Book Reviews: by J. Michael Smith, 2021-24

Books Reviewed in June-July 2024

Quinn, Meghan, The Reason I Married Him (novel, romance, trash)

Listed as “romance,” “contemporary romance,” “adult,” “humor,” and “comedy,” I thought I’d enjoy it. I only finished it because 1) I cared about the female protagonist and 2) I wanted to see how long my list would become of ‘what not to do in a novel.’

I found it decisively unromantic. And it’s humor was cheap and redundant, not witty or brilliant. At 524 pages, it was poorly edited, repetitious, and shallow—about 400 pages too long.

I’m not prudish or easily offended by sex, violence, language, or human foibles. Erotic literature can make for a good read. Imperfections and complexity in characters are essential in a good story. But there is a difference between erotic literature and pornography. The latter plays off of sexist stereotypes rather than complexity and surprise, it grinds rather than plays, it is nosey rather than curious, it uses refreshing vocabulary rather than tired vulgarities, it enhances the spirituality of the human body rather than deconstructing it into plumbing and electricity, it climaxes in relationality rather than the drainage of hormones. This book was not erotic—at all, even though it advertises itself as “steamy.”

The characters, particularly Wyatt and Aubrey, began the book as wounded human beings, immature, shallow, naïve, and carelessly ambitious. Wyatt was the extrovert, Aubrey the introvert. So far—a good place to start. But after 500 pages of their back and forth story—with a little good luck and a little bad luck driving the plot—they haven’t really changed.

The plot—an arranged marriage for business purposes, had promise, but unfolded with too many assumptions that strained credibility. The other characters in the book were caricatures of real human beings and did nothing for the story except distract. The plot offered some intrigue—but then failed to deliver any worthwhile revelation—such as Wyatt’s obsession with locking the bedroom door every night and insistence in sleeping on the side nearest the door—to protect his “wife.”

The sex scenes were over the top—all dozen + of them. When writing about sex, more is not usually better. The readers sensuality must be coaxed, not blasted loose with a firehose. Sex in this book was a fatiguing spectacle—over and over and over. The language and dialogue was juvenile. The word f*** appeared in almost every other paragraph, or sometimes s*** and g**damn. The frequency of those same words over and over made the characters appear shallow and stupid and the author seem lazy. I’m not opposed to using whatever words “work” in a story, but over 1100 uses of the same three “shock” terms made me feel like I was reading the work of a seventh grade boy who never got above a “D” on his vocabulary homework.

We read stories in order to escape our own stories for a while, to refresh, to take in other people’s stories for our own benefit, to find liberation, to stimulate our imagination and courage to live our own lives more abundantly. I gave this author my time—for 524 pages—to give me back something. She didn’t.

Lewnard, James, Trackside in the Land of Lincoln with Richard Ward (trains, Central Illinois, photographs)

This is a book of photos, captions, a well-written introduction, and nostalgia. It is based on the photographs of Richard Ward. Those photographs are of trains—taken in the Illinois train yards at Decatur, Springfield, Bloomington, Joliet, Champaign, and Mattoon.

Ward, raised in Decatur, became a railroad/train fan as a boy. He rode his bicycle to the Wabash depot there and soon began to photograph the trains as they came and went. As a young adult, he expanded his travels around the state and took photos at other train depots–as well as along the countryside tracks.

Ward’s intent was to photograph history. His collection spans an important part of railroad history–from they heyday of rail travel (both passenger and freight)–to the loss of rail business due to the development of the interstate highway system–to the consolidation of passenger service by AMTRAK–through mergers of railroad companies–through the revival of rail transportation during the oil embargo of the 1970s.

The first major railroad in Illinois was the Illinois Central–arguably responsible for both the rise of Chicago and the economic development of the rest of Illinois. But other railroads also served the state and rolled through it. Most have merged over time. But Illinois was developed and populated due to the Wabash, Norfolk and Western, Illinois Terminal, the Gulf-Mobile-and Ohio, the Baltimore and Ohio, the Santa Fe, etc.

Chicago was the national hub of the railroad industry. But the rest of the state also saw intercontinental rail travel as well. Secondary and branch lines sprouted from the major lines, until nearly every small hamlet in the state had railroad service, leaving the state with a virtually countless array of junctions.

Ward’s photos capture diesel and electric engines, piggyback trains, coal cars, Pullman coaches, dining cars, and colorful designs on engines, cars, and cabooses. He captures various company logos as railroads consolidated. His photos show how AMTRAK had to borrow passenger cars from its predecessor companies until they could build units of their own.

The photos and captions meant less to a railroad novice like myself than they would to someone who is a fan of trains. I often had to read them with my smart phone in hand to understand all the abbreviations and short-hand talk. And I was glad to get to the end of the book.

But what I appreciated was the nostalgia–they made visible what has been a part of my life–but I’ve overlooked. I have lived most of my life in Illinois. This book, along with some other railroad books I’m reading, gave me appreciation for what has been a significant part of my life and world. I am interested in knowing more. Maybe not in as much detail as this book provides–but certainly more–to understand better what I’ve been ignoring all these decades.

Murray, Paul, The Bee Sting (novel, Ireland, family)

This was a good novel–up until its lazy, contrived ending. But I recommend it anyway for its uncanny insights into human character–and the depth of its character development.

The setting is Ireland–after the 2008 economic collapse. One family is hit particularly hard–A car sales/garage manager, Dickie; his materialistic wife Imelda, their bright but reckless 17 year-old daughter Cass, and Cass’s 12-year old naive brother PJ.

A variety of “friends” move in and out of their lives, moving and pulling the plot along. Dickie and Imelda’s parents also factor into the story.

The backstory is exceptionally well told, and with each family member (Dickie, Imelda, Cass, and PJ) we get an entirely different picture as the story proceeds. We see the characters facing difficult and sometimes tragic obstacles to their happiness. And we see them adapt and change–sometimes for the better, sometimes not.

Murray is a good story-teller. But he cheats us at the end. I recommend the book anyway.

Littlewood, Fran, Amazing Grace Adams (novel, family, change of life)

An over the edge novel (not in a good way) about a 45-year old woman who is “losing it,” in a big way. It is her daughter’s 16th birthday, and this mother-daughter pair have been estranged for some time now. The daughter is living with her father, holding a birthday party with her friends–and mom decides to crash it with a $200+ cake–with a children’s theme–thinking it will bring the daughter to her senses. On the way, mom has a number of accidents and melt down, leaving the police in pursuit of her. It becomes hard to suspend one’s disbelief as mom’s day unfolds.

The better part of the book is the backstory–including themes of love, marriage, family, grooming of young girls, and the effects of marital separation on children.

Charles Rivers editors, The 1968 Democratic National Convention: The History of America’s Most Controversial Political Convention (political history)

This is a short book providing windows on some of the characters involved in the drama of the 1968 Democratic convention.

There are some comments from the Yippie leaders who protested the convention and ridiculed it by nominating a pig to run for the presidency. A police officer is interviewed to give his recollections of what it was like for him during the protests. And elementary profiles are given of some of the candidates who were running.

But the book is very sketchy, incomplete, disorganized, and directionless. It is as though a high school student was assigned to write about the convention, had only five hours to do research on it, and then threw everything together in a night-before essay.

Rutledge, Lynda, West with Giraffes (novel–giraffes, depression era U.S.)

Lynda Rutledge has given us a delightful tale of a journey–a pilgrimage undertaken by a teenaged boy, two giraffes, a rebellious red-headed teenaged girl, and an old man. Based on a true story from 1938, the yarn Rutledge tells begins with a shipwreck in the Atlantic Ocean. The two crated giraffes, bound for the San Diego zoo, survive. Rescued and taken to New York, they are met by an old man who has been tasked with driving them across the U.S. to San Diego–no small feat in depression-era 1938, with poor roads, swindlers, bandits, thugs, flash floods, and sawed-off shotguns serving as obstacles along the way.

The teenaged boy is an orphan–his whole family dead–and failing at the hobo life of the depression. The giraffes are majestic–in both appearance and spirit, surprising in their interactions with the people who interact with them. The red-head is on the run, resolute and reckless in trying to fit a full life into just a few months. The old man does everything he can to keep the boy and the girl away from “his” giraffes.

It is a story that is worth re-reading, re-telling, recommending.

Heimburger, Donald J., Illinois Central: Main Line of Mid-America (photography, trains, Illinois Central Railroad)

A book primarily of photographs by Donald Heimburger, who worked in the public relations department for the Illinois Central Railroad after graduating from the University of Illinois in 1969. The book is for railroad buffs, and I gave it a four instead of a five–because as someone who is NOT a railroad buff–but wanting to learn more, the book was a little thin.

I did, nevertheless, learn something about locomotives, passenger trains, and commuter trains. The photographs are beautifully done.

The book celebrates the Illinois Central Railroad, the longest north-south railroad in the United States. When it was completed in 1856–with its 705 miles of track, it was the longest railroad in the country. The Illinois Central Railroad was responsible for countless towns, farms, and industries along its tracks. The ICC was critical to the state’s economic development. It engaged such historic figures as Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln in its development, and employed 38,000 people by 1941. Heimburger writes that “the IC served 14 states from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and hauled…general merchandise, grain and grain products, coal, forest products, cotton, fruits, and vegetables. The railroad took pride in helping the states it served become one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world.”

Over time, the railroad took in or leased more than 200 other railroad companies. By the time of the Civil War, it had 1,700 miles of track. It worked closely with other industries, opening coal mines in southern Illinois and shipping the first fruit under refrigeration. It’s passenger cars often were made by Pullman.

Boda, John, and Johnson Ray, The Great Chicago Fire, Images of America Series (photos, Chicago, history, architecture)

Great photos. Concise text. A little weak on background of what caused the fire.

This book is mostly a pictorial review of the Great Chicago Firestorm of 1871, which killed over 300 people, destroyed 10,000 buildings, and left 100,000 homeless. It was also a turning point for Chicago history, stimulating a spirit of rebuilding and growth that defined the character of the city.

The most stunning part of the book comes when one compares the “before” photos of Chapter One with the “after” photos of Chapter Two. The books especially gives one a sense of how much pre-fire grandeur was lost in the fire. Less evident in the book is what kind of loss ordinary people suffered. The text mentions those losses briefly, but stories focus mostly on what the rich and famous lost and then rebuilt.

The book also briefly raises the question of how the fire started. Mrs. O’Leary is sort of exonerated, but the authors don’t do her much justice. They do point out that several other towns suffered fires the same night, at the same time. The town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin was entirely burned to the ground, and 1,200 people lost their lives there at the exact time Chicago was burning. In Michigan, Holland and Manistee also suffered huge fires that night. The authors mention an astroid shower in the midwest, but other books explore the issue better.

In summary, this is a good quick review of the fire, a great photo exhibit, and worth browsing through.

Krist, Gary, City of Scoundrels:  The 12 Days of Disaster that Gave Birth to Modern Chicago  (history)

Gary Krost writes about disasters, bad actors, and social upheaval.  This book is about Chicago in the summer of 1919.  His other books include looks at the underbelly of New Orleans and Los Angeles.  

Chicago was going through hard times in 1919.  World War One had just ended, people were looking for work, the Great Migration of Black folks out of the Jim Crow south was swelling the overpopulated neighborhoods of south Chicago, the pandemic–just ending–set inflation on fire, the heat was sweltering, labor unions were restless, ethnic rivalries in the city were on the rise.  And Big Bill Thompson, by some accounts the most corrupt and insane mayor of Chicago, was in charge.  

In this book, Krist focuses on 12 days in the summer of 1919.  Events in Chicago included a blimp that exploded above the city and crashed into a downtown bank, a deadly attack on Black youth at an all-white beach, KKK type rampages through Black neighborhoods looting and killing, the kidnap of a six-year old child at the corner of Rush and Chicago, terror throughout the city, calling in of the National Guard, and cynical political machinations behind the scenes.  

The book gives a deep dive into tragedies in Chicago, the context of post-World War I America, and the everyday struggles people in Chicago faced in those days.  It is the kind of book that sends you searching to know more about such matters as racial violence, Big Bill, and American politics leading up to the 1920 election.

Bass, Gary J., Judgment at Tokyo:  World War II on Trial and the Making of Modern Asia  (history)

My dad was in Japan in the late 1940s, part of the American occupation forces after the end of World War II.  He only mentioned once, in passing, that he was a guard during the war trials that went on there.  I wish now I would have peppered him with questions.  

The next best thing was to listen (Audible) to Bass’s book on those trials.  While many Americans know something about the German war leaders, most know very little about the leaders of Japan, or what happened to them afterward.  

In Bass’s telling, the Tokyo trials were a farce.  The court was composed of one judge each from 11 different countries. It was created by military order of Douglas MacArthur in order to try the political and military leaders of Japan—for violating rules of war.  The nonsense of this supposedly “just” trial is that by World War II, all rules of ancient war had been breached—by all parties. It was a hypocrisy that the English (who organized the bombing of Dresden) and the United States (who targeted civilians with two atomic weapons) would be in a position to judge Japan’s military leaders.  

Bass reveals that critical evidence in those trials was either lacking or suppressed, that the presiding judge was an Australian with a borderline personality disorder (my words), that the American prosecutor was an alcoholic political hack, that the court refused to take up some of the most horrendous inhumanities of the war (such as Unit 731—a Japanese biological lab doing deadly medical experiments on Chinese citizens and testing chemical weapons on them), and the conviction of some Japanese political leaders who had actually done all in their power to avoid World War II.  The incongruity of European colonial powers punishing Japan for its colonizing activities does not escape the author.

As for the making of modern Asia, the book gives some helpful historic insight into present day conflicts and resentments playing out between Japan and China.

Listening on Audible, I often had trouble distinguishing the names. And at times the author loops back with repetitions.  But the book fills a big hole in our knowledge of World War II, its aftermath, and the struggles we still have in the world to establish accepted standards of international law.

McBride, James, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store (novel)  

This novel is set in the rural mountains of eastern Pennsylvania in a section of Pottsville known as Chicken Hill.  It was the wrong part of town, locale of the Jewish population at first, then the Black population.  In the 1930s, only one Jewish couple remained, Chona (who ran the grocery store) and her husband Moshe (who ran two racially integrated theaters in town.) A rich cast of characters move in and out of the story, including the local doctor who is a member of the KKK, a mysterious dancer, a boy left totally deaf by an explosion when he was a child, and another boy with cerebral palsy who was condemned to an institution for the insane.  There are political shenanigans, Mafia interlopers, questionable rabbis and black pastors, and dysfunctional families.  There is also a body in a well and a suspect.  All in all, this is a delightful novel that sheds light on race, disability, and mental illness in the 1930s—and gives us a great story about how empathy and courage can be contagious.

Books Reviewed in May 2024

Matson, Morgan, The Firefly Summer (novel)

A charming young adult novel about a teen-aged girl who belatedly discovers that she has grandparents—the parents of her late mother.  Ryanna gets along great with her father and his new wife.  But her mother died when she was three, and her father never told her that her maternal grandparents were still alive.  

Then they send her a letter out of the blue, inviting her to spend the summer with them.  She hesitates about going (her father doesn’t really want her to go) but in the end, her curiosity and her desire to learn more about her mother wins out.  

The grandparents run a summer camp.  But there are no campers that summer, only cousins, aunts, and uncles Ryanna never knew she had.  It didn’t start off well for her.  But the wanna-be detective in her causes her to persist, and we are drawn into an engaging tale of discovery, suspense, and reconciliation.

Cooley, Robert, When Corruption Was King:  How I Helped the Mob Rule Chicago, Then Brought the Outfit Down (Autobiography, history)

Cooley (still alive) was a lawyer for the mob and for the city bosses of Chicago’s First Ward.  He was privy to the work of hitmen, bribery of judges and police officers, dirty deals, and coverup of prostitution and gambling. For years he was the go-to lawyer for all the bad guys.  He knew where all the skeletons were buried.

Then the spirit of his late father (an honest police officer) belatedly got through to him, and he went to the FBI and offered to cooperate with them.

His story is self-serving, of course.  But even with that, his story rings true, and we get to see the underside of corrupt systems and the flagrant disregard for law and human life.

Cohen, Adam, American Pharaoh:  Mayor Richard J. Daley—His Battle for Chicago and the Nation

No biographer is entirely objective.  It is impossible to immerse onself in the story of another without reacting personally, whether it be affection, disgust, admiration, or repulsion.  The best biographers manage to be both empathetic and critical.  They also manage to give us the context of a person’s life, the consequences of a person’s actions, and some understanding of the subject’s complexity.  And they manage to stay focused on the subject while being transparent about their own reactions.  Adam Cohen is a good biographer.

And Richard J. Daley is a worthy subject.  I never liked Mayor Daley, a man I heard much of, since I grew up just outside the city of Chicago.)  I didn’t like his machine politics, his stubbornness, or his bullying.  As a high school student, I was an avid reader of columnist Mike Royko, who constantly lampooned Daley with his satire. I shed no tears when the six-time-elected mayor suddenly died in 1976.  By the end of Cohen’s book, I still didn’t like Richard J. Daley.  In fact, I learned more about him, particularly his racism, that caused me to like him even less.  

But I did come away understanding the man better.  On the positive side was his love for his family, city, and party.  He knew how to organize and motivate people.  He worked hard.  The machine he built and kept running brought some positive changes to Chicago and helped lots of people.  Daley was a powerful man, and there are lessons in his methods for anyone who wants to make change.  

But the damage Daley caused to people of color, particularly Chicago’s Black population, is even more exposed in this biography.  “Pharaoh” in the title refers to how most Chicago Blacks saw Daley–their powerful oppressor–in the vein of the biblical Pharaoh.

The book is full of insightful anecdotes and patterns Daley established in dealing with minorities, judges, state and national officials, and change.  He presided over massive corruption, yet went to mass every day and lived all his life in a modest house on the west side.  He didn’t want wealth or luxury for himself.  But he knew how to spread it around to others in order to acquire and keep power, in order to keep things from changing–civil rights be damned.

Books Reviewed in April 2024

Turow, Scott, Innocent (legal novel)

A judge wakes up one morning and finds his wife lying dead beside him.  He waits a whole day before he notifies anyone, spending the whole day in the house alone with the body, tidying up.  To complicate matters–he had already been accused (and found innocent) of murder 20 years earlier.  

The local prosecutor, already embarrassed from losing the murder case 20 years earlier, has to decide whether to press charges this time.

A complicated romance muddies the picture.  

The reader is taken on a journey that evokes empathy for nearly every major character, suspense, surprise, and pitch-perfect dialogue.

Riddle, A.G., Antarctica Station (novel, dystopian world)

The novel includes a world-wide catastrophe, greed, addiction to power, other forms of addiction, failed romance, AI, family conflict–all a part of a futuristic dystopia.  The characters are shallow and stereotyped.  A “smart” vehicle is charming–my favorite character in the whole book.  

The author has lots of moving pieces–which are all wrapped up in the end–more or less.  This isn’t great literature, but it did hold my attention.

Grisham, John, The Exchange:  After the Firm  (novel)

Following up on a protagonist from an earlier novel (The Firm) Grisham tells another crime thriller about Mitch McDeere, a lawyer who has a knack for being in the wrong place with the wrong people at the wrong time.  There is very little legal suspense in this book.  It is primarily about a kidnapping, a demand for ransom, and the difficulty in getting a large law firm to come to the rescue of one of their own.

The suspense is good, the characters are mildly interesting.  Not much changes in the inner lives of any of the characters–they all seem stupefied at the things going on around them, and their responses are not all that interesting to the crises they face.  The strength of the book is primarily in the plot.

The author is resting on his previous successes and puts no work into developing more than a surface understanding of parenting, terrorism large law firms, life in Libya, etc.

Captivating History Publishing:  History of Chicago:  A Captivating Guide to the People and Events that Shaped the Windy City’s History

This book, part of a series, is a quick read on some of the highlights of Chicago.  It covers a variety of pertinent issues, but lacks depth in any one.  Good for a fast review of the city–and stimulates further research and reading in a variety of subjects.  Topics include:  Native Americans, railroads, sewage and pollution, early Chicago economy and start of the Board of Trade, skyscrapers, the nomination of Abraham Lincoln at the 1860 convention in Chicago, the 1893 World’s Fair, organized crime, etc.  If someone wants a cursory read of Chicago’s history, and doesn’t mind lots of gaps–this will be fine.

Books Reviewed in March 2024

Erpenbeck, Jenny, Kairos (novel)

This was a difficult novel for me to read, in part because of the violent relationship between the two lover, in part because it referenced places in East Germany unfamiliar to me, and in part because the author kept switching point of view–and I was never sure which character was doing the thinking.  POV often shifted within a single paragraph.

Katharina 18, bumps into Hans–in his late 50s, as both are rushing to catch a bus.  It is infatuation at first sight, and the two tumble into a world of illusions.  As the novel progresses, Hans becomes increasingly abusive and controlling, and it is hard to read.

The setting of the novel is East Germany–in the few years before the Berlin Wall fell.  The best thing (for me) about the novel is how the author captures the ways people in East Germany adjusted and adapted to the political environment prior to the break-up of the Soviet empire.  And then, she describes the disorientation and psychological crisis of that world disintegrating.  The description of disintegration is sometimes very articulate–and sometimes comes through in the narrative–which itself seems to warp, mutate, and make no sense.

The POV issue was obviously intentional on the part of the author–as the protagonist–Katharina–seems to be very confused about her own identity and beliefs.  But while “artistic” in its presentation, this novel was a bear to read.

Books Reviewed in February 2024

Alyan, Hala, Salt Houses (novel, Palestine, Middle Eastern conflict, family saga)

Part of my commitment to be a responsible world citizen during the Israeli-Hamas war is to read as much as I can about the historical, social, and personal context of the long-standing tragedy that is Israel and Palestine.  This novel is a valuable addition to my understanding.  It mentions the wider conflicts (the creation of the state of Israel, the 1948 displacement of Palestinians, the six day war, the refugee movements to avoid conflict, the Iraqi attack on Kuwait, the Israeli bombing of Lebanon, the civil war there, etc.) but only as a dim background for the family the novel follows.  They are constantly on the run, trying to find places to live that are safe—starting life over.  Some even settle in the U.S. and France, but uneasily.  The family has its stories and its secrets. As one generation begats another, there is tension and struggle.  This well-to-do family loses nearly everything over time, and we get rich stories of various personalities and emotional conflicts.  A thought-provoking book.

The author titled the book “Salt Houses” because of all the different houses the four generations of this Palestinian family lived in—all washed away by the tides of time—like salt in the ocean.  I thought of the biblical story of Lot’s wife, who turned into a pillar (house) of salt when she tried to look back at the town they were fleeing.  This was a family that could not afford to yearn too much for the past, or it would paralyze them.

Backman, Fredrik, And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer (novel, dementia, aging, grandparent relationships)

In a brief novella, Backman moves back and forth between three points of view, three generations:  a grandfather who has Alzheimer’s Disease, son Ted, and grandson Noah. The grandfather and Noah have a special relationship—they have similar personalities and outlooks.  They both love science and math.  Ted loves literature, arts, and writing.  Ted struggles to understand both his father and son.  But the novella centers around the grandfather and the grandson.

The grandfather’s mind is slowly “blowing away.”  He describes it as the square of his existence getting smaller and smaller.  He can only grasp pieces of his memory, and then only temporarily.  But he and the grandson love each other dearly, and they cope.

