I Sold My Soul on Ebay

AUTHOR: HEMANT MEHTA

DATE: JUNE 2011

NOTES: 


I bought this book for two dollars in a bargain bin at Chapters. The reason that I bought it was almost purely based on the advertised forward by Rob Bell. At the time of purchase I had not read any Bell but the name was familiar. (I am currently wading into Velvet Elvis.)

The premise for the book is interesting: Hemant Mehta is a self professed Atheist from a Jane background. He posts an add on eBay to "sell his soul". The soul selling was not actually part of the original deal but a magazine used it and it ended up sticking. The real deal was that Mehta offered to attend any religious service as a full participator for a fee.

A Christian group essentially bought the right to send Mehta to a handful of church services. Mehta attended the gatherings and reported his findings back to the organization in an article format that I presume they published. In this way he was acting a little bit like a secret shopper. Mehta is careful to sell himself in this way throughout the book. He presents himself as the every-atheist. It is this point that causes the book to be a little bit uninspired in my opinion.

Mehta visits a variety of churches ranging all the way from small suburban venues to Mega churches. He examines the churches based on sermon content, sermon delivery, musical talent, style, length, parking, seating etc. Although this information is very helpful for the specific churches and it is of some general interest to the Church at large I do think it is incomplete. Perhaps the most important thing that Mehta's evaluation highlights is a flaw in perspective that many Christians share with him.

Mehta is approaching the Church as a purely consumer experience. He is examining the Church as a "drop in guest" that is shopping for a place that is selling the product he wants marketed in a way he likes. The problem with this approach is that Church is a living community. Church, in my opinion, is better viewed as a family reunion rather than a Broadway show. While I can see the value in Mehtma's critiques and I sympathize with his bad experience at some more bigoted places of worship I don't think he is using the proper criteria for a true evaluation of Church success.

Mehta continually refers to himself as the "target audience" of the Churches he visits. I disagree with him on this point. Firstly, I think it is a mistake to think that the main goal of Sunday service is to attract a "target audience" with the goal of conversion. It is true that a major facet of evangelical belief is the desire to evangelize; however, I do not believe that the primary goal of Sunday service is evangelism. While I would hope that all churches would welcome non-believers to partake or observe a worship service I believe that the primary goal of the service is corporate worship with fellow believers.

I also do not believe that Mehta can claim, in any real sense, to represent all non-believers or even all atheists. In my limited experience I have met a huge variety of non-believing folks with a vast array of beliefs, personalities, and preferences. The truth is that much of what Mehta found unappealing may be very appealing to another person. This is also a good reason for Church to be thought of less as a shopping experience and more as a family function. If we only go where we like to music and the sermons than our commitment is not a religious one but a decision of entertainment. Their is much more to the Christian experience than a good show once a week.

 

CHRONOLITHS

AUTHOR: Robert Charles Wilson

DATE: April 2011

NOTES:
My wife and I walk down to the Moose Jaw Public library a few times a week for exercise and to browse the shelves. I was just returning Spin, which I loved, so I thought I would browse the Sci-Fi shelves. I had thought about getting Axis next but I usually find that the sequel does not measure up and I was afraid of ruining my pleasant Spin memories. Grabbed a stack of other Wilson novels, looked over the covers and read the back blurbs and Chronoliths won me over. The thing that helped me decide was the excellent cover art that features a Chronolith jutting out of the surf while two tourist looking people look on dwarfed by its excess. The way the picture is rendered reminded me of the religious pamphlets that sometimes show up in the mail that always look a bit dated.

The book itself was really interesting. Basically huge monuments start showing up across the globe that memorialize the world conquests of a leader twenty years into the future. Wilson utilizes this unique situation to explore a number of avenues of life including cult worship, government, the science of time travel and so on. I loved the feel of the book. It was set in modern times but it felt a little bit the like the turmoil of the sixties(from what I have seen in film). My only criticism would be of the ending. The mystery that drives a lot of the novel is never really revealed in a satisfying way so the reader is tugged along chapter by chapter expecting a reward and is left empty handed.u

After reading two books by Wilson I think I can comfortably say that he holds the top spot in my "favorite modern sci-fi writer" category. His writing is smart and interesting and he is a master at creating oddly believable landscapes and using these landscapes to explore important and interesting issues.

SPIN

AUTHOR: Robert Charles Wilson

DATE: April 2011

NOTES:

Robert Charles Wilson writes in a unique style. While this book is obviously science fiction with all the usual elements (aliens, futuristic technology, REPLICATORS (Stargate what!) even space travel) its doesn't feel like traditional science fiction. Almost the entire book is narrated through human experience (with the exception of the one Martian speaker who is essentially human [and not human like all the aliens were human in the original Star Trek; rather, human, with a plausible explanation for the similarities]).

The book has a really great mystery at its core and Wilson gives the reader enough answers in each chapter to satisfy while maintaining enough questions to make you want to keep reading. 

The character development was excellent. By the end of the novel you feel as though you know the people from  the story and you have distinct feelings about each of them (some you love, some you miss, and some you hate). 

I really can't say enough about the book. It did have a dry spot about three quarters of the way in that was hard to trudge through (to much information , not enough action) but aside from that it was a really good read. I would probably rank it in my top three favorite science fiction novels. 

I should also mention that Wilson, like all sci-fi moguls, manages to address the major issues of life in his imaginary future (love, death, religion, politics etc.) 

