A history of the world's longest running and most famous passion play. The author examines the background of the play in depth, and visits with individuals in the village that perform in the play, and also visits with individuals who have problems with perceptions of anti-Semitism in the script. The author writes with lucid prose, weaving the story in a way that attempts to take account of all sides, rather than jumping with both feet into the fray. As a Jew, he has problems with the play, but attempts to understand the village and the attempts in recent years to reform the play to conform to the desire of interfaith alliances, while retaining the spirit of the gospels. A good introduction to a thorny subject; the only downside is the author's false presentation of the enlightenment as a period of regimented thinking and book burning. This cost the book an entire star. ( )