One of the grandfather’s floating memories is of his wife—and how much he adored her.  She is deceased as the story begins.  But the memories of her seem very much alive for him from time to time.

The conversation between grandfather and grandson is clever and witty.  The symptoms of the Alzheimer’s began while the grandson was still in elementary school—and the wife was still alive. The short story we read begins after the grandmother has died and continues until the boy becomes a grown-up and teacher himself.

The story is tender, brutally honest, emotional, and healing.  It deserves re-reading and opportunities to be discussed by book groups, friends, and support groups.

Brinkley, Douglas, Silent Spring Revolution:  John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the Great Environmental Awakening  (history of the environmental movement between 1932 and 1974, government protection of environment, clean air and water, national parks and protected lands and waters)

This is a lengthy and exhaustive history of efforts to enlist government help in preserving and protecting the environment, mostly between the Truman years through the Nixon years.  Both Truman and Eisenhower were uninterested in the environment, more responsive to businesses that wanted unfettered access to natural resources.  “Who cares about a bunch of trees,” according to such spokesmen as Ronald Reagan.  But several characters did care, including Rachel Carson, Stewart Udall, William Ruckelshaus, and William O. Douglas (a justice of the Supreme Court.)  The book is their story and the influence they had, in particular on Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon.

The legislation passed between 1960 and 1973, and the executive orders and leadership coming from the White House in those years, was heroic.  Bad as our environmental situation is today, it would be much worse were it not for the struggles of people in that decade and a half to bring about changes—all which took a toll—all which required sacrifice and strategy.   

Goodyear, C.W. President Garfield:  From Radical to Unifier  (presidential biography, 19^th century history)

James Garfield is a little known president, mostly because of his premature death .  Only William Henry Harrison had a shorter presidency—one month. Garfield’s administration lasted four months before he was struck down by an assassin’s bullet. We will never know what might have been.  There is little need to speculate what would have happened had President Harrison lived to serve out his full term.  His intelligence and abilities were limited, and there is little reason to believe he would have had an impact on a country barreling toward civil war.  But James Garfield was a different man—brilliant, moral, skilled, and politically agile.  He knew how to relate to and marshal strong personalities.  His many years in congress and his ability to work with the opposition provided the nation its best chance for strong executive leadership at a time it was dealing with post-Civil War reconstruction, racial equality, enforcement of the 13^th, 14^th, and 15^thamendments, civil service reform, and the growing monopoly of business titans.  

Even though he was well experienced in congress, he was one of the youngest men ever elected to the presidency—at age 48.  He was at one time a barge worker, janitor, and carpenter’s assistant.  He was also a scholar, teacher, college president, lay preacher, lawyer, soldier, general, and politician. He got married, didn’t do well at first in his marriage, and soon figured it out and became a good and loving husband.  

Goodyear’s book gives us a fair and balanced picture of Garfield the man.  He was physically large, had a huge head, was pleasant and gracious with people, and a quick learner.  He was an abolitionist and believed that the south should not be able to “win the peace” after losing the war.  Had he survive, the course of our nation’s history might well have been different—particularly in Civil Rights, as Garfield was both moral and politically adept.  But he did not live.  

The book covers the well-known dispute that split the Republican party in those years—the old guard, led by former President Grant and Senator Roscoe Conkling (NY) and the reformers, or half-breeds, led by William Blaine.  Garfield, while a reformer, was a compromise candidate when the Republicans met in Cincinnati to nominate their 1880 candidate for president. He won the election in a squeaker, then proceeded to institute reform in both his party and in the country.  He was struck down by an assassin’s bullet while headed to board a train in Washington D.C., for his vacation.  While he didn’t die immediately, he did succumb after four months, due to infections caused by doctors poking their dirty fingers into his wound.  

The portrait of Garfield’s personality is an important addition to our understanding of our presidents.  And Goodyear does a good job of helping us understand the issues and tone of the times.  

Kellman, Julia, The Snake  (novel, crime, mystery, Mayan culture)

Julia Kellman, professor emerita of art education at the University of Illinois, brings her love and knowledge of Mayan culture to life in this novel.  Modeling the protagonist, Ann Cunningham, on herself, she uses her story to let the main character off a leash and relish life and adventure to the fullest.  The plot begins with the death of a Mayan scholar doing research in Guatemala.  But it is no ordinary death—he has been ritually sacrificed—and his heart torn out.  Other deaths began to mount up in the course of the plot.  Ann and her friends, partly out of righteous rage—and partly out of nosiness, decide to use their research skills to figure out what is happening.  Their lives go back and forth between Tikal National Park in Guatemala and Big Grove—a town modeled on Champaign/Urbana in Illinois.  Suspend your disbelief, pour a glass of wine, let your cat curl up on your lap—just like Ann Cunningham at the end of an adventurous day—and enjoy the book.

O’Mahoney, Peter, The Southern Trial (legal thriller, South Carolina, political scandal)  Book four of the Joe Hennessy legal thriller series

Lawyer Joe Hennessy has finally discovered who killed his ten year old son–more than two decades earlier.  But he now has to find a way to bring the responsible people to justice–even though statute of limitations has run our–and there is little available evidence.  Furthermore, he has discovered that the police are complicit in the crime–paid off by a powerful senator.  

The book is high on suspense–and opportunities to root for the good guys.

The theme of the novel is thin–an eye for an eye–and the characters shallow.  The grief that Hennessy has for his son is understandable–but poorly presented.  The psychological presentation of the character feels too simplistic.  

Dialogue throughout this series is mediocre.  Sentences are too long and too didactic.  There is a lack of interesting phraseology.  

A philosophical problem I have, running through each book in this series, is the “myth of redemptive violence”  Everything is an eye for an eye, and the author’s solution to everyone’s problems is the extermination of the bad guy.  While O’Mahoney’s characters all get a sense of peace in the end, the world he describes just gets worse and worse.

In each novel, the author has characters gush about Charleston and South Carolina.  For a book focused on issues of conscience, there is an undercurrent of “the glorious lost cause” which whitewashes the complexity of the city and state.  Charleston, as much as any city, still exudes the spirit of the Klan and the Confederacy.  Hennessy (and the author’s) blind idolization of the place can be distracting.  For those of us who want to love the city and state–despite it’s flaws (and every place has a dark side)–help us appreciate the city in a more realistic way.  Lure us in–don’t write so gushingly, as it doesn’t ring true.

Having said all that, O’Mahoney tells stories with suspenseful plots, bold characters, and fast moving action.  There are times I need reads like this, just like Hennessy needs a stiff drink–to take my mind off my own life.

O’Mahoney, Peter, The Southern Killer (legal thriller, South Carolina, political scandal)  Book three of the Joe Hennessy legal thriller series

Joe Hennessy, defense lawyer extraordinaire, comes to the aid of Alicia Fenton, an 18 year old black woman accused of killing her stepfather.  Ordinarily, this would have been an open and shut case of self-defense:  the stepfather had raped her before and was in the middle of attempting to do it again.  But the stepfather was also a corrupt police officer, an addict, a former prisoner, and associated with a criminal motorcycle gang.  

Hennessy has to use his legal skills, his fists, and his gun to see if he can get her off from a life sentence.  

It is an outrageous, unrealistic story.  The characters are rigidly stereotyped as good or evil.  But since I don’t drink to escape my day, I enjoyed this—for the most part.

O’Mahoney, Peter, The Southern Crimina (legal thriller, South Carolina, political scandal)  Book two of the Joe Hennessy legal thriller series  

The evil characters in this book–a spoiled rich lawyer who murdered his wife, his beast of a father, a famous singer who is framed by a manager he fired, and the hero of the series are all shallow and over the top.

The hero, lawyer Joe Hennessy, is a knight in shining armor, is dealing with an emotional problem—the death of a son.  His grief is described in terms that are repetitive, unrealistic, and boring.  His grief makes the book go in circles.  While people often get stuck in extended grief, writers need a realistic and healthy way to present the issue.  This writer does not do that.

If you want a thriller, where the good guys–most of them–live happily ever after, and you don’t want to think too deeply–this book fills the bill.

Merritt, Asa, Six Sermons (Audible book, play, clergy, church, suicide)

Alexis (read by Stephanie Hsu) is a fresh-out-of-seminary pastor, passionate about social justice, not overly pastoral, self-reflective and honest.  She has exceptional skills as a preacher.  Consequently, she is recruited right out of seminary to become the associate pastor of Trinity Grace Church, in order to train under Pastor Will and eventually become his successor.  But her training comes to an abrupt end when Pastor Will commits suicide.  Alexis must lead a stricken congregation and staff, work through her own feelings about her friend’s death, deal with routine political matters in the congregation (including an attempt to overthrow her) and grow up—real fast.  The drama is insightful, realistic, and thought-provoking.  There are also moments of refreshing wit and humor.  Hsu’s performance is excellent.As a retired pastor, I found this three hour drama inspiring and compelling.  Whether the listener is a Christian or not, it is a worthwhile listen.

Ryles, Logan, The Failed State:  Prosecution Force #4  (novel, international conflict, crime, politics)

In another fast paced, shoot-em-up, ridiculous, adventure, Reed Montgomery and his crew attempt to find the person who attempted to assassinate the president of the United States and is now trying to help a Putin-like figure take over Venezuelan oil fields. And of course, he’s having trouble with his marriage the whole time. 

As a story—this is an utter failure.  Nobody learns anything, grows, or changes.  It is an entire book of one flawed character banging into another.  But for some reason, I liked it—probably because it helped drain off negative energy I was dealing with in other areas of my life.  Some books build us up and edify us—some simply provide a drain to help cleanse us.   

Books Read in January 2024

Lencioni, Patrick, Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars:  A Leadership Fable about Destroying Barriers that Turn Colleagues into Competitors  (Leadership, Organizational Theory)

Shirey, David, It Don’t Get Any Better than This: Stories from a Small-Town Church (memoir, pastoral ministry, congregational life)

Turow, Scott, Presumed Innocent (novel, murder, courtroom)

Lencioni, Patrick, Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars:  A Leadership Fable about Destroying Barriers that Turn Colleagues into Competitors  (Leadership, Organizational Theory)

I re-read this book in order to brush up on Lencioni’s analysis of organizational function/dysfunction.  The problem the book address is silos—the tendency for people who work in an organization to be narrow down to their own field of endeavor.  Workers lose a sense of being part of the overall organization and its mission.  The result is a lack of internal alignment—the wasting of energy, and the nurturing of unnecessary conflict.  

I was interested in how the theory applied to the work of a single proprietor—such as myself, trying to market a book, or a consulting business.  Similar principles apply—it is easy for an individual to become fragmented, distracted, and unfocused on an enterprise.

The basic theory works like this:  enterprises can lazily fall into a collection of parts that have no integration. It is only when an emergency occurs that all the parts and personnel pull together (hopefully) to respond to an urgent “rallying cry.”  Lencioni’s example is a hospital emergency room—where all the personnel and departments work together to handle critical emergencies presented by patients.  

In the absence of such crisis, however, an organization gravitates back into departmental competition—sometimes even pettiness.  The responsibility of a CEO, therefore, is to make sure that there is always a “rallying cry.”  But how to pull everyone together when there is no crisis?  

Lencioni offers three concepts:  A thematic goal, its defining objectives, and standard operating objectives.  The thematic goal is qualitative, not quantitative.  It is an expression of the most urgent overall need the organization has presently (over the next 3-12 months.)  

Examples of a thematic goal include:

• Completing a merger of two companies or organizations
• Repositioning a restaurant for more health-conscious customers
• Establishing infrastructure for a fast growing computer company
• Expanding to satisfy the needs of new parishioners in a church
• Restoring the reputation of a university in decline
• Improving patient experiences in a hospital
• Rebranding a company for a new market

All of these can be adjusted to apply to a new organization or an individual proprietorship.

A thematic goal is only operative for 3-12 months.  There is only one thematic goal at a time for an organization.  And there must always be a thematic goal—a rallying cry for everyone in the organization.

To support a thematic goal, there should be 4-6 defining objectives.  These must be essentially qualitative, but can be quantified down the road.  What are the 4-6 most important things that have to happen for the thematic goal to be reached?

Examples of defining objectives include:

• Upgrading faculty in key departments (university)
• Launching a new scholarship program for top students
• Establishing a marketing program for feeder schools
• Hiring a PR firm
• Revitalizing alumni magazine and communications
• Adding more worship services (church)
• Adding personnel
• Expanding the building facilities
• Offering more educational programs
• Increase the outreach
• Installing a scalable and comprehensive accounting system (fast growing company)
• Upgrade customer tracking
• Establish policies and procedures for HR
• Hire chief administrative officer
• Outsource IT
• Revamp menu (restaurant)
• Advertise locally
• Rebrand company nationally
• Redesign restaurants
• Teach employees new concepts
• Establish a new comprehensive strategy (merger)
• Create a single, unified marketing message
• Establish a single look and feel
• Eliminate redundant and underperforming products
• Merge back-office systems and processes

Thirdly, standard operating objectives tend to be present regardless of the crisis.  They cannot be ignored, but neither can they become excuses for people not giving priority to the thematic goal and defining objectives.  Standard operating objectives include:

• Revenue
• Profitability
• Employee turnover and training
• Process for new product development and scheduling
• Assure consistency and quality of products
• Pass inspections and accountability to oversight organizations (govt, corporation)
• Safety and accident prevention
• Property maintenance
• Cash flow
• Retain customers
• Market analysis
• Positive PR
• Manage expenses
• Increase market share
• Increase customer satisfaction
• Reduce loss of customers
• Customer goals met

Finally, a word about meetings.  Each meeting should include 30 seconds of reporting by each department head—what am I working on this week.  Then everyone should look at the defining objectives that are current:  give each one a red (no progress) yellow (slow or inconsistent progress) or green (making headway.)  The rest of the meeting should be focused on what EVERYONE can do to change red and yellow scores—even if it isn’t a department head’s specific area.  For these meetings—every critical issue is everyone’s business.  Sometimes the best insights come from people not directly responsible for the matter.

Shirey, David, It Don’t Get Any Better than This: Stories from a Small-Town Church (memoir, pastoral ministry, congregational life)

David Shirey is a pastor. An old pastor. Almost as old as me.

Old pastors owe the rest of the world some good stories. After all, they have had a front row seat in the drama of people’s lives–all sorts of people: saints, sinners, scalawags, and sages. A GOOD pastor can tell those stories with grace, humor, insight, and wonder.

In his revised and expanded “It Don’t Get Any Better Than This,” Shirey proves that he is a good pastor. Most of his stories are set in Carthage, Tennessee, in the Carthage Christian Church (Disciples of Christ,) where he was a student pastor while taking classes at Vanderbilt Seminary. The little congregation averaged about 20 on a Sunday.

As a fellow pastor, I can attest that you never forget “your first.” When you are young and raw and quite rough, the congregants in those first churches are extra nurturing. And if you are smart, like Shirey, you will absorb their speech, their gifts, and their way of seeing things–like a dry sponge. They will not only make you smarter, but more graceful. There are people in those churches who will love you; and you will never see yourself, the world, or God in the same way–ever again.

Most of the stories of this book are set in Carthage. But the author also sprinkles in a few stories about other seminary students, professors, neighbors, and family members. We get just the right amount of detail (enough to think we can smell the food he describes at a potluck dinner,) keen insight into the strengths of various characters, and a warmth that bathes all the characters we meet.

I was particularly moved by Shirey’s stories entitled “Blind and Deaf”–articulating an insightful way of how God sometimes communicates with us, “An Advent Disposition”–riffing on Eugene Peterson’s insights on weaving the stories of Jesus together with the stories of one’s parishioners, “Mrs. Beagle’s Birthday Zinnias”–a real life parable about scattering seed and watching a miracle take place, and “It Don’t Get Any Better Than This,” a panoramic view of the little church one of his old members gave him that captured the embodied essence of a faithful congregation.

Whether you are a pastor or a lay person–or perhaps even feeling jilted by a church somewhere–this book is a gift, a healing, an inspiration.

Turow, Scott, Presumed Innocent (novel, murder, courtroom)

Presumed Innocent is a unique novel because of its complexity.  Most courtroom cases have clear-cut characters, a clear picture (eventually) of who-done-it, characters that elicit your sympathy and support, and suspense that almost kills you when you are trying to get to the truth.  

Turow is different. I found myself not particularly liking any of the characters of this book—even though I was occasionally sympathetic to some of the minor ones.  The outcome, while revealing, did not end “happily ever after,” nor was it satisfying to readers who want simple justice.  The quality of the novel comes in its cynical (realistic?) insight into how police, prosecutors, judges, and defense lawyers work.  It gives a grim picture of gangs (not respectable in proper society) and democracy (supposedly respectable.)  Turow paints an imperfect world.  And he is rather philosophical and hopeless that it can be made better by anyone. 

Books Read in October-November-December 2023

Black, Peter J., Murder on the Ocean Odyssey–Ruth Morgan Series, Book 1 (novel, murder, mystery)

Cervantes, Miguel de, Don Quixote: Translation by Gerald J. Davis (classic novel, medieval Spain)

Chandler, James, Misjudged (Sam Johnstone series #1) (novel, legal, crime, war veterans)

Confino, Sara Goodman, Don’t Forget to Write (novel)

Eckhart, Ann, Beginners Guide to Amazon KDP:  How to Create and Sell Books Using Kindle Direct Publishing (how-to-book)

Jones, Mark J., Journeyman (Matt Miller in the Colonies #1) (historical fiction, science fiction, Colonial Virginia)

Jones, Mark J., Prophet (Matt Miller in the Colonies #2) (historical fiction, science fiction, Colonial Virginia and Philadelphia)

Jones, Mark J.  Virginian (Matt Miller in the Colonies #3)  (historical fiction, science fiction, England)

Jones, Mark J.  Architect (Matt Miller in the Colonies #4)  (historical fiction, science fiction, Colonial Virginia)

 O’Mahoney, Peter, The Southern Lawyer (Joe Hennessy Legal Thriller #1)  (novel, legal, crime)

Partenheimer, Jeffrey S., Coming Home:  The McDowell Family and Old Brick  (memoir, history, philosophy, house construction)

Phillips, William D. Jr., and Phillips Carla Rahn, A Concise History of Spain, Cambridge Concise Histories, (history of Spain)

Prud’Homme, Alex, Dinner with the President:  Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House  (the White House kitchen, presidents, philosophy of food, politics)

Smith, J. Michael, Teaching the Preacher to Curse:  Humorous and Healthy Observations about Life, Religion, and Politics  (memoir, humor, satire, current events, history, ethics)

Thomas, Jo, Striving: A True Story; Adventures of a Female Journalist in a Man’s World, (memoir, modern history, autobiography, journalism, women’s literature)

Willett, Jincy, The Writing Class: A Novel; (Amy Gallup Book 1) (novel, mystery, on writing)

Willet, Jincy, Amy Falls Down (Amy Gallup Book 2) (novel, satire, on writing and publishing)

Willet, Jincy, Amy Among the Serial Killers (Amy Gallup Book 3) (novel, murder mystery)

Black, Peter J., Murder on the Ocean Odyssey–Ruth Morgan Series, Book 1 (novel, murder, mystery)

A murder mystery.  Ruth and (only) five other passengers are lured aboard a luxury cruise, supposedly paid a huge sum in order to consult with the ship owner to improve the product.  But they are instructed to NOT share their personal stories with the other passengers–or they won’t get paid the second half of their huge fees.  Ruth is there to critique the food, as she is a well known food critic.

But the first night out, the captain of the ship is murdered, and the crew mysteriously disappears.  All that remain on the ship are the six “consultants.”  And they are not supposed to say who they are.  By the first day, the 6 consultants start getting murdered, one by one.  Can they be stopped?

And who is doing the killing?  One of them?  Or is someone else stowing away on board.  

It is a good plot, not a good story (none of the characters changes inwardly, or does anything other than react stereotypically.)  The dialogue is forced by the author.  There are cliches throughout the book, of both phrases and reactions of the characters.  The author needed a good writing group to critique this work.  At times the plot is not credible.  And the protagonist is more lucky than clever.

All that said, I enjoyed the book more as I got into it, making my peace with the shallow characters, and growing in my curiosity about who was doing the killings, and why, and who would survive, if anyone.  

But in the end, I will not put it on my “reread” list.  It was a nice escape book, but not a particularly well written one. 

Cervantes, Miguel de, Don Quixote: Translation by Gerald J. Davis (classic novel, medieval Spain)

Who am I to not give Don Quixote 5 stars?  

I’ve been trying to get into this book for years, but finally had the incentive when my wife and I scheduled a trip to Spain for this past autumn.  I wanted to be reading it while sitting in the comfort of a train ride through LaMancha.  I’d seen the musical (not much of an introduction to the novel) and one of my favorite songs is “The Impossible Dream.”  But alas, that inspirational pull in my life turns out to celebrate a man who is falls into several categories in the DSM-V, the American Psychiatric Associations catalogue of what can go wrong in the head. 

In short, the novel seems to be part tongue in cheek, part satire, part autobiographical, part poetry, and part pure yarn.  Don Quixote is the name the man gives himself, after too much saturation in knight-lore.  He fancies himself a knight and sets out to save the world.  But he is delusional.  In search of proper enemies to conquer, he mislabels perfectly innocent people–then attacks them.  A neighbor, Sancho, is convinced of Don Quixote’s nobility, however, and devotes–and endangers his life in service to him.  People who know him, as well as people who meet him, immediately perceive his addled mind.  Some humor him. Some take advantage of him.  Some fight him.

All are affected by him, indirectly.  Quixote makes a mess of everything and everyone.  And in the wake of his appearance, all of them find themselves readjusting, often to their own benefit.

One of the delights of the book is the number of stories told, having nothing to do with Don Quixote.  As people in the novel often sit around at night and entertain others with their experiences, Cervantes lets us overhear.  Some of the best part of the novel consists of the short stories within it, adventures of romance, jilted love, robbery, etc.

It’s worth the time if you haven’t read it.  I liked the translation that Davis provided, and if you have trouble getting into the novel, try switching translators until you find one that works for you.

Confino, Sara Goodman, Don’t Forget to Write (novel)

What happens when you are 16, making out with the rabbi’s son during Sabbath services, and the two of you accidentally fall through a stained glass window and tumble down on each other in front of the entire congregation? If you are the rabbi’s son, your parents insist you marry the girl in order to save face. If you are Marilyn, the girl, you refuse the arranged marriage and get sent off to spend your summer with the dreaded Ada–your great-aunt.

Aunt Ada is rich, old, strict, and a rascal. She makes rules for others, then breaks them all when it comes to herself. She is nothing like Marilyn expects. And yet, the two women see themselves in each other, and both are challenged by the relationship.

The novel is partly a coming of age story, partly a growing old story, partly about marriage, partly about villains, partly about redemption, partly about society in Philadelphia and at the beach.

It has some great plot twists, especially at the end, and is a great story, in the sense that we see the main character being pushed to think about what she really wants in life.

Chandler, James, Misjudged (Sam Johnstone series #1) (novel, legal, crime, war veterans)

Tommy Olsen has been accused of murder, and Sam Johnstone, a fellow war vet, agrees to take on his case. Sam believes Tommy’s claims of innocence. The murdered woman, a lawyer, who sleeps with judges and criminals alike, has offended one person too many.

Sam is new to town (in Wyoming) and his partner, who is giving him a last chance to get his messed up life in order, demands that he not take the unpopular case. But Sam takes it anyway, resigning his position in the small firm in order to do what he thinks is right. Now, he just needs to stay sober through the trial.

