Faith

I’ll admit, I approached *Faith* with skepticism—another book about Hinduism framed as myth vs. fact, drowning in Sanskrit terms or political rants. But Pattanaik and Sharma delivered something radical: a listen that feels like eavesdropping on a scholar at a pub, not a classroom. Sharma’s performance is the standout; his delivery of Pattanaik’s dry humor (“Hindus didn’t invent vegetarianism—they just weaponized it”) had me laughing aloud in traffic. The chapter on the caste system was particularly gripping, not because it offered easy answers, but because it framed caste as a *modern* construct—something Hindus inherited and politicians exploited. That’s the kind of nuance missing from most religious discourse. My only quibble: the audiobook skips a few footnotes from the print edition, which occasionally left me wanting more context on obscure rituals. And while Sharma’s narration is stellar, his impersonation of a South Indian temple priest (complete with exaggerated accent) felt like an unnecessary caricature—almost mocking the very traditions Pattanaik is trying to demystify. Still, these are minor flaws in an otherwise brilliant listen. By the final chapter, I found myself pausing to google images of Shiva lingams and Gaudiya Vaishnava temples, something no other “Hinduism 101” book has ever done to me. If you’ve ever been baffled by the politics behind puja or why yogis drink bhang, this audiobook is your Rosetta Stone. Just maybe skip the pub impersonation if you’re easily offended—Sharma’s enthusiasm borders on the theatrical.