Kowtow, Compromise, or Clarity?

For those ladies associated with Bob Jones University, but not “in the know,” Stephen Jones  issued this statement via email last night:

Dear BJU alumni and friends,

In 2008 BJU Press published The Christian and Drinking: A Biblical Perspective on Moderation and Abstinence by Dr. Randy Jaeggli, professor of Old Testament at Bob Jones University Seminary. The book is part of a series of short monographs published by the Seminary to help Bible-believing Christians apply biblical principles and discernment to difficult issues. Taking an inductive approach, Dr. Jaeggli presents Scriptural, medical and cultural evidence that brings the reader to the conclusion that a Christian should totally abstain from the beverage use of alcohol.

A Problem

The sensitivity and complexity of the topic of the book, combined with the brevity (72 pp.) and inductive arrangement of it, have caused confusion for some readers. They have concluded from some select portions of the text that Dr. Jaeggli condones a Christian’s moderate use of alcohol, which is the opposite of what the book actually teaches. Articles have been written questioning Dr. Jaeggli’s research and Scriptural interpretations, Bob Jones University’s position on the use of alcohol has been questioned, and some of you—our alumni and friends—have asked for clarification.

Our Position

Let me assure you that the University’s position on alcohol has not changed throughout our history; BJU does not believe the Scripture condones the beverage use of alcohol to any degree by Bible-believing Christians. Please read our complete statement on alcohol use on our website: http://www.bju.edu/welcome/who-we-are/position-alcohol.php. All of the administration and Bible and Seminary faculty, including Dr. Jaeggli, fully support complete abstinence from alcohol and teach and preach this position.

The Solution

While our position is clear and we stand by Dr. Jaeggli’s conclusion that Christians should completely abstain from alcohol, we do not want the University to be in a position of causing confusion or misunderstanding among our Christian brethren. Therefore, we are temporarily pulling the book from distribution. Our plan is to rewrite and edit those portions of the text that have been misunderstood and reissue the book. Please understand that the revised edition, while clarifying earlier in the book that the evidence leads a Scripturally-sensitive believer to an abstinence position, will continue to approach this issue in a way that differs from some approaches of the past, which have become less tenable over time.

As alumni and friends you are a key part of the university family, and my purpose in writing this e-mail is to show you the University’s heart in this matter and to clarify our position.

Stephen Jones

President

I commend this move.  After all, you don’t know how something will be received until it is, well, received.  I think this was neither a kowtow to those who may have been disgruntled, nor a compromise–I perceive it to be an effort to provide a gracious clarification so that there may not be confusion but edification all-around regarding this hot-button issue. This is wisdom and humility rather than weakness, as some have perceived it.

I have gained some perspective on this issue from my pastor, my husband, and other godly men who have studied this out.  No doubt, the revision will not please everyone.  I daresay, those whose feathers were ruffled initially will continue to have messy feathers. They will continue to dogmatically make their claims, unwilling to listen or consider (if you’d like to order the pin in the image for one such individual, go here.) .  I doubt the revision will use the word “sin” enough to satisfy them, nor will it provide enough of a green light for those who are hoping for the new edition to tout moderation, as some have already erroneously claimed (apparently they are not listening, either…better buy a bunch of pins) .

Dr. Jaeggli is known to be a man of scholarship and humility, fair and honest with the scriptures.  He states in the book intro:

As we shall see, a cavalier attitude toward even moderate consumption of alcohol is not warranted by Scripture.

This is supported by his message, given in BJU chapel, entitled, “The Wisdom of Abstaining from Alcohol.”  Click here to listen.

“Just the facts, ma’am.”

Eclipse

This book was one of my favourites out of the twilight saga. I could not put the book down while reading it! My favourite part is Bella’s bracelet; it is a simple chain with a bronze wolf charm on one side and a big heart diamond on the other. You have to read this book, if you don’t you are missing out on a lot.

I rate this book 10 stars out of 10. I highly recommend this one even more than Twilight and New Moon, I loved this book immensely.

Faith Hunter - Skin Walker

Book one in the Jane Yellowrock Series

This book has sat on my shelf for a couple of weeks, not screaming at me to read it because at first scan the book reminded me to a degree of the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. Perhaps its becuase they are both the last of the skinwalkers, perhaps its because thier characters are of a similiar nature. Whatever the reason, I wish I had given myself the pleasure of looking past these simiarities earlier and read it when I first got it!

Jane Yellowrock is a skinwalker and as far as she knows is the only one of her kind.  The only trouble is she isnt really sure what her kind is, as she has no memories before she walked out of the wilderness at the age of twelve, a feral child.

Jane makes her living as a vampire hunter, in a modern world where vampires and withches are in the open but other paranormals are  still only speculation.  Her latest job brings her to New Orleans where she has been hired by vampires to hunt a  vampire.

Jane is your usual kick ass heroine but with a twist, she has an alterego – Beast – the big cat that resides within her.   Jane has no idea what Beast is or how she got there but she does know she shares her body and perhaps her soul with her, and Beast is all alpha.

I thoroughly enjoyed, no I will rephrase that, I thoroughly loved, the narrative from Beasts perspective, how she views the world and how she views Jane – the soul thief.

The action in this is fast paced and thrilling but what is also intriguing and very enticing  is the journey of discovery that Jane embarks on as parts of her missing memory begin to return and not everything she learns is welcome.

The foundation for this series has been very well laid with some very interesting secondary characters,  very intriguing possibilities for the future of the series as well as  some wondeful character development for Jane herself.

I will tentitively say that if the next book is as good as this then this may go alongside the Mercy Thompson and Faythe Sanders books as a favourite series.

Dont wait like I did read it today!

Tazallie

1. Skinwalker
2. Blood Cross (January 2010)

Pagan Celtic Britain by Anne Ross

Everyone who studies Celtic beliefs knows that many aspects of pre-Roman and pre-Christian beliefs remain shrouded in mystery.  Ann Ross in this comprehensive book is trying to convince us, the readers, that neither the Roman invasion of Britain nor the coming of Christianity eliminated pagan religious practice.

Dr. Anne Ross speaks Gaelic and Welsh and writes from wide experience of living in Celtic-speaking communities.  She has studied and traced vernacular tradition, and she was formerly Research Fellow in Archaeology at the University of Southampton.  She is still researching different aspects of Celtic culture.  As can be seen from her credentials she is very capable of writing this book, however, this book was first written in 1967 and then re-published after review in 1996, so some information might be out of date.

In Pagan Celtic Britain, Anne Ross begins by telling us the scope of her study, her sources and the limitations of her study.  The major limitation of the study is the fact that the Celts did not leave any written records for us to find.  The sources that the author uses are archaeology, iconography, classical records and vernacular records.  From the onset she tells us the limitations of each of these sources.  Archaeology is limited by the way it is interpreted, one artifact cane mean one thing to one archaeologist and something totally different to another.  Iconography is limited in Britain by not being as comprehensive as the ones on the continent.  Two things limit classical records, the first is that enemies of the Celts write these records and the second limitation is that they did not REALLY discuss the religion and beliefs of the Celts in detail.  Finally, the vernacular records of the Welsh and the Irish are written hundreds of years after the fact AND they were written in Christian times so they have an agenda of their own.  The scope of the study is Pagan, pre-Roman, pre-Christian Britain.  The author tells us that she will combine all these sources to help give us a picture of what that time was like when it comes to the beliefs of the Celts.

In the introduction the author also gives us a definition of Celt and Celtic by explaining that it could mean different things to different people.  Then she gives us an outline of the history of the Celts on the continent, in Britain and in Ireland.  She also briefly discusses what she means when she says vernacular records of the Irish and the Welsh.

The first chapter of the book is dedicated to the study of sanctuaries, temples and cult sites.  The author talks about all the different places that seem to be dedicated to goddesses and gods, from wells, springs, rivers, to groves, trees and even grave sites.  No discussion of these things is complete without a look at the people who officiated these sites and the rituals associated with them.  The druids or Celtic priests were mentioned in the classic writings and in the vernacular records of the Celtic nations but little is really known about them.  Most of what we have today come from the romantic writings of the 17th and 18th century.  Most is based on Masonic like and ceremonial magic groups.

The Celts venerated the head as a symbol of divinity and the powers of the otherworld, and regarded it as the most important body part, and the place where the soul resides.  The cult of the head is the subject of chapter two of the book.  The author tells us about the cult in both continental Europe and in the insular Celtic lands.  She talks about the different materials used to depict the head as well as the many different ways it was depicted.

Next in chapter three, the author talks about the Horned God in Britain.  It is said to be second in importance to the head cult in both the Continental Celts and the insular Celts.  Again the author tells us about the different depiction of the horned god and also other symbols of it like serpents and horned animals for example.

The tribal god of the Celts must at one time or another take up his weapons and adopt the role of the warrior and the warrior god is the subject of chapter four.  Through looking at iconography and epigraphy the author gives us different examples of tribal warrior gods in Britain and in which areas they can be found.

The next chapter deals with the goddesses of Britain.  It deals with them as a whole category, which inevitably will reflect to some extent the functions of the Celtic women in the society.  She deals with goddesses that have consorts and others with out.  The goddesses also reflect the economic situation of the people that worship them.

Chapter six deals with sacred and magic birds.  The author talks about the swan, the raven, prognostic birds, malevolent otherworldly birds, magic otherworld birds, the goose, the owl, the eagle, the crane and other long legged marsh birds.  She gives examples of gods associated with them, and she tells you where they are mentioned in the mythology and vernacular records.  A very interesting chapter to read.

Continuing along the same lines, chapter seven is about divine animals.  She begins by talking about gods that have animal parts, the cat, the divine bull, cows, boars, pigs, horses, stags, dogs, wolves, rams, snakes, dragons, bears, hares, and fish.  Again she deals with iconography, and mythology.  The aspects of all these animals and what they represent is very important.

The final chapter of the book discusses aspects of the cults native to north Britain.  In this chapter the author discusses the cults in Northern Britain before and after the Romans came.  She takes a specific look at certain deities like, Maponus, Belatucadros, Cocidius, and Vitiris.  It is a very interesting look for people interested in cults from that part of the country.