This is a quick read. It is somewhat predictable. The characters are not deep. There are odd twists in the plot that are inadequately explained. But on the whole, it is a good read for an escape. It held my attention.

Eckhart, Ann, Beginners Guide to Amazon KDP:  How to Create and Sell Books Using Kindle Direct Publishing (how-to-book)

I read this book in order to self-publish my manuscript (Teaching the Preacher to Curse:  Humorous and Healthy Observations about Life, Religion, and Politics) on Amazon.

The book was full of practical step-by-step information.  I made extensive use of it.  I would highly recommend getting a copy of this for anyone who wants to self-publish.  It introduces you to Kindle Direct Publishing, which will allow you to publish either e-books or paperback–or hardback copies of your book.  

Jones, Mark J., Matt Miller in the Colonies: Book One: Journeyman (novel, time travel, Colonial Virginia)

Mark J. Rose is the author of Book One: Matt Miller in the Colonies. Due to an accident in a government lab, Matt Miller is “zapped” and suddenly transported in time through a wormhole into 1762. It happened while he was hiking the Appalachian Trail, so his location in the time warp was the same as where he was hiking–not far from Richmond, Virginia.

In the 21st century, Matt was a Ph. D. scientist, a pharmaceutical chemist. He is 26, has a shallow girlfriend, “mom issues,” and no close friends. His closest companion is his father, whom he sees a few times a year. After landing in 1762, he is taken in by a farm family and becomes enchanted with both the way of life there–and the farmer’s daughter. While the scientists are trying to get him back to the 21st century, Matt is slowly deciding he wants to stay. Finally, one of the scientists decides to force him back through the wormhole…and you will have to read the book to find out what happens.

The fact that there are other books in the series is a tip-off that Matt has a future in Colonial Virginia.

The writing is quite good, on the whole. The book gets off to a rough start, as the reader can get lost in a government office where the accident occurs. Organizationally, it would have been better to start us off with the protagonist, Matt Miller, then work the backstory of the time travel in gradually. Other than this irritation, the book unfolded smoothly, until I was hooked by the end.

I would have liked some “acknowledgements” to verify some of the cultural and historic authenticity of the 1760’s settings and conversation. As Miller has his awkward moments with his 1760s host family, I’d like to know a little more whether the author did his historical research. Since there are few political touchstones in the book (slavery is one of them,) the awkwardness comes from Miller’s idioms and slang, which are not understood by his adoptive family. Since I am into the history of words and phrases, it peaked my curiosity–but I understand that other readers may not be distracted by that at all.

The book does a splendid job of unfolding a hot romance between Matt and Grace: just slow enough to keep you hooked, but not too slow as to be torturous. “Romance pacing” is hard for an author to pull off. Rose does it well.

The book has an intriguing plot and overcomes its lack of credibility with time-travel by pulling the reader into interesting characters and narrative suspense. The protagonist has a “story.” In other words, he has to completely rethink what he wants in life, decide on what kind of “death” he wants in order to get it, and determine how much he is willing to suffer and change in order to 1) either continue on the path he was on in his previous life, or 2) take up a new and more uncertain future.

Jones, Mark J., Matt Miller in the Colonies: Book Two: Prophet (novel, time travel, Colonial Virginia and Philadelphia)

This is the second book in a four book set, historical fiction combined with science fiction. Matt Miller is living a so-so life in 2016, when a lab experiment goes wrong and zaps him back in time to 1762. Miller was a 26 year old Ph. D. in chemistry, interested in pharmaceutical development. (He had nothing to do with the government experiment that zapped him–he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.)

In book one, Miller falls in love with Grace Taylor and decides to stay in the past, rather than be transported back to the present. In book two, he heads to Philadelphia, briefly meets two other people who accidentally got zapped back in time, becomes friends with Benjamin Franklin, starts his own drug manufacturing company, and worries about Levi Payne, a man back in Virginia who has vowed to kill him. Book two ends with Matthew’s return to Virginia and a decision by Grace’s father on whether the two young lovers will be allowed to marry.

Book two introduces an element of “visions,” in which Matthew’s time travel has somehow left an imprint in his mind concerning his and Grace’s future, and he is tortured with a vague knowledge of what is going to happen to him and everyone he cares about. In an interesting literary technique, Matthew will go blind, literally, temporarily–yet be able to see in his mind what is actually happening–because he had premonitions of it.

The characters evoke sympathy and the romance between Matthew and Grace–in book two as in book one–is exquisitely paced, even though it is not the primary focus of the second volume.

Rose could use a second editor in his work, as there were times I got a little lost in what was happening–not often, just a couple times, and just briefly. But the book is so well written otherwise, that the murkiness was distracting–and would be easily cleared with editing.

I’ll go on to read volume three.

Jones, Mark J.  Virginian (Matt Miller in the Colonies #3)  (historical fiction, science fiction)

I read all four books in the series, and this one could have been left out.  The characters get into lots of fights, new characters pop up for no apparent reason—interrupting the flow of the story, the protagonist turns into a person the reader no longer cares about, and the scenes are abruptly ended for no reason, leaving the book’s chapter divisions distracting. This whole third book could have been dispensed with by writing an extra two or three chapters at the beginning of the last volume of the series.

Jones, Mark J.  Architect (Matt Miller in the Colonies #3)  (historical fiction, science fiction)

Rose ends his series with Matt Miller having to decide whether to go back to his old girlfriend (from the 21^st century) or stay with his 18^th century colonial family.  He has been a part of both worlds due to a time-travel glitch.  This book has him inadvertently traveling back to the 21^st century, and then facing two suspenseful moments, one inner and one external.  The first suspense is whether he will choose to stay or go back.  The second suspense if whether he will be allowed by the “authorities” to return, should he so decide.  There are places where we have to suspend our disbelief.  But that is doable because we begin to care again about the protagonist—after a disastrous third volume in the series.  There are some interesting scenes in an 18^th century courthouse.

O’Mahoney, Peter, The Southern Lawyer (Joe Hennessy Legal Thriller #1)  (novel, legal, crime)

A quick and easy read.  The characters are cliché.  Their dialogue is shallow.  The plot is strictly good vs. evil.  There is no “story” in the sense that the protagonist wants to do anything except make some money to keep a vineyard he bought in memory of his son.  An escape novel.  Highly forgettable.  Having said that, I mostly enjoyed it.

Partenheimer, Jeffrey S., Coming Home:  The McDowell Family and Old Brick  (memoir, history, philosophy, house construction

Every house comes with a story.  Unfortunately, those stories too often fade along with the paint and disappear faster than the habitat’s material elements.  But some houses are blessed with a storyteller.  Old Brick has Jeff Partenheimer.  His great-great grandfather built Old Brick in 1874.  His great-grandfather grew up in the house.  A series of uncles, aunts, and cousins then lived there. The structure grew dilapidated with age and barely escaped demolition in 1984. Then in 2004, Jeff and his wife Minerva bought it, and with along with the physical responsibility for the house, Jeff also assumed responsibility for its story.  He knew parts of the history, but would have to research and inquire about the rest.  He committed himself to writing a new chapter in the story of Old Brick—and insuring that there would be more stories after he was gone.  And while the author doesn’t have control over all that will happen hereafter, he left future residents of this house both mechanical and philosophical guidance in this book.  

The author started with a decrepit house, a few personal memories, and a handful of recollections passed on by the generations before him. It became his mission to redeem the house and enrich the story.  Along the way, he realized that the restoration of the old house was also a way of taking authorship of his own life—maturing into the kind of person he wanted to be.  His book is the story of a house.  And a family.  And a village.  And a remarkable individual.

Beautifully illustrated, meticulously documented, expertly designed, and well-written—Coming Home weaves its multiple stories together, enticing readers to reflect on their own blessings of place, artifact, family, and community.  

Jeff and Minerva not only restored Old Brick to its past glory, but they also redesigned it to be a functional home for the present and future.  In other words, they wanted the beauty and artistic accomplishment of the 1870s—without the drafts, fire hazards, outhouses, and leaks.  Their revival of this dwelling is an object lesson in how tradition can be generative rather than stifling.

In reviewing this book, I have little to say about the mechanical repairs and reconstructions that are described in vivid detail.  I am one who deeply appreciates the materiality of a place without needing to fully fathom the math and science behind it all. In other words, Jeff won’t be calling me to figure out how to avoid plaster cracks on lathed walls.  But the book gives me an appreciation for the foresight and intelligence that are required of those involved in construction and reconstruction.

The story of the McDowell family is interesting.  Since the author goes back several generations and includes cousins and in-laws, I had to refer occasionally to Appendix C (McDowell Family Tree) to keep all their names from making me dizzy.  But it was doable. While there is no glossing over family conflicts and failures in this book, it also is in no way a gossipy “National Inquirer” document.  The author does a splendid job of handling the ancestors gracefully, truthfully, and appreciatively.

While the book isn’t exactly about the small village of Sidell, it does include several photos and family memories of the village.  Old Brick is located a few miles just south and east of Sidell.  Anyone who is interested in Sidell, Illinois needs to read the recollections of the author’s mother in chapter 5.  Like so many rural villages, this one too has a story that risks being lost if more accounts like Coming Home aren’t written and preserved.  Between 1930 and 1950, Sidell pretty much maintained its population, varying from 550 to 650. In 2020, the population was just under 500.  But the losses include a bank, barber shop, beauty shop, blacksmith shops, bowling alley, auto dealers, farm equipment shop, creamery, department store, drug store, doctor’s office, train depot, grocery stores, gas stations, gift shop, garage-repair shops, hardware store, harness shop, heating and plumbing business, insurance agencies, lumberyard, Savings and Loan, watch repair shop, and American Legion—in addition to the people who no longer live there.  As the author seeks to revive Old Brick, he is very conscious of the wider need to revive community as well.

Finally, the book is part auto-biography.  Jeff Partenheimer shares bits and pieces of his own life, enough to give us a sense of its arc.  As a child, he was richly nourished by family and family traditions.  He early on developed a sense of place, in part because his family moved away from central Illinois when he was at an impressionable age.  He noticed the change of culture from rural Vermillion County to McHenry, Illinois—which was “like a big city.”  As Jeff moved on to college and a career, both in Texas, he maintained a soft spot for his ancestral ground—in and around Sidell.  The place not only defined “home” for him, it became aspirational.  He did well in Texas—in a career in finance—and in marriage.  But he still lacked a sense of peace—as well as engagement with a larger purpose for his life. In coming home to Old Brick, in its restoration, and in becoming its steward—the author found fulfillment.

My only criticism of the book was the lack of any stories about how he met Minerva and decided to marry her.  He does, after all, tell us how his parents met and got married.  It is clear from the book that Minerva has been his full partner in restoring the house, moving to the middle of what can feel like nowhere, and in finding her own purpose and fulfillment in Old Brick.  But perhaps I will just have to wait for her book to get published, so I can learn what Jeff left out!   

Phillips, William D. Jr., and Phillips Carla Rahn, A Concise History of Spain, Cambridge Concise Histories, (history of Spain)

A thorough history of Spain, beginning with a geographical survey, including prehistorical archaeology uncovering human remains and pre-homo sapiens societies. The book gives a good account of the Roman and Visigoth eras, the Moor years, the reconquest, the Hapsburg royalty, the Bourbon royalty, and the small kingdoms and difficulties uniting Spain. There is an account of the Spanish Civil War and the reign of Franco. The book was recent enough to include the abdication of King Carlos and the early days of King Philippe.

The biggest difficulty I had was my unfamiliarity with all the names and places that seemed to come at me as out of a firehose. But it was easy enough to let them slide by and hang on to the people I needed to remember in order to get the gist of the stories. It probably would have been easier for me to retain this material had I read it instead of listened to it on Audible.

Prud’Homme, Alex, Dinner with the President:  Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House  (the White House kitchen, presidents, philosophy of food, politics)

Prud’Homme’s book is a delight to read.  He gives examples of how a White House meal can be intentionally used to bring people together (Jefferson), or unintentionally used to foster agreements (Carter), or a factor in creating outrage (both Roosevelts, Trump).  There are a few favorite White House kitchen recipes given at the back of the print edition of the book, but I would like to have seen more.

Prud’Homme also gives a history of food:  its biological role in the development of the human species, and its changing cultural peculiarities. Julia Childs is a big influence on the writer.

Not all of the presidents are given space—but all the presidents since Franklin Roosevelt are.  Prior to that time, we have chapters on George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Abraham Lincoln.  He also writes a bit about Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson.  

It is a thoughtful read, an interesting argument, and a trove of anecdotes.

Smith, J. Michael, Teaching the Preacher to Curse:  Humorous and Healthy Observations about Life, Religion, and Politics  (memoir, humor, satire, current events, history, ethics)

It is weird to write a review for my own book.  But then, no one has read it more thoroughly than I have—or critiqued it more.  So, why not?  First, a confession.  I gave myself a 5 on Goodreads (out of a possible 5.)  It should be a 4.5 rather than a 5, but I rounded up, since the website didn’t give me an option.  Each time I read the book, I still find things that need to be changed.  So, in my eyes, it will never be a perfect 5—I’ll always be tinkering with it.

Instead of a review, here are a couple behind the scenes revelations:

I had trouble knowing how to classify the book.  Since it is a collection of my Sunday Posts—written on different subjects over several decades—I have no idea how to classify it.  It’s not really an auto-biography, although it does include many anecdotes from my life.  It’s not really fiction—although I do stretch a point here and there to make it more entertaining.  It’s not really a religious book—although I do get some subtle theology in here and there.  It’s not really history—although there are some fun stories about the presidents.  It’s not a book about anthropology or sociology—although I do make some intellectual observations about people and how they behave.  It’s not a psychology book—although it is psychologically informed.

It’s really just a book by a guy who normally likes life and people—and is sharing his reflections honestly.  And it is a book written by a guy who likes words and phrases—and playing with them—and seeing how they evoke laughter or insight or argument or comfort.

The chapters that got me in the most trouble were the ones entitled “How to Be a Manly Man,” “The Story of Two-Face,” and “Beware the Human Brain 2.0.”  As I ran all of them by focus groups and critique groups, some people were offended.  I got accused of being “too liberal,” “too conservative,” “not religious enough,” “not Christian,” “too Christian,” and just plain “ridiculous.”  It turns out that anyone trying to bridge the chasm in our quarrelsome society will also turn out to be an equal opportunity offender.  But in every case, criticism led to fruitful conversations—and also to my refining my own thinking.  Criticism doesn’t make me flip-flop, but it does expand my understanding of what is true or good.

My final word—BUY THE BOOK. I’ve sunk a lot of money into getting it published and printed—and I’d like to break even on it by the time I’m 80. 

Thomas, Jo, Striving: A True Story; Adventures of a Female Journalist in a Man’s World, (memoir, modern history, autobiography, journalism, women’s literature)

Jo Thomas didn’t start out to be a journalist. The door into it appeared almost by accident. If she hadn’t planned on a career in journalism, the male editors who hired her had even less intention to give her a career in the field. But due to a reporter shortage, the Cincinnati Post gives her a job as a cub reporter in 1966, and Jo will grab the opportunity and never look back. Through investigative reporting, she will discover her true self, meaning in her life, and profound ways she can make a contribution to the world.

This is a memoir: a mix of history, tantalizing behind the scenes tidbits, and emotion confessions of of the person behind the objective reports she was getting in print. Jo was one of the early reporters to venture into African American communities during the 60s urban riots and get a fuller picture of injustice in America. She covered airplane crashes, mass killers, rent-to-own fraud, the Mob in Detroit, both sides of the struggle in Northern Ireland, revolution in Haiti, Castro emptying out the prisons in Cuba, Flight 93, Columbine, and Timothy McVeigh’s trial following the bombing in Oklahoma City. Over time, she asked to be taken off a couple stories because of the emotional effect suffering was having on her.

Thomas describes the difficulty of trying to be both a mother and a wife while serving as a full time reporter. She is never defensive, often vulnerable in this memoir, and always helping the reader stay close to her with her honesty and courage.

She writes of the invisibility that comes from being a female reporter. Because others often didn’t take a woman seriously, she was able to witness stories and interview people who would not have trusted a male reporter. While she suffered much from the sexism she encountered, she also found a way to turn that low esteem into a vocational advantage. Her ethical standards–and the questions she had to ask herself–stand out in this memoir.

In addition to the fascinating history and psychology of this read, it is also inspirational. Jo Thomas is paradoxical in the best ways: prickly and empathetic, smart and forever curious, humble and no-nonsense, religious and open-minded, terrified and courageous, accepting of her finitude yet always striving.

An important book. A smooth read. A great acquaintance to make–Ms. Thomas.

Willett, Jincy, The Writing Class: A Novel; (Amy Gallup Book 1) (novel, mystery, on writing)

Amy Gallup is a washed up author, now a recluse, out of shape–physically and socially, wannabe misanthrope. She even fancies herself estranged from her dog. But Amy has a problem. The character she has written for herself doesn’t fit the plot that is unfolding in her life–either around her or within her. She still has a novel inside of her, even though she would like to think not. She cannot be a pure recluse, as she needs to make a little money, and does so by teaching extension classes for the local college. She wants to hate people, but still finds them fascinating and is drawn to them. Even her relationship with her dog is warmer than she describes in her own mind.

This first novel in the Amy Gallup series introduces us to a writing class–one she is teaching for the extension program–and spins a narrative of how the class quickly defies Amy’s expectations. First, she likes them. Second, they respect her–enormously. Third, they quickly form a small community. We get glimpses of the writings the different students submit to the class for critique. Some are laughably awful. The critiques Amy gives of the writings is insightful (to anyone who is interested in writing. Parts of the novel are a writer’s delight–giving the reasons a novel or short story may or may not work.)

And then it turns out that one member of the class is out for revenge. But which member? I won’t give away the ending, but we encounter death along the way.

I only failed to give it 5 stars because it was poorly edited, with several sentences leaving the readers up in the air and obvious words dangling in the manuscript that was finally printed.

Willet, Jincy, Amy Falls Down (Amy Gallup Book 2) (novel, satire, on writing and publishing)

This is the second book in a series of three, featuring Amy Gallup, a “senior” who is experiencing a revival of her writing career after several decades of anonymity.  Amy was a best-selling author while still in her 20’s, before she fell out of vogue. For years she lived as a recluse in a quiet San Diego suburb, until she is “rediscovered.”  

After literally falling down and waking up confused, right before a newspaper reporter interviews her, she says several nonsensical things, which are then interpreted by “literary” people as brilliant.  This jump starts her career and she is able to sell several more manuscripts.

In the novel, we get a hodgepodge of insights into writing, meet some quirky characters, and enjoy a satire about the writing-publishing industry.  We get a lot of other loose material, which is why I gave the book a three instead of a higher rating.  It is a delightful read, and I enjoyed it, but there were places where I wondered if this author might have fallen down and hit her head and given us a nonsensical ride.

Willet, Jincy, Amy Among the Serial Killers (Amy Gallup Book 3) (novel, murder mystery)

This is the third in the Amy Gallup series, about a formerly famous writer, who has a decades long dry spell, then comes back into the limelight.  In the meantime, she taught writing at the college extension level.  In the first novel, we get our best glimpse of Amy’s curmudgeon character and some good observations about writing.  In the second novel, we get some satire regarding the publishing industry and the mass media.  In this third novel, we get mostly dead and hacked up bodies–and Amy is relegated to a supporting role.  She’s not really the protagonist anymore.  Instead, this book gives us more information about one of Amy’s students–Carla.  While Carla’s story is interesting and well done, Willett seems to have written one too-many books in the Gallup series.  Perhaps this book should have been the first one in a “Carla” series.

Beyond that, the murders and violence in the book are both gratuitous and beyond-credibility.  The characters are shallow (except for Carla,) and the plot repetitive.  I’m glad to finish the series out, but like many writers who get going on a series, this one was one book too many.

Books Read in August-September 2023

Eckhart, Ann, 2022 Edition Beginner’s Guide to Amazon kdp: How to Create & Sell Books Using Kindle Direct Publishing (manual for getting ebooks and paperback copies in publication)

Eig, Jonathan, King: A Life (biography of Martin Luther King Jr., history of Civil Right in the United States, anti-war)

Gage, Beverly, G-Man:  J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century (biography, American history)

Kawaguchi, Toshikazu, Before the Coffee Gets Cold (#1 in a series) (novel)

Lencioni, Patrick, Silos, Politics and Turf Wars: A Leadership Fable about Destroying the Barriers that Turn Colleagues into Competitors (Leadership, strategy, organizations)

Lencioni, Patrick, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable (teams, leadership, strategy, organizational studies

Ryles, Logan, Election Day (Prosecution Force #3)  (novel—military and political suspense)

Ryles, Logan, First Strike (Prosecution Force #2)  (novel—military and political suspense)

Ryles, Logan, The Brink of War (Prosecution Force #1)  (novel—military and political suspense)

Eckhart, Ann, 2022 Edition Beginner’s Guide to Amazon kdp: How to Create & Sell Books Using Kindle Direct Publishing (manual for getting ebooks and paperback copies in publication)

A helpful guide for those who want to self-publish, using Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) as their printer. Very practical advice, which is subject to periodic change as KDP policies and procedures change occasionally. The KDP process allows you to offer books on either Kindle or in paperback. If you want to publish a book in paperback, you essentially upload your completed manuscript–and Amazon will publish the book on demand–each time someone order it from them.

Eig, Jonathan, King: A Life (biography of Martin Luther King Jr., history of Civil Right in the United States, anti-war)

The first full length biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. in several decades. Eig has accessed material from both the King family and the FBI files that were not previously available to biographers. In this book, he gives us background into King’s parents, his dating before marrying Coretta, his uneven education, his marriage to Coretta, and his hesitant plunge into the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama.

We have insights into his evolution as a civil rights advocate. Eig also deals openly with two big flaws in King’s character–his sexism and his multiple affairs. We are getting more and more familiar these days with flawed heroes. The reader of this biography has ample opportunity to learn the evidence and come up with wise and nuanced conclusions.

The book gives us new insights into the oppositions that King faced in his life: from the Kennedys, Lyndon Johnson, Malcom X, Bull Conner, Jim Clark, SNCC, southern politicians, etc. Most of all, J. Edgar Hoover’s hatred of King is now evident–and the obstructions it created to the entire Civil Rights movement. Hoover was the movement’s most dangerous enemy.

Eig shows us the emotions of King throughout his life–the depression, the inspiration, the fear, the exhaustion, and the humility. One comes away from the book realizing that it’s all real: the good and the bad. And only the most ignorant person can dismiss one or the other. Eig’s argument is that we have “sainted” King, and that in doing so, we have watered down his message, neutered it.

The book does an excellent job helping us see how King was first and foremost a preacher and theologian. His speech at Riverside Church in New York City is just as important to helping us understand him as his “I Have a Dream” speech. Yet few people know it. 

King’s anti-war position was hugely controversial in his later years. It eroded some of the support he was getting for unfinished Civil Rights work. But King’s passion for Civil Rights came from the same place in his mind as his anti-war advocacy. Eig does an excellent job of pointing that out.

This is an important read for anyone wanting to stay abreast of the history of Civil Rights in our country–the state of the movement–both then and now.