Spin was highly entertaining, enjoyable and thought provoking. I can't wait to see Wilson at this years Festival of Words and I imagine that I will tackle Axis in the near future.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

AUTHOR: Donald Miller

DATE: February 2011

NOTES:

I read this book over the course of a month with my wife, Sarah. I have long been an admirer of Donald Miller. I first read "Blue Like Jazz" as a disillusioned college student and I found hope in it. I even went so far as to email Donald Millers people to ask if I could move in with him. At the time I think I mostly liked that he was a bit shocking and that he seemed to challenge the climate of "staunch morality or else!" that I was finding myself confronted with. At the time Donald Miller understood my feelings of disillusionment and he answered them with hope in a God that is not always angry, that likes art, that cares about the odd people of the world.

As I read this latest offering I felt again like Miller was speaking to my situation. I am older than I was in college, I have a career, I cut my hair and I wear dress pants and button up shirts to my office job every day. I am overweight and that bothers me and I am not totally satisfied with the life I am living. Don't get me wrong, I love my wife and my house and all of that but I deeply want my life to mean something more than average.

"A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" is a story about story. Miller frames his narrative around a movie that is in the works about himself based loosely on "Blue Like Jazz". As Don learns about the elements of a good story he sees that these elements can be applied to life itself. He begins to see that he is not living a good story. He, like me, is overweight and living a boring narrative. He begins to take steps to start living a good story, these steps involve risk and danger which any reader will tell you are essential elements in a good book. He embarks on a long and difficult hike, he joins a gym, starts a foundation, looks for his birth dad and takes a bike ride across America. And as usual Don peppers his narrative with stories about the interesting and inspiring people he has met along the way.

Don's book got me excited about life. I sometimes feel like I live in a sea of complaint and bad news. Many people around me seem unhappy with their jobs, their relationships, they fitness etc etc. The news is always about the latest tragedy, protest, murder or missing person. Millers book said that I could work toward a better story. He said I can look for ways to impact people around me in positive ways, I can get fit, I can use my time more wisely and so on. Don painted a hopeful picture of the future and he encouraged me to be an active force in changing my own stories ark.

The book is not terribly profound in any way. It does not reveal any truth that has not been said before but as usual Donald Miller was able to communicate to me on my level.

P.S. My wife and I visited Portland a year back and I also liked the few times that Miller mentioned places my wife and I had seen face to face.



FAR-SEER

AUTHOR: Robert J. Sawyer

DATE: February 2011

NOTES:

The "Far-Seer" is wonderful. Robert J. Sawyer is a master at creating a fun science fiction landscape. The reader is transported to an alien world that is populated by intelligent dinosaurs. The dinosaurs call themselves Quintaglio's and they have a society that is developed to the point of steam power, sailing ships, metal working, rudimentary astronomy, the printing press, and complex societal and religious systems. Religion and science play key roles in the story.

Afsan is the main character in the novel. He is a young Quintaglio, a friend of Dybo (the prince of the dinosaurs), and apprentice to Tak-Saleed, the head astronomer in the royal court. The majority of the novel deals with Afsan's coming of age story. The reader discovers that dinosaurs have two major rights of passage in their young lives. The first right is called the first hunt. In this exercise the young join a group hunting expedition to kill a lower dinosaur (quadrupeds). This episode is very important to the story as we see that Afsan is a naturally gifted hunter. I won't share the details because I think the book is worth reading yourself.

The second right of passage is the pilgrimage. In fairly recent dinosaur history a prophet dinosaur emerged named Larsk. Larsk sailed halfway around the world and came upon a large glowing disk in the sky that he took to be the face of God. This signalled the end of one dinosaur religion (the worship of the original hunters) and the beginning of a new chapter in which all dinosaurs are to resist their instincts (sin nature?)Also, all dinosaurs must take at least one boat trip to view the face of God as Larsk did. It is on Afsan's first Pilgrimage that the story begins to take a different direction.

Afsan is given a "Far-Seer"(telescope) on the voyage. 

SIDE NOTE: One major issue I had with the book is that I do not think that a Tyrannosaurus would be physically able to lift a telescope to its eye. 

With the aide of the telescope Afsan becomes a Galileo figure. His most dangerous discovery involves the true nature of the face of God. As one can imagine Afsan's heretical observations cause a significant stir. The rest of the book deals with the tension between science and religion. 

The last five chapters of the novel were the most impressive in my opinion as Sawyer introduces an exciting twist that I did not see coming. Throughout the book the reader is introduced to various elements of Quntaglio culture including tapestries, religious rights, various hand signals and words. At the time these items appear to only serve the purpose of developing the novels landscape.  However, by the end of the novel Sawyer will use many of the elements in a plot twist that is so interesting that the reader will be compelled to reader the next book in the trilogy. 

All this to say that Robert Sawyer's "Far-Seer" is thought provoking, interesting and of the highest quality Sci-Fi. Sawyer is also a masterful action scene writer. There are enough dinosaur fights in this book to satisfy the most verocious fan. 

For those who don't have the time to read here is a taste of dinosaur fight action. (try to imagine the T-rex wearing a red sash and speaking in proper english). 

  

The Beats: A Graphic History.

AUTHOR: Harvey Pekar, Nancy J. Peters, Penelope Rosemont, Joyce Brabner, Trina Robbins, and Tuli Kupferberg

ARTISTS: Ed Piskor, Jay Kinney, Nick Thorkelson, Summer McClinton, Peter Kuper, Mary Fleener, Jerome Neukirch, Anne Timmons, Gary Dumm, Lance Tooks, and Jeffry Lewis

DATE: January 2011

NOTES:

I used to think that I admired the men of the beat generation. The reason that I thought this was because I did not know much about them. After reading this beautifully illustrated history I have changed my view on the subject. At best I acknowledge their moments of genius and pitty their turmultous personal lives. And at worst I am a little bit disgusted by their leud behaviour, sexism, and overall feelings of entitlement at everyone elses expense.