I suppose it was inevitable for the author to discuss the Roman counter-parts for the deities in Britain.  It did grate on my nerves a little though.  I do understand why she was doing it, I mean for people not familiar with the “Celtic Pantheon” it is probably easier to associate them with similar functioning gods in the Roman pantheon, not to mention the importing of Roman deities in to Britain after the Roman invasion.

The book is a great reference when it comes to what evidence we have of the Celtic religion, and a good starting point for more research.  The kind of book that you can refer to from time to time to find evidence of sacred animals and what kind of cults can be found in Britain.  A good reference book to have.

A Real Basket Case - Beth Groundwater, Author

I loved this book. Usually I have the bad guy figured out about halfway through a book. Not with this one. “A Real Basket Case” didn’t reveal the killer until the last few pages. And I can’t believe who it ended up being. This has been a really enjoyable book. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery. Beth, don’t change your way of writing!
Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt - review

At the recent Crime and Justice Festival, the view was put forward persuasively that all novels are to an extent crime novels. Here’s an example: What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt (2003), though never found on the crime shelves at your local bookshop, is a sophisticated urban thriller that for the first hundred pages doesn’t appear to be a thriller at all.

Hustvedt spends the first third of her book taking us through a decade in the life of her characters, who are artists and intellectuals in New York. The narrator Leo is an art historian – one of the marvels of the book is Hustvedt’s perfectly sustained rendition of his voice over thirty years of his life. His friend Bill is an experimental artist, whose work at various stages of his career is described at length (sometimes too much so – describing art works in words is always a hazardous undertaking).   Bill’s wife Lucille is a neurotic poet; his model, and later his lover Violet, a sociologist fascinated by hysteria and eating disorders. Leo’s partner Erica is a literature academic. Both couples have sons, who become close friends. Bill falls for Violet, and leaves Lucille; returns to his wife and son for an excruciating five days; then leaves them for good.

How far you buy into this first section depends on how much you can bear the conversation of New York intellectuals. Lucille describes a dinner she has cooked as “Flageolets aux legumes. But the legumes appear to be travelling incognito … I don’t understand what it is about recipes … I am always worrying about the verbs.” “Her verbs are terrific,” Bill replies loyally. The pretensions of the insufferable Lucille are countered by the unconventional behavior of Dan, Bill’s schizophrenic brother, who turns up at family dinners to pace up and down, chain smoke, make strange gestures and engage in obsessive wordplay: “My big bro, Big Bill, old B.B., the Big Boom Bill …”

The second section begins with a death, which changes everything. Leo and Erica’s relationship gradually disintegrates. Strange events, minor but inexplicable, begin to occur; one of the characters appears to be a sociopathic liar. A sinister conceptual artist appears on the scene, Teddy Giles, whose speciality is creating murder scenes with dismembered models, nooses and blood. His work is hailed by critics as “brilliant” “riveting” and “astounding” – but art world gossip has Giles a psycho involved in real murders. One of the characters is drawn into his orbit and Leo, by now a man in late middle age, attempts to track them down and find out the truth.

The complications of the crime plot are matched by the emotional plot. As Leo tries to rescue what he can of his marriage to Erica, he simultaneously falls in love with Violet, partner of his best friend. Leo has been psychologically battered by the events of the previous decades – what follows takes him, and others, to the edge of what is bearable. Hustvedt has her plots on a slow burn, building to a climax that is first shocking, then moving – both of these feats being difficult to achieve, the second much more so.

I found the characters convincing, especially their bewilderment as they try to make sense of sociopathic behavior. These experts at interpretation, used to analyzing everything they see and feel – Leo is the author of a book titled A Brief History of Seeing in Western Painting – are constantly confused and duped. Leo ends up a lonely old man, with failing sight, having lost the people he loved. But for all that, the ending is not all dark – there is still friendship, loyalty, kindness, and the memories of love.

Book Review: Deep Within Us All by Phate (W. Feagins, Jr.)

[This review was originally published on the Akoma Buttons Web site.]

Deep Within Us All: A Collection of Poetry (bonus spoken word CD included) 

By phate (W. Feagins, Jr.)
Pneuma Publishing International, Inc., 2004 (1st ed.)
[$24.95 ISBN 0-9746797-2-0]

There is something inside each of us that transcends the confines of race, class, politics, economics, religion and even space and time. Something, whose longing does not discriminate where it will take up residence. It is present in the breath of every person; its dialect the Universal Language. This something is the human experience and William Feagins, Jr. eloquently and skillfully shares the human experience in his debut collection of poetry, Deep Within Us All.

Penned under the name phate—Poetically Healing and Teaching Everyone—Feagins introduces a collection of over 60 poems that takes readers through the hope and despair of urban life. Even if you’ve never experienced inner city blues firsthand, if you have a beating heart Feagins’ words—inked in the well of Life—will pierce through and you’ll have no choice but to feel the pang of raw emotion. His words are purposely designed to inspire change. In his message to readers, Feagins writes that, “Racism is still alive and well, police brutality happens, there is still rampant sexism, and African-Americans are still killing each other for little or no reason. I draw attention to issues not because I want to glorify them or because I am a negative person, but because problems will never be resolved until we admit there are problems.”

Deep Within Us All is a mirror that forces us to look at the ugly parts of ourselves. Poem after poem the words scream, “Look! Look at yourself! Look at the crack addicted mothers, the fatherless households, the gangbanging young men and promiscuous young women, the violence in the streets and in the homes, the forgotten dreams! That’s all you. Now what are you going to do about yourself?”

Exposing the truth is not an easy task, but sometimes accepting the truth is as much a challenge. Feagins demonstrates with this collection that he is a captivating storyteller, painting word pictures so vivid that I almost felt too emotional to read on once I got to the third poem. “Heavensent” (p. 19), told from the point of view of a 14-year-old young man who reluctantly turns to a life of hustling, had me in tears as I rode the train to work one morning. I realized I know this young man—I see his face on just about every corner around my way. I’ve called him out of his name and thought him beneath me, not knowing the story of his life and how he got to be on that corner. Not knowing, that is, until I read Feagins’ words and gained a new understanding.

Not only does Feagins shine as a writer with Deep Within Us All, he also showcases his abilities as a highly capable spoken word artist on the accompanying CD. As DJ Rampage, Feagins produces, arranges, records and mixes all of the tracks featured on the disc. And please be advised, this is not your typical underground, Maxell recordable disc with Sharpie writing all over it. No, this is a professional recording that’s a continuation of the high quality presented in the paperback. The CD includes 25 tracks, with several pieces that are exclusive to the CD. The musical experience takes the written word to a new dimension and is a perfect complement to the book.

Urban life as we know it won’t change overnight, but it will change. Deep Within Us All offers hope for a brighter future, a better future, if each person not only reads/listens to the words but takes them personally and follows Feagins’ call to action. He is tired of the pain. Are you?

Visit www.deepwithinusall.com or www.akomamarketplace.com” to purchase your copy today.

Reviewed by Sandria M. Washington www.writeousmedia.wordpress.com.

The 10 Most Important Things You Can Say to a Jehovah's Witness

I must warn anyone thinking of buying this book that this book was written as a witnessing tool for Christians to use when Jehovah’s Witnesses knock on their door.

Before I go any further though I must ask a question. If this book was written in 2001 then why did Ron decide to use the 1961 version of The New World Translation, the Jehovah’s Witness bible, When the version they use is the 1984 one? At least that was still the case when I stopped going to the Jehovah’s Witness meetings in 2005.

May I suggest a new title for this book. I’m feeling that it should be called How to prove the Trinity is right to Jehovah’s Witnesses As it seems that this is Ron Rhodes’ main problem with JW’s as he spends at least 3-4 chapters of this book trying to prove that the trinity is a bibicial doctrine. I’m not sure whether it is bibicial or not but what I do know is that how it makes God sounds like he suffers from  Mutiple personality disorder with the difference that all of them think they are God. Then again the Trinity has never made much sense to me so…

One last thing and then I will end this review. In the last chapter Ron suggests that if after telling the Jehovah’s Witness about how you found Christ they are interested in having a relationship with Jesus then you should lead them into a pray like this:

Dear Jesus I want to have a relationship with you I know I can’t save myself because I’m a sinner. I believe you died on the cross for me. Thank you I accept your free gift of salvation. Thank you, Jesus Amen

However I must point out that the Jehovah’s Witnesses have a way of dealing with this kind of thing and I don’t think you will like it. You see they have a book called Reasoning From The Scriptures which was published in 1989 and it is used to help them deal with certain situations when going door to door. Here is a part dealing when people ask them to pray with them.

If Someone Says—

‘Pray with me first, then give me your message’

You might reply: ‘I’m glad to know that you are a person who appreciates the importance of prayer. Jehovah’s Witnesses also pray regularly. But there is something that Jesus said about when and how to pray that may be new to you. Did you know that he told his disciples not to offer public prayers with a view to having others see that they were devout, praying persons? . . . (Matt. 6:5)’ Then perhaps add: ‘Notice what he went on to say should be of primary concern to us and what we should put first in our prayers. That is what I have come to share with you. (Matt. 6:9, 10)’

Or you could say: ‘I know that representatives from some religious groups do that. But Jehovah’s Witnesses do not, because Jesus instructed his disciples to go about their work of preaching in another manner. Instead of saying, “When you enter a house, first pray,” notice what he said, as found here at Matthew 10:12, 13. . . . And see here in verse 7 what they were to talk about. . . . How can that Kingdom help people like you and me? (Rev. 21:4)’

Oh by the way I didn’t type the part above by hand instead I copied and pasted it from my copy of the 2003 Watchtower CD-Rom that was given to me in 2004.

As for Ron Rhodes book it is interesting to read but if you want to know about their beliefs then try something else. I will let you know if I find anything that fits the bill.

Captains Contentious

Old Salt Blog has posted an excellent review of Louis Arthur Norton’s book Captains Contentious – The Dysfunctional Sons of the Brine.

Sometimes it is hard to fathom how the United States either gained or maintained her independence given the surplus of knaves and poltroons who gravitated to our army and navy in times of national crisis. George Washington spent the first half of the American Revolution fighting off various intrigues designed to have him removed from office. Our small and largely ineffectual navy was beset by narcissists and self-promoters. We produced enough savants, idiot and otherwise, to win. Barely.