Gage, Beverly, G-Man:  J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century (biography, American history)

This is a hard book to read, but an important addition to our knowledge of 20th century American history. J. Edgar Hoover was head of the FBI from the mid 20s until his death in 1972.  He took office when Washington was more a sleepy southern city than a hectic metropolis. He was first appointed to as head of the FBI’s predecessor organization, the BOI (Bureau of Investigation) during the administration of Calvin Coolidge. When it became the FBI, under Franklin Roosevelt, Hoover was its first director. 

Gage’s book gives us glimpses into both Hoover the person and Hoover the public actor.  The personal perspectives Gage provides include Hoover’s parents, his marital status, his sexual orientation, his companions and friendships, the ways he decorated his house and yard, his pets, his social life, his leisure activities, and his death.  His father suffered from debilitating anxiety. After his father’s death, Hoover, the loyal son, lived with his mother until her death. Hoover was never married, was widely suspected of being gay, and enjoyed a lifelong relationship with his companion, Clyde Tolson.  The discrete Hoover never left any proof of his sexual orientation, just circumstantial and open evidence.   He and Tolson appeared in public and in social settings as though they were a married couple.  The more egregious rumors of his cross-dressing, etc. are spectacular, but utterly unreliable. The only thing that makes Hoover’s personal life with Tolson any of our business is that he was involved for many years in seeking out and prosecuting–or quietly destroying the lives of many homosexual men. 

Hoover was a life-long Washington D.C. resident, got a bachelor of laws degree from George Washington University in 1916, and planned a career in government service, beginning first with the Library of Congress, then moving over to the Justice Department.

As Jim Crow culture spread through the south, and whites there stepped up their propaganda to advocate the “lost and glorious cause,” Hoover was shaped and infected by that ideology.  

Gage points out that Hoover was also highly disciplined, very conservative in his politics, precise, and extremely well organized.  He also developed a political savvy through the years for survival, by giving those above him what they wanted.  His particular strengths involved innovative systems for storing information, total obedience from his subordinates, training for law enforcement nationwide, and use of new technology for investigations.  His use of that technology was not always legal or ethical.

The presidents he got along best with were, ironically, two presidents whose liberalism was not to Hoover’s liking:  Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson.  Both used Hoover to spy on their political enemies.  Both expanded his powers and turned a blind eye to his illegal wiretapping and undercover disruptions.  Hoover and LBJ were longtime neighbors and often socialized prior to Johnson becoming president.  Hoover also had a longtime friendship with Nixon, and the two shared their dislike of many common enemies.  Hoover, however, did not go far enough for Nixon, as he hesitated to break several laws Nixon thought a nuisance.  By the end of Hoover’s life, Nixon was looking for ways to replace him.  Had Nixon kept Hoover, Watergate might never have happened, according to Gage.

Hoover’s most visceral enemies in life were Communists and Blacks.  He authorized a forged letter to be sent to Martin Luther King suggesting he commit suicide-or his private life would be exposed.  He was the primary force behind the illegal wiretaps and arrests of communists, sneaking FBI agents into communist cells to infiltrate and disrupt them.  The FBI also infiltrated and disrupted civil rights organizations, as well as many radical new-left organizations in the 1960s.  He led the FBI in hunting down and killing gangsters in the 1930s, and he was instrumental in spying on foreign born citizens in WWII.  In the early part of his career, he also aided in spying on and interfering with labor union leaders.

Gage gives us glimpses of Hoover’s Christianity throughout the book.  His religion was selective, judgmental of others, preachy, pious, and unkind to the kind people Jesus most helped.  He wasn’t a particularly faithful church member, but he enjoyed celebrity status among conservative Christians.

After Hoover’s death, new investigations into FBI tactics led to the undoing of much of his style and illegal policing.  The Church Committee in the Senate exposed much of what Hoover did that was illegal, and new restrictions were imposed for intelligence agencies in the U.S.  Hoover went from being one of the most respected men in America, to one of its most despised.

Gage’s biography uses documents never before available to researchers, and it is the first major Hoover biography in decades.  She is strongly opposed to the things Hoover did wrong, but she also makes a credible effort to be fair to him and to see his human side and his positives.

Kawaguchi, Toshikazu, Before the Coffee Gets Cold (#1 in a series) (novel)

An excellent novel set in a Japanese coffeeshop, where a person can revisit the past, but only for the length of time it takes a cup of coffee to get cold.

The novel, the first of a series, features several individuals who want to visit the past: a woman whose boyfriend has left her to go to another country, another woman whose husband has gotten dementia–among others.

The rules are very strict for going back in time. One can only visit someone who has also been in the coffeeshop, one can’t change the facts of the present, and one has to sit in a particular chair and stay sitting for the entire duration of the time travel.

The novel has suspense and excellent character portrayal. It touches the heart, and makes the mind think.

Lencioni, Patrick, Silos, Politics and Turf Wars: A Leadership Fable about Destroying the Barriers that Turn Colleagues into Competitors (Leadership, strategy, organizations)

Patrick Lencioni writes quick, easy-to-read, and profoundly insightful books to help organizations understand their dysfunctions and address them intelligently. In the case of this book, he takes on the problem of silos, the phenomenon of different departments or segments of an organization working in ways that are disconnected and even in competition with other segments of the organization. An organization can flounder by lack of a compelling and overarching theme.

Once again, he writes a fictional short story in his teaching document, giving us a personal and anecdotal understanding of his theories. In this case, the story is about a young man starting a consulting business in order to help other organizations (a hospital, a church, a high tech company, a manufacturing company, a hotel) deal with their “silo” problems.

His main theme is that every organization must have a temporary “Thematic Goal,” some overriding concern that will engage every department in the organization, even if it doesn’t seem like all of them are directly responsible for that theme. That thematic goal should be omnipresent for anywhere from a few weeks to a year.

He then introduces the concept of “Defining Objectives” and “Standard Operating Objectives.” Defining Objectives are more qualitative than quantitative, but lead to quantitative objectives. They are the 5 or 6 unique things that must reasonably be accomplished within the defined period if the Thematic Goal is to be reached.

The Standard Operating Objectives are those things that must be constantly attended for an organization to be successful. They often include customer growth, financial stability, staffing etc.

As a leader of a church, the material is relevant to the work I do. Lencioni introduces common sense in a way that is applicable to a number of fields.

Lencioni, Patrick, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable (teams, leadership, strategy, organizational studies

This 20 year old book gives some timeless advice for those wanting to improve teamwork in organizations. Using the format of short fiction, Lencioni narrates the early days of Kathryn Peterson’s stint as CEO of DecisionTech, Inc. She notices that her executive team is dysfunctional, and sets out to create a healthy, functioning, fruitful team.

In the book, we are introduced to characters who each have to change and grow–or leave, in order for the team to improve. The book gives us a front row seat to that drama.

The five dysfunctions are:

1) absence of trust, replaced by each team member positioning themselves to be invulnerable
2) fear of conflict, covered up by artificial harmony
3) lack of commitment, replaced by ambiguity
4) avoidance of accountability, replaced by lowering of standards
5) inattention to results, replaced by status and ego satisfactions

This is a thoughtful book that I plan to incorporate into my work with church teams. It is a fast and easy read, and its charts and summaries are good refreshers for anyone wanting to utilize the material without having to reread the whole book.

Ryles, Logan, Election Day (Prosecution Force #3)  (novel—military and political suspense)

I started reading this series at a time I was looking for a distraction, and raced through the first three novels. In this thriller, we once again get shallow characters, unrealistic political situations, submarines, guns of all sorts, bombs, over-caricatured killers, and used up assassins that the author seems to have a soft spot for.

The President of the United States is unconscious through almost the entire novel, due to two assassination attempts. The Vice President is suspect. So is big oil. So is Russia. It is Election Day and the polls suggest a three way race that is too close to call.

The novel fails to satisfy if a reader is interested in politics, character depth, or careful story-craft. But if the reader is looking for a mindless break, there is plenty of suspense, killing, and warm fuzzy endings for the expanding cast of the Prosecution Force crew.

Ryles, Logan, First Strike (Prosecution Force #2)  (novel—military and political suspense)

Reed Montgomery is a former Marine, dishonorably discharged, turned assassin, turned fugitive on the run, turned black ops man-on-call for the president of the United States.

In this novel, he and his pal Turk show up in North Korea to try and bring an “asset” home who has information on a new nuclear weapon being developed there.  While there, they encounter mission creep as the president wants them to assassinate a rogue leader trying to overthrow the “beloved dictator,” who is more dangerous than the current leader of North Korea.

They encounter a North Korean family and can’t figure out until it’s too late whether they are friend or foe.

This is a novel of shallow characters, silly dialogue, unbelievable luck, and defiance of reality.  But it’s suspenseful and a great escape.  Gave it too many points, but I’m feeling grateful for the diversion.

Ryles, Logan, The Brink of War (Prosecution Force #1)  (novel—military and political suspense)

Logan Ryles writes books for two types of people:  those who like weapons and those who just need a break from reality and want to have a quick win over the bad guys without having to do the work themselves.  I am the second type of reader.

In this book, Air Force One has crashed, with all aboard dead.  It seems at first that the Iranians are to blame, and people want quick revenge. That’s when Reed Montgomery and his pal Turk are called in to find the black box and figure out what actually brought the plane down.  They are airdropped near the crash site and left on their own to fight both the Turks and the Persians.  And other unexpected enemies.  This is the section where people who likes weapons, especially guns, get to enjoy the novel.

The book is fast-paced and highly suspenseful.  The reader speeds it up hoping to get the protagonists out of the fixes they find themselves in.

The book probably should have gotten a 3 instead of a 4, due to its shallow characters, lack of believability, and predictable outcome.  But I had fun reading it…so I gave it a 4, in the spirit of happy endings.

Books Read in June-July 2023

Kavanaugh, James, There Are Men Too Gentle to Live Among Wolves, (poetry)

Kingsolver, Barbara, Demon Copperhead (novel)

Moberly, Todd, D., Notes on Cracker Barrel Napkins (novel, early 20th century Appalachian culture)

Osman, Richard, The Thursday Murder Club (novel, crime mystery)

Osman, Richard, The Man Who Died Twice:  Thursday Murder Club #2  (novel, mystery, crime)

Osman, Richard, The Bullet That Missed:  Thursday Murder Club #3  (novel, mystery, crime)

Palmer, Parker J., On the Brink of Everything:  Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old (aging, spirituality, inspiration)

Standafer, Margaret, I Know An Old Lady (novel, coming of age, young adult)

Taylor, Timothy, Economics 3rd Edition (economics textbook, microeconomics, macroeconomics)

Wuthnow, Robert, The Left Behind:  Decline and Rage in Small-Town America  (rural sociology and politics, religion, moral community)

Kavanaugh, James, There Are Men Too Gentle to Live Among Wolves, (poetry)

Kavanaugh is a former priest who left the priesthood to get married, then later divorced.  He understands what is like to be labelled, “unstable,” “selfish,” and “incapable of commitment.”  Rejecting all those judgments, his poetry reflects on what it means to be true to the part of oneself that can never fit into someone else niche or into the demands of systems that simply dehumanize people.  His poems are graphic, sometimes obscure (to this reader), honest, raw, and thought-provoking.  He raises tough questions about God, about the church, about societal expectations on both men and women, and adulthood.  I particularly enjoyed the following poems:  “There are Men Too Gentle to Live Among Wolves,” “Little Boy, I Miss You,” “I Dream on Words,” “My Easy God is Gone,” “With Cain,” “Hey Life,” “I Played God Today,” “Welcome to the Oakwood Gardens Apartment Complex,” and “Maria.”  

This is a thin book, it’s pages not numbered, and has 30 poems.

Kingsolver, Barbara, Demon Copperhead (novel)

Damon was born in southwest Virginia, in abandoned coal mine country, son of a widowed drug addict, an orphan by the time he was ten, lost in the state’s department of child services and foster care.  In a work inspired by Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield, Kingsolver riffs on several themes and characters found in that 19^th century novel, depicting the deplorable condition of impoverished children in industrial England.  I don’t suppose you need to read Dickens’s work to appreciate Demon Copperhead, but it greatly enriches the experience.  Shadows of Dickens’s characters appear, such as the slimy Uriah Heep (U-Haul,) the life-long female friend finally become lover Agnes (Angus,) etc. 

Moberly, Todd, D., Notes on Cracker Barrel Napkins (novel, early 20th century Appalachian culture)

This was an enjoyable book that needed several levels of editing before going to publication.

The implied narrator, Clay, recollects various characters—their adventures and stories—that he gleaned while growing up in the fictional town of Fordville, Kentucky. Many of the stories came from Clay’s granny.

The strength of the book is its parade of Appalachian characters, the full lives they lived, their eccentricities, their defiance of both society and tragedy. Moberly describes their pathos and their humor, captures the fullness of their humanity.

The book is organized around objects either kept by Clay as he grew older, or remembered by him. There is the claw-foot bathtub reminding him of his reprobate great-uncle, JB. There is a violin reminding him of “Blind-Jenny.” An old bicycle reminding him of old-lady Josie. A button reminding him of Cousin Andy.

The only reason I didn’t give the book five stars was its abysmal lack of editing, leaving the reader unnecessarily confused at times and irritated by typos, repetitions, and confusing pronouns. I hope Moberly writes more, but the next time he hires an editor to help him structure each essay, check his typos, and eliminate his repetitions. The book overall has an awkward structure, probably due to Moberly being unwilling to cut some of his favorite notions. For example, there is a distracting first chapter, “Notes on Cracker Barrel Napkins” in which the fictional narrator has weekly dinners with his family at the local Cracker Barrel, tells his daughters stories behind objects familiar to them, while they take notes on those stories on the restaurant’s napkins. They save the napkins and ask him to write them up in essay form. The chapter has warmth, but it doesn’t quite work for me as an introduction into the rest of the book. “Clay” narrates this book in his 60s, and structurally, it would work better to finish the book with a reflection on his own life, although he doesn’t really fit in the parade of old-times characters he is remembering.

Osman, Richard, The Thursday Murder Club (novel, crime mystery)

This is a delightful novel about four people in a retirement home who entertain themselves by figuring out unsolved murders from the police files. They meet every Thursday in the “Jigsaw Room,” in the two free hours between the “Art History” group and the “Conversational French” class. In order to keep everyone else away, they have called their group the “Japanese Opera” class, to insure that no one else attends.

While together, they review pilfered police files of murder cases that have gone cold. In this first novel (there are now 4 in the series) they are working on an old case when a murder suddenly takes place among them. Then a skeleton is discovered in the nearby graveyard, in a place where it should not be. Then the owner of the retirement village is murdered before their eyes. The police have little to go on, and the four elderly wanna-be detectives get to work.

The book is seasoned with diary entries of one of the sleuths, Joyce. It also contains changing point-of-view perspectives from various characters as the plot progresses.

The book is well written, includes suspense, character development, pathos, humor, and cleverness.

An easy read, a good escape, and a story with some thoughtful perspectives on how we live and age.

Osman, Richard, The Bullet That Missed:  Thursday Murder Club #3  (novel, mystery, crime)

Like Osman’s first two “Thursday” books, this one features the main retirement center  characters, a loveable thug who cares for them, a couple police officers, and some really stupid criminals—but dangerous.  The characters grow on you by the third book.  But the plot veers into the implausible.  I’d like the criminals to be a little more realistic.  But on the whole, a fun read, a welcome chance to step out of the real world that sometimes can get to us, and to celebrate another win for the good guys.

Osman, Richard, The Man Who Died Twice:  Thursday Murder Club #2  (novel, mystery, crime)

Since I liked the first installment of the Thursday Murder Club, I decided to read the other two that have now been published.  In this one, we again see our geriatric characters, all residents of a swanky retirement center, band together to solve murders and stop criminals.  This book has some touching moments relating to dementia.  Otherwise, it is a fast-paced hodgepodge of stupid criminals, appreciative police officers who find romance, and clever old people.  Not easily remembered two weeks later, but a nice escape.

Palmer, Parker J., On the Brink of Everything:  Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old (aging, spirituality, inspiration)

My friends Mark and Karla gave me this book a couple year ago, partly because I’m an aspiring writer, and partly because it’s about aging, and—well—I qualify on that account also.  Palmer has been writing books now for a long time, and I was privileged to be in a retreat he led over 35 years ago.  He is a teacher, a Quaker, a cross-disciplinary and creative thinker, an experimenter with various forms of community…

His past books have given me a sense of direction in several areas of my own life: understanding my personality and pain, thinking through difficult theological issues, finding integration between my solitude and my relationships…  He is one of the three or four writers who have been most formative in my life.  His books, Company of Strangers, The Promise of Paradox, To Know as We Are Known, and The Active Life were life-changers for me.

And so I welcomed his latest offering, a little different from his previous books.  This felt like reading through a scrapbook of poetry, anecdotes, diary entries, and essays on topics from aging to writing to politics.  Palmer was 79 when he assembled this book, all from his latest writings.

Through his book he seeks to ask the “right” questions about getting older, the kinds of questions that will lead to more fruitful life in one’s last years.  He writes about keeping up strong relationships with younger people.  Another theme in this book is drawn from his work as a retreat leader:  helping us think about our illusions, and then celebrating when we are finally disillusioned, and can get on with living more truthfully.  He shares some poignant thoughts on the inner life, and he gets a bit crabby when reflecting on the inhumane drift of recent politics.  And he plays with the idea of death, but stays mystical enough that I didn’t find as much mentoring from him on that subject as I wanted.

The chapter on writing was a gift to me.  An example:  “Novices are often advised, ‘write about what you know…but I’d extend it a bit: Write about what you want to know because it intrigues and puzzles you”   (pg. 91)  In another place, he writes, “Years ago, someone asked me why I became a writer.  I’d been asked before and had given various bogus responses because I didn’t know the answer.  But this time I nailed it:  ‘I became a writer because I was born baffled…writing, like faith, is a way of dealing with things that baffle us until we look at them through new eyes.”  I could relate, as my own writings are much more meaningful to my readers when I write out of my bafflement rather than my condescending “expertise.”

This is one of those books that I will keep handy because it is worth checking again and again, just to read a few pages now and then to nourish my spirit and stimulate my mind.

Standafer, Margaret, I Know An Old Lady (novel, coming of age, young adult)

A delightful book, one of the best I’ve read this year, and one I recommend to others.  My only criticism is that it starts out slow, forcing us to spend too much time with four teenaged boys whose take on the world is shallow and tedious.  But by page 50, the book finally takes off, and it is worth the wait.

One of the four boys, Billy, has been sentenced by a judge to work for “Old Lady Baxter” because of damage she claimed he did to her property.  It has something to do with throwing his sparking cigarette butts into some dry grass on her property.  He has to show up every day for the entire summer and do whatever work she tells him—mow the grass, weed the garden, bring things down from the attic, and paint the entire house, a mansion, by himself.

He is livid and hates the old woman.  To make matters worse, all the kids in town have heard that she was the one who murdered 4 children back in the 30s and 40s.  (The story is set in 1972, the year Billy has turned 16.)  While Billy is working for her, he starts out repulsed by the look of her—her age and her physical condition.  He doesn’t want to get near her or (heaven help him) actually touch her.  Furthermore, he hopes, as long as he has to be on her property working, that he can discover evidence that she did indeed kill those four children.  

Billy himself has had a hard life.  When he was 11, his mother died from cancer, his beloved sister was sent away to live with an aunt, and his father turned to alcohol and disconnected totally from Billy, leaving him without food, guidance, or care afforded to most children.

Billy is a list-maker, and as we read the novel, we are treated to a number of his lists, such as, “The five people I would like to see dead,” “Where I would go if I had my own car.” 

Old Lady Baxter is a remarkable character in her own right, and in some ways, the star of the novel, even though Billy is the protagonist.  As the summer proceeds, the old lady encounters problems of her own, and Billy is transformed.  

This is one of those books that gives us an edge-of-the-seat plot, twisting and turning, and a story—as in, something happens to Billy, and the people around him because of his experience.

Taylor, Timothy, Economics 3rd Edition (economics textbook, microeconomics, macroeconomics)

A key theme of Kingsolver’s book is the opioid crisis in rural communities and the condescension that urban areas have toward rural areas in the U.S.  Just as Dickens’s works were conversation starters in 19^th century England, so Kingsolver’s novel introduces us to issues we need to be talking about more in our own country.  It’s a very good read and I highly recommend it.

The drawback to this course is its date: 2005. While the basic economic information is solid, I would like to have heard lectures that included observations from the economic collapse in 2008 and the economic collapse that happened during Covid. While the recession of 2008 was partially understood based on these lectures, the covid economic collapses–and recovery raised new questions for me.

It’s been decades since I took an economics class in college. But I’ve encountered the topic repeatedly, both in my work (as a pastor) and as a citizen. These lectures were thorough (up through 2005) and interesting to anyone who follows the news or who has had to lead an organization.

The first half of the lectures focused on microeconomics–principles that corporations, organizations, and individuals need to know in order to make wise decisions. The second half focused on macroeconomics–principles for growing and maintaining an entire economy, whether it be a national economy or a global one.

It was interesting to listen to the microeconomic principles from the standpoint of one who leads churches. Whatever other problems confront congregations these days (theological, political, relational) they also face an economic crisis. And it’s not just a crisis of having enough money. No one has enough money. That’s partly why we study economics. It’s the inability of churches to think in economic concepts that is compounding their money problems. For example, a basic economic concept is supply and demand. Many churches continue to supply services that are not in demand. Another example is the economic concept of division of labor. Many churches (such as in my own denomination, suffer from inefficiency from their clergy, simply because of the way division of labor is worked out. Another problem, especially facing middle sized churches, is “economy of scale” which makes it more and more difficult for middle sized churches to both satisfy their members and pay for necessary property and personnel.

From a macroeconomic standpoint, the lectures remind everyone of important formulas that need to be understood when intelligently discussing the national debt, inflation, unemployment, and global trade. It was refreshing listening to an economist talk about these issues rather than a politician. These lectures give the listener a way to see through the propaganda of politicians and special interest groups that seem to be making all the noise these days about economic issues.

Wuthnow, Robert, The Left Behind:  Decline and Rage in Small-Town America  (rural sociology and politics, religion, moral community)

This 2018 book by social scientist Robert Wuthnow examines the unique religion, politics, population decline, and economic struggles of rural and small-town America.  He notes the political patterns of recent elections and the ways that rural and urban America seem like two different universes.  Since the politicians favored by rural areas have an angry edge—toward Washington, the coasts, liberals, news media, Hollywood, mainline churches, “experts,” etc., Wuthnow wanted to understand the dynamic of that anger.  He studied rural communities all through the United States, and came up with three composite, fictional communities to share his findings.  One is in the Plains states, one in the south, and one in New England.

Wuthnow is a sympathetic researcher, perceiving the feeling that rural people have that they have been left behind and are looked down upon by much of the rest of the country.  While his book is a deep exploration of rural-anger, he also gives good coverage to the things rural and small-town people like about their lives and their communities.  

In order to help us understand the root of rural angst, Wuthnow uses the term, “moral community.”  By that, he does not mean some sort of ethical organization, but rather an ethos, a set of customs, rules, and expectations in a small town regarding how life ought to be and how it can be sustained.  Moral community is created by the daily habits of people, their friendly interactions with their neighbors, their loyalty to schools and churches, the centrality of friends and family, the daily necessity of work, volunteerism, assumptions that everyone shares the basically the same opinions about right and wrong, and a (mostly) shared belief that an infringing and invading and meddling outside world is responsible for the disintegration of small towns and rural areas.  

