.edu/~rgb/Lilith/L... to see the full range of purchase options as well as many interesting Lilith links!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an astounding read. While I have a few issues with the writing style and the editing work, the author has done a phenomenal job of presenting an extremely mystical message in a story that seems concrete, despite touches of the fantastic. It is a myth for our times, in the true sense of the word; that is, a myth is a human-god story that helps us humans grasp some aspect or aspects of the nature of god.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The history of religion has never been so much FUN! Oddly enough, the fun never obscures the history of the world... a clever balancing act, well done.

[Kristjan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is a fantastical retelling of the mythic origins of man (and woman) told from a moderately feminist point of view with a fair amount of eastern philosophy mixed in. It begins with the presumption that Lilith was actually the first human soul and that through her love for others, God granted souls to all living things ... Including Adam, the first man. As the story unfolds, the author introduces from very interesting concepts about why we were created, what the soul does for us and how we have the [flawed] moral rules that guide us today. We also find a more rational explanation of man's ejection from the Garden of Eden and a new perspective of the story of Cain.

Unfortunately I thought that rational treatment took away from the mythic quality of the story in general and could not avoid the feeling that I was reading a fancy textbook in school. To be fair, I did learn quite a bit from the story and did enjoy it from that point of view; however, the story seemed to lack several of the critical elements of an entertaining page turner. Part of the problem for me might have been the graphic [sexual] nature of several parts of the story and the subsequent clinical treatment of the subject within. While such content is actually fairly common in ancient text, it is not part of the genre that I typically read for entertainment, making it difficult for me to truly enjoy the book.

[Louisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I appreciate the story and the perspective Robert G. Brown was trying to give us but wow, this book didn't age well and the author wasn't equipped to write from a woman's perspective at all.

[Lee Harmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the true Book of Lilith, recently discovered beneath Iraqi soil and dated to about 4,000 BC. It's been painstakingly translated by Professor Brown, and an unnamed accomplice who prefers anonymity to unparalleled fame. (Do not confuse Brown's publication of the Book of Lilith with the forgeries of more noted scholars).

If you've never heard of Lilith, you're in for a treat. In Mesopotamian mythology, she is related to a class of demons, and in Jewish midrash, she's the first wife of Adam, before Eve came along. Lilith herself penned the words of this book, and her story is both sensual and intelligent. Also a tad graphic, but you may not notice this; readers of ancient holy books become experienced in glossing over sex and violence.

Professor Brown is an avowed atheist, or so I imagine he once a-vowed, before a-writing this book. His atheism lends credibility to the truth of Lilith; if you are familiar with biblical criticism, you know the strength of the Criterion of Embarrassment. This basically proves the authenticity of the Lilith story, for here we have an atheist repeatedly acquiescing to discuss religious concepts such as God and Soul. (God, bless Her soul, seems to have chosen Professor Brown for this task; how could he refuse?)

Lilith is modern, hardly subservient, a libber before the term was coined, and rightfully so, for she is much more interesting than Adam--and knows it. Her job is to dispense souls to the world's people, while Adam's job is to make up all the rules. Needless to say, friction develops, and Adam and Lilith separate. Both head their own direction in what becomes a quest for enlightenment. Lilith's writing style is also strikingly modern--witty and occasionally satirical toward the religious ideas she knew would evolve thousands of years later. Yes, luckily for 21st-century readers, Lilith possesses a preternatural knowledge of the future, and often expresses herself in idioms like "movies" and "skyscrapers," concepts quite unfamiliar to ancient readers, but which make the text read more contemporary. (Curiously, Lilith seems to have no knowledge of events and inventions further in the future or scientific concepts beyond our current understanding, save one: an upcoming slaughter of billions in the name of God. Might the time have come?)

Like any holy book, Lilith's theological wisdoms must be teased from its depths, and ... well, let's just say it's a captivating book, whether the cover is open or closed. You might even come to see life's purpose a little differently.

[Jenna Zabinski · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wished for this book to be an empowering story about Lilith coming into her power after being brutally sexually assaulted by someone she loved, but that’s not what I got at all- the ending had me so pissed off. Maybe this painful realism was what the author was going for, but I would not say this is a book about feminism. Leave it to women to carry the whole worlds empathy on her back, but fail to ever think of themselves and very very easily forgive their abusers…. and then she slept with him again… ???????????????!!!! Why was this portrayed as a happy ending. I cant think too much about this or I’ll explode.