One of the things that I really love about Harvey Pekar's writing is that he cares about the story behind art. What I mean is that he loves to chronical the people behind great works rather than just focussing on the works themselves which can create an idealised view of the artist's (I have come to realize that most artists are not as brilliant or inspiring as their greatest works of art at all times). "The Beats" is a disturbing read because of the startling honesty with which the beatniks are portrayed. I don't think that the reader is meant to be disgusted. In fact I think that the book is targeting an audience that would revel in the sexual freedom of the beats, the experimentation with drugs, the rebellion against steady jobs, and moral 'rules'. I am not this target audience. I couldnt help but think of all the people that were left dying in the wake of these "visionary's" (sometimes literally).

Although I was mostly distrurbed there were a few people in the book that I will definantly look into as potential future reading. I was really interested in the story of Kenneth Patchen who wrote "picture poems". He seemed to have some really interesting things to say as in: "Every man's at war who's hungry and hunted whether in Omaha or Tokyo". His art is also very interesting. here is an example of one of his picture poems:


I also appreaciated Joyce Brabners (Harvey Pekars widow) candidness in her contribution entitled "Beatnik Chicks" which appears near the end of the novel. One frame in particular hit me like a breath of fresh air after an entire book of idolizing a group of brash ridiculous men. The frame artfully display's two cars driving back and forth, a hand rolling a joint and a womans back who is obviously in a sexual embrace. the text reads as follows:

"At the same time I found Kerouac and his cronies loathsome. Drive across the country. Drive back. roll joints, roll around with women"

Joyce did not say it; but I would have added the line: "or roll around with one another".

Along with Joyce Brabners contribution and the picture poems I also aquired a healthy love for "the fugs". For those of you who have been living in darkness like me, "The Fugs" are a band of "folk musicians" that appear to stand for non-comformity. They took the idea's that Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Burroughs applied to poetry and novels and applied them to music. Simply put they wrote a bunch of "stream of conciousness" songs that ended up being really interesting and funny and sometimes thought provoking. They also embraced much of the attitudes that bother me about the beats in regards to sexism, drugs, morality etc etc. which sometimes produces songs that seem to be written with the purpose of shocking all but those who are "beat" enough to be hip to that sort of thing.


This is one of my favorite examples of FUG music:

World War Z

AUTHOR: Max Brooks

DATE: January 2011

NOTES:

My good friend Wayne gifted me this book for Christmas. It has been my experience that Wayne has excellent taste so I began reading the book as soon as I received it.

The book is presented from the perspective of a reporter who interviews people that lived through WWZ which was a global Zombie War. The Zombie plague originated in China somewhere in the mid to late 1990`s. The book is extremely compelling because it uses actual history and the goings on of the day as a backdrop for the Zombie War. In other words, the world Brooks writes about is in many ways similar to the world we inhabit. I know that Brooks has been criticized for hitting to close to home in some cases, (particularly in the ways he depicts the United States and Israel) but I really think his use of realistic portrayals of the activities of the nations prior to WWZ make for an erie and believable read.

Constructing the book as a series of interviews allows Brooks to speak from a number of perspectives spanning class, profession, nationality, age and religion. Brooks uses these various prospectives to write a story with amazing depth. By the end of the novel the reader feels as though the crisis actually happened because of the amount of detail that is included. I should warn prospective readers that the detail can sometimes be a deterrent as well, especially if you are prone to nightmares or cursed with a weak stomach.

The use of voices from all different areas allows Brooks to discuss a number of controversial and important issues as well. He talks about religion from several prospectives including, the issue of souls, eastern religions, evil and good and religion as an opiate for the masses.

He spends a lot of time criticising governmental response to the plague. During these discourses he points to bureaucracy risking lives, slow response times, classism, and the government ignoring evidence of an impending crisis (global warming).

Brooks deals with individuals as well. Several of his characters criticise citizens for not knowing how to fend for themselves without technology and for lacking basic survival skills (like making a fire, packing proper clothing, picking proper provisions etc.). One really memorable scene has an interviewing pointing out people and personal items frozen in the ice. The people in the ice had brought video game systems and wildly insufficient Disney princess sleeping bags with them when fleeing to the arctic.

Overall I loved the book. It was very entertaining and it allowed me to think about some important issues. It also served to round out my knowledge of Zombie lore. I learned that the military refers to zombies as either ``Zack's`` or ``G`s`` which is a short form for ghouls. I also learned that older weapons proved more effective and cost conscious in killing zombies than large scale attacks. Zombies don`t breath so they can live under water. Quislings are people who go mad and act as though they are zombies (which causes the government to believe that zombies eat other zombies for a time). There is a zombie martial art that is effective in hand to hand zombie confrontation. I learned all of these truths and a lot more. I am very much looking forward to seeing the film.

Robinson Crusoe

AUTHOR: Daniel Dafoe

DATE: December 2010

NOTES:

This book was a gift from my in laws. My father in law is probably the most experienced woodsman I know. He is the only man that has ever taken me up on a mountain (which he says is the only way to really get to know a man). He can build with anything, he collects old wood, fossils, rocks, and he knows a lot about what it takes to survive in the woods. All that to say that this book reminded me a lot of him.

Most people are familiar with the basic story line of this young adult novel. Robinson Crusoe is a sailor. His ship hits rough seas and gets hung up on rocks near a small island. He is the lone survivor and the book follows his adventures as he makes a home on his deserted island. The ``Making`` portion of the book is the most exciting for the young boy that lives inside of me. Crusoe constructs an entire homestead using material he gathers from the ship (via a raft he builds himself while at sea AWESOME!). He makes friends with animals on the island, constructs tools and cooking devices, he hunts and fishes and makes his own clothing and smokes a pipe. He even defends his land against a tribe of ``cannibal savages`` at one point.