Moral community is central to rural and small-town life, and is virtually absent in urban areas and growing suburbs.  Wuthnow helps us see how moral community is disintegrating in rural areas, and he describes the understandable feelings people have about that disintegration, feelings that include rage, depression, grief, and anxiety.  He also points out the irrationality of feelings, and how feelings can easily lead to blame, grievance, closed-mindedness, tribalism, and prejudice. This pattern of feelings morphing into social hostilities is not confined to rural areas.  But since this is a book about rural areas, that is the demographic Wuthnow scouts and describes.  

To give an idea of how Wuthnow defines rural:  “Of the 19,000 incorporated places in the U.S., 18,000 of them have populations less than 25,000.  And of these 18,000, 14,000 are located outside of an urbanized area.  This is rural America.”  (p. 5)

Wuthnow notes that rural America is rooted in a sense of community, even more so than urban or suburban America.  It is the battering of rural community that sparks reactions.  Noting why community is important to rural Americans, Wuthnow notes, “It matters to them that they feel safe and can enjoy the relative simplicity of small-town life.  They take pride in their communities’ achievements, if only something as locally significant as a new fire truck or a winning basketball team.  They recognize the disadvantages of living where they do, and yet they weigh these disadvantages against the obligations they feel to their children, perhaps to aging parents, and to themselves.”  (p. 7)

Moral community comes into play like this:  “…rural communities’ first line of response is the people they trust and look to for help when they need it. They expect fellow citizens to take responsibility for themselves as best they can, and when they can’t, for community organizations to help…Don’t be a burden if you can help it, and pitch in generously when you can be of help.”  (p. 8)

As rural population ages and declines, drug problems grow, the “wrong element” moves in, internet and TV invade with no filters, businesses and churches close, schools consolidate and blur community identity, and small towns become more reliant on state and federal governments, all the while resenting government intrusion on local democracy, their communities are drastically weakened from the ideal of “community” that rural people have in mind.

Moral community offers residents a sense of place marked by stability and familiarity.  That is eroding, especially due to depopulation in many areas. 

One of the illusions of rural communities is that “everyone is pretty much the same here.”  This misconception is held both by rural people and non-rural people.  There is a significant silent minority in every rural community that takes time to perceive and understand. Wuthnow describes the process of “othering,” which is when those who are perceived as “different” are signaled out for exclusion, condemnation, and discrimination.  Smaller, more homogenous communities seem more vulnerable to “othering.”

Wuthnow’s book raises and explores a number of dangers to rural communities:  depopulation, higher rates of teen pregnancies, poverty, loss of jobs, closing of business and churches, consolidation of education and health care services—often making them more difficult to access, abandoned buildings, opioid and other drug and alcohol problems, dilapidated buildings, low rankings on the “amenities-scale,” and brain drain and loss of young people to other areas.  Rural people are aware of the stereotypes and prejudices others have about them, how those attitudes lead to condescension and misunderstanding, and these prejudicial outsiders have power which will further erode rural communities.  

Wuthnow points out that rural people are involved in a number of initiatives to help their communities, such as volunteerism, economic development initiatives, charity, and turning to religion.  But these efforts do not seem to be turning the tide.  

The difficulties faced by rural communities makes them particularly vulnerable to demagogues, whether in the media, politics, or religion.  The fear evoked by these demagogues, who are highly coordinated these days, makes their presentations, programs, and communications highly addictive.  Unfortunately, by directing rage outward, they drain the energy needed for rural people to build alliances and develop creative solutions that will actually make a difference in rebuilding their communities.

No one enemy has destroyed the wall of rural American or desecrated its holy places. The tragedies are not due to singular or simple causes.  Wuthnow’s book is an excellent starting place for us to “love our neighbors” who live in rural America. 

Books Read in April-May 2023

Gayle, Mike, All the Lonely People (novel)

Grisham, John, A Time for Mercy (novel, legal, crime, Jake Brigance series #3)

Grisham, John, The Litigators (novel)

Osborne, John, An Ordinary Fairy (The Willow Brown Stories #1) (novel)

Poynter, Jane, The Human Experiment: Two Years and Twenty Minutes Inside Biosphere 2 (memoir, science, psychology, environment)

Rice, Ann, And Never Let Her Go: Thomas Capano: The Deadly Seducer (True Crime, legal)

Riney-Kehrberg, Pamela, The Routledge History of Rural America (Routledge Histories), (history, rural life, rural sociology, anthropology, politics, demographics)

Whipple, Chris, The Fight of His Life:  Inside Joe Biden’s White House (politics, presidency, current events)

Windle, Janice Woods, Hill Country, A Novel  (novel)

Worthington, Ian, The Long Shadow of the Ancient Greek World (history of ancient Greece)

Gayle, Mike, All the Lonely People (novel)

Hubert Bird, facing a life of poverty in Jamaica, emigrates to England, following the lead of his lifelong friend, Gus.  When he arrives, he faces a fierce racism that forces him to draw on his inner strength.  He falls in love with a white woman, Joyce Pierce, and over the virulent objections of her family, they marry.  The novel is partly the story of Hubert’s journey as a black immigrant in a new country, his marriage, his work, the birth and personalities of his wife and children, his leisure enjoyments, and the loss of certain family members and friends.  This is all the backstory of the novel, told in chapters that are titled, “Then.”  

The “Then” chapters alternate with the “Now” chapters.  The “now” takes place when Hubert is 84 years old, living alone.  He has become a recluse, but is alarmed one day when his daughter tells him that she is returning from Australia to spend some time with him.  He has talked to her weekly on the phone for years, since her last visit.  Assuring her that he has an active social life, to the point of regaling her with fabricated friends and activities, he panics at the thought that she will arrive and discover he’s been lying in all these phone calls.  

At this point in his story, people begin appearing in Hubert’s life, interrupting both his withdrawal and his plotting to find a few friends his own age to showcase to his daughter when she arrives.  The new arrivals, much younger than him, are Ashleigh, a single mom, and a poor Latvian immigrant, Emil.  While Hubert is resigned to his loneliness, his young acquaintances are not, particularly Ashleigh.  In several comedic scenes, Hubert gets pulled out of his isolation by Ashleigh and Emil.  But it is not an easy journey, often consisting of two steps forward and three steps backward.  Hubert’s story is heartwarming, scary, suspenseful, tragic, and full of growth, even though he is 84.  The novel is well written, the characters well developed, the plot suspenseful and believable, and the psychology true to life.  I listened on audible, which was exceptionally well performed, and I relished the Jamaican accent all the way through the book.

The book narrates loneliness, and toys with the notion of a campaign to end loneliness in Bromley (where our characters live.)  It describes various types of friendships and invites us to think of the nature and variety of friendship.  The book touches on a variety of contemporary issues, such as racism and immigration and old age.  But it is splendid in raising the subject of friendship and helping us think through it in more insightful and fruitful ways.

Spoiler alert:  if you plan to read the story, stop here.

The one thing I didn’t like in the book was being trapped by the author in Hubert’s psychosis.  Since I listened on Audible, I couldn’t readily go back and see if there were hints of his hallucinations that I was missing.  If so, I wouldn’t be too upset.  But if Gayle didn’t leave me some breadcrumbs to foreshadow Hubert’s illusions, that would have been laziness on the author’s part and disrespectful to the readers.  I liked the novel enough to check out a hard copy and re-read the first part of it to see if there were signs I missed. 

Grisham, John, A Time for Mercy (novel, legal, crime, Jake Brigance series #3)

Jack Brigance, small town lawyer in Mississippi, gets forced by a judge to defend a cop-killer, in a case that is likely to get him killed by his angry neighbors for its unpopularity–to say nothing of the hostility he encounters from the local sheriff’s department, where the deputy worked.

But complicating the matter is the history of abuse the cop had with his killer. A host of characters come alive in this third novel about Jake (cf. “A Time to Kill” and “Sycamore Row”) as we see him try to sleuth out sleazy and hidden information that will help his client.

The novel is typical John Grisham: engaging. But it also lacks a satisfying ending. I was frustrated when I got to the last few pages of the book and realized that there was no way Grisham was going to give it any kind of conclusion. And he didn’t. We were left hanging.

Grisham, John, The Litigators (novel)

Not a recommended read from this reviewer.  I usually like a Grisham novel, but this one missed the mark.  Set in Chicago, the book opens with a sleazy law firm, Findley and Figg, that specializes in finding and suing defendants any time there is an accident or tragedy.  The two lawyers in the firm also do divorces, sometimes throwing fuel on a marital conflict in order to run up their tab.  Both lawyers are unlikeable and have no ambition in life other than to make money as easily as possible.

A significant distance into the novel, another character appears, David Zink, who gets drunk and ends up drying out in the offices of Findley and Figg, even though he’s never heard of them or been there before.  He is also unlikable at first, even though we eventually learn that he is the protagonist of the novel.  His only desire in life is to escape the big downtown Chicago law firm where he is an associate and makes half a million dollars a year.

A number of characters move in and out of the story, most serving no purpose, other than to prolong the word count.  Grisham builds up suspense several times, only to let is simply fizzle, with no creative way to move the story forward.  

Worst is the slimy, leering attitude on Grisham’s part in the way he writes about women.  Grisham is also condescending and stereotypical in the ways he presents anyone who is poor, overweight, Black, or an immigrant to the U.S.

This is not a book.  It is a scrapheap of everything a smart, creative, respectful-of-others writer would have cut out of a book.  Too long.  No eye for helping us like the characters.  No cultural or gender decency.  Just as Dr. Suess’s family took several of his racist and sexist books off the market, to protect Suess’s otherwise progressive efforts, so someone in Grisham’s family should try to get this book off the market. 

Osborne, John, An Ordinary Fairy (The Willow Brown Stories #1) (novel)

Osborne has done a great job of creating an alternative universe (fairies) and integrating it with an ordinary rural community, complete with a bunch of old guys sitting around a local restaurant every morning drinking coffee, bragging, and putting each other down. Only one of the guys around that breakfast table knows that Willow Brown, the young reclusive woman living in a cottage out in the woods, is a fairy.  Osborne reminds us that there is more to reality than any of us have assumed.  His novel did not convince me of the existence of fairies, but Osborne does demonstrate the kind of imagination necessary if we are to perceive and engage the realities of this world with our full powers.

If you want a villain, this novel gives you one in the despicable and disgusting Chester Jones.  If you want sex, this novel titillates with an old-fashioned romance between Willow and a young photographer, Noah Phelps, a relationship that demands to be consummated.  If you wonder how old this attractive “young” fairy really is, you’ll have to read to the end of the book.  If you want to know more about fairy wings or the need for a “fairy safe-house,” this book will authoritatively answer your questions.  If you want to cringe at a pre-“me-too” novel, even though the author is one of the most progressive and sensitive people I know, the intimate dialogue and scenes of this novel will make you cringe.  If you want to explore other forms of spirituality than stereotyped Christianity, this novel will take you on an adventure.  If you want to see characters grow and come unstuck, you will be inspired by Willow and Noah.  

I’m looking forward to reading more of John’s books, including the other three in the Willow Brown series.

Poynter, Jane, The Human Experiment: Two Years and Twenty Minutes Inside Biosphere 2 (memoir, science, psychology, environment)

Jane Poynter was one of eight people who resided inside Biosphere 2, a self-contained and self-reliant world for two full years. Their experiment occurred from September 1991 into September 1993. This book is her memoir. The first section of the book is autobiographical leading up to 1991. The bulk of the memoir is of her time in Biosphere 2.

I toured the Biosphere earlier this year, and picked out her book while I was there. I was particularly interested in the psychological and social psychological narratives during their enclosure. The Biosphere was intended to be several things, depending on who you talked to. For some, it was a scientific experiment in a closed system. To others, it was the glory of being the first to do this. For others, it was a way to promote a philosophy involving art, environment, and humanism. For others, it was the thrill of a media circus. Most people involved in conceiving the project, building it, sustaining it, and living it had a mix of motives.

Scientists hoped that Biosphere 2 would yield valuable information for a possible mission to Mars. Those going to that planet would have to live in a self-contained system for a minimum of two-plus years.

Biosphere 2 was built with several sectors: an artificial ocean, a desert, a savannah, crop fields, mechanical rooms, apartments for the residents, kitchen, storage, etc. Animals and plants, and even bacteria were brought in from the beginning, along with some food. Everything was to be either produced or recycled for two years: air, water, food, etc. Nothing was to enter or leave the facility.

Poynter’s book reveals the technical difficulties they encountered, the science they discovered, and the intense conflicts that ensued among the crew.

I appreciated the honesty and courage of her writing, her introspection, the science she explained, and the curiosities she satisfied.

Rice, Ann, And Never Let Her Go: Thomas Capano: The Deadly Seducer (True Crime, legal)

In 1996 a young woman who was the scheduling secretary for the governor of Delaware disappeared. No evidence could be found regarding her whereabouts. But as the police began to gather narrative information about her, they began to focus on the last man to see her alive, Thomas Capano.

Capano was an elite lawyer in Delaware, at one time he thought about running for state Attorney General. He seemed beyond reproach (even though his brothers were well known for playing loose with the law.)

Rice takes us step by step into the life of the victim, her diaries, the testimonies of her friends, and her struggles with an eating disorder. She was also a good Catholic who felt guilty about some things in her life, including an affair she’d had with Capano.

Rice also takes us through the painstaking discovery of evidence (some seemingly by miracle) and the case the prosecution put together to try and convict Capano.

The book is a gripping read, although at times tedious in its descriptions of abuse and gaslighting.

Riney-Kehrberg, Pamela, The Routledge History of Rural America (Routledge Histories), (history, rural life, rural sociology, anthropology, politics, demographics)

This anthology provides a comprehensive exploration of rural peoples and communities. It begins with a look at the various regions of the U.S., (despite its title, “History of Rural America,” it only covers the 48 contiguous states of the United States.) The first part of the book gives an historical overview of rural and farm life in New England, the Mid-Atlantic States, the South, the Midwest, the Plains States, the Mountain West, and the West Coast.

An ongoing issue is the ambiguous definition of “rural.” The US government often defines it as any town with less than 2500 people, not attached to a metro area. Butt that definition is too narrow. Rural also is used to understand open spaces, stand alone communities of more than 2500, places away from metropolitan areas with low population density, areas dominated by extraction industries (farming, fishing, forestry, mining), and areas of great natural beauty that host tourists. From a social perspective, rural is where people know their neighbors, sometimes to the point of knowing too much and being too nosey. It is where people help one another, but also where people can be intolerant and judgmental. The entire community can be centered around a school, a church, or a Main Street.

The section on the history of rural New England brought out the difficulty of life where the weather is often inhospitable and the soil rocky. Rural New England gave us inventors, scholars, artists, and writers.

The section on the south emphasized the uniqueness of slavery and labor. By the 20th century, the rural south was defined by its economic colonialism, declining soil fertility, racial segregation, idolization of its ‘lost cause’ nostalgia, and its massive out-migration, of both whites and blacks.

Coming from the Midwest, I was particularly interested in its rural history. The section did a particularly good job of introducing the farm crisis of 1980, showing how much it changed the economic and social landscape of the rural midwest, an important thing to know for politicians, church judicatories, and economic planners

A meandering exploration of “grass” in the history of the plains was mesmerizing. The brief glory of mining towns in the wild west and the history of international migration in the coastal west in the book broadens our understanding of rural life and history.

The middle section of the book provided thoughtful chapters on various demographic groups in rural communities: women, children, men, racial and ethnic minorities, communes, and settlements of Amish and Mennonite communities. It also features a data laden chapter on depopulation of rural areas and its relevance to life today. There is an excellent chapter on technology and rural areas, and the ways rural people have both embraced technology and the changes it has brought to rural life.

The book also includes a chapter on suggestions for teaching (a mostly urban) people about the relevance of rural communities to everyone’s life.

The book gives creative fodder to those concerned about people in rural communities: their environment, their faith, their education, their poverty, their relevance to urban dwellers, and their need for justice.

Whipple, Chris, The Fight of His Life:  Inside Joe Biden’s White House (politics, presidency, current events)

I very seldom want to read a book about a sitting president, as they tend to be pieces of partisan propaganda.  But this book looked like it might fill in some gaps for me and steer clear of most attempts to manipulate the reader.  The author is sympathetic to Biden, but not uncritical.  It is written in the vein of many older presidential biographies, where an author genuinely likes his subject, but also feels a need to be detached and let blunders remain for all to see.

Whipple’s book gives a good orientation to the Biden White House and many vignettes of Joe Biden, all consistent with what we’ve known for decades.  It also gives us insight into some of his key staff, especially his chief of staff for the first two years, Ron Klain.  The events in focus are the January 6 riots, climate change and negotiations with China over climate change, Putin and his invasion of Ukraine, the struggles to pass an infrastructure bill and Biden’s “Build Back Better” social and environmental legislation, the up and down relationship with Joe Manchin, and the ever-present drama with Donald Trump.  There are interesting passages about Kamala Harris, which give the reader some helpful insight into both her liabilities and strengths. The author finished the book four days after the 2022 elections, which are given scant coverage.

Whipple has written before on White House Chiefs of Staff. A value in this book is that he interviews former chiefs of staff, both Republican and Democrat for it.  Even if Whipple is sympathetic to Biden, he presents material in his book that is not.     

The value of this book is partially due to the difficulty in getting good information about the Biden administration from the news itself.  Four problems are behind that difficulty.  First, Donald Trump continues to keep reporters and editors deranged.  Even though he is no longer the president, he is the subject of far more news stories than Joe Biden, some days appearing in 5 stories for every one about what Biden is doing.  Second, Biden and his staff are the most disciplined and tight-lipped we have ever seen in a presidential administration.  It is very difficult to get the inside scoop on the current White House.  Third, contrary to Whipple’s assertions, Biden is not a good spokesman for his own presidency.  He knows how to tell an anecdote, but he doesn’t know how to tell the story of his presidency.  He tries to shine the light on his accomplishments, but what he says falls flat on the public, he comes off as a shallow used-car salesman who is just trying to get your approval.  And fourth, the poison political climate today makes it difficult to trust anything we hear about Joe Biden.  Sadly, most of what we hear about Biden consists of attacks from Republicans, attacks from the left, and ageism.  Take it with a grain of salt, but Whipple’s book is worth reading. 

Windle, Janice Woods, Hill Country, A Novel  (novel)

Hill Country is an historical novel based on the real life of Laura Woods, the author’s grandmother.  Laura Woods was born in 1876, the centennial year of the United States, just eleven years after the end of the Civil War.  Born in the Hill Country of Texas (just west of Austin,) Laura experienced Indian raids, lynchings, an abusive father, a train wreck, and financial disaster.  And that was just the start of her life.  

When she turned 70, she bought a typewriter and decided to compose her autobiography.  By the time she died, some of her story was typed out.  Other parts were written in a diary.  Other memories were jotted on used envelopes, scraps of paper, and notebooks. 

When Laura died, her granddaughter wanted to finish the autobiography.  She approached the story with a sense that her grandmother was delightfully eccentric, outlandish, and entertaining.  As she read more of what her grandmother had written, Janice Windle began to see more of pain, courage, creativity, grit, risk, luck, and love.  In order to convey the deeper side of her grandmother, she decided to write a novel rather than a straight biography.  

Laura Woods left carbon copies of her correspondence to many people:  including presidents, generals, inventors, religious evangelists, and entertainers.  She felt it both her right and her duty to tell those in power how to run things.

Laura’s best friend was Rebekah Johnson, mother of President Lyndon Johnson. Laura knew him intimately and the Woods family and the Johnson family were always close.  Laura was still alive when Johnson ascended into the presidency upon John Kennedy’s assassination.  

The novel includes anecdotes from all the times I’ve noted above.  We do not always know what is historical and what is fiction, and I wish the author would have told us.

But it’s more likely the author herself isn’t clear.  Family lore almost always takes poetic license.  But no matter.  While the truth is often stranger than fiction, it is also the case that fiction is sometimes more truthful than “just the facts.”

Windle gives us the “truth” about her grandmother.  In this novel, we see the woman’s heart, her savvy, her imagination, her aspirations, her rough edges, her confusions, and her unspeakable pain.  We also see how she grew strong and grew in shaping just the right kind of love—a unique love that she customized for each person in her life.

We also get a true picture of the Hill Country, of the post-Civil war Texas, of danger in the old west, of making due during the Depression, of family heartache.  

And we get a true picture of Lyndon Johnson.  Much has been written about the man, with more to come.  The best historical presentation of him so far is Robert Caro’s five-volume biography.  But even the best historian can’t capture the entire truth of a person.  We need this novel by Janice Windle to help us notice the gaps in the story and give us some truth the scholars miss.

Thanks to my friend Minerva for the recommendation.  

Worthington, Ian, The Long Shadow of the Ancient Greek World (history of ancient Greece)

Ian Worthington’s history lectures on ancient Greece, available through the Great Courses, helped fill a gap from my college education. Even though I had advanced courses on the history of science in ancient Greece in college, studied Koine Greek in seminary, and was familiar with much of Greek history through Western Civ courses, I appreciated this 48 lecture series that began with prehistoric artifacts, covered the pre-archaic period, Archaic Greece, Classical Greece, and the rise and fall of Alexander the (not-so) Great.

The lectures covered political leaders, wars, legal developments, social and family life, and religion. Of particular concern to the modern student were the observations Professor Worthington made about democracy: the progress it brings to society, but also its limitations and over-reaching. I often thought about another book I read last fall on the presidents Adams and their writings about democracy, and its vulnerability to demagogues.

Ancient Greece is so much a part of how the present day western world functions that it was a valuable 24 hours spent listening to these lectures on Audible.

Books Read in February-March 2023

Barrie, James M.  Peter Pan (or Peter and Wendy), novel, children

Blau, Jessica Anya, Mary Jane (novel, gentle, coming of age, 1970s)

Feeney, Alice, Rock, Paper, Scissors (novel, murder mystery)  

Harding, Paul Tinkers, (novel)

Knott, Stephen F., Coming to Terms with John F. Kennedy (presidential biography, history)

Low, Shari, One Day Last Summer (novel, romance)

Rilke, Rainer Maria, Letters to a Young Poet, (short essays on solitude, creativity, love, sexuality)

Specht, Robert Tisha: The True Love Story of A Young Teacher in the Alaskan Wilderness. (biography, Alaska in the 1920s, young teachers)

Stringfellow, William, A Simplicity of Faith: My Experience in Mourning (memoir, theology, death)

Woods, Stuart, The Run (Will Lee #5) (political novel, crime

Barrie, James M.  Peter Pan (or Peter and Wendy), novel, children

James Barrie entertains all ages.  Children are swept up in the imagination and suspense of his story.  Adults notice Barrie’s droll sense of humor and lively wit.  This classic was originally written as a play in 1904 and expanded into the novel in 1911.  The play has been adapted for cartoons, movies, and other stage presentations.  The novel gives the reader time to imagine, feel, and ponder.  And there is much to ponder:  childhood, growing up, not wanting to grow up, death, parenthood, villainy, violence, dogs…  

A few places in the novel may leave the reader uncomfortable, particularly the stereotypes of American Indians.  But this is something we encounter in all literature written prior to our more recent social awakenings, and the reader has to decide how to proceed.