A bit of the review

Norton looks at five ship’s captains who fought for the infant American Navy in the Revolutionary War. When not fighting the British, these captains also fought with each other, with their crews, their peers and with politicians ashore. Their personal quirks and flaws, in turn, hindered their careers and helped shape their victories. Norton examines the exploits of John Manley, Silas Talbot, Dudley Saltonstall, Joshua Barney and John Paul Jones. Each is a fascinating study in the character of these courageous if often flawed naval commanders.

Help keep the lights on and beer flowing. Buy a book.

Book of the Books

The BIBLE – “Book of Books”

Its Impact on the World

The Bible comes from the word the Greek word “biblia” meaning “books”. Yet the more we study it the more we see that it is a unified collection with a single theme—the redemption of man in Jesus Christ. This is one of the features of the Bible that make it unique among the religions of the world and point us to its divine origin. However there are many other features that make the Bible unique.

Unique in its Circulation

It is rare that a book will sell a thousand copies. A best seller might have a circulation of a few hundred thousand copies and may over its lifetime be distributed to a million people. The Bible has been the world’s most published and distributed work. The number of Bibles sold is in the billions!

The United Bible Society reported a few years ago that the number of Bibles or Scripture portions distributed for that year was 585 million copies. That was just one outlet and one thousand times a modern best seller!

If you lined up all those people and gave each a Bible every 5 seconds it would take 92 years to do what was done in that single year.
This is what makes the Bible unique. No other book can begin to compare. What is it about the Bible that has resulted in this vast circulation? Could it be that the answer lies in the claim that its writers make for their words?

“And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe” (1 Thes. 2:13).

Unique in its Translation

Most human productions are never translated into another language. Only on rare occasions is a modern work translated into more than 2 or 3 languages. In contrast, the Bible has been translated into more than 2200 languages making it understandable to over 90 percent of the world’s population. Present efforts if completed will make the Bible the first book in history to be translated into virtually every tongue—the first universally translated book!

This fact makes the Bible unique. No other can begin to compare. There must be a reason! Could it be that the translation of the Bible resides in Jesus’ own command that His words should be distributed to all the nations and that He promises His presence in the success of this effort?

“And He said unto them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mk. 16:15). “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:19-20).

Unique in its Survival

Its survival through time No book ever written has ever been as carefully copied and preserved through time as the Bible. Bernard Ramm writes: “Jews preserved it as no other manuscript has been preserved. With their massora they kept tabs on every letter, syllable, word and paragraph”. What other book could make such a claim? Who ever counted letters, syllables or words of any ancient Greek or Roman philosopher or historian? Yet it was this process that assures us that the Bible, though having passed through the centuries, remains substantially intact as it was originally written.

Its survival through persecution and criticism The Bible, though loved and revered by billions of people has at the same time been hated and opposed by many others. In the early centuries of the church the Scriptures were opposed and destroyed by the persecuting emperors of Rome.

In modern times the Bible has been assailed by critics of all kinds who challenge its accuracy. Charge after charge has been hurled at the Scriptures, each to be proven false by the increasing discovery about the ancient world.

Consider again this quote by Bernard Ramm:

“A thousand times over, the death knell of the Bible has been sounded, the funeral procession formed, the inscription cut on the tombstone, and committal read. But somehow the corpse never stays put. No other book has been so chopped, knifed, sifted, scrutinized, and vilified. What book on philosophy or religion or psychology or belles letters of classical or modern times has been subject to such a mass attack as the Bible? With such venom and skepticism? With such thoroughness and erudition? Upon every chapter, line and tenet? Yet, “the Bible is still loved by millions, read by millions, and studied by millions”.

Upon this “anvil” have been worn out innumerable “hammers” of opposition and criticism; yet the Bible still stands. What is it about the Bible that has enabled it to withstand this test of time and opposition?

Could it be that the answer lies in Peter’s words: “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord abides forever” (1 Pet. 1:24-25).

Unique in its influence On literature

Literary critic Northrop Frye observed that “western literature has been more influenced by the Bible than any other book”. Think of the countless volumes that have written that have been inspired by Bible itself as the original work of influence.

Again Bernard Ramm writes: “There are complexities of bibliographical studies that are unparalleled in any other science or department of human knowledge. From the Apostolic Fathers dating from A.D. 95 to the modern times is one great literary river inspired by the Bible—Bible dictionaries, Bible encyclopedias, Bible lexicons, Bible atlases, and Bible geographies. These may be taken as a starter. Then at random, we may mention the vast bibliographies around theology, religious education, hymnology, missions, the biblical languages, church history, religious biography, devotional works, commentaries, philosophy of religion, evidences, apologetics and on and on. There seems to be an endless number…”

On civilization Geisler and Nix wrote: “The influence of the Bible and its teaching in the Western world is clear for all who study history. And the influential role of the west in the course of world events is equally clear. Civilization has been influenced more by the Judeo-Christian Scriptures than by any other book or series of books in the world. Indeed, no great moral or religious work in the world exceeds the depth of morality in the principle of Christian love, and none has a more lofty spiritual concept than the Biblical view of God. The Bible presents the highest ideals known to men, ideals that have molded civilization”.

Who among us today could deny the tremendous impact of this truth upon our lives. The freedom that we enjoy. The moral quality of our laws. The vast blessing of our way of life has been molded by the regard that the founders of our country had for the holy Scriptures.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Conclusion:

What book in the history of the world has had a greater impact on mankind than this book? One could argue that billions of people have been wrong in their esteem of the Bible, but one could never argue with the fact that the Bible is in a class all by itself. It is the most unique book ever written.

(The material for this outline is taken from Josh McDowell’s “New Evidence that Demands a Verdict”)

[book reviews] sciences-sociales_15/07/2009

(source: Library Journal, 15/07/2009)

Communications

Morrell, Jessica Page. Thanks, but This Isn’t for Us: A (Sort of) Compassionate Guide to Why Your Writing Is Being Rejected. Tarcher: Penguin. Aug. 2009. c.320p. ISBN 978-1-58542-721-5. pap. $16.95. COMM
Morrell (writing, Evergreen State Coll.; The Writer’s I Ching) takes us through the school of hard knocks faced by writers who are struggling to get published. Without removing the creativity from creative writing, Morrell convincingly portrays the craft of writing for publication as no accident of fate by revealing the “trade secrets” of the publishing industry through the eyes of that all-important gatekeeper, the editor. Having seen too many writers making the same mistakes, Morrell examines what makes a book publishable and what makes a story suck. She goes over dozens of common writing mistakes—from character, to plot, to dialog—and helps the would-be author find the ways in which to fine-tune a manuscript to avoid another rejection letter. VERDICT From beginning to end, whether novel, short story, or memoir, each element of a narrative is reviewed, with each chapter ending with quick tips to improve one’s writing. This is one to add to any library shelf—it won’t gather dust there.—Ann Schade, Sun Prairie, WI

Zinsser, William. Writing Places: The Life Journey of a Writer and Teacher. Harper: HarperCollins. 2009. c.196p. ISBN 978-0-06-172902-7. $22.99. COMM
Influential writing mentor William Zinsser (On Writing Well) here briefly recounts his prolific and varied career and its many unusual work environments. Zinsser’s characteristic good humor and conversational tone are present as he describes his numerous changes of job description and employers, all while he pursued the same underlying vocation of communicating—and teaching others to communicate—via the written word. From the New York Herald Tribune to Yale to offices outfitted with fire pole exits, Zinsser demonstrates that good writing does not depend on one’s surroundings. He also encourages his readers and students to pursue their passions wherever they may lead, presenting his own interesting career as proof of this wisdom. VERDICT The best parts of this book are Zinsser’s nuggets of writing advice; the memoir portions, especially in passages listing names and places from the author’s past, are less successful than other memoirs such as Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life or Stephen King’s On Writing. Although some general readers may be interested, this book is recommended mainly for students of writing.—Stacey Rae Brownlie, Lititz P.L., PA

Economics

Ad Nauseum: A Survivor’s Guide to American Consumer Culture. Farrar. Jul. 2009. c.336p. ed. by Carrie McLaren & Jason Torchinsky. illus. ISBN 978-0-86547-987-6. pap. $15. BUS
McLaren and Torchinsky (Stay Free! magazine) provide a loose collection of essays and interviews to critique various aspects of American consumer culture. Two of the more thought-provoking entries are Julie Scelfo’s (Newsweek) interview with NYU law professor Richard Sherwin on how television legal dramas shape expectations of jurors, and a debate between Sut Jhally (communications, Univ. of Massachusetts-Amherst) and James Twichell (English & advertising, Univ. of Florida-Gainesville) about the relative merits and demerits of advertising. There are some interesting pieces from inside the world of advertising, such as one on how holidays like “National Denim Day” and “National Private Investigators’ Day” came to be, and others related to how magazine media kits try to attract ad revenue. VERDICT Readers familiar with Stay Free! magazine will recognize that, while some notable original essays are included in this book, many of them, as well as fake advertisements, are reprints of material freely available on Stay Free!’s web site (www.stayfreemagazine.org). The book will appeal to readers with an ironic sense of humor or a general suspicion of consumerism as well as those who enjoy keeping track of popular culture.—Elizabeth L. Winter, Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta

The Capitalist’s Bible: The Essential Guide to Free Markets—and Why They Matter to You. Harper: HarperCollins. Sept. 2009. c.320p. ed. by Gretchen Morgenson. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-06-156098-9. pap. $16.99. ECON
Morgenson, the New York Times Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, has produced a timely and informative primer. Alluding to the current economic recession, she stresses that “getting wise to the ways of world financial markets…has never been more crucial than it is right now.” To help educate readers to that end, she provides a thorough overview of capitalism—its essential tenets, names of chief theorists, historical background, as well as describing its mechanisms and institutions. Not only chronicling capitalist success stories like the explosive growth of the American middle class, she also examines capitalist disasters such as the Great Depression, evaluating the legacies of both growth and failure in an evenhanded way. She also performs the exemplary task of dissecting the advanced economic jargon, explaining how its application impacts people’s lives. She rightly claims the “21st century has seen capitalism become the dominant economic system worldwide.” Nowhere is this evolution more apparent than in modern-day Russia or China. Unfortunately her choice in presenting a selection of profiles of various countries in the chapter “Capitalism Around the World” seems both arbitrary and perfunctory, offering minimal critical insight on how capitalism has transformed these countries. Yet this remains a minor shortcoming. VERDICT Morgenson’s book is essential for all who want to improve their capitalism literacy.—Richard Drezen, Brooklyn, NY