The book is simply written and I could probably go into a long discussion of how it promotes a type of rugged individualism that has been at the center of our culture of privacy and self sufficiency. I am not going to do that though.

All in all the book was short and fun. I read it over the course of two evenings and it reminded me of simpler times when I would sit of the linoleum floor of my parents basement with a pile of GIJOE`S and a box of Lego and imagine myself into worlds and situations that required sharp wits and a creative use of materials to get those ``all American heroes`` through.

Also, Sarah and I are pregnant so it got me excited to share the joys of imagination with my soon to be born child.

Recent Book Deals!

I have found four interesting books for very cheap lately and I wanted to brag a little bit.

1. Anne Rice - Christ the Lord:the road to Cana

Price 5.00 at Chapters. I love the Bargain section. Its even a hard cover!








2. Aldous Huxley - Island

Price .50 cents at the Salvation ARmy. The spine hasnt even been cracked and I found a pair of bigfoot slippers in the same trip.






3. Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Price .50 cents at the Salvation Army again







4. Al Murray - The Pub Landlord's Book Of British Common Sense.


Price .50 cents at the Salvation Army again. I really believe in bathroom readers and this little book is a gem in that catagory.

Hey Nostradamus!

AUTHOR: Douglas Coupland

DATE: November 2010

NOTES: This was my first Coupland novel. It was donated to our house book shelf by a good friend and his girl after the last Regina Folk Festival. Both of its original owners are x-Christians. I mention this because it seems to have a bearing on why it was donated to me.

I should begin by saying that I really enjoyed this book. Usually I am a very slow reader but I finished this read in less than a week. Coupland writes in a similar style to my other favorite authors Nick Hornby and Michael Chabon. What I mean is that he writes minimally with a real focus on his characters and their voices. He writes the way his characters would talk (this book was mostly first person accounts). By doing this you feel like you get to know the characters personally.

An interesting feature of this book is that Coupland was able to write around a central event from four very different voices. The event was a Columbine like school shooting in which the first speaker, Cheryl, is a victim. Cheryl ends up recounting her short life story from the after-life. In this first section we find out that Cheryl belonged to a small Christian group at her high school and that she had secretly married her high school sweetheart to bypass the moral barrier of premarital relations. We also learn that she was pregnant and that she did not whole heartily buy into the predominant feelings of the group regarding faith. She gives the impression that she and Jason were somehow above the group. Cheryl becomes an icon in the aftermath of the massacre because she had scrolled, "God is nowhere - God is now here" on her binder, by doing this Cheryl effectively became a martyr, although she herself claims that it was nothing more than an exercise in mindless scribbling.

Jason is Cheryl's secret husband and he gains post massacre fame because he is falsely suspected of being the mastermind behind the shootings. The reason that Jason is suspected is circumstantial and I don't want to give it all away but I will say that Cheryl's murder is thought to be the motive. Although Jason is legally cleared he is still suspected by the public and this fact coupled with the death of his unborn child and wife has an understandably detrimental impact on his life. We meet up with Jason ten years after the shooting as he records his story on pink bank receipts.

The third speaker is connected to the massacre through her relationship to Jason. Heather becomes Jason's partner after a meeting at Toys R Us (Jason is buying toys for his sons which he conceived with his dead brothers wife on the night of his brothers tragic death so that she could claim them as his brothers [the plot thickens]). Heather and Jason create an imaginary world with characters based on toys and animals in which Jason is able to communicate vicariously. Eventually Jason disappears under suspicious circumstances and the Heather spends much of the remainder of her chapter consulting a medium who claims to hear the characters voices. You will have to read the book to see what that bit is all about.

The last character in the book is Jason's Dad, Reg. Reg spends the majority of the book as a strict fundamentalist Christian. He accuses Jason of Murder after the school shooting and he announces that because Jason's "brothers sons" are twins that one of them is more than likely without a soul. Nearing the end of the novel Reg undergoes a pretty significant change and the reader ends up feeling sympathy for him. Again I will let you read the book to discover what I mean.

Like I said, the book was well written and captivating. I think Coupland is sympathetic to his characters and the world he creates feels realistic. I think that one of his motives for writing this book was to communicate a sort of non-faith that is tempting to readers in my age group. Coupland does not say that there is no God but he does create an atmosphere of scepticism in his novel. The reader is lead to ask where God is during tragedy. Each of the characters struggles with faith and it seems that Coupland encourages the questioning as an end. The characters in the novel who have firm beliefs are painted as naive and in some cases dangerous. It is hard to explain but the novel just leaves you feeling sad and a little bit lost. I think that this was what Coupland wanted so I would say that he achieved his goal.

Over all this was a good read and it has sparked some really good conversation with people I know.

The Great Divorce

AUTHOR: C.S. Lewis

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TIME: October 2010
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NOTES:


I have always been a fan of C.S. Lewis. Unfortunately I was not raised on the Chronicles of Narnia but in my adult years I have had the pleasure of discovering them with my lovely wife Sarah. As a young Christian I was very strongly influenced by Mere Christianity. I have also read The Screwtape Letters, A Grief Observed and the first two installments of the Cosmic Trilogy.

I really enjoyed this little pocket reader and as with all Lewis books it was both entertaining and educational. It was entertaining in that Lewis takes the reader on a bus ride from the grey streets of Hell all the way to the forrests surrounding Heaven. In Heaven the residents appear solid while the vistors are wraith like shadows. The solidness of Heaven is painful to the wisps of Hell. Lewis imaginitive rendering makes for a fun read.