Barrie was born in 1860 in Scotland, and was a famous writer of plays and novels in his day.  Some interesting factoids about Barrie:  he was short (5-3), unhappily married and then divorced, childless but loved children, the guardian of a family of children whose parents had died—the Llewellyn Davies family, familiar with childhood death, politically involved in supporting free speech, owner of a St. Bernard, and teller of stories to children.  His love of children, suspect in today’s world, was evidently above board, as one Nicolas Llewellyn Davis, one of the children raised by Barrie, later wrote:  “I don’t believe that Uncle Jim ever experienced a stirring in the undergrowth for anyone, man, woman, or child.  He was an innocent, which was why he could write Peter Pan.” (quoted in Andrew Birken’s JM Barrie and the Lost Boys.

Barrie died in 1937.  His Peter Pan is both a joy and a window of insight into childhood psychology.

Blau, Jessica Anya, Mary Jane (novel, gentle, coming of age, 1970s)

It is 1975 and Mary Jane, 15, has just been hired as a summer nanny to take care of four-year-old Izzy Cone. She walks every day from her home to Izzy’s, to take care of the child while Izzy’s father, a psychiatrist, and her mother go about their business.  The father sees clients in the barn out back.  It will be Mary Jane’s coming-of-age summer, as she enters a household very different from her own.  Izzy’s parents are politically liberal, disorganized, free-spirited, unrestrained, pot-smoking…and very kind and friendly.  Mary Jane is also an only child.  Her parents missed the 1960s.  They are very conservative, man-head-of-the-household, subservient wife, obedient child, rigid in their sex roles, dinner at the same time every night, status-conscious Presbyterians, anti-black and anti-Jew.  

Mary Jane arrives at the Cone household to discover another couple living there for the summer, a drug-addicted rock star and his famous wife.  We get to see her navigate the distance between the two cultures which existed in 1975, prior to internet and the ready information that exists today for teenagers.  In other words, she can’t just google the things that confuse her.

The novel is thoughtful, humorous, suspenseful, and true to life.  Izzy and Mary Jane capture not only each other’s hearts, but the readers as well.  A delightful read.

Feeney, Alice, Rock, Paper, Scissors (novel, murder mystery)  

It takes the whole book to get to the actual murder.  But we know all along it’s going to happen.  We just don’t know until the end who gets murdered and who did the murdering.  Along the way, Feeney plays with our minds by upsetting assumptions we make.  She sets us up to make those assumptions, then pulls the rug out from under us, several times.  It is possible some readers may feel jerked around by the author, but I handled it all right, and forgave her for toying around, because her story was so interesting.

Adam and Amelia find their marriage is on the rocks.  And so Amelia, in response to a “weekend away” she wins in a raffle, insists that Adam and she head to Blackwater Chapel in Scotland to sort things out. Her raffle prize, however, is a hoax.  They have been tricked into traveling to this isolated place, and we are told that one of them will not make it back home to London.  

We are also introduced to a series of letters:  one the wife wrote each year on their wedding anniversary.  Thus we follow a ten-year marriage in its ups and downs.  And we learn of the lies that both husband and wife tell over time to each other.

Part way through the novel we are introduced to two more significant characters:  a reclusive writer of crime novels and a woman named Robin, who shows up during the weekend at Blackwater Chapel.  

Feeney tells a good story and does it with interesting craft.

Harding, Paul Tinkers, (novel)

Harding’s novel moves back and forth between three characters: George, his father Howard, and Howard’s father–a Methodist minister. The setting of the novel is the death of each one, making this reading a melancholy experience. It begins with George’s last few days. The family is gathered around his bed as he moves in and out of consciousness. When experiencing the present, he is often confused and undergoing hallucinations. But then his memories become clear, and we have vignettes of his work as a clock repairer, a tinkerer, and moments with his own father.

We are also taken into Howard’s experiences and memories. Howard suffered epilepsy and his first wife bullied him into leaving home or being permanently put in an insane asylum. As we enter Howard’s world, we also move between moments of clarity and moments of chaotic confusion, as the author dips us into the surreal experience of an epileptic episode. Howard is someone who spends much of his early life outside, and Harding is brilliant in his descriptions of nature, his language elevated to the realm of the poetic. Howard escapes from being committed to the asylum and heads to Philadelphia where he has a more pleasant marriage to a second wife.

Howard’s father, a Methodist minister, is a brilliant man who suffers from early onset dementia. Again, as we enter his world, the author moves us back and forth between brilliant prophet clarity and muddled disorientation.

Harding is a brilliant writer. The book won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2010. But I struggled my way through it for two reasons: the heaviness of its melancholy mood and the tortuous descriptions of three men’s utter collapse of mental clarity. The graphic, front row witness to their mental breakdowns was hard to witness.

Knott, Stephen F., Coming to Terms with John F. Kennedy (presidential biography, history)

John Kennedy is one of our most elusive presidents, when it comes to history and biography.  This is because he remained “political” long after his assassination:  two of his brothers later ran for president and numerous other friends and relatives used their connections with him for political, financial, and personal gain.  Just as Kennedy’s family and friends had motive to scrub his flaws and idolize him, so opponents of the Kennedy phenomena had reason to demonize him and distort his skills and accomplishments.  Thus, the real Kennedy seldom appears in any biographies about him.  (To an extent, this is also true about Nixon and Reagan.)  Added to the problem of “Kennedy historiography” is his deplorable sexual incontinence, including acts of rape and sex with underage women.  At the time, his sexual behavior was kept under wraps and dismissed as “boys will be boys.”  But in 2023, it’s important to call his behavior what it was:  abusive and unjust.  In this facet of his life, Kennedy’s behavior was inexcusable.  In this regard, historians struggle with the same issues that present themselves in such presidents as Washington, Jefferson, and Jackson—and their slaveholding.  

But the role of the historian is different from that of the preacher or moralist.  While the historian must acknowledge the full truth of historical characters, including flaws and contemporary political successes, the historian must also seek to understand the influence a figure has on history.  Stephen Knott is an excellent historian.

Knott began life as a Kennedy acolyte, worked at the Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, became a Reagan Democrat, a Republican, and then left the Republican party because of Trump.  He noticed both the qualities of John Kennedy, the flaws, the interference of the Kennedy family when it came to historical documentation and research, and the difficulty of trying to figure out what Kennedy would have done had he lived.  While feeling both emotionally attached and repulsed by Kennedy, Knott is self-aware and has disciplined himself to keep moving toward objectivity in his research and conclusions.  

The author selects several topics to examine the Kennedy presidency:  the Kennedy administration’s foreign policy in regard to the Soviet Union, Cuba, and Vietnam; Civil Rights, the assassination; the quest to go to the moon; his womanizing, and the Kennedy legacy.  By limiting himself to these specific areas, Knott is able to give us a clearer picture of John Kennedy and his importance in shaping the direction of the United States and the world in the early 60s.  

Knott also gives a brief critique of other Kennedy biographies, which is helpful to consult before spending the money or time on them.

Like two other assassinated presidents (Lincoln and Garfield) we are left with huge “What if…” questions.  What if Kennedy had lived?  Would Civil Rights legislation have passed? Would he have kept us out of Vietnam?  Would he and Khrushchev reached an agreement on nuclear disarmament?  Would Cuba have come back under U.S. control?  Kennedy’s statements during his presidency were ambiguous enough that no one knows for sure.  But Knott points out that Kennedy was both a strategist and a tactician.  As a strategist, he kept his end goals secret.  His tactics were highly political, and often used to throw off his opponents.  Knott looks to Kennedy’s rhetoric to distinguish the two.  He also looks backward to see the end results of situations that worked themselves to a conclusion during Kennedy’s presidency—to determine the strategy—the end goal.  Knott’s conclusion:  Kennedy was anti-war, pro-civil rights, and pro-nuclear disarmament—even though there are actions and statements to the contrary.  

Knott also points out that Kennedy was a vociferous reader and lifelong learner, and that his views changed the more he learned.  This seems to be the case when it comes to Civil Rights, as Kennedy become more favorable to the movement as his presidency went on.  Knott also points out that Kennedy was a skilled politician and did not get too far out ahead of the electorate, even though he looked for opportunities to educate and change people’s minds.  His sense of humor and his quick wit were real.  

Had it not been for those trying to whitewash his reputation after his death, or those trying to destroy it, we would have a better sense of the man’s importance and place in American history, including his flaws of character.

Low, Shari, One Day Last Summer (novel, romance)

On a flight from London to St. Lucia, four people who are strangers to each other get seated in the same row.  In the course of the nine-hour flight, their lives become entangled more than any of them could have imagined.

Bernadette, 54, is a widow and a nurse, with a heart for women who have been abused.  Her abusive ex-husband booked a two-week vacation in St. Lucia for the two of them, without asking Bernadette, hoping to manipulate her into reconciliation.  But she was resolute to never be involved with the man again.  When he dropped dead of a heart attack, she took the ticket and went on the trip by herself.

Tadgh, 28, is on his way to his wedding in St. Lucia, traveling with his brother and another friend.  His bride-to-be, Cheryl, will meet them there.  But before boarding the plane, he accidently sees a text message on his brother’s phone that makes him think his fiancée and his brother may be having an affair.  He is in turmoil the whole trip over what to do.

Haley, 32, is married to an obnoxious physician.  On the flight over, he ditches her in order to sit by himself in first class.  He also harasses her a couple times on the trip over, something that is normal in their relationship, and she takes the blame for his behavior.

Dev is 30 and had a one-night stand with a woman named “Cheryl” earlier that week.  He was so overwhelmed by her that he is trying to find her.  The only thing she told him (not even a last name) was that she was headed to a wedding in St. Lucia for a friend.  On an impulse, he gets a ticket at the last minute to fly to St. Lucia to see if he can find her.

Shari Low’s romance novel doesn’t seem like a romance novel until the end.  Her characters are endearing and the reader is rooting for them all the way through.  The plot has suspense and the writing is well done all through the book.  It is a serious book but doesn’t have a great deal of depth, which was fine for me.  I am already in the middle of several other books that are heavy reading.  This was just the spicy read I needed in my reading diet to give me some energy and entertainment.

Rilke, Rainer Maria, Letters to a Young Poet, (short essays on solitude, creativity, love, sexuality)

For those unfamiliar, Rilke (he lived from 1775-1926) was a European poet, correspondent, essayist, and novelist (who wrote in German and French) who addressed such topics as love, sex, gender, solitude, personal fulfillment, art, God, conventional morality, and happiness.  In this book, published after his death, we read ten letters Rilke wrote to a young man (an aspiring poet) seeking advice.  Here are some of my favorite quotes:

Pp 22-23:  “Read as little as possible of literary criticism—such things are either partisan opinions, which have become petrified and meaningless, hardened and empty of life, or else they are just clever word games, in which one view wins today, and tomorrow the opposite view.  Works of art are of an infinite solitude, and no means of approach is so useless as criticism.  Only love can touch and hold them and be fair to them.”

pp. 24-25:  “…there is no measuring with time, a year doesn’t matter, and ten years are nothing.  Being an artist means: not numbering and counting, but ripening like a tree, which doesn’t force its sap, and stands confidently in the storms of spring, not afraid that afterward summer may not come…it comes only to those who are patient…patience is everything.”

When writing about the power of sex (pp. 25-27) Rilke refers to an author whose approach is “not quite so pure as it needs him to be.  Instead of a completely ripe and pure world of sexuality, it finds a world that is not human enough, that is only male, is heat, thunder, and restlessness, and burdened with the old prejudice and arrogance with which the male has always disfigured and burdened love.  Because he loves only as a male, and not as a human being, there is something narrow in his sexual feeling, something that seems wild, malicious, time-bound, uneternal, which diminishes his art and makes it ambiguous and doubtful.”

Pg. 33:  “If you trust Nature, in what is simple in Nature, in the small things that hardly anyone sees and that can so suddenly become huge, immeasurable; if you have this love for what I humble and try very simply, as someone who serves, to win the confidence of what seems poor:  then everything will become easier for you, more coherent, somehow more reconciling…”

Pg. 34:  “have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language.  Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given you now, because you would not be able to live them.  And the point is, to live everything.  Live the questions now.  Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.”

Pg. 36-37:  “It is not our acceptance (of sex) that is bad; what is bad is that most people misuse this learning and squander it and apply it as a stimulant on the tired places of their lives and as a distraction rather than as a way of gathering themselves for their highest moments.  People have made eating into something else:  a necessity on one hand, excess on the other; have muddied the clarity of this need, and all the deep simple needs in which life renews itself have become just as muddy.”

Pg. 38: “In one creative thought a thousand forgotten nights of love come to life again and fill it with majesty and exaltation.”

Pg. 42-43:  “be happy about your growth, in which of course, you can’t take anyone with you, and be gentle with those who stay behind; be confident and calm in front of them and don’t torment them with your doubts and don’t frighten them with your faith or joy, which they wouldn’t be able to comprehend.  Seek out some simple and true feeling of what you have in common with them, which doesn’t necessarily have to alter when you yourself change again and again; when you see them, love life in a form that is not your own and be indulgent toward those who are growing old, who are afraid of the aloneness that you trust.”

Pg. 43:  “Avoid providing material for the drama that is always stretched tight between parents and children; it uses up much of the children’s strength and wastes the love of the elders… don’t ask for any advice from them and don’t expect any understanding; but believe in a love that is being stored up for you like an inheritance, and have faith that in this love there is a strength and a blessing so large that you can travel as far as you wish without having to step outside it.”

Pp. 54-57:  “…solitude, vast inner solitude.  To walk inside yourself and meet no one for hours, that is what you must attain…think of the world that you carry inside you, and call this thinking whatever you want to:  a remembering of your own childhood or a yearning toward a future of your own–only be attentive to what is arising within you, and place that above everything you perceive around you.  What is happening in your innermost self is worthy of your entire love; somehow you must find a way to work at it, and not lose too much time or too much courage in clarifying your attitude toward people.”

Pg. 59:  “Have you really lost God?  Isn’t it much truer to say that you never yet possessed him?”

Pg. 63:  “…celebrate Christmas in this devout feeling, that perhaps HE needs this very anguish of yours in order to begin.”

Pg. 69:  “Loving does not at first mean merging, surrendering, and united with another person (for what would be a union of two people who are unclarified, unfinished, and still incoherent?)… it is first a ripening of the individual, to become something in oneself, to become world for the sake of another person, it is a great, demanding claim…”

Pg. 70-71  “Young people…fling themselves at each other when love takes hold of them, they scatter themselves, just as they are, in all their messiness, disorder, bewilderment…and what can happen then?  What can life do with this heap of half-broken things that they call their communion and that they would like to call their happiness?”

Pg. 78:  “the love that consists in this:  that two solitudes protect and border and greet each other.”

Pg. 83-85:  “It seems that almost all our sadnesses are moments of tension, which we feel as paralysis because we…are alone with the unfamiliar presence that has entered us; because everything we trust and are used to is for a moment taken away from us, because we stand in the midst of a transition where we cannot remain standing… the new presence inside us has been added, has entered our heart, has gone into its innermost chamber and is… already in our bloodstream…it is so important to be solitary and attentive when one is sad…the quieter we are, the more patient and open we are in our sadnesses, the more deeply and serenely the new presence can enter us…we will feel related, and that is necessary, and toward this point our development will move, little by little…”

Pg. 87:  “To speak of solitude again, it becomes clearer and clearer that…this is nothing one can choose or refrain from.  We are solitary.  We can delude ourselves about this and act as if it were not true…but how much better it is to recognize that we are not alone…”

Pg. 92-93:  “you mustn’t be frightened…if sadness rises in front of you, larger than any you have ever seen, if an anxiety, like light and cloud-shadows moves over your hands and everything you do.  You must realize that life has not forgotten you, that it holds you in its hand will not let you fall.  Why do you want to shut out of your life any uneasiness, any misery, any depression, since you…don’t know what work these conditions are doing inside you…”

Pg. 93:  “sickness is the means by which an organism frees itself form what is alien, so one must simply help it be sick, to have its whole sickness and to break out with it, since that is the way it gets better.”

Pg. 92:  “the myths about dragons that at the last moment are transformed into princesses?  Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act just once with beauty and courage.  Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.”

Pg. 101:  “only that feeling is impure which grasps just one side of your being and thus distorts you.”

Pg. 102:  “your doubt can become a good quality if you train it.  It must become knowing, it must become criticism.  Ask it whenever it wants to spoil something for you, why something is ugly, demand proofs from it, test it, and you will find it perhaps bewildered, and embarrassed, perhaps also protesting.  But don’t give in.  Insist on arguments, and act in this way, attentive and persistent, every single time, and the day will come when instead of being a destroyer, it will become one of your best workers—perhaps the most intelligent of all the ones that are building your life.”

Specht, Robert Tisha: The True Love Story of A Young Teacher in the Alaskan Wilderness. (biography, Alaska in the 1920s, young teachers)

Anna Hobbs headed to Alaska in 1927, just 19 years old, to teach in a one room schoolhouse in the wilderness village of Chicken.  She encountered the difficulties of weather, racism toward Alaskan natives, suspicion, politics, death, blizzards, and difficult children.  Her story, told by Robert Specht, is gripping, suspenseful, inspiring, and thoughtful.  It reminds us how much human capacity we all have, and how important it is to live resourcefully and flexibly, yet according to our convictions.  The racism will disturb modern readers, but it is important for us to see and know the realities that always have been present when cultures mix.  The book fortified me.

Stringfellow, William, A Simplicity of Faith: My Experience in Mourning (memoir, theology, death)

William Stringfellow’s A Simplicity of Faith:  My Experience in Mourning is a brief memoir of the death of his companion, Anthony Towne. Stringfellow identifies himself as a Christian and sees that as his primary identity in life.  The world knew him as a lawyer, lay theologian in the Episcopal Church, and advocate for justice.  Towne was a poet and satirist.  The two met in in New York City and became companions in 1967, never identifying themselves as gay, but they certainly were a couple.  They moved to Block Island, Rhode Island, where they settled into an old house and piece of property they called Eschaton.  

Towne died, suddenly, on January 28, 1980.  Stringfellow, who himself suffered from numerous ailments, wrote this book as a reflection on Towne’s death, their life together, and his grief and mourning.  The book is vintage Stringfellow: honest, bold, spirited, sometimes losing the reader in abstract wanderings, sometimes strikingly clear.  

Reading this book bolstered my own faith and help me think through some issues that I am facing myself when it comes to leadership in the church.  Stringfellow says his vocation in life is to be a human being, nothing more and nothing less.  As a Christian, his role is to be an exemplary human being.  “And to be a Christian categorically does not mean being religious.”  (p. 126)

He muses near the end of the book (p. 133) that he may have to give up being a lawyer, “the better to be an advocate” for people being destroyed by systems, powers, and principalities.

He is frustrated with the systems, (government, church, justice, health care, etc.) and sees them as demonic plagued.  But his concept of the demonic is imaginative, not make-believe.  He wonders (pg. 104) if God hasn’t abandoned the church, since the church is so caught up with its own institutional survival that it can no longer engage in the primary enterprise of being human and proclaiming a gospel that frees others to be human.

The book deals a great deal with death and resurrection, and Stringfellow sees that we bow before death, idolize it, and thus destroy our lives with that idolatry.  

There is a brief explanation of the circus (pp. 86 ff.) where he sees the circus as the pattern for being the church.

I was at the Kirkridge, Pennsylvania, retreat center in 1981 when Stringfellow presented portions of this book to a group of us and then took questions.  Therefore, it was a great experience for me personally to remember him and to hear again his courageous and wise voice through this work.  Reading the book was reviving to my own soul. 

Woods, Stuart, The Run (Will Lee #5) (Political novel, crime)

Woods wrote seven novels with Will Lee as the primary character.  In this novel, Lee runs for president of the United States.  He not only has to fight other Democrats for the nomination, and the Republican nominee, but also fend off a right-wing nut job from Idaho who wants to kill him.  

The novel, written in 1990s, is politically dated, having been written during the Clinton impeachment period.  The theme is shallow (let’s all just meet in the center and get along with each other) and naïve of 9-11, Obama’s election, Trump’s election, and Covid.  The characters are shallow and stereotyped.  

But it’s a good read if you like politics and want to turn off your brain for a while.  I read something out of the Will Lee series anytime I’m looking for an escape, mainly because of my addiction to political stories.  It is, however, never satisfying in the end.  Political junk food.  And stale at that.

Books Read in December 2022 and January 2023

Baker, Peter, and Glasser, Susan, The Divider:  Trump in the White House, 2017-2021  (presidential biography, politics, history)

Garmus, Bonnie, Lessons in Chemistry (novel, women)

Long, Ray, The House that Madigan Built:  The Record Run of Illinois’ Velvet Hammer (history, Illinois, politics, biography)

Meacham, Jon, And There Was Light:  Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle (history, biography, Civil War, slavery, religion)

Picoult, Jodi, Wish You Were Here (novel, pandemic)

Picoult, Jodi and Boylan, Jennifer Finney, Mad Honey (novel)

Senik, Troy, A Man of Iron: The Turbulent Life and Improbably Presidency of Grover Cleveland (presidential biography)

Straczynski, J. Michael, Together We Will Go:  A Road Trip to the End  (novel, suicide)

Baker, Peter, and Glasser, Susan, The Divider:  Trump in the White House, 2017-2021  (presidential biography, politics, history)

This is the third book co-authored by Baker and Glasser, a married couple, both reporters.  It covers the four years of Donald’s Trump’s presidency, and is based on hundreds of interviews, including with Donald Trump himself.  Unfortunately, much of their information comes from off the record interviews and anonymous sources, as is the case with journalists (as opposed to historians.)  The authors are clearly opinionated about Donald Trump (who isn’t?) and their negativity about him needs to be taken into account when reading the book.

But Donald Trump is a unique historical figure, in that while he is a liar (and there is plenty of evidence for that) he is also transparent and open.  No other president has left us such a trove of primary sources:  tweets, speeches, television interviews, recorded phone calls, policy decisions and reversals, personnel moves…)  The question for the reader to ask is whether Baker and Glasser’s sources gave them information consistent with the public evidence Donald Trump himself has provided.

The answer to that question is yes.  While the information coming from anonymous sources is often eye-popping, it is entirely consistent with the what Donald Trump has said and done publicly (also eye-popping.)  

While the authors do not presume to diagnose Trump’s mental health, they frequently refer to others who were alarmed about it. The book is filled with anecdotes, and reading through the book was tiring, just as it was exhausting to take in the news coming out of the White House during Trump’s presidency.  I could only take in pieces of it at a time.  Personally, it was difficult to re-live some of the narrative:  Covid, January 6, George Floyd, the staffing turn overs, the investigations, the election denials…  

But despite the opinions of the authors, and despite the challenge of re-living traumatic times, this is the most important book about the Trump presidency written so far.  It will be the job of historians, 50 years from now, to decide how it fits into the historical assessments of Trump’s tenure, but I think it will likely be instrumental in shaping our understandings and judgments at that time.

In the meantime, even those who think the authors “pile it on” will want to give careful consideration as to whether the Republican party, and the nation, really want to put this man back in the White House.

Garmus, Bonnie, Lessons in Chemistry (novel, women)

Elizabeth is a scientist, specifically, a chemist. But she doesn’t have a degree. Something, or someone always stood in the way: a dysfunctional family, attempted rape from her academic advisor, sexism that confined her to being a lab technician, stolen research, an unexpected pregnancy… She is, however, an excellent scientist. And she tries to live her life devoid of emotion and religion, two things she considers enemies of science. The result is a quirky personality, surprising dialogue, and a charmed reader. Elizabeth grows on you, surprisingly.