Kilborn, Peter T. Next Stop, Reloville: Life Inside America’s Rootless Professional Class. Times Bks: Holt. Jul. 2009. c.272p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-8050-8308-8. $26. BUS
Kilborn offers an analysis of the lives of “relos”—individuals who move up in their careers by moving around, both within the United States and internationally. The author is a longtime correspondent for the New York Times and it shows; the book reads quickly but is still thought-provoking, and moves logically from an extended example of a relo family, through chapters on the cities where relos settle (including Alpharetta, GA, and Plano, TX); the companies for which they work; the communities they form (or don’t); the houses they buy and sell; and the impact of their moving around upon their family life. Kilborn’s tone is largely reportorial; he opts to focus mainly on the economic and professional repercussions of rootlessness rather than on its social impact (an earlier book to which he contributed, Class Matters, included a bit more editorializing). VERDICT This book might have benefited from a more synthesizing conclusion, but overall it is a solid, business-centric read that will appeal to fans of Richard Florida’s Who’s Your City? or Bill Bishop’s The Big Sort. Recommended for interested general readers and business students.—Sarah Statz Cords, The Reader’s Advisor Online

Murray, David Kord. Borrowing Brilliance: The Six Steps to Business Innovation by Building on the Ideas of Others. Gotham: Penguin Group (USA). Sept. 2009. c.304p. ISBN 978-1-592-40478-0. $26. BUS
Half of this book is an unremarkable self-help program for creativity. On the premise that creativity results from the combination of existing materials, Murray advocates “borrowing” successful ideas and giving them new applications. He offers a six-step creativity program with such insights as the need to define a problem before you solve it and the admonition to eliminate weak points while enhancing strong points. As the six steps progress Murray provides inspirational anecdotes about various luminaries (Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, etc.), which occasionally support the point at hand. The second half of this book is a paean by the author, a former aerospace engineer, to his self-proclaimed brilliance. Through various flashbacks to his childhood and later, he attempts to build himself up into a mythic figure who has overcome all the odds and who breaks all the rules, producing one innovative triumph after another; a character very familiar to motivational speaking. VERDICT There are simply better-written, catchier, more motivational self-help books out there. There is also a legal danger for the unwary reader who gets too excited about “borrowing” successful ideas from others. Not recommended.—Robert Perret, Univ. of Idaho, Moscow

Stewart, Matthew. The Management Myth: Management Consulting: Past, Present, and Largely Bogus. Norton. Jul. 2009. c.304p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-393-06553-4. $27.95. BUS
Taking aim at the business management establishment, Oxford philosophy graduate Stewart (The Courtier and the Heretic), after some years as a management consultant, sinks his teeth into everyone from the pioneers of management theory to the more recent management gurus (Peter Drucker, Tom Peters). He also critiques management education, asserting that a liberal arts degree is a more suitable preparation than an MBA. Alternating as he does between memoir and management theory, Stewart ends up with a disjointed and inconsistently meaningful work. He raises appropriate questions (e.g., about the validity of research from past management thinkers) and highlights serious problems in contemporary management (greedy and opportunistic consultants), but offers few solutions other than recommending a degree in philosophy. VERDICT While aspects of Stewart’s argument are certainly valid, a lot of the content here was already available in his June 2006 Atlantic Monthly article of the same name. Although Stewart has added some substantive information regarding the history of management, and quite a bit of seemingly melodramatic details from his brief consulting career, the results are not recommended.—Allen McGinley, Piscataway P.L., NJ

Political Science

Aid, Matthew M. The Secret Sentry: The Untold History of the National Security Agency. Bloomsbury Pr., dist. by Macmillan. 2009. c.448p. index. ISBN 978-1-59691-515-2. $30. POL SCI
Electronic signals/communications intelligence (SIGINT) is a vital part of the information-gathering efforts of intelligence agencies. The National Security Agency (NSA) is the primary eavesdropping and code-breaking arm of the U.S. government. Aid goes over its operations during the crises of the 1950s and 1960s and the Vietnam War era, much of which was covered by James Bamford’s The Puzzle Palace. But what is new and more important here is the evaluation of NSA activities since 2000. Using interviews with those in positions to know, the author discusses NSA’s troubled bureaucratic working relations with the CIA and FBI, how its product was used before, during, and after the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and the massive domestic spying operation directed by the White House. VERDICT This book provides useful background for the current national security debate, with the author generally siding with the NSA as a misused agency that needs still more resources. With extensive endnotes; index and photos not seen. Suitable for general and advanced readers.—Daniel K. Blewett, Coll. of DuPage Lib., Glen Ellyn, IL

Graham, Bradley. By His Own Rules: The Ambitions, Successes, and Ultimate Failures of Donald Rumsfeld. PublicAffairs: Perseus. Jul. 2009. c.816p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-1-58648-421-7. $35. POL SCI
Donald Rumsfeld, the most powerful and arguably the most controversial secretary of defense in U.S. history and the only person to hold the position under two presidents (Gerald Ford and George W. Bush), gets a full assessment from Graham (Hit To Kill: The New Battle Over Shielding America from Missile Attack), longtime military affairs reporter for the Washington Post. Graham covers Rumsfeld’s life from childhood on, with the focus of course on his years in politics, from four terms as an Illinois Republican in Congress to his several positions under Ford, Nixon, and George W. Bush, and in private industry. The author conducted many interviews, including eight with Rumsfeld. His opinion? That Rumsefeld failed to expand the military to meet the challenges of the war in Iraq and that he neglected to plan effectively for postwar Iraq. Graham concludes that Rumsfeld will mostly be remembered for the American deaths in the Iraq war under his watch and the Abu Ghraib torture scandal. But he does not see Rumsfeld as a war criminal, as in Michael Ratner’s The Trial of Donald Rumsfeld, nor as an appropriate fall guy. VERDICT This book would still have been thorough if slimmed down considerably. It will be of interest chiefly to policy wonks and academics.—Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA

Michel, Serge & Michel Beuret (text) & Paolo Woods (photogs.). China Safari: On the Trail of Beijing’s Expansion in Africa. Nation Bks. 2009. c.336p. tr. from French by Raymond Valley. photogs. bibliog. ISBN 978-1-56858-426-3. $26.95. INT AFFAIRS
A significant book that insightfully examines China’s role in Africa, China Safari reveals not only the complexities of Chinese immigration to Africa, but also the political rivalries that result from it. While much scholarship has focused on the economic and political context, European-based journalists Michel, Beuret, and Woods emphasize the day-to-day social and cultural interactions and relationships that are often excluded in such analyses of Chinese-African relations. Through in-depth interviews with Chinese sojourners and Africans, the book reveals Africa as the new “Wild West” frontier for China; Africa is experiencing exploitation of its resources in a way reminiscent of its colonial past. Paradoxically, as African countries such as Zimbabwe, Congo, and Sudan are willingly dependent on Chinese capital to sustain their economies, the Chinese laborers there face increasing anti-Chinese crimes—robbery, blackmail, and personal violence—particularly led by opposition political parties and civil society groups. VERDICT Recommended for all interested readers.—Allan Cho, Univ. of British Columbia Lib., Vancouver

Social Sciences

The Face in the Mirror: Writers Reflect on Their Dreams of Youth and the Reality of Age. Prometheus. Sept. 2009. c.300p. ed. by Victoria Zackheim. ISBN 978-1-59102-752-2. $25. SOC SCI
Zackheim (instructor, Univ. of California-Los Angeles Extension Writers’ Program; The Bone Weaver) has assembled essays from 20 authors who reflect on their advancing age and compare how they turned out with who they thought they would become when they were much younger. Among the relatively well-known essayists featured here are Malachy McCourt, Joyce Maynard, Alan Dershowitz, Beverly Donofrio, Eileen Goudge, and editor Zackheim; included are dual photos of each in youth and from the present. The authors reveal their highly personal, frank thoughts on their desire to achieve success, obstacles that hindered their life journey, their accomplishments and failures, the state of their families, how some ended up replicating their parents, and on meeting personal goals and living with unfulfilled dreams. A common thread is the writers’ expressions of a sense of completeness, of becoming whole, and of learning how to live within themselves and be comfortable with whom they have become. One of the more remarkable stories is Donofrio’s, sharing her life’s experiences as she became a teenage mother, then a convicted felon, and later a college student and a notable author, now living in a monastery in the Colorado mountains. VERDICT Aging boomers will likely relate to these sensitive, refreshingly honest musings that tackle universal questions about the choices faced in life and the critical self examination that comes with age. Recommended.—Dale Farris, Groves, TX

Forman-Brunell, Miriam. Babysitter: An American History. New York Univ. Aug. 2009. c.336p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-8147-2759-1. $29.95. SOC SCI
So that young couple thought they were just hiring the kid next door to “mind” their toddler for a couple of hours while they took in a movie! Who knew that babysitting—past and present—was so fraught with meaning. Forman-Brunell (history, Univ.of Missouri-Kansas City; Made to Play House: The Commercialization of American Girlhood), that’s who. In this well-documented, illustrated discussion of our culture’s perceptions of babysitters through the years, the author skillfully demonstrates how changing social mores and attitudes toward girls and women were responsible for the astonishing range of notions about babysitters, running the gamut from child-care provider to home wrecker. Despite her initial observation that she found little archival material on the history of babysitting, Forman-Brunell makes excellent use of the various babysitting handbooks published over the years, and, particularly, of the commercial novels (e.g., The Baby-Sitters Club series) and movies that came out, from domestic comedies to horror films reflecting parents’ (and babysitters’) worst nightmares. VERDICT The results of her admirable research are highly recommended for all interested readers.—Ellen Gilbert, Princeton, NJ

