Publications he has written for include The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, and Gourmet,[5] where he won three James Beard Awards.

[7] Feiler completed his undergraduate degree at Yale University where he was a member of Ezra Stiles College, before spending time teaching English in Japan as part of the JET Program.

This experience led to his first book, Learning to Bow: Inside the Heart of Japan, a portrait of life in a small Japanese town.

Upon his return he earned a master's degree in international relations from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, which he chronicled in his book Looking for Class.

[2] Informed by the sifting and coding of life story interviews across America, Feiler examines what gives our lives meaning.

The book was hailed as an "instant classic" by The Washington Post and "thoughtful, informed, and perceptive" by The New York Times.

[15] Where God Was Born describes Feiler's year-long trek retracing the Bible through Israel, Iraq, and Iran.

He also wrote about the role of Moses as a defining influence in American life, including the presidency of Barack Obama, in Time magazine.