The one job available to her (she needs the money) is hosting an afternoon TV cooking show. She brings her liberationist personality to the show, upending everything at the TV station and stirring up women all over the country when the show gets nationally syndicated.

The author knows the 50s, the moves kept to confine women, religion, compassion, empathy… and dogs. Yes, there is a fascinating dog in the novel. Don’t miss it.

Long, Ray, The House that Madigan Built:  The Record Run of Illinois’ Velvet Hammer (history, Illinois, politics, biography)

Long, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, reminds us of what old-fashioned journalism is all about.  As an investigative reporter, he has been covering Mike Madigan for decades.  This book gives us a fair but tough look at the man who was Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives for 36 out of 38 years (the longest serving leader of a legislative body in the history of the United States.)  He was speaker from 1983-1995 and 1997-2021.  

Madigan is currently facing federal charges for racketeering.  Long’s book is a helpful primer as we watch the news to see how his case unfolds in the next couple years.

The book covers Madigan’s entrance into politics, he rise to the Speaker position, his effectiveness as a Chicago-style politician, and his fund-raising success.  Chapters include relationships he had with various Illinois governors, two of whom went to prison.  They also include insight into his daughter’s time as Illinois Attorney General.  The last part of the book covers the unraveling of Madigan’s power as the #MeToo movement exposed ways he covered for a number of his aids and the pay-to-play deals he made under the table for decades, including a major bribery scheme with CommEd (the giant utility company serving Chicago.) 

Long is fair and specific in this book, and even though Madigan has been a secretive and tight-lipped operator for years, we get interesting glimpses into both his corruption and his political skill.  This is a great read for those who have been somewhat paying attention to Illinois politics, and especially to those of us who have lived through the stories recounted here.

Meacham, Jon, And There Was Light:  Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle (history, biography, Civil War, slavery, religion)

The story of Abraham Lincoln never grows old.  And as each successive author takes up the pen, we are more often than not edified by another perspective on our 16^th president.  Meacham’s story includes a well told biography of Lincoln and throughout addresses the religious and moral maturing of Lincoln, as prompted and influenced by the events and challenges of his life.  

The biography is told at a good pace, with concrete details.  The story never got bogged down.  By the end of the book, I felt grief at Lincoln’s death, and grief for our country, as though it was just yesterday.  The loss of Lincoln’s waxing wisdom and moral light still affects us today, and I wonder if his leadership during reconstruction would have helped us navigate racism better than we have.  

Meacham’s book excels in helping us see both the “political Lincoln” and the “moral Lincoln” working in tandem.  His moral understanding of race and slavery was almost always much higher than the political ground he staked.  He was a consummate politician, and played the political long game to reach his moral convictions.  His political positions were calculated to keep the country moving morally forward, even though they were seldom satisfying to those whose prophetic voices were clear and compelling.  Meacham asserts that Lincoln’s political habits were instrumental to eliminating slavery at the end of the Civil War.  Meacham also points out, from the writings of Lincoln, that by the end of the Civil War, he was also beginning to grapple with other manifestations of racism, such as voter suppression and citizenship.  Meacham’s observation was that Lincoln’s morality was a work in progress; had he lived, we would have seen much more movement in Lincoln’s understanding of racial justice and equality.

Meacham also traces the various religious experiences of Abraham Lincoln.  Even though he was never a member of a church, he read the King James Bible vociferously, and he attended religious services faithfully.  He tended to take a pass on some of the deeper issues of theology, such as theories about the Trinity.  But he was enamored of Jesus’ teachings, and he often thought about the nature of God, the will of God, the hand of God in history, and the afterlife.

Meacham’s book belongs to the top ten of the 16,000 plus books about Lincoln—an excellent writer sharing a fascinating subject with us.   

Picoult, Jodi, Wish You Were Here (novel, pandemic)

This is the first novel I’ve read that explores and probes the psychological and social effects of the covid pandemic. It threw me a bit, and pushed me to relive some of those traumatic experiences, anxieties and terrors that were all around us. It also brought up unprocessed grief at all of the ordinary things we lost during that time.

Part of the novel made me angry, as Picoult throws us a curve part way through. I usually don’t mind a surprise in a story, but the one in this novel disoriented me and was frustrating. It took me a while together adjusted. I won’t spoil the story for those who haven’t read it, but when I pick out a novel, I like certain genres, and it seemed like Picoult switched genres on me without my permission or assent.

I did, however, adjust as the second half of the novel unfolded.

The protagonist, Diana, has her life all planned out. The novel traces her struggles as her plans are stripped away from her. We get to know Diana in depth, through her relationships with her parents, her dreams, her fiancé, her emails and postcards, her love of art, her friends, and her sense of vocation. We get to see her go deep inside herself and struggle for pathways forward when she encounters obstacles to her plans.

I found the book well grounded, historically and psychologically. And I look forward to other good novels helping us begin working through the effect that the pandemic has had on us.

Picoult, Jodi and Boylan, Jennifer Finney, Mad Honey (novel)

The novel begins with a teenager’s shocking death and the arrest of her boyfriend, who is accused of her murder.  On one level, it is a suspenseful courtroom drama, as we are never sure if he will be found guilty (until the end,) if he was guilty (until the end,) or if the whole death was an accident (until the end.)  

The story is told through two first-person points of view, alternating chapter by chapter throughout the novel, Olivia and Lily.  Lily is the teenager who was killed at the beginning of the plot.  But in flashbacks, we hear her telling us about her life and its struggles, her escapes and her efforts to put her past behind her.  She tells us about her sexuality, her troubles in school, her relationships with her parents, her falling in love with Asher (the boy accused of her murder,) and the ups and downs of their relationship.  The other narrator, Olivia, is the boyfriend’s mother.  When she is sharing her story, we discover that she is trying to transcend a past that injured and overly defined her.  She shares her story and gives us a play-by-play account of her son’s arrest and trial.  

The novel includes a surprise twist in the very middle, which I won’t reveal in this review, as I recommend reading the book for yourself.  The ending, which is not the most important part of the novel, feels contrived.  It suddenly focuses on a third character whom we should have been hearing more about all the way through.

This novel is a collaborative effort, but the writing is seamless, and Picoult and Finney did a superb job of working together.

The novel takes us into the crux of several sexual issues.  Those who gave it negative reviews on the Goodreads website were all offended at having “wokeness” shoved in their faces.  The negative reviews (I read about a dozen) were all buying into a modern religious-right moralism that completely ignores the diversity of sexual expressions found in the Bible, while disregarding the most fundamental biblical ethic of all:  love your neighbor.  But in my opinion, since this world is filled with people whose experiences of sexuality and gender are different from my own, it is more edifying for me to be curious than judgmental.  

Picoult and Finney give us a book full of vulnerable characters, with an in-depth focus on two. Their fictional characters plead for our charity and empathy, as do real-life characters, even those who offend or make us uncomfortable. We don’t have to be like people who are “different” from us, or like them, or approve. But we will do ourselves and the whole world a favor if we can suspend our judgment (Matthew 7:1) long enough to see our common humanity with people who differ from us.  A ceasefire in our culture wars will also help us see more clearly how our moral indignations (whichever side we are on) too often lead us to be unjust.  I learned something from this novel, and recommend it to those who truly want to understand better a growing demographic in our world that has been perplexing to many of us for too long.

Senik, Troy, A Man of Iron: The Turbulent Life and Improbably Presidency of Grover Cleveland (presidential biography)

Troy Senik has taken a challenging subject and written an excellent presidential biography. It is well researched and argued; offering the reader just the right amount of historical orientation, and simultaneously empathetic and critical toward the subject.

Grover Cleveland, our 22nd and 24th president, was a man of his times, not of ours. Senik navigates that gap quite well. For example, he acknowledges that Cleveland’s attitudes toward race and women would be unacceptable today. But in his time, other conflicts were at the forefront of public debate, and Cleveland tended to be courageously principled in almost every situation where he thought he could make a difference. That courage is unappreciated today, however, because the average 21st century American sees no moral issue in such matters as an economy built on a gold standard, tariffs, or civil service reform.

In Cleveland’s day, however, arguments over whether to base paper money on gold or silver mattered greatly to people, especially workers, farmers, and laborers who income was destroyed by the deflationary push of gold and the inflationary push of silver. Tariffs also hurt working people. And civil service reform was at the heart of whether government was there to serve the people or provide privileges to a few. Those issues mostly baffle the modern reader, and the champions of those 19th century debates hold demand little respect today. Hence, one of the reasons for the obscurity of nearly all the 19th century presidents between Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.

Cleveland came to fame, and quickly became president on his reputation for honesty and reform. “Tell the truth” was a motto he applied, almost always, even if it threatened to end his political career. His career started in Erie County, New York, where he was sheriff for two years. Nine years later, because the Democrats could get no one else to run, he was their candidate and got himself elected mayor of Buffalo, where he served for less than a year, developing a reputation for cleaning up corruption in the city. That brought him to the attention of the state party, which nominated him to run for governor of New York in the election of 1882. He was elected, and that brought him to the attention of the national party, which made him their candidate for president in 1884. At each step of his meteoric political career, Cleveland was elected as the “reform” candidate. And he stubbornly lived up to that image. While proving himself faithful to the principles of the constitution, law, and truthfulness, he also demonstrated through his presidential term a stubbornness and self-righteousness that caused him to be defeated for reelection in 1888. But when the economy fell apart in 1992, the Democrats again turned to Cleveland, who won an unprecedented “return from the dead,” the only president ever to win election, be defeated, and then win again.

Cleveland’s second term was a disaster for him, both personally (health issues) and politically, as his party was hopelessly divided, his leadership was repudiated by both parties, and problems in the world (economic depression, rampant nationalism, social reform, labor-owner strife) were getting too big for how Cleveland and many others saw the presidency and the role of government in general. Cleveland left the presidency in 1897, and Theodore Roosevelt would reinvent it in 1901.

Cleveland was the last Democratic president to have a minimalist understanding of government. He likely wouldn’t even be a Democrat today. But in one regard, his positions would be considered principled: in foreign policy. Cleveland did not believe the United States should be interfering in the sovereign rights of other countries. But his opposition to manifest destiny was politically untenable at the time, and after he left the presidency, the United States proceeded to fight Spain, turn the Philippines into a colony, informally control Cuba through economic invasion, take over Panama, overthrow the queen of Hawaii, and take possession of the Virgin Islands and Samoa.

He was, in short, morally principled but politically inept.

As a person, Cleveland was a large man who liked hunting and fishing, drinking, card playing with friends, and work. He was a workaholic, probably more so than any other president. He was a bachelor until he became president, when he married a lifelong friend of the family, 27 years his junior. He had a cancerous tumor removed from his mouth, a life-threatening surgery at the time, during his second term. In a rare case of NOT telling the truth, that surgery was kept secret until after his death. At the time, the economy was tottering, and he feared that news of a possible presidential terminal illness might destroy the country’s economy.

Senik also covers the scandal that arose during Cleveland’s first run for president, when he was accused of fathering a child out of wedlock and then sending the mother away. The rumor was most likely untrue, and Senik gives a good airing of all sides.

Good presidential history writing involves the ability to read through all the political spin, and then find truth in the sanctuary of rationality and thoughtfulness in a sanctuary beyond the turbulence. Senik achieves that rare accomplishment here.

Cleveland is a challenging subject, mostly because of his times. But Senik makes a compelling argument for dusting off the information about him and learning a little wisdom for our own day, from Cleveland’s life, about how to maintain integrity and still be effective in governing in a political climate. Cleveland didn’t quite pull it off, but the lessons we can learn from his life are invaluable.

Straczynski, J. Michael, Together We Will Go:  A Road Trip to the End  (novel, suicide)

Twelve individuals, previously unknown to one another, hop on a meandering, rickety, cross-country bus to California, with the intent of committing suicide together once they reach San Francisco.  

It all starts when Mark, the organizer of the bus trip, posts an internet ad inviting suicidal individuals to join him for a fun filled road trip, culminating at the Pacific Ocean, where they will drive the bus off a cliff and die together happily.  They have to sign a contract:  that on the trip out they will each post their stories and their reasons for committing suicide onto a private server, to be kept confidential until after they are all dead.  Their thoughts will then be released to the world.  

But no trip turns out entirely as planned. The novel will introduce us to a cast of young characters (all but one are in their twenties.)  There is Mark (a failed writer and organizer of the trip,) Karen (a woman with a debilitating and painful neurological disease,) Zeke (a hopeless drug addict whose closest friend is his dying cat,) Lisa (tortured with bi-polar disorder,) Shanelle (an obese woman bullied for it all her life,) Vaughn (the only senior on the bus, a 65-years old widower with a secret guilt,) Tyler (with only weeks to live because of a terminal illness,) Peter (a strict rationalist who has decided that suicide is the only logical decision for him,) Theo (a non-gendered, gentle, idealist who cannot handle the harshness of this world and looks forward to a utopia on the other side that he has conceptualized in his writings,) Dylan (the bus driver and only member of the party who does not plan to commit suicide–  he will drive them to San Francisco, but then let one of the others drive the bus over the cliff, as they want a non-suicidal person doing the driving until they arrive at their destination, for the obvious reason that they may not make it to their destination,) and finally, the only couple to get on the bus, Jim and Theresa, who decide to commit suicide because Jim is Black and Theresa’s father has threatened to kill him if the two of them get married.

Along the way they sing, argue, get on each other’s nerves, get drunk and high, fall in love, kick some of the passenger off the bus, think about whether they really want to go through with suicide, post their thoughts on the server, discover new things about each other and themselves,  trash an abandoned shopping mall, run up credit cards, get into brawls with locals along the way, and have two trip-changing run-ins with the police.  

The implied author of the novel only appears on the first couple pages, giving a rational for releasing the “material” that will constitute the rest of the book:  journal entries of the bus riders, emails, text messages sent while on the trip,, voicemails, and transcribed recordings of their conversations.  The author’s intent for releasing all the material is to give readers an objective understanding of why people commit suicide. 

The craft of the author is quite good.  Having a book composed almost entirely of emails and text messages works well.  The reader develops an affinity for almost all the characters.  There is no single protagonist in the book, but ten.  The suspense is compelling all the way till the very end of the novel. The story shows how the suicide theme is inextricably connected with other topics:  religion, mental health, physical illness, humaneness for end-of-life issues, the afterlife, revenge, love, freedom of choice, responsibility to others, fate, self-empowerment, guilt, victimhood…

 As a reader, I read the novel through the lens of my own experiences, feelings, and values.  As a pastor, I’ve had parishioners commit suicide and been asked to preside at the funerals of others who killed themselves.  I have worked closely with a couple hundred people who had serious mental health problems and pondered how much control they had over their own choices. I had a friend who committed suicide.  I’ve had low points in my own life that were a challenge to me—but not been suicidal.  I’ve been self-aware of my own inclinations against it for myself.  I have strong opinions about the death penalty, and see some suicide as a form of a self-imposed death penalty.  I believe that some people, by life-style choices, are subconsciously committing slow suicide. I see the humane side of assisted suicide in some situations.  I have been in the room where a man blew his own brains out– and struggled with what I saw.  I believe in the resurrection.  I am repulsed when people condemn others, even for the worst of sins, and have struggled my whole life to control my own spirit from judging those who offend me (including some of the characters in this book!)  I have a strong conviction that we all live with illusions in our lives, and that we (and those affected by us) are best served by becoming disillusioned fast as possible.  And I believe that we sometimes lock our own selves into living a story we don’t like, refusing to take alternative paths when they present themselves.  In fact, my vocation in retirement is to help individuals and organizations change the trajectory of their “stories.” I try all the time to convince people that a different story possible for them and that there are practical steps that can be taken to effect those changes.

I come now to my one criticism of the book:  while its plot is wonderful and original, its story is thin.  What is the difference between plot and story?  The plot is what we witness as we look on from the outside.  In the case of Straczynski’s novel, the plot consists of the highways, the parties, the arguments, the tears, the lovemaking, the text messages, the chase scenes…  This novel has a great plot.

But if the plot is what we see happening from the outside, the story is what we see happening inside individuals, often not known unless the writer delves in and reveals what is inside:  the pain, desire, determination, doubts, plan-shifting, conflicts, loyalties, discouragement, hope, confusion, growth…  The story chronicles the inward journey a protagonist makes.  It includes what the character wants, the obstacles to getting it, the changes that have to be made along the way, the response to tragedy, the adjustments finally made, and the differences between the inner life of the character at the beginning of the story and the inner life at the end.  We see how the story affects the plot, and visa versa.  

In a good novel, the protagonists think they know what they want, but as the plot moves along, they are forced to discover a deeper, often hidden desire that begins to displace the earlier goal.  For example, in most romance movies, the story starts out with an engaged couple.  Then the plot forces one of them to realize that there might be a better future in store with someone else. The awakening person slowly becomes enamored of the “better match” and faces a crisis over who to pick.  The plot and storylines of romance movies are all similar (with only a few exceptions.)  The character does not needto make the wiser or more life-giving choice, but they need to wrestle with it.  In a happily-ever-after story, the protagonist always makes choice we want them to make.  In a tragedy, the protagonists can’t make the choice of their better angels.

In Straczynski’s novel, the characters are all enamored with suicide.  They think it’s what they want to do.  This is where the story of Together We Will Go disappoints.  Great plot—but the promising storylines that don’t deliver as much as they could.  

Only two characters of the 12 really seem to grow in self-understanding (Tyler and Shanelle.)  Several characters have ideas of a utopian paradise, enticing them to exit this world and get to a better place.  They are never challenged in the novel.  But their thinking challenged me.  As a theologian (and Christian) who believes in a realm of justice and joy beyond death itself, I do not object to the characters’ pictures of utopia.  What bothers me is that they assume that life ‘on the other side’ has no connection, wisdom, or strength to offer ‘this life’ with all its pain and challenges. They believe in a better world to come that has no impact on our world now, except to make it easier to leave. I wish someone would have appeared in the novel to press the “heaven-bound” suiciders with better questions.   

The twelve travelers have numerous experiences that give them openings for reassessing what they want.  As I said above, only two will incorporate those experiences into a better self-understanding and then allow that new understanding to guide them forward.  The rest will either meet an unexpected fate that ends up with others determining their future for them, or they will snap back to their original suicidal plan without having any deeper understanding of themselves in relationship to suicide.  

All of the characters have had a hard life, including Dylan, the bus driver.  All but Dylan have responded to life’s troubles by locking themselves in a story that will eventuate in suicide.  Too many of them stay locked inside their own stories. (I won’t spoil the plot for you—you will have to read the book to find out if any of them commit suicide—or all of them.) 

Are they committed to suicide, or are they obsessed?  Are they being true to themselves, or are they refusing to honor those aspects of themselves they have not yet had time to discover?  Are they within their ‘rights’ to take their own lives, or are the rights of others in their lives more compelling?  Are they simply being truthful and realistic about the limits of life in this world, or is their whole mental construct an illusion?  Is it right to challenge a person who has longed for suicide– should we not live and let live, tolerate different opinions and respect the decisions of others, no matter how uncomfortable they make us–  or are we ethically compelled to talk a suicidal person down?  All the characters in the book casually respect the suicidal decision of all the others, as though that’s what all enlightened and modern people should do.  By what ethical principles is such behavior justified? 

The characters on the bus never meet anyone who probes the deeper questions.  But in real life, those of us who face the realities of suicide (either by our own thoughts or by the thoughts of people in our orbit) need something deeper than the characters of this novel provide.  

I give it five stars out of five, even though it is lacking what I have defined as “story.”  I’m giving it full credit because it does such a good job of kicking the deeper questions back at us.  And in the end, we are the ones who have to wrestle with them better, not the fictional characters of this book.

Books Read in October and November 2022

Atkinson, Rick, The British Are Coming:  The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777, Volume One of the Revolution Trilogy  (history, American Revolution, winner of the Pulitzer Prize)

Berry, Wendell, A Place on Earth (novel/short stories, rural Kentucky)

Brown, David S., The First Populist:  The Defiant Life of Andrew Jackson (presidential biography, reflection on personality and democracy)

Ferrer, Ada, Cuba: An American History (history of Cuba and the nations that effected it)

Grisham, John, The Boys from Biloxi (novel, legal, crime, politics)

Klaus, Carl, H., A Self Made of Words:  Crafting a Distinctive Persona in Nonfiction Writing (craft of writing)

Montgomery, Lucy, Anne’s House of Dreams (novel #5 in the Anne of Green Gables Series)

Montgomery, Lucy M.  Anne of Ingleside (novel #6 of the Anne of Green Gables Series)

Pawlish, Renee, This Doesn’t Happen in the Movies, The Reed Ferguson Mystery Series, Book 1 (detective mystery novel)

Pietrusza, David, Roosevelt Sweeps the Nation:  FDR’s Landslide and the Triumph of the Liberal Ideal (history, American elections, biography)

Scott, Dale, The Umpire is Out: Calling the Game and Living My True Self (memoir, baseball)

Smerconish, Michael, Talk (novel, politics, radio talk shows)

Atkinson, Rick, The British Are Coming:  The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777, Volume One of the Revolution Trilogy  (history, American Revolution, winner of the Pulitzer Prize)

Everything is excellent about this book.  It includes original material, as the author is the first to have access to the private diaries and papers of King George III.  It draws heavily on other original sources, primarily diaries and letters from both Americans and British soldiers and citizens.  It includes (although not extensively) the political conditions in both London and the American colonies.  The author’s extensive military knowledge and readable accounts of battles are supplemented by some of the best maps found in any historical book.  

In addition, Atkinson is one of the finest prose writers to be found in any genre of literature.  His vocabulary and twist of phrase, his understated sense of humor, and his poignant summary paragraphs are a reading pleasure.

This is the first volume of Atkinson’s Revolutionary War Trilogy, and I look forward to reading the other two volumes as soon as they are published.

On a personal level, one of the truths of the Revolutionary War that struck me, brought out by Atkinson, was the inhumanity and violence of the conflict. Added to the extreme challenges of weather and nearly zero technology when it came to communication, the hardships endured by fighters on both sides (as well as civilians caught in the middle) is virtually unfathomable to me.  (And I have a pretty good imagination.)  Winter marches over snow and ice with no shoes, men reduced to eating spoiled pork, rats crawling over bodies while sleeping, amputations without pain killers, and night marches with days of no sleep were the norm.  Honorable treatment of prisoners only extended to a few officers. Ordinary prisoners of war died at an alarming rate.

Atkinson does a good job of describing how the British had to fight not only an army, but also a nation of people who felt aggrieved.  The British had to conquer, American only had to endure.  This dynamic would be reversed in many wars the United States would enter during the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

Atkinson also gives us a realistic picture of George Washington.  He traces Washington’s development from an arrogant, condescending general who arrived outside Boston after Lexington and Concord, to a man who grew to respect his troops and develop a bonding with them as the war continued.  He also learned to rely on others for advice, took bold action when needed, kept his cool in almost all circumstances, blocked out his conscience when it came time to send others to their deaths, applied administrative genius to his work, and learned from his military mistakes.  

