The author of "The Gnostic Gospels" draws on personal experiences and the perspectives of neurologists, anthropologists, and historians to illuminate the enduring capacity of faith in explaining and meeting the challenges of the twenty-first century. Dealing with unimaginable loss -- the death of her young son, followed a year later by the shocking loss of her husband -- Pagels began to reflect on the persistence and nature of belief. Here she illuminates how, for better and worse, religious traditions have shaped how we understand ourselves; how we relate to one another; and, most important, how we get through our most difficult challenges.