During the journey from Hell to Heaven the reader is privy to several conversations between the ghost like people of Hell and themselves as well as their discourse with the solid people of Heaven. These conversations act in much the same way that Dickens' Christmas ghost's act on Scrooge. The reader is invited to consider where they may fit in the scenes and therby where they may require change.

One of my favorite conversations comes early in the book. I will share a small sample below:


Dick: Do you really think there are no sins of intellect?
Spirit: There are indeed, Dick. There is hide bound predjudice, and intellectual dishonesty, and timidity, and stagnation. But honest opinions fearlessly followed -they are not sins."

As this conversation goes on it becomes clear that the Spirit has been mislead by a type of intellectualism that says that all things are equally true if they are truly believed. Some may call this type of thinking, when applied to spiritual matters, "universalism". The problem for the Spirit is that he is being confronted with an objective truth in the form of the foothills of Heaven and his perfected Heavenly friend but his intellectual pride prevents him from submitting himself to that one truth.

SIDE NOTE: Lewis himself has been accused of universalism because he wrote a "Talmerine" (sp?) into Heaven at the end of the Last Battle. I can now see how Lewis' theology can allow for this type of thing. In the case of the Spirit he is given one last chance to see the truth even though he was mislead all his life. So, it is noble to follow a belief heroically but it is foolish to hold that same belief when confronted blatantly with a truth that makes that belief false. For the Talmerine is submission to Aslan once confronted with him in person acted as his choice between truth and falshood.

The book carries on to show people confronted with their own false humility, lust, pride, malice etc. Each time the Spirits are given a choice. Some choose to walk to the great mountain while many others opt for the grey streets of Hell. This allegorical style is very affective in that it gives the reader several moments in time to reflect on. In a way each segment is, for the reader, an opportunity to choose between Heaven and Hell as they are confronted with their own sins.

The title of the book is significant because Lewis wants to 'draw the line'. Speaking of the "Marriage" of Heaven and Hell lewis writes:

"The attempt is based on the belief that reality never presents us with an absolutely unavoidable 'either-or'; that, granted skill and patience and (above all) time enough, some way of embracing both alternatives can always be found; that mere development or adjustment or refinement will somehow turn evil into good without our being called on for a final and total rejection of anything we should like to retain. This belief I take to be disatrous error."

So, in "The Great Divorce" Lewis paints Hell as a small crack in the floor of Heaven. A person, based on their beliefs, choices, and loyalties must choose to accept their invitation to Heaven or to be finally cast into the crack of Hell. This decision is made on a road filled with grace and mercies up to and including a view of Heaven itself and a personal invitation delivered by a trusted friend but in the end it is a true choice with final concequences.

A QUOTE TO START OFF WITH.

I was looking for a good Hornby quote for my header and I came accross this gem. It is to good not to post but to long for a subtitle:

"Books are, let's face it, better than everything else. If we played cultural Fantasy Boxing League, and made books go 15 rounds in the ring against the best that any other art form had to offer, then books would win pretty much every time. Go on, try it. “The Magic Flute” v. Middlemarch? Middlemarch in six. “The Last Supper” v. Crime and Punishment? Fyodor on points. See? I mean, I don’t know how scientific this is, but it feels like the novels are walking it. You might get the occasional exception -– “Blonde on Blonde” might mash up The Old Curiosity Shop, say, and I wouldn’t give much for Pale Fire’s chance against Citizen Kane. And every now and again you'd get a shock, because that happens in sport, so Back to the Future III might land a lucky punch on Rabbit, Run; but I'm still backing literature 29 times out of 30."

-Nick Hornby

The Moon Is Down

AUTHOR: John Steinbeck
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TIME: April 2009
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NOTES:
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This book represents my first venture into official propaganda. It is also the second book I have read in a row that deals with Nazi occupation. During WWII Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men, Wayward Bus etc...) was working for the precursor for the CIA doing intelligence work. The legend is that he found himself disappointed with the existing American propaganda and decided to publish his own booklet. The booklet now exists as a one hundred page novel. Interestingly, Steinbeck, though allowed to publish, was largely criticised for his work. The main flack he caught was that he had made the German's too human. It wasn't until after the war that the true impact of Steinbeck's controversial work was known. Evidently, the novel was published in the underground throughout occupied Europe. It was handed out in the streets and translated into at least six languages. Those under the thumb of Nazi invaders felt that Steinbeck had captured the essence of the way they felt. They were also afforded encouragement and hope from Steinbeck's treatment of the human spirits ability to survive in bleak circumstances.
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"The Moon Is Down" chronicles a fictional town that is betrayed by its own baker. The baker takes advantage of the peoples trust leaving the door open for the invaders to gain control of the town and its abundant coal supply. Although Steinbeck never blatantly identifies the invaders as Nazi's their is significant allusion in the book to draw that conclusion. At first the Nazi's attempt a peaceful occupation. They try to utilize the existing governmental structure in order to keep the people satisfied. This of course does not work as the first execution marks the beginning of strife between the occupied and the invaders.
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Because this book is official propaganda there are obvious polemical aspects. The invaders are often referred to as herd thinkers that blindly follow 'the leader' (Hitler) while the democratic occupants of the Town are applauded for their freedom of thought. Democracy becomes a threat to the Nazi's as they realize that no matter how many town officials they kill there will always rise up a new leader (yeah democracy!). Other polemical cues include the nervous Nazi's vs. the stalwart townies, the ingenuity of the slaves vs. the bumbling of the masters and so on.
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The part of the book that Steinbeck was chastised for turns out to be the most impacting element. The portrayal of the Nazi's as feeling humans with families, hopes, dreams, needs and so on gives the reader hope that they can A.) be defeated and B.) be converted to the right way (democracy in this case). The reader is exposed to Nazi weakness as soldiers are sent home insane, starved for love, longing for their gardens and model trains, and even pleading for relationship with the people they have conquered. The reader is also allowed to see the German soldiers as normal people. The most glaring example of this is one young soldier who begins to question 'the leaders' ideals at first and his sanity later. The reader sees that some of these young men believed that they were fighting on the right side. They were also trained to believe that the people they conquered would eventually thank them for the 'New World Order' which never arrives and leaves many of the Nazi's in Steinbeck's world wishing they were the hostages instead of the guards.
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All in all this was a fun afternoon read. It was informative in its almost poetic portrayal of the occupied peoples suffering. At points I was on the verge of tears as innocent men were killed and families were left undone. It was also interesting to read something so purposely and obviously polemical. So, its not Steinbeck's best work but its worth the few hours it will take you to finish.

