The very first part of the essential, very first amendment to our Constitution says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This ringing phrase, so seemingly simple and obvious, has been the focus of an enormous amount of controversy and clarification. It is a great legacy, but what does it really mean? We are still struggling to find out. In _To an Unknown God: Religious Freedom on Trial_ (St. Martin's Press) by Garrett Epps we learn how one of the latest struggles is turning out. It is a fine book to show in detail how a specific constitutional decision came to be made.

On one side of the story was Al Smith. Smith was born into the Klamath tribe, but was pulled out of it to go to Catholic boarding school. Rather late in his life he was introduced to sweat lodges and Native American religion. He was also introduced to Alcoholics Anonymous, and eventually became a respected counselor, speaker, and organizer of treatment centers for alcohol and drug abuse. As he traveled to different reservations to set up recovery programs, he came across peyote religion. It seemed to give some of his clients spiritual strength, and they seemed to do better in overcoming substance abuse if they participated in its religious ceremonies. He began to consider participating in peyote religion. He was told that taking peyote at a ceremony would violate the rules of the treatment center in which he worked, and so he did so. He was thereupon fired, and he filed for unemployment compensation. That filing set the stage for a subsequent battle within the Supreme Court and beyond.

On the other side was Oregon Attorney General David Frohnmayer. He had tried in his political offices in Oregon to mend fences with the tribes of his region. He was, however, very worried about the dangers of drug abuse, and so he felt he was doing the right thing in trying to squelch community acceptance of drugs, ceremonial or not. He approached the Supreme Court proceedings with the mantra, "Drugs are bad. Slippery slope." Not only was peyote illegal, but it was used in a minority religion; if it were allowed, then surely someone would be asking to use other drugs for religious purposes. But he did reflect sadly to his legal team, "How did we get to be the Indian bashers?"

Epps is not only a journalist and lawyer, but also a novelist. His ability to describe personalities and anecdotes serves him well, for although this is a legal story, the human stories within it are what make it live. He has used process of the legal arguments as a springboard for an examination of many connected subjects: the history of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; the story of Alcoholics Anonymous; the tale of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and the Oregon town that was taken over by his devotees; the saga of the Road Man who is the ceremonial leader of the peyote religion. These set pieces are fascinating, and strengthen the main story. It is disconcerting that there is no pat final resolution, but Epps writes, "The law of religious freedom remains unsettled." Thus may it ever be.

Epps' book is one of the best in recent memory to explore a Supreme Court case. Examining the case of Oregon v. Smith, Epps deploys his skills as both a journalist and a novelist to plumb the depths of Indian rights, religious freedom and states rights. The only quibble one can have is that the book spends too much time on the minutae of Oregon Attorney General Frohnmeyer's life. Other than that minor matter, this is an elegantly told tale. As an aside, Epps presents a concise yet complete recouncting of the Rajhneesh cult saga of the '80's, relying to good effect of the work of Oregon Magazine Editor-in-Chief Win McCormack.

This book is one of the best looks at a Supreme Court case in quite some time. Examining Oregon v. Smith, one of the most important yet unheralded legal battles of our time, Epps' book plumbs the depths Indian rights, religious freedom and states rights in a manor which devestates the intellectual pretensions of Court conservatives such as Justice Scalia. The only quible one can have with the book it that it has too much detail on Oregon Attorney General Frohnmeyer. Other than that minor matter, this is a top rate book. Of additional note, the book provides an exceptionaly concise yet comprehensive overview of the Rajhneesh cult afair in Oregon, relying to good effect on the journalism of Oregon Magazine's Win McCormack.

This novel has one of the best beginning paragraphs I have read. It may seem like a farce but in truth it tells how things don't work in the nation's capital. Many very funny scenes

In The Floating Island, Epps attempts to do for our time what Swift did for his own--in fact, he uses epigraphs from Gulliver's Travels throughout the book. At times sad, at times silly but always funny and interesting, this is a must read for anyone who doesn't take the posturing in Washington too seriously.

THE SHAD TREATMENT lacks creativity. The author borrowed heavily from Warren's ALL THE KING'S MEN, an excellent book. The main characters are similair--wealthy but living modestly, disallutioned, estranged from their social class, both are law school drop out, and both have the same felling that they are angry at the world. The author also immitates Warren's use of the family's history. Both writers tell of the family history prior to and after the Civil War. However, where Warren ties in this history, THE SHAD TREATMENT adds it for no reason, leaving it as a long unneccesary divergant that fails to relate to the main plot. What the author did not take from that ALL THE KING'S MEN, he took from a gubernaotrial campaign in Virginia during the 70s. Again, he failed to use any creativity. The plot follows the very same path as the campiagn with only minor variations. If the reader knows Virginia history and has already read a ALL THE KINGS MEN, then there is nothing new to read. Otherwise, this book still lacks anything gripping in its poorly constructed plot.

This book is a semi-fictional account of a race for Governor of Virginia. An earlier reviewer critized Epps'for borrowing his characters. Epps did borrow his characters -- not from another author -- but from real life. Epps account is excellent, enthralling, and a must read for every Virginian.

If you're interested in politics, family relations, recent history, southern culture or Virginia, this is a book you should read. The thinly-fictionalized story of gubernatorial race, The Shad Treatment is a latter-day All the King's Men.