I loved how God came to Adam and Lilith in different forms, how the author tied in biblical history and how he portrayed the infuriating different perspectives that created the submission and abuse of women. I loved this book until she FORGAVE ADAM WHAT THE HECK

[Fatema Meamari · Rating 1 out of 5]

Introduction is annoying. I wasn't even sure if it's supposed to be funny? I couldn’t place the intention or tone of the email contents. Is she supposed to be a tragic victim of “bad muslim men” but we also laugh at her “language struggles” and the amount of times and ways in which she mentions being raped seems to me or feels to me to have been added for exaggerated comic value or I’m not sure what kind of spectacle-making intentions?
It does nothing to give credibility to the start of the story. A more reasonable story to introduce the scripts would have made more sense without framing the “orient” as this garbage place where 14 year old girls get regularly raped by almost every man they cross and where they speak English funny so a lighter view is casts on their suffering or whatever.. How convenient not to mention rape by US soldiers and shit like that given it’s set in Iraq. It’s such an infuriatingly ignorantly western perspective. How much effort or research or fucking thought took place before the writing and formulating of this introduction? That discouraged me from the very beginning.

That said. I liked the fact that this version is referred to as not being rewritten by church patriarchs etc. But it’s also in a way ironically writen from a man’s perspective and every-time Lilith or Adam’s habits and behaviours are discussed the author can’t seem to shy away from stereotyping their interests and behaviors to the point of classic gender dichotomies being presented. Like Lilith’s obsession with shopping and referring to it as worship? Really? Because it makes it look like a frivolous thing that women do as a joke while simultaneously making it a source of empowering female behavior which is so removed completely of any consciousness of exaggerated consumption culture etc etc. And every footnote basically tries to makes jokes using references to contemporary “feminine” habits and shit. And Eve “choosing” the burden of being Adam’s subordinate because it’s what he “needs” for some “God’s plan for humanity” type of shit just didn’t make any sense to me and was frankly an annoying way to explain away conveniently.

On the plus side, discussions on the vagueness of prophecies made by prophets and the convenience of that was funny. Some of the scenes with spiritual discussions and things was also well done.

But overall it wasn’t the type of story that I felt offered anything for me. I wasn’t entertained, I didn’t really learn much, I didn’t appreciate the writing style or humor. Meh. From someone who’s a little too in love with Lilith this wasn’t anything near what I would expect or want from a “changed” origin story. I couldn't even go through with finishing it :).

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not done yet but honestly that preface contains one of the best stories I’ve ever read (The Email). It is well-written (on a sentence level), exciting (and I am generally easily bored), and it gives virtues (with every word, the reader imbues herself with the intelligence and courage of the writer of The Email).

Now that that’s out of the way, I’m going to get back to my reading.

(Honestly you don’t need to read a whole book to know it is a 5/5, if it has even one passage which is of a Higher Dimension, it is worthy of a 5/5. The book can completely suck now and I still wouldn’t lower its rating.)

***

Still reading and I’m becoming more entranced. This book makes me feel like I’m the narrator of a Jorge Luis Borges story. The story is magical in the way that it makes you feel like you are personally involved in the magic itself.

I now think this is a 7 out of 5

***
[SPOILER FOR THE FIRST CHAPTER]

Finally got to the first chapter and now realize this is most definitely a work of fiction but wow what a ride that preface was! It was like a 4-dimensional social art piece (the fourth dimension being spirit, I suppose, because you are fully invested in it, and you think you can go out into the world and find the writer of The Email).

Now I feel a little deceived but am still enjoying. I do wish Lilith could sound a little more intelligent (as the author has no problems whatsoever channeling intelligent voices) but she is still just a baby I suppose so there is hope.

I love the sense of humor throughout.

***

DNF’d at 50%

Ok I got really tired of the story because it’s too self-aware.

It’s trying to tell me about philosophy and spirituality rather than letting me experience something which would prove the points to be self-evident. It’s too on-the-nose and I don’t think it does a very good job actually of proving itself.

How can the author be so capable as to write that preface and then present us with this?

But the preface was truly an experience and I liked it even more than Jorge Luis Borges stories because I felt part of the magic. So, 5/5 it remains.

[S.A. Alenthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Book of Lilith is Dr. Robert G. Brown's unique retelling of what is perhaps the most central human mythology: the story of our origins. A blend of satire of orthodox scripture and the ancient tales of the little-known first female, this entertaining book narrates a both literal and figurative trek from west to east.

The Book of Lilith presents, in modern vernacular, a translation of the Book of Lilith, a long lost but recently discovered manuscript found in Iraq. The introductory story by which the document is first discovered and communicated to the author involves a uniquely 21st-century twist on the age-old scheme of holy instruction revealed through unexpected methods (like burning bushes or buried golden plates). Once the translation itself begins, it rapidly grows clear that the originators of Christianity certainly wouldn't want this “holy book” included with the others that they chose to include.