Laderman, Scott. Tours of Vietnam: War, Travel Guides, and Memory. Duke Univ. 2009. c.288p. index. ISBN 978-0-8223-4396-7. $79.95; pap. ISBN 978-0-8223-4414-8. $22.95. SOC SCI
Laderman (history, Univ. of Minnesota- Duluth) offers a fascinating view of the United States in Vietnam, using tourism to illustrate a contentious history that reveals much about the collective American identity and memory of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Laderman shows how travel literature, first directed at American soldiers (published by the Department of Defense) and thereafter at veterans and tourists, was written to favorably suit the American, and supposedly well-intentioned, perspective. Even the Lonely Planet guides fail to deviate from the accepted American recollection of events in Vietnam. For example, the War Remnant Museum in Ho Chi Mihn City illustrates how out of touch Americans may be with the Vietnamese reality. The museum focuses on the Vietnamese experience of the war; its exhibits have met with dismissal and hostility in American travel guides, illustrative of a contentious history that hits a raw nerve. VERDICT Thoroughly researched, Laderman’s book offers a different angle on the conflict through the lens of tourism and collective memory. Highly recommended.—Patti C. McCall, Albany Molecular Research Inc., NY

Meston, Cindy M. & David M. Buss. Why Women Have Sex: Sexual Motivation—from Adventure to Revenge (and Everything in Between). Times Bks: Holt. Oct. 2009. c.320p. index. ISBN 978-0-8050-8834-2. $25. SOC SCI
What do women want? According to University of Texas at Austin psychology professors Meston (director, Sexual Psychophysiology Lab) and Buss (The Evolution of Desire), this is a perplexing question, particularly with respect to sex. In 11 chapters, they provide the answers generated by clinical research and survey responses from 1,006 women aged 18 through 86 in the United States, Canada, Germany, Belgium, France, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, and China. Interspersing quotations from the survey with state-of-the-art research, Meston and Buss demonstrate the surprising span of relevant motivating factors. They conclude that women want sex for the following reasons: pleasure, emotional and spiritual connection, the thrill of conquest, a means of guarding a mate or trading up, a sense of adventure, health rewards, to fulfill a sense of duty or responsibility, to bolster body image, and desire for sexual punishment, cruelty, and violence. VERDICT This study will intrigue and inform students and readers of Havelock Ellis, William Masters and Virginia E. Johnson, and Alfred Kinsey.—Lynne F. Maxwell, Villanova Univ. Sch. of Law Lib., PA

Solnit, Rebecca. A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities that Arise in Disaster. Viking. 2009. c.405p. ISBN 978-0-670-02107-9. $27.95. SOC SCI
Prize-winning author Solnit (A Field Guide to Getting Lost) delivers an insightful glimpse into the compelling human interest stories behind five major disasters: the San Fransisco earthquake of 1906, the Halifax explosion of 1917, Mexico City’s 1985 earthquake, 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina. But more than just the stories, she turns her attention to the larger subject of the sociology of disasters and the incredible community spirit that can arise amid disaster. In contrast to media portrayals of negative human behavior in times of distress, Solnit believes that humans have an intrinsic need to help each other and work together in communities forged by disaster. These surreal situations demonstrate how deeply most of us desire connection, participation, altruism, and purposefulness. Thus the startling joy in disasters. Solnit wonders if some of these ephemeral moments could be recaptured in our normal day-to-day routines, thus enhancing our sense of community. VERDICT Despite wandering into some murky what-ifs, this book offers a timely study in community during these uncertain times.—Holly S. Hebert, Rochester Coll., Rochester Hills, MI

Taylor, Candacy A. Counter Culture: The American Coffee Shop Waitress. ILR: Cornell Univ. Jul. 2009. c.160p. photogs. bibliog. ISBN 978-0-8014-7440-8. pap. $19.95. SOC SCI
Photographer, cultural critic, and erstwhile waitress Taylor traveled through 43 U.S. cities collecting stories from career diner waitresses for this respectful, celebratory collection of oral histories and photographs. Nearly every page features a portrait or on-the-job action shot of one of Taylor’s 57 interviewees, and each chapter ends with several waitresses’ reflections—some funny, some poignant—on their lives, careers, and customers. In between, Taylor explores the history of diners, issues of power in the workplace, the daunting variety and volume of work, and how and why some women continue in this physically challenging, disrespected occupation for decades, with no thought of, let alone desire for, retirement. Many of these self-termed “lifers” do surprisingly well financially and have tremendous job satisfaction, thanks to years of developing the customer care techniques—and genuine affection for their regulars and workplaces—that result in plum shifts and good tips, and thanks also to the organizational skills and no-nonsense attitude that allow them to thrive in their niche. VERDICT Taylor offers these women, many in their sixties, seventies, and eighties, and perhaps the last of their kind, a well-deserved tribute. Recommended for all who love human interest stories or interesting characters.—Janet Ingraham Dwyer, Worthington Libs., OH

On Love And Death

Author: Patrick Suskind

Translation: Anthea Bell

Publisher: Text Publishing

Date Published: 2006

Pages: 90

In this inspiring meditation, Patrick Suskind considers the two great forces of human existence. He draws scenes as varied as a young couple having oral sex while stuck in traffic, and an elderly Thomas Mann tumbling back into forbidden love. Suskind then dazzles as he writes about Orpheus and Jesus, comparing their very different stories of death conquered through love.

‘On Love And Death’ is written by Patrick Suskind, author of the notable novel ‘Perfume: Story of a Murderer’ which I have recently discovered and currently worship. When I finished ‘Perfume’, I was quick to research the author and decided that reading his essays on love and death would be a worthy endeavour given his deft handling of notions in the before mentioned fiction.

‘On Love And Death’ is short - very short. It took me an hour to read. There are only 90 pages in this tiny sized book and the font is enormous (even the margins are large!). I have discovered a passion for short books (I have fallen in love with the novella), as I’m beginning to see huge monoliths as a sign of the author’s inability to get to the point succinctly and skillfully. So I will admit that I opened ‘On Love And Death’ with fairly high expectations.

As touted by the blurb, Jesus and Orpheus are the main historical ‘love/death’ references. Suskind offers what I will hesitantly call an interesting retelling of the Lazarus revival of the New Testament (his dislike of Jesus is very clear) and a beautiful rendition of Orpheus’s struggle whilst climbing back towards Earth with Eurydice in tow. However, these tales and the conclusions drawn from them are in the latter half of the book.

Suskind references a number of German figures that might be unknown outside of their native country (most people will be aware of Goethe and Kleist though). This is not a bad move (I hate it when people won’t broaden their understanding by learning about new historical figures), however it means that the references made will have to be researched for full understanding of Suskind’s points. I get the impression that Suskind wrote this for a German audience and other nationalities were a second thought (and rightly so, it is arrogant to assume that American/English audiences are the most important). Goethe and Kleist are included for their famous erotic longing for suicide and some interesting points are drawn from this.

If I could summarise it in one word I would choose ‘pointless’. This is a harsh choice, yet it keeps coming to mind. Given the wealth of fiction and non fiction dedicated to the concepts of love and death, which even the blurb describes as ‘the two great forces of human existence’, Suskind’s attempt to discuss them are vague and random. Perhaps they are too big to discuss and Suskind thought better to simply add his observations to the literary pool without biting off more than he could chew. This leaves the reader feeling a little underwhelmed, rather than angry. On the other hand, it did serve a purpose - I had a debate with my boyfriend about the comparisons between Jesus and Orpheus.

‘On Love And Death’ could be better described as the observational conclusions drawn from a few case studies, rather than an ‘inspiring meditation’. It is perplexing because it is not really bad or good, just odd. I wouldn’t recommend avoiding this book, however it doesn’t  seem to be worth actively seeking out either.

♥♥ – 2/5

Theology and the Drama of History

Cambridge University Press was kind enough to send me a copy of Ben Quash’s book Theology and the Drama of History, a volume in their Cambridge Studies in Christian Doctrine series (ISBN: 0-521-84434-7). For anyone doing work in the areas concerning a theology of history, theodramatics, von Balthasar or Barth’s relationship to any of these, this book is certainly a must read. Quash has a notoriously broad reach of the field, a lucid and enjoyable writing style and a creative mind.

Quash pulls broadly from his academic quiver to produce a work that flows seamlessly through von Balthasar, Hegel and Barth on to Shakspeare and Gerard Manley Hopkins (no small feat). It is a great addition to an impressive series of books (several of which have been reviewed here, with more on the way).

In Quash’s words, concerning the nature and task of this volume,

This is a book that is concerned to identify resources to help theology think and talk about history. In particular, it sets out to examine the value and the potential of a ‘theodramatic’ conception of history. That is to say a way of thinking theologically about historical process and the historical character of human agents and environments that emphasizes their dramatic features” (1).

In order to achieve this, Quash pushes away from an abstract notion of drama to one informed by literary traditions. By opening the task up to literary forms, Quash believes theology will be able to function for a world “intrinsically and thoroughly historical.” For instance, “Theodramatics in particular promises a set of resources for thinking history and eschatology together, in their interrelationship – hence differently from other kinds of historical analysis – for in the area of eschatology a theology of history is always to some extent present, and vice versa” (3). Because of the nature of the theological task, as well as the reality of God’s world and his redemptive acts within that history, Christian theology must take into account the historical as it seeks to speak meaningfully about God.

In order to explicate these issues, Quash spends the first three chapters reading Balthasar’s work in light of / against Hegel’s. Importantly though, according to Quash, von Balthasar owes much to Hegel’s taxonomy, and opens the door for him to parallel his ecclesial development with Hegel’s political. Following this, he turns his attention to Balthasar’s great teacher Karl Barth, running the theodramatic proposal through the teacher and student’s theological machinery focusing on Balthasar’s critique of Barth and his supposed inability to preserve the importance of ’subjects’ and their relations to ’structures.’ Quash turns his analysis here to a critique of von Balthasar, focusing specifically on his ability to read texts and raising questions concerning his ability to address texts in their own right. Following this is a chapter addressing analogy, stepping in the Przywara and Barth debate concerning analogia entis and analogia fidei after which he offers more critique of von Balthasar.

