The Alphabet of Grace

TIME: November 2008
.
AUTHOR: Fredrick Buechner
.
NOTES:
.
I went around asking my friends to recommend books to me and a good friend of mine named Steve offered me this one. I was very happy to receive it as I am a big fan of the author. I just recently read one installment of 'The Book of Bebb' and I loved it. I recommend the book of Bebb as highly as I recommend the present title.
.
A book like this defies description. I can tell you that he discusses faith and God in it. He talks about how language is the way we express story (hence the alphabet reference). I can also tell you that it reads like a crisp spring morning filled with good coffee and pleasant smells in comparison to many modern defences of faith. He does not offer empirical data as an explanation of his belief. Instead, he speaks of the little moments in life where it seems like God is gleaming through. These moments can be tree branches clacking on one another or the nights when you reach into the darkness expecting to touch the hand of Jesus (read the book and you'll get it). Beuchner argues for a faith with doubt. He argues for a true human faith in the Divine: one that does not rest on absolute scientific fact but one that rests in a feeling so fleeting yet so real. Though I find myself unable to clearly express what Buechner is up to in this book I can tell you that it tastes of a truth that is lost in books that 'clearly tell it'.

God's Universe

TIME: September 2008

.
AUTHOR: Owen Gingerich

NOTES:

This was a textbook for a class that Sarah took last year with Prof. Gobbet. I was attracted to it because it was short and it reminded me of "A Brief History of Time".

The author discusses the basic tenants and history of the Big Bang Theory and Evolutionary Theory. These two central topics are peppered with various astronomic tid-bits of interest. The book is appealing because the author is a firm believer in both Orthodox Christianity and in the two main topics of the book (interesting, no?). For those not in the loop, this is interesting because much of contemporary pop-debate suggests that the Christian faith and Evolution/Big Bang is incompatible.

Throughout the book the reader is impressed with the idea that these modern theories may actually compliment Christianity. Obviously one is forced to abandon a hyper-literal interpretation of Genesis (which I abandoned long ago anyway) in order to give ear to Gingerich. After hearing about the extreme improbability of sentient life and a habitable planet, the complexity of DNA, and the unfathomable nature of the Big Bang one is left with the impression that an intelligent designer/sustainer is more probable than not.

I am not a scientist so my opinions are largely based in ignorance but I was very impressed with this little book and it caused me to question much of what I believe regarding creation. Without further research I am unable to offer much more than non-scientific kudos to a scientific read.

The Chrysalids

TIME: February 2008
.
AUTHOR: John Wyndham
.
NOTES:
.
I just finished this book the day a family member ended his life. This context may or my not color my response.

The book itself was very interesting from a Christian (or at least my Christian...) point of view. It used much familiar Christian language including: image of God, Bible, faith, and blasphemy. The unique angle was that the terms were used in a way that I had to disagree with, as in a girl with six toes being a non-human blasphemy. This was obviously disconcerting in its polemical nature against my belief but it was also enlightening in the perspective it allowed me.
.
In a way I was able to view my faith from the outside. I was able to here the protests of homosexuals and pro-choicers against my folds often poor language choices. I am not totally sure, but I think the underlying message of this book was the superiority of evolution, progress, and tolerance over what the author portrays as dead tradition which is only holding back the above mentioned goods.
My immediate, knee-jerk reaction to this message is that Christianity is being misrepresented. I would have to agree with Wyndham in that much of fundamentalist faith is indeed an effort to hold lifeless tradition to closely. However, I believe that true Christianity is living, breathing and compatible with a changing world. Not only that, but I would argue that Christ is necessary for a full and proper perception of what it means to be.
.
From a literary standpoint the book was beautifully written. The expressions of cruelty and fear impact the reader on a deeply felt level. The Characters were well developed and believable and the setting was especially well done. One of the major feats of this novel was its intriguing future setting. One is able to clearly picture the landscape because it abandons traditional 'sci-fi' leanings in favor of an almost Amish like post apocalyptic world. In this setting the reader accepts common things like plough horses and helicopters as fantastical animals and outrageous machinery.
.
The one major downfall of the book , which has been highlighted by many a critic, is what is sometimes called a "god from the machine ending". basically, a helicopter with future weapons sweeps in at the moment of climax and neatly solves all of the seemingly insurmountable difficulties in one fail swoop. I was also left thirsting for an explanation of the cause of the Apocalypse. I wanted a back story so badly and found myself flatly denied.

