Yes, after only a decade or so in the making, I have finally released From God To Verse:

This is the first book I started writing, almost immediately after college. I don’t even know why; I just had the idea and decided to go with it, as explained here. Sometimes I get ideas for something I have to write, and then I do it. That’s why I’ve previously pulled all-nighters writing rhyming summaries of presidential debates. This book was a somewhat larger commitment, but if nothing else it stands as proof that you can accomplish big things if you are sufficiently stubborn. Besides, now if I attend a highschool reunion and someone asks me, “So, what were your 20s like?”, I can just hand them this book*.

But in case nobody hands you this book, and you want to know a little more about it, let me tell you: It’s a line-by-line translation of the Torah into verse. The whole thing, from the first chapter of Genesis to the final chapter of Deuteronomy. Every person who begat someone else, every cubit and measurement of the ark, everything. Nothing has been left out.

In fact, a few small things have been added for your convenience. First and foremost, the whole thing rhymes, and is written in a manner that will hopefully be easier and more fun to read than any previous translation. Secondly, in service to this goal, I’ve added a number of parenthetical explanations of things, because many of the names in the Torah make more sense if you understand their Hebrew translation. And finally, I’ve added a short, large-print rhyming summary of each chapter, perfect for parents or educators who would like to share a rhyming version of the Torah with children who will not yet appreciate the full text.**

So that’s what it is. You probably have a pretty good idea if it’s the kind of book that would appeal to you. If so, fantastic, you can buy it right here:

If you are not of a Judeo-Christian persuasion, it might well not appeal to you, but you probably know people who would appreciate it. I would be most grateful if you would send those people here***. Because From God To Verse is not on any store bookshelves to catch people’s eye, so the only way anyone will know about it is if someone tells them.

I was going to say “in other news”, but really, this is big enough news to be my whole post. This is the culmination of a whole lot of work over a whole lot of time, and I am excited about it. I hope people will enjoy it.

* And hopefully they will understand that I spent my 20s writing the book, as opposed to building an ark, murdering my brother, and wandering in the desert. Ah, ambiguity.

*** By which I mean, this blog entry, as opposed to my house. I’m not at all opposed to meeting new people, but having many random people show up at my house unannounced might be less convenient for me, especially if they showed up before noon.

So, for a long time — since I graduated from college — I’ve been working on this book. I’ve even mentioned it on the bottom of my Books page. And I finally finished it. But I haven’t managed to find a publisher yet. That’s why I decided to put it online. I’m posting one chapter a week at www.GodToVerse.com

Oh, and I should probably tell you what it is. I translated the entire Torah, the first five books of the Bible, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, line by line, into verse. (Given that I spent roughly five years or so doing that, it should perhaps be no surprise that I consider summarizing a presidential debate in rhyme a relatively lighter project.) Anyway, go take a look, check back every week for a new chapter (or subscribe to the RSS feed), and if you like it, tell a friend.

Especially if that friend owns a large publishing company.