The final chapter takes up a more constructive agenda, where Quash affirms theodramatics, but does so by supplementing his own proposal (building upon Williams and Manley Hopkins). In doing so, he notes the problems of a Balthasarian model of theodramatics: (1) “the evacuation of time of much of its significance as the carrier of divine revelation and as the medium for human encounter with life-giving and death-dealing questions;” (2) “the habitual neglect of awkward or resistant material, and especially of particulars that do not seem assimilable to a unified vision of history and theology in their interrelation;” (3) “the subjugation of one class of ‘particulars’, namely persons, to institutions or what are identified as historical movements (the subjugation of subjects to structures) and ultimately to what is thought to be the will of God in such institutions and movements;” (4) ”the presumption to have a God’s eye view of what is and is not significant in the world” (196-197).

Quash puts forwards a pneumatology that treats the Spirit as “the guarantor of historical integrity and the animator of authentic historical life,” which he believes meets the requirements suggested and fills the gaps in Balthasar’s theodramatic proposal. It meets these requirements, Quash argues,

by endorsing (more convincingly than either the Hegelian or Balthasarian attempts at historical dramatization managed to) what this study has also established as essential to a theodramatics: the connection between the ‘unframeability’ of human existence in time, and the ’surplus’ of the divine life. The Spirit brings the ‘more’ of the creation’s response to God into its own movement of glorification within the divine life, and this bursts the bounds of the human capacity exhaustively to map the explain the full significance of its own actions, and their ends” (214).

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Welcome to the Modern Typewriter, a daily blog to discuss topics that can’t be answered easily, or are just some fun topics! Today is July 16th, 2009, I’m Royce, and I’m here to talk about the new movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

“We’re die-hard Harry Potter fans. Once we discovered months and months ago that Harry Potter number 6 was coming out, we decided we were going on the day it would come out. And we did. It was probably the best Harry Potter movie of them all so far…” Says Rochester, a writer at the Modern Typewriter.

Trailer taken from YouTube.

As Harry begins his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he soon finds an Advanced Potions book that says: “This is the property of the Half-Blood Prince.” The book not only teaches advanced potion-making skills, but throughout the book, it is edited with secrets to certain potions, as well as it includes spells. He soon learns the book holds very dangerous secrets. Other than the book, he learns that teenagers flirt, fight, and begin to fall in love. This is evident through the relationship between Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, when the friendship soon elevates to more than friends. This is also seen between the relationship of Ginny Weasley and the main character himself, Harry Potter. Their friendship soon elevates. Harry is prepared by Headmaster Albus Dumbledore that he will need to find Horcruxes and destroy them in order to kill Lord Voldemort. He takes off with Dumbledore and searches a massive cave for one of the first Horcruxes Voldemort left behind, but it only turns out to be a fake one that the previous searcher left. Inside of the Horcrux was a note signed R.A.B. Harry does not know who R.A.B. is and will later find out in the seventh and final book.

“The movie is definitely different from the others, but in a good way. It is more comical, I laughed many times. It had a bit of teen romance, which was fairly entertaining to watch. I overall liked the movie a lot and would rate it four stars out of five.” Says Cody, another writer.

“Definitely the best of all of the Harry Potter movies. You can tell thoroughly that Draco Malfoy is trying his hardest to be a Death Eater, but you can tell that he feels trapped and sort of forced to become one out of fear.” Karina says, another writer.

“I loved the movie. It was entertaining, funny, adventurous, and it had many other qualities. I would give it five out of five stars. It is definitely one of my favorite movies now.” Jaycee said, a writer at the Modern Typewriter.

Rumor has it that the seventh and final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will be split up into two movies to cover the entire book and to detail it more.

How do you rate the new Harry Potter movie? Did you like the more comical style of filming? Post a comment to express your opinion!

Remember, I’m Royce, and this is the Modern Typewriter, OUT!

Picture Retrieved From:http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince.jpg

posted (June 29-July 12, 2009)

388.  The Days of Pardon; (June 29, 2009)

 

389. Another wave of assassinations readied: Bi-Weekly report (#26) (June 29, 2009)

 

390.  Gratifying revenge; (June 31, 2009)

 

391.  “The valse of farewells” by Milan Kundera (July 4, 2009)

 

392.  I came from the dead for you (July 8, 2009)

 

393.  It is a beautiful rainy day; (July 9, 2009)

 

394.  Reactions to “Why the Arab World is not free?” (July 10, 2009)

 

395.  The Sea People and the 12 tribes (July 11, 2009)

 

396.  Sayyed Hassan Nasr Allah: Speeches; (July 9, 2009)

 

397.  “Storms come and go”: Bashar Assad (Syria’s President); (July 12, 2009)

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

The Mortal Instruments series is comprised of City of Bones (Book One), City of Ashes (Book Two), and City of Glass (Book Three). It follows fifteen-year-old Clary Fray as she is introduced to the demon-slaying world of the Shadowhunters and glamour-hidden world of Downworlders comprised of warlocks, werewolves, vampires and fey. Along for the ride is her best friend Simon.

When Clary witnesses three Shadowhunters murder a human-looking demon while at a club, the Shadowhunters take an interest in her. She shouldn’t have been able to see them: Isabelle, beautiful, graceful and wielding a wipe more effectively then Indiana Jones, Alec, overprotective and thoughtful , and lion-like Jace, aggressive and confident.

It is soon discovered that Clary has Shadowhunter blood but that her memories have been forcefully repressed. What follows is enough drama, plot twists, and scandals to rival a soap opera. And yet, it was riveting. When Clare takes her time in laying out the scene, allowing the characters to develop and respond to situations, the story is gripping, with shots wit and humor.

The exposition (mostly delivered though dialog with Jace) was often overly wordy (p 44) and alternately a little confusing and too explanatory (p 132). I would have preferred a less abrupt introduction to this fascinating world. But I caught up. There is a nice explanation at The Mortal Instruments.

There are some good metaphors (among many overused ones): As Clary works to pierce the magical glamour hiding objects and people, “[the glyphs] tantalized her sight the way half-heard words in a foreign language sometimes tantalized her hearing, as if just by concentrating harder, she could force some meaning out of them” (p 134).

And some humorous passages, like when Clary asks Simon about the ‘hey’ thing (p 340).

“The ‘hey’ thing that you guys always do. Like when you saw Jace and Alec, you said ‘hey,’ and they said ‘hey’ back. What’s wrong with ‘hello’?”
She thought she saw a muscle twitch in his cheek. “‘Hello’ is girly,” he informed her. “Real men are terse. Laconic.”
“So the more manly you are, the less you say?”
“Right.” Simon nodded. … “That’s why when major badassesgreet each other in movies, they don’t say anything, they just nod. The nod means, ‘I am a badass, and I recognize that you, too, are badass,’ but they don’t say anything because they’re Wolverine and Magneto and it would mess up their vibe to explain.”

What I enjoyed most, was learning that Cassandra Clare was responsible for the hilarous The Very Secret Diaries(Still not King) of the Lord of the Rings. Any fan of Tolkien world should read these! Clare dropped a reference in Book One to the Diaries as well as references to anime (so near and dear to my heart). It’s clear Cassandra is familiar with animeseries like Angel Sanctuary, which features avenging angels and an incestuous relationship between the two main characters. I’d love to see this series animated in Japanese style.

I highly recommend this to fantasy and anime fanatics alike, ages 14 and up.

"Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert

Thought provoking, spiritually enlightening, pleasure revitalising with a touch of humor throughout!

This book could well be anyone’s journey, the only thing she does is that she dwells in the split of a second moment, enjoying, contemplating, reviewing, all complemented with perfect choice of words, amazing details and thrilling style of writing!

Elizabeth Gilbert goes into a journey of self discovery after a traumatic divorce. She lands in Italy for sheer pleasure, in India for mere devotion and to Indonesia for the balance between pleasure and devotion.

In Italy, it’s pleasure, pleasure and more pleasure throughout in the form of food and language! How digestible this part is, you literally gain a few Kg’s just reading and picturing her mouth-watering description of food. She is also on a mission to learn Italian, mostly through interaction with the natives, which in itself is an interesting voyage full of ciaos and attraversiamos, Haha!

In India, she looks for spirituality and devotion in an Ashram (secluded place of worship) with rigorous spiritual routines. Although this chapter is all about what I exactly don’t believe in and even find hard to digest, she relays her story in a manner that makes you live in an Ashram yourself. I literally started looking around for every tiny little beautiful thing to cherish, so it wasn’t necessary all opposing stuff, it just opens your eyes to beautiful things that already exist in Islam.

She mentions Islam and Christianity with relation to Hinduism and spirituality, I do not think she got all facts right. One example, 

“….you may use your Yoga -your disciplined practices of sacred union- to get closer to Krishna, Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha or Yahweh” (p.128)

First and foremost, she got the basics wrong, because we only aim to get closer to the One and Only God and not his messenger Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). We do however strvie to follow the way the prophet lived. Secondly, I may be mistaken, but I do not think Muslims perform yoga to get closer to Allah (!) haven’t heard of any at least!

I came out from this chapter with one solid conclusion. These Ashram-Monk-Yoga-Guru beliefs confirm that if you are to connect with God you need to disconnect yourself from the outer civilized modern world. You could imagine how our lives would be if we were all monks, gurus and yogis. There would either be (a) no civilization whatsoever, we all live in caves meditating or else (b) prayers and meditation should only be carried out in certain times of the year! I appreciate my religion for having us build a good balance of both pleasure and devotion.

In Indonesia, Liz goes searching for balance in her life, there she be-friends a medicine man and a lady healer. This Indonesia journey does not seem to really fulfill the “balance” aspect and I do not really understand the reasons behind her long hours of sitting with the medicine man.  The most exciting part about this last trip is that with the claimed balance she found love!

A true page turner..

One last word, this book like others is not everyone’s cup of tea. It’s highly recommended for those who question their mind, soul and heart in certain matters, and also enjoy reading memoirs. Not so for people who are looking for rich literature, guide to the countries visited or humanitarian issues. Oh and it is definitely not meant to be a man’s book at all!