Slam

TIME: June 2008
.
AUTHOR: Nick Hornby

NOTES:
.
This book has a lot of varied significance for me. Firstly, I bought it in Banff on my second year anniversary. Secondly, this is the first book that Sarah and I have read out loud together. Aside from these outside milestones the book itself was also fantastic. At first I was put off because the main Character took advice from his Tony Hawk poster on a regular basis. I did eventually get over this one tacky hurdle because Hornby, in his genius, was able to make this cheesy concept into a believable element of the story.

The basic thrust of the novel was that a fifteen year old son of a single mom gets his girlfriend pregnant. On a side note I spent the thirteenth year of my life agonizing over whether I had impregnated a girl or not (just for the curious, she was not pregnant) and so I could relate to the emotion in this book very well. The boy, Sam, goes through a lot over this situation including a breakup, a runaway and the seeming transportation into the future via Tony Hawk.

I find that the best part of Hornby novels is usually the ending. In "High Fidelity" we learn that love is imperfect and tough. In "About a Boy" we learn that no man is an island and in order to fully live we need to open up to the mess and hurt that comes with interrelation. In "SLAM" we learn that getting a girl pregnant as a fifteen year old boy is complicated. Things don't work out perfectly, you might still lose the girl, plans might have to change etc etc. but in the end life is about living with the mess and seeing the hope in it.

Lucky Man

TIME: February 2007
.
AUTHOR: Michael J. Fox

NOTES:

First of all, I promise to read something 'Classic' soon. Recently I bought the 'Back to the Future' trilogy. After viewing it I was full of nostalgia. I found myself at the Salvation Army during my nostalgic buzz and got some great deals. I ended up with three Blondie albums, one Keith Green record (which I didn't even know existed), and a handful of books. One of the books was a crisp new copy of 'Lucky Man'. I started reading this book on the John thinking that I would put it down afterward; instead I ended up ingesting the whole thing in a matter of days.

One obvious reason that I dug this book so deeply was that is contains a lot of behind the scenes stuff about 'Back to the Future'. However, what kept me reading was Fox's struggle with Parkinson's disease. My family struggles with diseases that impact the brain and I always feel a strong affinity with famous people who have similar struggles (I am thinking also of Daniel Johnson).

I liked the way that Fox tackled his life. He was not self degrading but he was honest. He has that honest edge that is difficult to find. He deals with a lot of stuff including brain surgery, family, bar fights with Woody Harrelson, fund raising and working as a public figure who has a visible health problem. I don't have a lot to say other than that.

The Abraham Connection

TIME: February 2007
.
AUTHOR(S): Gordis, Grose, and Siddiqi

NOTES:

I read this book for a class called 'The History of Christian Muslim Relations'. I chose this title out of a lengthy list because it is written in the form of dialogue and 'Shades' has inspired me to read more of this type of writing. The dialogue consisted of three speakers representing Judaism, Protestantism, and Islam. The discussion was guided around the topics of History, Theology, and Faith.

As a Christian I was pretty disappointed with our man in the discussion. Somehow Grose, who was the Christian, managed to concede even when the others were not pressuring him to. At one point he even said that all three religions could be simultaneously 'valid'(which I suppose is true in the sense that we can mutually respect one another), which was immediately contested by the others as they were not willing to allow a 'lets get along because we are all correct despite glaring contradictions between us' view.

I did learn a lot about Judaism that I did not previously know. For example I was unaware of the "mid rash" which seems to be like an appendix to their main text (OT). This mid rash is where Jewish historians and theologians claim that Muslims borrowed much of the Koran from. Of course Muslim scholars would argue that Muhammad had no knowledge of any other text and that the Koran was authored by Allah.

The book was valuable to me on two fronts, one major and one minor. The minor value was the wealth of first hand knowledge about two other Abrahamic religions. It was wonderful to here intelligent proponents of other faiths explaining stances in a clear and respectful way. However, the major value of the text was as a model for discourse. This text serves as proof that different faiths can engage in dialogue without resorting to the the ugliness we see in the media. In the modern world this kind of example is priceless.

The Odyssey

TIME: January 2007
.
AUTHOR: Homer

NOTES:
.
This was an assigned text for my senior Humanities Seminar. I knew that this book was a classic but I had no idea what it was about. It turns out that Homer covers a range of what it means to be human including: sex, love, honor, war, peace, justice, pain, loss, and death. the most interesting element of the story for myself was the theme of 'storytelling'.