Slaughterhouse- Five

AUTHOR: Kurt Vonnegut
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TIME: April 2009
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NOTES:
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I was going to cheat and do research before writing my notes but I decided that it would be against the spirit of my blog. So instead, I want to begin by confessing that I don't get it. The book was funny but it was also terribly sad. It was written by a man who actually survived the bombing of Dresden in WWII (more deaths than both A-bombs combined). I am used too books that contain a thread of hope but I am having trouble finding the thread in this read. I will offer a brief summary of its contents and I will try to express some of my thoughts but I would love to have comments from others who have read this book... maybe someone out there gleaned better than I did. I feel like a deep and heavy thing is in the book but I don't know what it is.
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The main character's name is Billy Pilgrim and I am certain that his last name is symbolic. Early on we find out that Billy has been dislodged from time. He travels through time involuntarily (Time Travellers wife?) visiting moments in his own life: past, present, and future. We also know that Billy is an optometrist which is another symbolic item as he inadvertently talks about the difference in importance between a frame and lenses. Also, he sees it as his task to 'correct the worlds vision concerning time'.
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While abducted by Aliens he learns of a fourth dimension which we are told is incomprehensible to the human mind. In a four dimensional view all moments are simultaneously viewable and present. So the Aliens see the stars in a series of moments which produces a spaghetti of light as opposed to the dots that we see. They are also fatalists; they believe that all moments are set and unchangeable. This means that they know about every disaster before it happens but they make no effort to avert them. Similarly, Billy's time travelling privileges him with future information but the events always happen just the same anyway. It should be known that Billy does not lead an average life. He was a low ranking American officer in WWII and he was captured and shipped via train to Dresden where he, like his creator, survived the bombing.
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During his POW moments we are privy to gruesome scenes of crowded train cars reeking of human waste, death's by firing squad, the loss of dignity, hatred, brutality and infighting even amongst the POW's. The vision of war we are handed is gross and cruel (especially concerning the American troops... the Russians, Germans, and English are painted slightly brighter). Furthermore, Billy's understanding of time causes him to seem cold and callous as he repeats the phrase, 'so it goes' following every death in the book. He, like the Alien's doesn't see death as such a bad thing because everyone will die and death does not mean the end as the person continues to exist in other moments simultaneously.
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In Billy's other moments we discover that he weds a women that he describes as being overweight and constantly eating. He does not find her attractive but he knows from his time travel that she will be bearable for life. His interactions with women throughout time are colorful as well. He accidentally walks in on a room of teen girls in Dresden while they are showering only to help dig their corpses out of Dresden's rubble following the fire bombing. He also goes to a porn/novelty shop where he notices that everyone has a 'hard on' but he is not interested in the smut, he is interested in science fiction novels by an unsuccessful writer. While in the alien zoo he has a baby with a well known actress who was also abducted, and finally he is shown a photograph of a woman and a horse attempting intercourse by several people during the book. The imagery around sex in the book is similar to the imagery of war. Billy paints a 'so it goes' picture but the reader is often taken aback and even a little disgusted by the treatment of sex a an act devoid of love, peddled in smut shops, and put on display in Alien zoo's.
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After reading the book I am not sure what to think of Billy Pilgrim and his story. I know that he found himself silently sobbing at certain moments and that seems to be the tone of the story. I felt sad after it was all said and done. Billy seems to say that nothing really matters. No matter what we do the end result is the same. Anyway, the last sentence in the book is: "One bird said to Billy Pilgrim, "Poo-tee-weet?" and I ask the same question of the last sentence as I did of the whole book: "what does it mean?"