Book reviews: The Year 1000 and 1215

The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium: An Englishman’s World by Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger was not coincidentally published just before the turn of the last millennium. Millennial hype aside, the book intends to describe what life was like around the year 1000,  rather than be a history of events occurring in the year 1000. The book’s primary source and focus is the Julius Work Calendar, a document written sometime around the year 1000 describing and illustrating life at the time. While I did appreciate the light tone of the writing, the subject matter bounced around somewhat too much despite the attempt to focus each chapter on a single topic related to a month of the year as described by the Julian Work Calendar. There may have been a few interesting facts and nuggets of information, specifically regarding the origins of certain words in the English language, but overall the book left little lasting impression on me.

1215: The Year of Magna Carta by Danny Danziger and John Gillingham is a very similar book both in its theme and writing style (one of the authors is the same as The Year 1000) but the results are somewhat more enjoyable in 1215. Instead of the Julius Work Calendar, the focus of 1215 is centered around the Magna Carta. The discussions of the document itself are saved until the latter third of the book, with the beginning focusing on life in England after the Norman conquest and then more of what you would describe as the historical aspects of the time, specifically the reign of King John. This broader focus actually makes for a more informative and enjoyable book.

I haven’t read many other books on this subject, but I would say that if you are interesting in learning about medieval England, skip The Year 1000 and give 1215 a try.

Rating for The Year 1000: 5 out of 10.
Rating for 1215: 7 out of 10.

Tim and Tom, Sinatra and More: This Week on TV CONFIDENTIAL

Author, speaker and stand-up comic Tom Dreesen will be our special guest this week on the season premiere of TV CONFIDENTIAL (Monday, July 13, 10pm ET, 7pm PT on Shokus Internet Radio; Tuesday, July 14, 10pm ET, 7pm PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org).

Most of us know Tom Dreesen for his many appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and The Late Show with David Letterman, as well as his many years as the opening act for Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and other show business legends. Less known, however, is the story of his partnership with comic/actor Tim Reid (WKRP in Cincinnati) in the late 1960s as America’s first, and only, interracial comedy team. At a time of racial unrest, riots and assassination, Dreesen and Reid worked nightclubs across the country, facing racist heckling, threats and even violence. And while they would never enjoy the success as a team that they would later have in their solo careers, their individual triumphs would not have been possible were it not for the struggles they went through together. It’s a remarkable story of passion, perseverance and a 40-year friendship that will appeal to anyone, no matter what field you work in. Tom Dreesen will join us live in our second hour.

In our first hour, Tony Figueroa and David Krell will join us as we take a look at the world of television during the first half of 2009. From the changing of the guard on NBC late night television to the Letterman/Palin controversy, from notable series finales (E/R) to shows that were perhaps canceled before their time (Life on Mars), from the inauguration of Barack Obama to the death of Michael Jackson and a whole lot more.

If you want to be part of our conversation, if you have questions for Tom Dreesen or comments about the year in television so far, we invite you to join us for our live broadcast this Monday, July 13, at 10pm ET, 7pm PT on Shokus Internet Radio. Our email address, as always, is talk@tvconfidential.net. But our phone number is brand new… (888) 746-5875 (or 888 SHOKUS-5).

NOTE. If you should miss the live broadcast, you can catch an encore presentation Tuesday, July 14 at 10pm ET, 7pm PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org, as well every night at 10pm ET, 7pm ET on Shokus Internet Radio through July 26. The July 13 show will be then archived at www.tvconfidential.net beginning July 27.

Ed Robertson
Co-Host, TV CONFIDENTIAL
Mon-Sun 10pm ET, 7pm PT
Shokus Internet Radio beginning July 13
Every other Tuesday at 10pm ET, 7pm PT
Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
www.tvconfidential.net
blog.tvconfidential.net
Also available as a podcast via iTunes and FeedBurner

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Mia thought that her relationship with Adam would change once she had to decide whether to attend Juilliard in the fall. But now she truly faces the hardest decision of her life. After a horrific car crash leaves her hanging in the balance,Mia caught between life and death, forced to make the impossible choice: to leave her mortal body and join her family in the afterlife, or to stay with her praying family and friends and face a life of grief, one irrevocably changed.

Learning Theology with the Church Fathers

As I am sure many of you know, IVP has been producing a great series (several series actually) of books that are designed to help academics, pastors, students and lay people come into contact with the early church fathers. One of these series is three volumes of introduction: Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers, Learning Theology with the Church Fathers, and a third volume to be published entitled: Worshipping with the Church Fathers (due out Jan. 2010), all written by Christopher Hall. For this post, I would like to look specifically at the second volume, Learning Theology with the Church Fathers (IVP, 2002 – Special thanks to IVP for a review copy!).

In an important admission, particularly for our interests here at Theology Forum, “I acknowledge readily and immediately that the fathers never split theology off from spirituality, as though theology was an academic, mental exercise best practiced in one’s study, while Christian spirituality was more appropriately focused on the heart and centered in a church sanctuary. Any split between mind and heart, theology and spirituality, study and sanctuary would have met with scant toleration from the fathers” (10). For sake of space, Hall has split up the theological loci and the spiritual content of the third volume, but he assures us this is only for the sake of publishing and not of content.

Hall develops his thought by starting with a section helping readers who are new to the church fathers navigate territory that will most certainly seem odd and at times disconcerting. He then moves through doctrinal topics from chapters 2-11, roughly following the Nicene Creed as a broad roadmap to the issues: “Christ the Son, Begotten and Not Made,” “The Mystery and Wonder of the Trinity,” “Christ Divine and Human,” “On the Holy Spirit,” “Sin, Grace and the Human Condition,” “God’s Transcendent Providence,” “God’s Wise and Loving Providence,” “The Sacred Scriptures,” “One Holy, Apostolic Church,” and finally, “The Resurrection of the Body and the Life Everlasting.”

While it would be impossible, and probably in the end unhelpful, to work through each of these chapters and note aspects of the content, there are several points I would like to make. First, Hall does a great job of writing with clarity and making this an accessible volume. This could easily be used in an undergraduate class or lower level seminary classroom where many of the students will have had no background in theology or the issues that helped form our theological grammar. Likewise, Hall is able to turn a corner by addressing modern concerns and issues (such as calling God “Father”) in a way which is sensitive and insightful. Second, and in light of the first, this book has a very broad range of possible uses. Because of the readability of the text, it could easily be used in a church setting as well as an academic one, and would prove fruitful to anyone doing introductory work in theology. He addresses the heresies and debates in each position thereby framing the discussion appropriately.

Lastly, there is one issue I have with this book. I certainly appreciate all that these various “church fathers” series are doing, and am glad that they are continuing to broaden the horizons and offer more narrowly focused volumes such as this one. That being said, I would think that the major purpose of a text like this would be to whet the appetite of the reader and provides a means for them to dive into the fathers themselves. Because of this, I also assumed to find helpful tools and suggestions for doing so, say, Hall’s advice on tackling a study of the Trinity in the church fathers. But you don’t find this, and for that reason, I think this volume is really hindered.

That being said, do any of you have advice for those who might want to dive into the church fathers? Does anyone know someone who has put together something like I’m suggesting?

'The Age of Wonder' by Richard Holmes

The front cover of Richard Holmes’ book The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science shows the beautiful painting ‘A Philosopher giving that Lecture on the Orrery in which a Lamp is put in place of the Sun‘ by Joseph Wright of Derby, 1766.   Quite apart from the impact of the lighting, the expressions on the faces and the spread of generations depicted, the title of the painting is important- a philosopher- and in Richard Holmes’ book we explore the shift from ‘philosopher’ to ’scientist’ in the nineteenth century.  The term ’scientist’ itself is of fairly recent origin, coined as part of this transition between 1830-1834, and initially rejected because of its analogy with ‘atheist’ but rapidly taken up in common usage.

Holmes argues that the bifurcation between science and romanticism took place only  in the mid 19th century, and was preceded by a period in which what we now call ’science’ was part of a broader fascination with theology, poetry, painting and literature.   In this multiple biography, not unlike Jenny Uglow’s  The Lunar Men (which I’m also looking forward to reading), Holmes uses Sir Joseph Banks as a type of bookend to encapsulate a number of other interwoven biographies.  The book opens with Joseph Banks in the South Seas, the young, libertine ethnographer who literally ‘goes native’  during his voyage of exploration and closes with his death in London, the bedrock of the Royal Society and a one-man communication hub between the  ‘philosophers’  he championed and mentored across the globe.   Between these bookends are other biographies: particularly those of William and Caroline Hershel the astronomers and Humphrey Davy the chemist and inventor, who each have two distinct chapters, as if Holmes himself is orbiting them.  Mungo Park the African explorer is here too, reaching into the darkness and emptiness of Africa as it was known then;  as are the balloonists in England and France who had the first glimpse of the earth from on high, just as momentous and re-orienting as the photographs of the earth taken from space 150 years later.  This is not just a ‘great man’ approach: there is also the more troubling diversion into the experiments into galvanism (news of which travelled all the way to Port Phillip) and attempts to create life itself as displayed in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

These ‘philosophers’ were not set apart from artists and poets: instead they were friends with them, and in many cases were themselves poets and writers- especially Humphrey Davy who, for me, is the luminous presence of the book.  His incorporation of women philosopher/scientists – Caroline Hershel, the indefatigable assistant to her brother and astronomer in her own right, Mary Shelley and Mary Somerville – does not feel forced, while acknowledging the societal structures that privileged their male colleagues.

Holmes is a wonderful biographer.  His footnotes at the end of the book are spare but painstaking, reflecting the depth of archival research he has undertaken.  They are supplemented by the occasional note at the bottom of the page, denoted by a trefoil, that provides glimpses of the biographer at work and in thought.  His note, for example, attached to a glancing reference to a ribbon that Davy enclosed in a letter:

In 1795 Pitt had levied a tax on hair powder, to help raise funds for military campaigns abroad.  The ribbon fell out of Beddoe’s letter as I unfolded it in the Truro archive, and I let out a republican whoop! that almost led to my ejection. (p. 252)

This is not just a series of scientific biographies: it is an argument about Romanticism and science, and the nature of human intellect and endeavour.  It is a deeply rewarding read.