Lilith is the first woman – and not only the first woman, she even precedes Adam. Fashioned to be the physical agent of the goddess Inanna, she has the function of giving souls to living beings, which prior to her arrival had all been mindless automata developed through evolution. Her primacy as first human, as well as her soul-giving power, soon rankle the First Man to no end, and only worsens his self-centered and piggish nature. From that point on, the story develops an interesting contrast between religious ideas as males and females would conceive them--and those of us that were raised in a western religion will recognize even more just how male-centric our spiritual traditions are. There is much humor here as well, especially in the retelling of a certain famous scene in Eden involving a snake.

Covering a time span that precedes and follows the events in Genesis, the familiar landscape of the bible eventually recedes as Lilith treks eastward, encountering both wisdom and savagery (there is a series of public executions at one point that will make your sphincter automatically tighten, for good reason). There is a pleasing melding that eventually takes place with a number of eastern religious ideas, as well as a chance at redemption for the First Man himself.

I recommend this book to readers that enjoy irreverent fiction or new stories spun from a variety of mythological threads. Or anyone that appreciates profound ideas vibrantly expressed, such as in my favorite passage from the book:

"I finally began to see the necessity of suffering. It was the cry of the metal as it was sharpened by the stone, the sighing of the clay as it was shaped upon the wheel, the cracking of the fire as it revealed its inner light, the moving darkness that made light a thing of ever changing beauty."

[Zane Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m torn on how to rate this one. I loved many of the concepts and ideas in the beginning and the end of the book. But if I didn’t have this current drive to learn more about Lilith, I would not have read past the ego-stroking preface. I was not a fan of the way the story was told, and the use of modernity throughout. But like I said, I really enjoyed the ideas and concepts Brown introduces in the first few chapters and the end. It was the sometimes profound ideas that kept me reading.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. It made me laugh, cry, & root for all the Lilliths, that ever were, are, & those yet to be.

[Abiodun Olorunda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It all started when my sister first mentioned Lilith of been the first female ever created as prior to my own belief that it is eve. I hastily took out my phone and read some internet information about Lilith.
I was torn in between and have to settle my sudden entreat for historical findings about Lilith.
The book of Lilith by Robert G. brown is the first e-book I laid my hands on.
At first I read it as an enthusiastic fellow seeking for archeological content. I was quite amazed about my discovery despite the opposing things I initially read online. Partly reading the book I felt like continuing the quest with books written by Mac Donald, C.S. lewis and the dead sea scroll- which is regarded as the greatest archeological discovery.
After reading the whole content contained in the e-book. I have come to the conclusion that for now my quest will be placed on halt. The history of human creation is a huge project with lot of contradicting discoveries. I am not ready for an headache and I am diving into a different genre probably romance, adventure, or another beautiful piece of intriguing fiction.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, this book. I have so many feelings. This book is empowering, hopeful, exciting, brutal, honest, devastating, growth-inducing and thought provoking.

Not for the faint of heart. I am serious on this. There were parts that were hard to get through, and that is AFTER reading an introduction chock full of the word rape.

I would love to give this book a proper review but I am very spiritual and am concerned that it would be biased. The Book of Lilith is not a religious or academic text; it is fun fiction through and through. That being said, this book is very much the author's narrative, said in how he would want to say it (about God, religion, sin, good vs. bad, feminism, etc.). Meaning...he is totally himself in this book. Does that make any sense?

Proper or improper, I suppose this is my review. If God does not offend you and you have a strong stomach...then why have you not read this yet? :)

[Madeline Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lilith Was A Real Woman

I applaud this book. I stood confused about Lilith for many years. All from reading false man made interpretations of her. Here their is a beautiful woman filled with desires that she never apologized for. She had a voice and wanted to be equal to Adam and her God Inaana guided her along her journey. The Serpent also expressed fierce power but discernment! Thank you for this beautiful introduction of our beloved Lilith. The first Human and very much a Woman!

[Vannessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore this book. Fun, exciting and tear inducing this book has everything needed to keep you wanting more. I took my time with this read due to I kept receiving many different understandings throughout the book connecting with my life. Please read this book!!

[Melissa Gaddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting mythology. I enjoyed the concepts and following the potential life of Lilith. The story was thought provoking. The modernity in the narrative was a bit jarring and the extreme centrality of sex I found distracting from the key topics

[Savannah Lien · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has completely altered my mind, I believe everyone should read this, especially women. It's a short read and I honestly continued being interested all the way through. I'm leaning towards another fiction book, thanks to this.

[Zainab Thelady]

i want to read this book

[Darius Brycen Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good book

[yiovi · Rating 5 out of 5]

🤍

[Charlize Hermione · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it.

[Emil (reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb!

[Darbie Blansett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This does give more insight on Lilith and her story but I feel some things are too comedic for my taste

[Vivienne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think its just too much of an exaggeration.. But oh.. What did i read just now? Not quite remember, just a bit of it.. I know i didnt enjoy this book. Maybe, oh surely i believe it was Gods will.