A Wizard of EarthSea

AUTHOR: Ursula K. Le Guin
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TIME: April 2009
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NOTES:
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Sarah read this whole trilogy and she has been hounding me to read this first installment. I put the book on my nightstand about a month ago and I read the first three pages about 100 times. Eventually I decided that I would start a regimen in which I would read one book that someone recommended to me and one classic. This is the first book that was recommended. The second one is Slaughter House Five (which I have also finished).
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In the first few chapters I was beginning to question Sarah's judgement. The reader is introduced to a poor boy in a small village who has great natural power in the area of sorcery. He is taken in by a wizard as an apprentice and he eventually gets drafted to a very special school of wizardry on a secluded island. He meets other wizards in training and the adventure begins. (Harry Potter anyone?). I am delighted to say that the story develops deeper layers as it moves along.
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The main character is known by two names. His true name is Ged but his common name is Sparrowhawk. In Le Guin's universe a things true name is extremely important. in the practice of magic, knowing a things name allows one to manipulate it. A certain amount of dominance is gained by knowing a true name. In the same sense knowing your own true name is a milestone in your journey toward Wiz-dom. My wife was very intrigued by this concept and through conversations with her I have gained an appreciation for it as well. In our common lives the practice of naming seems to play a significant role. To name something is to take away mystery by 'knowing' it or making it familiar. Life as a human is riddled with names and definitions for things. We name the trees, rivers, continents, animals etc. By naming them we gain seminance of control in a universe that is largely mysterious. The idea goes deeper but I am ill equipped to explain it. You could email Sarah if you like, she is writing a paper on the subject.
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SPOILER ALERT:
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The idea of 'true names' plays a key role as Ged spends the majority of his journey trying to find the name of a great evil so that he can defeat it. While at the school of magic Ged is driven by pride to summon a dead spirit (a practice that is dangerous even for the most seasoned of wizards). The spirit he summons does appear however the rift between the spirit world and the real world also expels a shadow monster. The monster tears up Ged's face and leaves him embittered (and physically more bad ass: cool scars, menacing eyes, tortured spirit...). The rest of the book has Ged being chased by the evil which is apparently trying to meld with him in kinda a demon possession sort of a way. Eventually Ged's original master tells him to turn the tables and Ged starts chasing the shadow which flees him.
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The end of the book reveals that the shadows name is Ged which means that the evil that sook to devour him was actually in him. I am sure that you can see the significance of this revelation. Ged is the evil. This brings up a variety of interesting issues. Sarah and I have discussed sin nature, the capacity of evil in us all, and the importance of recognizing that we have shadow selves capable of terrible things.
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So, the book is marketed as a children's novel but I think its more LOTR than Narnia. The story is very dark and Le Guin tackles very dark issues. As a fantasy novel I would say that is was exceptional. It has all the stuff that makes my nerd hairs stand on end: dragons, wizards, spells, stormy seas, mysterious evils, and magic. I am taking a Le Guin break for awhile but I think I will grab paperbacks with her name on the spine from now on... in fact I have already bought two.

The Culturally Savvy Christian

AUTHOR: Dick Staub
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TIME: March 2009
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NOTES:
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I will get my criticism out of the way right off the bat. Dick Staub has a tendency to repeat himself. This repetition includes the use of the same quotations in more than one place. So, reading this book involves hearing the same Jim Morrison lyric many times (which is actually something I enjoy). Secondly, the title and cover of this book stink. I would never in a million years pick this book up based on its exterior. It looks like yet another installment in the "post-modern, 'I have opinions and no research' type books". In truth, the author is very knowledgeable about Christianity and the world of popular culture and has even interviewed a plethora of famous pop-icons himself. The one saving grace of this book's dust jacket is a recommendation by N.T. Wright which reads, "This is an urgent book for our times-and our health". Wright's comment was the sole reason that I grabbed this book of the 'new release' shelf in the library.
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As far as I can tell the thesis of this book is that much of popular culture is a money driven, soulless, non-artistic, empty shell (or something like that) and that mainline evangelicalism has been impacted more than it has made an impact in this environment. As such, we need to regain our "deep well"-ness in order to bring glory to God through excellence in art and culture, and in order to be fully human (which is the ultimate goal). The details of how one digs this well are complex and inspiring. Staub explains that, "the culturally savvy Christian is serious about faith, savvy about faith and culture, and skilled at relating the two." The book consists of a break-down of this statement using biblical evidence and cultural support. The result is a 'putting together' of many scattered popular ideas into a coherent practice (popular ideas: devotion, study, disciplines, the mystics, cultural interpretation, discernment etc etc.). This practice is exemplified in the way that Staub writes using popular culture and and the Bible in a side by side co-operative manner that does not come off as a cheese festival.
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I was most impressed with two sections of the book. The first section was a practical outline of how one might go about implementing the kind of life Staub argues for. I was impressed at the simplicity of his plan, the clearness of its presentation and the overall impression of truth that I got from it. It is refreshing to have someone offer 'practical hope' after a lengthy criticism of the two largest spheres of my life (faith and culture). The second element I liked was his long discussion of discernment. Staub provides the most complete explanation of cultural discernment that I have come across. He explains that discernment is about more than moral content and even argues that the 'bad stuff' in life is often artistically relevant. Furthermore he suggests that discernment is to be preferred over 'the rule' which is popular in many faith circles.
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Staub's book left me damaged but hopeful. I was confronted with my own cultural and religious hollowness but I was provided with eyes to see a way out. I look forward to reading more of Staub's work in the future and I strongly recommend this offering to anyone concerned with culture or faith (in other words: everyone).

The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger

AUTHOR: Stephen King
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TIME: February 2009
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NOTES:

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Years ago a friend named Logan was reading this series and he loved it. I had supported his love but secretly scorned his lack of literary prallis (it turns out that Logan is quite brilliant and I am a unfounded snob ie. I often think that I am smarter than I am). The truth is that I have seen many Stephen King films and I have type casted the author as the penmen behind clever thrillers and horrors but not as the writer of legitimate epics. In my mind I had filed this little gem alongside all the other books with dragons on their covers that I have passed by in the used shops. After reading this first installment I am not sure what to think. On the one hand I was captivated by Kings minimalist style and his mastership of the 'cliffhanger'. On the other hand I am not sure what the underlying message is supposed to be and I am still bewildered as to 'the point'.