Osprey Duel: Sopwith Camel Vs Fokker DR1 – Western Front 1917-18

Title: Sopwith Camel Vs Fokker DR1 – Western Front 1917-18

Author: Jon Guttman

Publisher: Osprey Publishing

Osprey continue their successful run of military aviation titles with this excellent ‘ Dog fight double’ publication, that looks in some detail at two of the most famous aircraft to take to the skies during World War One.

Interspersed among the text are period photographs and superb illustrations, comprising three view colour plates, as well as detailed colour cockpit paintings and a two page aerial battle scene from aviation artists Harry Dempsey, Jim Laurier and Postlethwaite.

Nine chapters of highly readable prose cover an introduction to the subject matter and then take the reader progressively through the chronology, design and development, technical specifications, the strategic situation, the combatants, combat, statistics and analysis and the aftermath of the struggle between these distinctive aircraft. The book, totalling 80 pages, concludes with a further reading list and an index.

This title and others like it in the series, are perfect complementary reads to the ‘Aircraft of the Aces’ releases, also published by Osprey. The book is highly recommended, even if you do not regard this as your favorite period of aviation history. Guttman’s handling of the material is excellent in providing a rounded appreciation for how each aircraft came into being, as well as their respective strengths and weaknesses in the cauldron of combat.

However, an aircraft is useless without a pilot and Guttman’s technical and strategic study is constantly woven into the colourful lives and eventful careers of the men who fought each other, often to the death. It is the human element of war that is the most compelling and any purchaser of this title will be rewarded with a greater understanding of what it was like to fly a machine, separated from enemy bullets by little more than fabric and wood.

Highly recommended.

Read Some Joseph Boyden

Joseph Boyden’s two novels tell the stories of four generations of the Bird family, Oji-Crees from Northern Ontario. These stories of family and friendship, set against the backdrop of life on a native reserve and the legacy of residential schools are both moving and entertaining. I highly recommend everyone read both of these novels.

Three Day Road (Penguin Canada) tells the stories of Xavier Bird and his aunt Niska. As the book begins, Niska Bird, the last Oji-Cree medicine woman to live off the land in Northern Ontario, travels south to meet her nephew Xavier who has recently returned from fighting in WWI. As the two travel home by canoe,  their intertwining stories of hardship and loss each help the other to come to terms with their pasts and to find a path to a better future.

Set in the present day, Boyden’s follow-up novel Through Black Spruce (Viking Canada) tells the stories of Annie Bird and her uncle Will. While each experiences a troubled present, they recall their secret pasts. As each comes to terms with their past actions and experiences, they are able to move forward with new hope for peace and happiness.

Related links:

For more information about Joseph Boyden, visit www.josephboyden.com.

To buy his books, visit www.chapters.ca.

For information about Canada’s residential schools, visit:

CBC – (http://archives.cbc.ca/society/education/topics/692/)

Assembly of First Nations -(http://www.afn.ca/residentialschools/history.html) 

Wikipedia -(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Indian_residential_school_system).

So Not Happening by Jenny B. Jones

Bella Kirkwood had it all: A-list friends at her prestigious private school, Broadway in her backyard, and Daddy’s MasterCard in her wallet. Then her father, a plastic surgeon to the stars, decided to trade her mother in for a newer model.
When Bella’s mom falls in love with a man she met on the Internet–a factory worker with two bratty sons–Bella has to pack up and move in with her new family in Truman, Oklahoma. On a farm no less!
Forced to trade her uber-trendy NYC lifestyle for her down-home charm, Bella feels like a pair of Rock & Republic jeans in a sea of Wranglers.
At least some of the people in her new high school are pretty cool. Especially the hunky football player who invites her to lunch. And maybe even the annoying–but kinda hot–editor of the school newspaper.
But before long, Bella smells something rotten in the town of Truman, and it’s not just the cow pasture. With her savvy reporter’s instincts, she is determined to find the story behind all the secrets.

Oh how I loved this book! Jenny B. Jones has written a wonderful novel perfectly captured from a city girl’s point of view. Bella is such a witty, smart and irresistible character. You will love Bella’s hilarious insights on farm life. So Not Happening had me laughing out loud the whole time! The mystery in the book got me hooked and will keep readers turning the pages! For someone who everyone assumes is a “spoiled brat”, Bella sure proved them all wrong by ultimately becoming the heroine.

The Charmed Life series is definitely one series I will be buying more of in future. I am very glad that I bought this book, now I can’t wait for the next book I’m So Sure to be out in November. The cover is so cute and there’s another mystery too. Can you say awesome? In the mean time, get your copy of So Not Happening if you haven’t!

Gold star!

Interspersed Endless Ellipses

“I wanted to like “From Mayor To Fool.” I really did. I love personal narratives in which people explain their spiritual and emotional evolution. Stories about change can be deeply moving, and I can usually overlook a lot of challenging writing or formatting in these cases.

Sadly, I couldn’t get past the way “From Mayor to Fool” was written to enjoy the story. It is a series of short interludes written as a play. The characters and settings are never clear, and the writing is a interspersed with endless ellipses and questionable spellings. This felt much more like a very promising workshop piece that needed much more editing than a finished or accomplished autobiography.”

— Robin Sweeney, San Francisco Bay Area California USA

Feedback about book “From Mayor to Fool” via Amazon.com – 07/04/2009

Tim Mayeur © 2009

<i>It's Not About the Bike</i>, by Lance Armstrong

Like many Americans, I didn’t become aware of Lance Armstrong until he started racking up the Tour de France victories.  Even as he blew through records, I wasn’t much into cycling.  Things have changed.  With Lance back from retirement and me getting ready to watch my third Tour de France, I thought it a good time to pick up this book.  I didn’t expect much (it is a sports autobiography, after all), but was surprised with the honesty, balance, and just good storytelling that Armstrong and his co-author Sally Jenkins put together.

The more I’ve learned about Armstrong, the more it seems that he has always tried to live a straightforward life, and the book is no different.  He doesn’t let his reader get very far before coming right out and telling them what’s in store.  Usually, I’m not a fan of direct author-reader interaction, but here it works.  “I’m sure you’d like to hear about how Lance Armstrong became a Great American and an Inspiration To Us All …. You want to hear about faith and mystery, and my miraculous comeback,” he says on the third page.  He’s not far off, either, I’m sure.  Many people probably approach this book looking for a lift, ignoring the gritty details of his illness.  Armstrong won’t do that, however.  He continues, “People die [from cancer].  And after you learn it, all other matters seem irrelevant.  They just seem small.”

I was absolutely thrilled to find such a frank tone being set so early on.  In the paragraphs I’ve excerpted, Armstrong eliminates the possibility of melodrama.  There will be no sap or cheese involved in his narration.  In telling about his pre-cancer years, even the successful bits, it doesn’t come off as a life you would want to live.  There’s arrogance and anger, plus family issues galore which go a long way to pulling him off the pedestal of fame.  A cynic would argue that this an authorial trick, setting up a Cinderella scenario, but that’s wrong.  The reader has to understand his personality before the illness in order to appreciate the depth of change it inflicted on his life.  That said, the narration has a slightly resigned air, as though he would rather not dwell on that time in his life.  Besides, if you want rags to riches, it doesn’t get much more ragged than cancer.

Ultimately this book is about cancer, what it did to his life, and what he had to do to survive.  The chapters in which Armstrong talks about the disease, his treatments, and the effects are unflinching in their honesty.  There were parts which I actually had trouble reading, not because of graphic details (which are virtually absent), but because of the empathy I felt.  The language employed is simple, but manages to communicate the pain and sheer hell of living with cancer.  I had no idea just how widespread the disease was in Armstrong.  It wasn’t just his testicle; it spread to his his lungs and brain with a frightening rapidity.  Likewise, I was completely clueless on the level of toxicity employed in chemotherapy.  The doctors are poisoning the patient with some of the most vile substances around in a desperate attempt at salvation.  Some of the chemo parts were difficult to read, but they helped me develop an appropriate respect for anyone forced to undergo such treatment.  There are no euphemisms employed here, only the bare truth.  That includes, mind you, the occasional smiles and human connections which foster strength and endurance.  The lone fact that such desolate ground was covered without a whiff of hyperbole or sensationalism makes this a book worth your time.

It’s not all doom and gloom.  He does live, and he does win.  Indeed, once the cancer goes into remission and he begins to ride, the narration becomes some of the best sports writing I’ve ever read.  The comeback was not easy, either emotionally or physically, but it did happen and is a great story in and of itself.  In the telling, Armstrong provides the reader with a primer on the world of competitive cycling.  If you’ve ever watched any bike races, you already know more than you think.  The politics of it, however, were entirely new to me, as were the dynamics of races and racers, with his discussion of the peleton something I found especially enlightening.  The coverage of the Tour itself was impressive in that the book reduces a three week race to a manageable chapter without losing anything in the process.  There were times the writing had me all but standing in my chair, cheering him to the finish line like it was a live race.

A topic which is only tangentially discussed is performance enhancers in cycling.  Nevertheless, after reading this book I am more convinced than ever that dopers are stone cold idiots.  I am also certain that Armstrong has never been among their ranks.  When I consider the frequency and intensity with which the drug control organizations test riders, and Lance in particular, it leaves me incredulous that anyone would think they could go undetected.  If the same level of scrutiny were employed in all sports, I don’t think baseball would have the issues that it does.  As for Armstrong, the question of his drug use is answered in my mind.  After all the races, after all the wins, there is no question in that had he been doping, they would have caught him.

In the end, I found the book both an enthralling read and an educational one as well.  It is a snapshot of Armstrong at that point in his life, the story of how he got there.  There are things which have happened since, especially his divorce from wife Kristen, who he speaks of tenderly in the book, which leave me with questions.  But in a sense, that makes me like the guy and his book all the more.  He’s an imperfect hero who manages to do extraordinary things, and if that’s not an American storyline, I don’t know what is.

On a side note, the new Nike/Livestrong commercial is out and echoes everything that makes the book great.