The Characters of Odysseus and his son Telemachus often find themselves sharing their stories with strangers. It seems that these stories serve a number of purposes. The most obvious gain is that they establish a relationship between the teller and the hearer. By sharing his story the teller is sharing himself with the recipient. In this way 'troth' is established. Apparently 'troth' is a similar concept to truth or trust or perhaps a combination of the two. Troth represents a commitment between persons based on mutual sharing of themselves. We see this kind of thing worked out in romantic relationships. Myself and my wife spent many hours sharing our life stories with one another in the early part of our journey. this sharing created a bond and it facilitated a vulnerability that I don't share with many people. Perhaps the shocking bit of 'the Odyssey' is that this troth is shared between men and men. In modern society it is not fashionable to be vulnerable with other men and so its strikes the reader as strange to see muscular warriors pouring their hearts out to one another around the dinner table.

This concept of troth is very important, especially as a Christian. I am learning that I must establish troth between myself and God and myself and others. This is done by getting past the superficial to something deeper. This requires a mutual sharing of story. In Gods case the Bible seems like a logical starting point. By reading the old old story I learn why I should trust God, why I should love him, why I should fear him. In Christian fellowship this requires confessing one to another, testifying to truth, and sharing our stories with one another. In everyday life this requires a more open self. This is of course a difficult undertaking in the individualistic space I find myself in . North America is not a friendly place to become vulnerable. Also our culture promotes a 'me' mentalitity, which basically means that people are more interested in hearing themselves speak than others. I also wonder if troth should be sook with everyone or if it is reserved for certain appropriate spaces.

Shades

TIME: January 2006
.
AUTHOR(S): Brad Jersak and Sean Davidson
.
NOTES:
.
Honestly, the only reason I gave this book a chance was because a Prof. of mine co-authored it. I did, however, really enjoy reading it. The book is formatted as a 'chat-room' discussion (a sort of platonic-new age feel). The Conversation is between Brad and Sean with a few others interjecting once in awhile. For the sake of context you should know that Brad has been frequenting my college campus for years preaching the virtues of 'listening-prayer' (LP). I have been an avid heckler of his efforts on the basis that I do not audibly hear the Lord and I have always felt that the movement is built on fluff. Knowing how I felt prior to the book you will have to agree that the authors achieved their intended purpose. They successfully nuanced the practice for me. I have, indeed, been softened to some of Brad's ideas through the nuance and probing that Sean provided in discourse.

Near the end of the book Sean offers a very helpful word. he basically tells Brad to stop defending his stance as a solely theological one. This really took my guard down as my main complaint against the LP proponent's NEED to PROVE the practice DEFINITIVELY, which I have always taken as a desire to normalize it. What I mean is that I have always felt that the LP supporters try to label LP as the only true way to communicate with God. What Sean was asking Brad to do instead of PROVING was to WITNESS. The idea of witness is a much humbler stance in my opinion. The basic concept, as I understand it, is that a person witnesses by sharing their experience. So instead of PROVING abstract ideas with reference to text one witnesses to the texts by sharing his or her experience.

Housekeeping Vs. The Dirt

TIME: December 2006
.
AUTHOR: Nick Hornby

NOTES:

I read this book at the end of a tough semester. I have been feeling disillusioned with academics (specifically the study of literature and philosophy). I have been upset about the intellectual elitism that permeates the groups that partake in these fields of academia. I have also been feeling 'sucked in' by a click of people that believe that they have 'the answers' about life. these people use big words and discuss concepts that are far removed from 'ordinary life'. These are the circumstances in which I picked up Hornby's book.

Let me start by saying that 'I friggin LOVE Hornby'. This guy manages to be brilliant, sarcastic, and witty while retaining significant meaning. In this book he makes a case for leisure reading. The book chronicles his journey through a whole bunch of great books (which coincidentally is the inspiration for this book journal-turned blog). Hornby's discussions of the works he read defy accepted academic norms in ways that breathe life into this readers dried up college bones. The thing I appreciate the most about 'Housekeeping vs...' was the perspective it gave to academic elitism in literary studies.

Hornby argues for an enjoyment of reading that is frowned upon in my circles. At one point he discusses the popularity of 'The Divinci Code' and concludes that if it gets people reading that's a good thing. He also allows for a type of interchange between the reader and the books being read that I have always longed for but had not felt freedom to do. That is why I began this blog with a summary of my circumstance coming into the reading. I am trying to live in a belief that reading is a discussion in some ways. Often reading is thought of as a one way information exchange from book to reader. I am starting to believe that this is not the case. The situation of the reader has a great impact on the text being read, or at least on the reception and interpretation of said text. In short I, the reader, read through my unique and ever varying eyes).