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In this fantasy landscape we are introduced to a Gunslinger named Roland who is on a quest to overtake 'the man in black'. The man the Gunslinger seeks is perceived as a priest and a messenger of God by many of the people he encounters and yet the Gunslinger casts a shadow of evil in his depictions of the man. Another curious aspect of the story is that the reader feels inclined to take Roland's side because we see through his senses but a more objective look shows that the 'man in black' leaves a trail of healing while Roland leaves a trail of sexual misconduct and death. The majority of the book chronicles Roland's journey through a strange dessert and a zombie filled cave with a boy named Jake (whom must eventually die at the Gunslingers hand hint hint: obvious illusions to Abraham and Issac). There are also hints of parallel worlds, post apocalyptic landscapes, purgatory or something like those three as Jake appears to be from what we would call modern New York City.

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All in all this book was a fun read but I feel unsatisfied with it's ending. The dust jacket claims that the novel can stand alone but I would suggest that unless your up for a seven part series you should leave this one alone. The story is engaging but simple, the landscape is intriguing and mysterious, the characters are very well developed... but the ending is a huge cliffhanger that leaves one desperately wanting more...

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I guess I will have to buy the next one.

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Becoming Human

AUTHOR: Jean Vanier
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TIME:February 2009
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NOTES:.
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I borrowed this book from a good friend because I had heard such great things about it. It was originally a Massey Lecture, so the book was produced by the CBC which increased my intrigue (I am a big supporter of the CBC). The reason I was interested in this book is because I have been working in a group home for intellectually disabled individuals these past months and the book centers around that sort of thing. For those who may not know, Jean Vanier founded L'Arche (the Ark) which is a network of communities around the world in which physically and intellectually disabled people live in community with non-disabled persons. Jean Vanier was a committed Catholic so the communities involve much devotional practice and a focus on human growth intellectually, physically, and spiritually.
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If I had to sum up 'becoming human', I would say that it is part devotional literature, part theological exploration and part sociological text. Vanier uses his background in L'Arche to explore some of Jesus' more difficult teachings. He talks about the weaker brother, the first being last, the marginalized and so on and so forth. In all of this he continually emphasize the value if disabled people to the Kingdom of God. In my line of work the idea that disabled people are valuable and should be fully intigrated citizens is a given but its not often that someone outlines specific examples of this happening. In Vaniers book he does just this. He offers concrete examples of people who don't speak or hear giving love to their care providers in such a deep and profound way that the impact of their ministry lasts well beyond there lifespans (as evidenced by this book). I should note that Vanier is careful not to pity people. The truth is that no one likes to be pitied. In this vein Vanier presents his disabled companions as whole people he does not try to say that they are simply 'cute' or 'always loving' etc. this sort of assessment is simply untrue as all humans have a sin nature.
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The sociological aspect of the book is in Vaniers timeless assessment of our western tendencies toward strength, power, prestige, success and so on. He rightly highlights our over emphasis on these things explaining that we often overlook the power of the weak because it does not present itself in a business suite. Recognizing this tendency can help us to tame it and to have eyes to see the powerful ministry of those who are perceived as weak in our social order. The ministry Vanier discusses is real and significant. He does not need to exercise pity or to give inflated praise to showcase examples of his 'weaker friends' acting as vessels of Christ's love and power.
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I really cannot think of anything negative to say about this book. I came away strengthened and better informed in my opinions. I really feel that it would be valuable for any person in our context to read and consider Vaniers words. The truth is that we as a society are only recently learning to practice what our national documents preach (Human Rights Charter) and we as Christians too often overlook the real life significance of the Jesus' love for the marginalized in our midst.

The napoleon of Notting Hill

AUTHOR: G.K. Chesterton
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TIME: January 2009
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NOTES:.
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I was lucky enough to take a class in college about the life and works of G.K. Chesterton. The class fostered in me a love for Chesterton that I presume will last for my whole life. It also romanticised the idea of a stout ale, a good cigar, and chivalry around the ladies. Because of my background in Chestertonianism I was very pleased to spot a paperback version of this, his first novel, the Napolean of Notting Hill. Sidenote: I found it in a great little book shop in southern Ontario. The guy working the shop was a retired teacher/librarian with a pronounced british accent that seemed to know a little something about each and every book in the store. The store itself was located in a gutted old motel and the selection was amazing and fairly priced. Sidenote two: I hope to do a post about good book shops I have found every now and then. But that will have to wait.
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Those of you who have read some of Chesterton's writing will know that he is a bit of a 'one trick pony'. I would argue that the trick is nuanced in a new and exciting way in most of his books but it is non-the-less the same trick. If I am correct, the backbone of Chesterton's life project was to defend fairyland against the onslaught of objectivism (this would include things like scientific fact, modernism, the enlightenment etc.). Chesterton wants his readers to consider that Truth with a capital 'T' is not always best sook with rationality. In fact much of the most
important truth in life is a profound farce. Consider the son of God being hung from a tree to die; only to return ushering in life. In Notting hill Chesterton leads his reader on a journey to discover this truth.
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In the TNoNH the reader is confronted with a man who is pronounced King of London seemingly on a whim. This man proceeds to transform london into a ridiculous pagent of color-coded regions each with it's own outlandish dress code. A city code is also drafted that calls for over-the-top pomp and ceremony in everyday governmental affairs. The trick that Chesterton plays on the reader is causing them to judge this new king as a fool only to have them stand whole heartedly behind the values of his farce society in the end. You will have to read the book to see the full mechanics of this shift.
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I have realized that it seems that I never read a book that I don't like so I have decided to include some critique in my 2009 reviews. In this book it is obvious that you are reading an early Chesterton. He drags on at points and much of the novel feels too surreal. I think he has definantly written better stuff. All that said I think this is good book well worth a read. And its short.


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