[Cheryl Anne Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Tried and True rather interesting albeit dark sometimes comedic approach to the Myths of Creation...

Of course it all starts with an email. Why not! A mysterious email from a woman in a war-ravaged country, claiming she has discovered something that would change the face of archaeology and religion forever.

And here we get introduced to Lilith. God’s first creation of soul -- her duty, to give the world a soul. The story continues with the first person translation of the scrolls of Lilith – her birth, her life, and her death … not to mention all the wonderfully candid, glib, and amusing commentaries on her personal views of the world, god, and her own creation – oh, and Adam.

Even the footnotes in their almost sarcastic tone are funny as heck. We have heard numerous anecdotes: God is a kid with an ant farm. God is a mad scientist – look at the platypus. But God as a sushi chef? That was a new one for me. Bravo!

Some might consider this approach a parody, and it very well may be. Some may find the character of Lilith difficult to connect with, as she is written in a rather emotionless tone for most of the story, taking a more inquisitive and logic minded approach to her particular predicaments. But maybe this sense of detachment is deliberate, for Lilith is a child, bombarded all at once with the knowledge of everything, given the monumental responsibility of imbuing the world with a soul – I imagine it might be quite difficult to process one’s emotions when even your own emotions are new to you. In my mind, Lilith came off as almost a warrior – task oriented – bound by her duty – suffering is something to get past and overcome instead of dwelling upon it. But even a warrior can break down from time to time, and in certain scenes, we can see and feel Lilith as she struggles with feelings of pride, remorse, and regret during her various triumphs and defeats.

To liven things up a bit, since much of the story is quite serious, there are more than a few really quirky moments: Lilith and God have a sublime mastery of common modern day slang and cheeky discourse, falling miles away from the language styles we are familiar with when it comes to biblical text – just the mention of buttered popcorn had me giggling -- the frank exploration of Lilith as a true sexual being and all the sordid implications of that, and the inferences to time and space continuums and parallel dimensions might a bit disconcerting for some readers – that Lilith has the thoughts of ten billion women in her mind, women that don’t actually exist yet according to most biblical theories, making Eden an isolated oasis existing as almost a parallel universe in itself. So, even though the book is written as a pseudo-scientific approximation of an archaeological/theological translation, one really shouldn’t go into the book with the notion that it will adhere to the basic physics of what most believe as the reality of creation.

However, the author here has made some very valid points regarding the archaeological and theological studies of religion as a whole – not just the bible. And how thousands of years of research, opinions, and conjecture have formed a startling number of different viewpoints with regards to the existence, not only of man, women, and all the peculiar machinations of societal dogma regarding that relationship, but also of everything really.

I loved it, and the author’s approach to the story not only made me giggle a bit, but it also made me ponder and appreciate what it means to be a woman – a candid and tough woman, struggling in the world of men. The tone of the writing is emotionally detached for the most part, but how many times have we stepped back away from our own emotions in order to look at our situation clearly or even in a state of denial attempted to make light of our pain so that we might feel it lessened. Whatever the author’s intent, overt feminism or prodding flippancy, I came away with a new vision of Lilith and many new points to ponder over the origins of the Soul and necessity of Suffering.

[Very · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terribly underrated gem. I must say though, the constant reference to sex does get a bit stale...

Just wish Prof. Robert will get to completing his draft book 'Axioms' so I can finally ground them lol

[Raggedyann · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! Just WOW! A fictional tale of the First Woman, Lilith, that sounds so credible, it may just join our group collective consciousness of Lilith. The points put forth as the basis for Adam's role for humanity, the concept of the original sin, and Lilith's growth of spirit are insightful and interesting.

Aside from the spiritual aspect for all of us, divorced women of controlling husbands will identify with Lilith and perhaps understand a little more clearly what was going on with their ex-husbands. At times I found it astonishing that this book was written by a man.

Loved this book and highly recommend it.

[Momanddad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly interesting myth. I wouldn't highly recommend this book to everyone, but did enjoy reading it. The author's story of how he obtained his information about Litith-the scrolls found by the Iraqi girl and emailed to him was actually the best part of the whole book. I loved the whole black humor of the girls terrible life and how she deals with her reality(multiple rapes, etc). I really wanted her story and her to be real and I wanted her to be rescued. It was the best preface I've ever read.

[Courtney Anthony · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I would classify this as magical realism. I didn't become deeply involved with the story on an emotional level -- the writing didn't create pathos -- but it made me think. Brown's background in physics gives this tale an interesting intellectual twist. I wouldn't say that he has full command over the craft of writing, though. Still, worth reading.