A quote from near the end of the book: “Certainly Washington’s (first) eighteen months in command had brought bitter lessons:  that war was rarely linear, preferring a path of fits and starts, ups and downs; triumphs and cataclysms; that only battle could reveal those with the necessary dark heart for killing, years of killing; that only those with the requisite stamina, aptitude, and luck would be able to see it through; and finally—the hardest of war’s hard truths—that for a new nation to live, young men must die, often alone, usually in pain, and sometimes to no obvious purpose.  He, more than anyone, would be responsible for ordering those men to their deaths.”  (pg. 553)

Berry, Wendell, A Place on Earth (novel/short stories, rural Kentucky)

A Place on Earth is vintage Wendell Berry, full of rich characters, poignant insights about life, and deep engagement with nature. While this is easily a stand-alone novel, it also features familiar characters and places in Berry’s other stories. Port William is a small Kentucky village just up from the river. This novel is set during World War II and features Mat and Margaret Feltner, whose son is missing in action. Their pregnant daughter-in-law lives with them, and gives birth to their now fatherless grandchild. We get the story of how the local barber, Jayber Crow, takes on the additional duties of grave-digger. There is an insightful portrait of the local pastor, who cannot bring himself to be humble and human in situations of human grief. Burley Coulter, another character in Berry’s stories appears at full strength in this novel: his intelligence, his rebellion, his likability.

Like most of Berry’s work, he doesn’t hesitate to walk through darkness and unthinkable grief. He does so slowly, with grace, and with kindness. There are dark moments here: the death of a child in a flood, the death of a young man in the war, the suicide of a middle aged man who cannot stand the emptiness of his life. They are told with imagination, empathy, and spaciousness.

Life is exposed here, in all its embarrassment, pain, and comedy, handled forthrightly, gently, and in context by Berry. He has long been one of my favorite authors, and this book lives up to my hopes and expectations.

Brown, David S., The First Populist:  The Defiant Life of Andrew Jackson (presidential biography, reflection on personality and democracy)

I’ve read several books on Andrew Jackson and have found him a man of extraordinary strength and luck, and an individual deeply flawed, who left a questionable effect on United States history.  Brown’s book didn’t improve my liking for Jackson.  

As an historical scholar, Brown is a bit suspect.  He wants to make a point, a valid point, but he tells Jackson’s story in such a way as to serve his point, not necessarily the whole truth.  Nevertheless, Brown isn’t wrong.  

Jackson survived a childhood that was traumatic and violent.  He saw both his brother and mother killed as a consequence of British behavior during the Revolutionary War.  He was driven by the fires of both hatred and violence.  As an owner of slaves, an Indian fighter, a duelist, and a commander who sent several of his soldiers to the firing squad, Jackson trafficked in violence his whole life.  It was his answer to nearly every challenge.  

But he also had an intelligence and an intuition that made him highly successful.  Unfortunately, that brilliant mind was generally applied to his own advancement.  His political positions were consistent only to the extent that they served his own advancement.  

He was the first president to utterly disregard the constitution’s balance of power arrangement.  Jackson defied both congress and the Supreme Court.  We continue to see how fraught those attitudes are in our own recent presidents.

Brown finishes his book with brief mentions of the relationship between Trump and Jackson.  He also links Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Richard Nixon, and Lyndon Johnson, but offers no evidence. 

As I was reading Brown’s book, I kept thinking of Donald Trump (not the first time I’ve noticed similarities between Trump and Jackson.  While not nearly as intelligent as Jackson, (but just as intuitive), Donald Trump has much of Andrew Jackson’s mindset. The public anger that both Jackson and Trump tapped into is similar.  Both appealed to a citizenry that felt neglected and marginalized by the elite.  The personality flaws of both were seen as assets rather than liabilities in the fight against the elite.   

Ferrer, Ada, Cuba: An American History (history of Cuba and the nations that effected it)

How can I be an American in my late 60s and have never read anything substantial about Cuban history before this book? I’ve always had an awareness that those of us from the United States are not the only “Americans.” But still, I’ve been oblivious to the effects my government and my people have had on our nearest neighbors.

Ferrer’s book is about the history of Cuba, with a special emphasis on the role of Spanish colonialism, U.S. Manifest Destiny, and Soviet authoritarianism on Cuban history. In every one of these international relationships, Cubans suffered grievous injustices. The most powerful suppression of Cuba came from the U.S., its super-power neighbor. Many U.S. politicians in the 1800s lusted after Cuban statehood. In the 1900s, the Platt Amendment, passed by the U.S. Congress insisted on the right of the U.S. to intervene in Cuba anytime it deemed necessary. For half a century, the U.S. controlled every facet of Cuban government, economy, and social life. U.S. citizens, under the protection of the Platt Amendment, bought up all the best land and businesses in Cuba.

Slavery dominated Cuban history, and even after it was outlawed, racial discrimination continued there as it did in the U.S. Ferrer paints a compelling narrative of how blacks have been treated in Cuba, and it makes an informative and thoughtful read as we consider the racial injustices in the U.S.

In the 1800s, a number of Cubans rose up to try and throw off the shackles of Spain. By the end of that century, a successful movement was initiated by Jose Marti and his partners. Based in exile in the U.S., Marti organized a revolution that would free Cuba not only from Spain, but also U.S. control. Even though he was cut down in the war in 1895, his movement continued to be effective in ending Spanish rule. Only when it appeared that the Cubans would gain independence on their own did the U.S. decide to intervene, thus precipitating the Spanish-American War. Ferrer asserts that the U.S. did little to drive out a weakened and declining Spain, (The Cubans had already done all the heavy lifting) but jumped in at the last minute in order to gain control over Cuba and other Spanish colonies (e.g. the Philippines.) Her account is thorough enough that the burden of proof is now on those who still insist that the U.S. is the only reason Cuba is free from Spain. I’d be interested in hearing their argument.

It is indisputable that once the U.S. gained control in Cuba, they took over sugar plantations, dictated to the government, kept black Cubans in their place (courtesy of southern U.S. politicians), increased the gap between the wealthy and the poor, and used Cuba as a refuge for all the gambling, prostitution, liquor, and organized crime that was illegal in the U.S. itself.

By the 1940s, Cuba was chaffing for economic and political reform. A new constitution was passed, over the objections of the U.S. government. But the leaders elected under that constitution soon caved to U.S. pressure and sank into corruption. Elections were fraught with fraud and assassinations.

In 1948, as Carlos Prio Socorro prepared to take the oath as president, the outgoing minister of education, Jose Manuel Aleman, organized a caravan of four green GM trucks to travel to the treasury building, where he and several men loaded several suitcases with money from the vaults: pesos, pounds, francs, rubles, lire, and dollars. Aleman headed straight for the airport, boarded a DC-3, and flew to Miami. He had $19 million dollars on him. When customs officials stopped him, he told them to call Washington, where officials there decided there was no law against bringing so much money into the U.S. The money never was returned to the Cuban people.

The native Cubans who were elected to office were either incompetent or corrupt. Ferrer relates numerous stories about such leaders as Gerardo Machado, Ramos Grau San Martin, and Fulgencio Batista. Eventually, by the late 1950s, she reports on the emergence of Fidel Castro.

Ferrer’s work on Castro is excellent historiography. She helps us see clearly why he came to power. She also gives a balanced report of his strengths, his legitimacy, his illusions, his ruthlessness, and his effect on Cuba. In addition, she makes clear that American officials, especially in the Kennedy administration, had a myopic understanding of both Cuba and Castro, primarily due to the lingering effects of Manifest Destiny in the sixties, the same blindness that led to Viet Nam.

There is an excellent narrative on the relationship between the Soviet Union and Cuba, as well as Cuban involvement in Angola. Ferrer makes clear that by allowing itself to become so dependent on Cuba, Castro once again made the perennial mistake of allowing his resource-limited country to be controlled and humiliated by a foreign power.

The book ends with the death of Castro, the unique Obama approach to Cuban/US relations, and the reversing of Obama’s policies by Trump. Her closing paragraphs are a work of literary beauty. She directs her attention to sculptor Teodoro Ramos Blanco (1902-1972). His monuments and works are found throughout Cuba and the United States. They represent not only the famous but the millions of forgotten Cubans who shaped that country’s story. Ferrer writes on page 468: “History…is also the countless lives that are nestled in its sway. Consider all the people who may have lived at some point during Cuba’s long history, from before the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the present. Every one of those lives embodies and condenses the history that made it. The large-scale events of history–conquest, enslavement, revolution, war–ripple through individual lives, shaping them like so much stone or clay. As history makes people, so do people make history, reworking it, day by day, creating meaning of the world around them, often acting in ways that tend to fit but awkwardly in the categories of epic history.”

This book, published in 2022, won Ferrer a Pulitzer Prize. I can see why. She currently teaches history and Latin American Studies at New York University. I look forward to more books from her.

Grisham, John, The Boys from Biloxi (novel, legal, crime, politics)

I read Grisham novels when I’m looking for a break from everything else in my life.  His characters, plot, and suspense are compelling, and he’s always a quick and easy read for me, a great diversion.

This is one of the best of his novels.  Involving a crime syndicate along the Mississippi coast and a young district attorney determined to clean up the area, the plot turns deadly.  The novel features murder for hire, a corrupt sheriff, cowed state and federal officials, prostitution, gambling, drinking, drugs, and weapons trafficking.  It also features two boys who grow up friends, playing baseball together, and talking about shared future dreams.  But the two boys both take after their fathers:  one a syndicate boss, the other a crusading prosecutor.  As the book reaches its climax, the two are mortal enemies.

Grisham novels are plots without story:  in other words, the characters really don’t change much in the course of his books.  Some go through some inner turmoil, but they don’t ever grow.  This novel is no exception.  Don’t look for any good human insights here.  It’s a fast, fun read though.

In a couple places, the novel is poorly edited, seeming to skip a page or two, as the plot changes abruptly.  It normally moves along smoothly but for these exceptions.  The only other technical problem is an inconsistent point of view in a couple places.  We read the novel from the point of view of the protagonists.  But in one place Grisham shifts to the point of view of the antagonist, for no good reason.  It’s a little disconcerting in an otherwise well written book.

Klaus, Carl, H., A Self Made of Words:  Crafting a Distinctive Persona in Nonfiction Writing (craft of writing)

I was motivated to read this short book in order to give more thought to the “persona” I convey in my nonfiction writings.  People who read my Sunday Posts report being as attracted to the persona as to the content.  In every piece of nonfiction we write, we reveal a portion of our personality, our persona.  We can either be intentional or unintentional in making that reveal.  Klaus gets us thinking about the “self” we reveal in our writing and shows us techniques for either concealing or revealing more.  

Different kinds of writing call for revealing different aspects of ourselves.  I show more personality in my Sunday Posts than I do in an academic paper, where I reveal more of how the left side of my brain works. 

The most helpful take from this book came in considering the impact of three kinds of writing:  colloquial, informal, and formal.  As a pastor, I’m often stuck in formal writing at those moments when I’m trying to be most instructive and persuasive about important issues.  But this book helped me see that the people I’m usually trying to persuade are usually much more responsive to my colloquial style. I hope to use some of his techniques for improving those kinds of writing.

The book is short, but tedious many places.  Klaus uses variations of the same autobiographical anecdote over and over to illustrate various points he wants to make.  It is hard to stay interested. 

But I got out of the book what I came for, and for that I’m pleased.

Montgomery, Lucy, Anne’s House of Dreams (novel #5 in the Anne of Green Gables Series)

There is an emerging maturity in this fifth novel of the Anne of Green Gables series. As Anne (the protagonist) herself matures in perspective and discipline, so the author (Montgomery) seems to be developing her own skills as a writer, particularly in her ability to put a twist in the plot, her capacity to be sympathetic with eccentric characters, and her deployment of imagination to add richness to the stories her characters face.

New and unforgettable characters we encounter in this novel include Captain Jim (the wise and gentle man man of the sea who tends the nearby lighthouse in his old age), Miss Cornelia (the staunch Presbyterian, man-blaming, spinster whom we only like because Anne like’s her), Leslie Moore (the mysterious, gorgeous golden haired woman with a life full of secrets and a spirit and strength as great as any character in this series), and the Moore cousins, Dick and George (who create great confusion in the middle of the novel), and Owen (a brilliant author who finds his place in the lives of the people on the shores of Four-Winds-Point.

The setting of the novel is in the first year of Anne and Gilbert’s marriage, also his first year as doctor in the village and region of Glen St. Mary (which includes Four-Winds-Point.) Once again, this is a delightful and spirit calming read from Lucy Montgomery.

Montgomery, Lucy M.  Anne of Ingleside (novel #6 of the Anne of Green Gables Series)

I really disliked this book.  Since reading book one of the series (Anne of Green Gables) I was thrilled to know that there were eight books in the series.  None has been as good as the first.  But this novel hit bottom.  I’m trying to decide whether to read the last two.

What’s so bad?  First of all, the book has no protagonist.  We are misled into thinking it will be another book about Anne, the character who walked into our hearts and imagination in book one.  But in this volume, Anne, now with five kids, has faded to the background and become unrecognizable.  She is reduced to a “spear-carrier” in the book, and might just as well remain nameless.  

When she does appear, she has become a caricature of the very people who were her antagonists in earlier volumes.  She is now an elitist doctor’s wife, who looks condescendingly on other children in the town, and seems caught up in material things rather than relationships.  The portrait of her and Gilbert, her husband, is as shallow as a portrayal of a mother and father in a first grade reader.

The book parades a number of eccentric characters who seem too one dimensional and ridiculous to be real.  Each oddball only appears only in one chapter, usually, but we can’t wait to get to the next chapter to get rid of them.  

One of the most disturbing things about the novel is Montgomery’s portrayal of children.  In most chapters, one of Anne’s children is the subject of an anecdote. The author finds the emotional suffering of children entertaining. She puts them through a number of abusive situations, and then diminishes the emotional impact on them.  Granted this was written before the advent of child psychology as a field of study, but Montgomery has no excuse for the way she diminishes children in this book:  she has already shown us great insight into children in the first volumes of this series.

The values that shown through in “Anne of Green Gables” are entirely missing here.  Instead we see gossips, the upper crust of society, and stereotypes abounding and glorified.

This was the last book Montgomery wrote for this series, even though it comes sixth in the chronology of Anne’s life.  We now know from family recollections that Montgomery was depressed near the end of her life, an untimely ending just 3 years after this was written.  Perhaps the dramatic loss of standard is due to an emotional crisis within Montgomery herself.  But when I introduce the series to my grandchildren, I’ll not give them volume 6.

Pawlish, Renee, This Doesn’t Happen in the Movies, The Reed Ferguson Mystery Series, Book 1 (detective mystery novel)

The blurb on Amazon urging me to buy this book for $2.99 was very well written. I’d give it five stars, maybe more. On occasion, however, you get what you pay for in a book, sometimes less.

I rated the book a two because I read the author’s blurb on her website and she seems like she’d be a really nice neighbor, probably a great friend. But she needs to take a good writing class, and probably add some actual writing friends to her social life.

This mystery novel has no story. By that, I mean that there is no inner journey being taken by anyone in the book. All the characters are flat and human-less, robotically reacting to events around them, growthless through the book—in other words, boring.

While the book gives us no story, it certainly has plot—predictable, inane, copied-from-television-shows plot. The situations that arise in the novel seem unrealistic, which is okay if readers are rewarded for suspending their disbelief. They aren’t. For example, the X-Women, a secret group that kidnaps and kills men who abuse women, (undetectable by the frantic FBI trying to find them,) seems utterly incompetent when we finally get a peek into their personnel and organization. If you’re going to have a villain in your story, make them competent.

If I were teaching a class on writing a novel, I might use this book in a lab to explore how not to develop characters or write dialogue. There are no real characters in this book, only thin caricatures. And their dialogue reinforces their unrelatability. The protagonist, Reed Ferguson, is a shiftless rich boy who decides to become a detective. He has neither the training nor the wit to be one, only bullheadedness. His ability to solve the mystery of this novel is only due to outside luck, not any method or intelligence of his own. He has no ambitions, no compelling desires, no commitment to anyone or anything, and no maturity. He reminds me of a numbed out adolescent boy marking time. He never changes in this book.

His client, Amanda, is a sad, gorgeous, alcoholic psychopath. She also has borderline personality disorder, even though the author doesn’t seem to know it. Amanda has stupidly decided to hire someone to kill her jerk of a husband, paying half a million to get the job done so she can get the other 5 million or so. She hires the X-Women to do it. When the husband escapes getting offed, she hires Reed to figure out what happened. Reed discovers her crime but continues to loyally work for her.

The author likes Reed, but we don’t so much. Amanda is pathetic, not interesting, and we never learn anything that would help us understand her. Reed’s brilliant friend Cal is a computer recluse who never goes out in public and has bad hygiene. Not attractive to the reader. Reed’s nagging, hyper-anxious mother appears from time to time in the novel for comic relief, but the author disrespects her, and I can’t figure out which one I want to scold more—the mother or the author. The police and the FBI agents are uncaring and stupid, unflattering stereotypes. The beautiful girl across the street, Willie, seems strangely attracted to Reed by the end of the novel, making me want to warn her about making bad choices in men.

A good novel requires real characters. The protagonist must be hungry but flawed, required to grow and change or fail. The characters must be agents that effect the story. This book is just a coincidence of accidents and bumbling.

In a good novel, something in the main character must die, symbolically, if the story is to move forward. The only “symbolic death” Reed experiences is getting shot in the butt. But instead of teaching him a lesson, his new butt hole just results in him getting to lie around on his couch for a week and let others wait on him.

This book was an opportunity for the author to enlighten us on several issues: bipolar disorder, abuse, males who never grow up, the effect of cheating husbands, underground revenge groups, etc. But this author never did the research to know enough to inform us. The book was also an opportunity to develop a theme—redemption, justice, infidelity, healing, becoming an adult… But again, the author took a pass on all that and just stretched a mindless one-hour TV crime drama into a book.

I thought several times about putting the book down and not finishing. But this was such a perfect example of how not to write a novel that I couldn’t let go. My sincere apologies to the author, with this word of encouragement: keep at it, but don’t be like Reed Ferguson, who depends on accidents and unforeseen luck to get his work done. Do the homework and it will show itself in future works.

Pietrusza, David, Roosevelt Sweeps the Nation:  FDR’s Landslide and the Triumph of the Liberal Ideal (history, American elections, biography)

The 1936 presidential election was a blowout.  FDR won 46 states, all but Maine and Vermont.  His popular vote total was over 60%.  At first glance, such a blowout seems like it makes a pretty boring story.  But there was much more suspense, hostility, and chaos than even U.S. recent elections feature.  

The 1936 election took place in the midst of the Great Depression.  Unemployment was still 15%.  Many of Roosevelt’s solutions had been thrown out by the Supreme Court.  He was accused of being a communist by many, a fascist by even more.  While there is plenty to like about FDR, in retrospect, there were also aspects to his personality that would have given me second thoughts about voting for him.  

No one knew yet how (or whether) the economy would recover.  Populists such as Father Coughlin and Huey Long were whipping up emotion, usually at FDR’s expense.  FDR’s own Vice President, John Nance Garner, thought he was far too liberal for the country.  There was turmoil in the black community, especially since Roosevelt had awful attitudes about Blacks, and even worse policies.  For example, he excluded many blacks from getting social security, in order to keep his southern base happy.

Communists and Socialists were thriving in America.  On the international horizon, communism was becoming more dangerous in the Soviet Union and Hitler was gaining power in Germany.  There was cause for alarm and preparation, and yet Americans were growing increasingly isolationist.

FDR’s opponent was Alf Landon, governor of Kansas.  Landon goes down as one of the most incompetent presidential candidates in the history of the U.S.  Pietrusza’s chapters on him are amusing.

My have two problems with the book.  First, Pietrusza spends a little too much time on some of the minor characters in the election.  While giving us a good picture of the uncertainties and chaos of the 36 election, I think we could have heard more about Roosevelt and Landon.  There was quite a bit of space, however, devoted to William Randolph Hearst, Gerald Smith, Norman Thomas, and Earl Browder.  

My second problem was that the author got a little too cute and condescending from time to time.  An author’s humor can either facilitate a good read, or distract.  On occasion Pietrusza’s humor distracted.  

Scott, Dale, The Umpire is Out: Calling the Game and Living My True Self (memoir, baseball)

Dale Scott was a major league umpire between 1985 and 2017. The book is his memoir, mostly of his career, but also a little of his personal life. I enjoyed the book on two fronts: first as a baseball fan. Second, Scott has an interesting personality, and that came through in his memoir. 

What rattled me a little were his brutal opinions about a number of players, coaches, and league officials that he didn’t like. He liked most of his fellow umpires, but not all. Scott doesn’t give an inch when it comes to the Ripkins, Billy Martin, Roger Clemons, etc. During a game argument with Cal Ripken, Sr., for example, Scott told him, “The only reason you’re a major league manager is because you had two good nights with Mrs. Ripkin.” It is a gossipy book, and we do like good gossip. 

The job of an umpire is to be ruthlessly accurate. And so Scott is as he recounts players, games, and bizarre situations through his years as an umpire. The memoir gives good insight into the life, financial situation, and labor issues big league umpires encounter. Scott worked through several radical changes in the game and provides some historical perspective.

We learn a few things about Scott as a person: about his parents, his husband, his being the first major league umpire to come out of the closet, his discouragements at he beginning of the career, his attitude toward “booing the ump,” his feelings about being assaulted by millionaire players and coaches during game arguments, his politics, his time umpiring in the Dominican, his views about technology replacing umpiring, and his concern for sustaining dangerous injuries while working behind the plate (the reason for his retirement.)

It’s especially a good read for those of us who have been long-time baseball fans.

Smerconish, Michael, Talk (novel, politics, radio talk shows)

I listen off and on the Smerconish on Sirius radio when I’m in the car.  He hosts a daily political talk show every morning.  As an on-air personality, he’s interesting, but too often a bit stuck on himself.  A lawyer by training, he’s intelligent and does a good job of staking out a civil conversation and a middle of the road approach in a country badly polarized.

One of his theories is that “talk radio” and “network news” is behind much of the political insanity and national dysfunction that is going on today. I agree.

In this novel, written in 2014, his protagonist is a former pot-head turned radio personality, turned political radio personality.  He is controlled by experts who insist he be conservative-consistent-and compelling, even though he is not himself very conservative in his thinking.  But he plays the game and becomes very powerful in Republican circles for his performances.

The novel takes place in the midst of a presidential campaign that turns ugly very quickly.  The protagonist (Stan) is a player in it.  But as the novel moves along, his conscience stirs.  Suddenly, at the end of the novel, he has to face a decision he never thought he’d face.  I won’t spoil it for you.

The protagonist is kind of raunchy, and gets boring after a while.  The issues are extremely important, now as much as in 2014.  The politics is a little dated (Florida is still a swing state in the novel.)  And issues are addressed in bumper-sticker style rather than any deep analysis, not even in the deeper thoughts of the characters.

But I enjoyed this novel, a fast read, for its reminder of the poisonous role the media plays in this growing hatred in our country.

As a novel, the characters are rather shallow, the protagonist doesn’t go through any deep agony when he changes… he just wakes up one day and flips.  There is no conclusion to the plot, the novel leaves it hanging in midair. The suspense is good.  The solutions the novel hints toward are a bit too naïve.    

Books Read in August and September 2022

Grisham, John, The Judge’s List (crime novel)

Isenburg, Nancy, and Burstein, Andrew, The Problem of Democracy: The Presidents Adams Confront the Cult of Personality (presidential biography, political science, democracy)

Jenkins, Jerry, Dead Sea Rising (novel)

Montgomery, Lucy, Anne of Avonlea (novel #2 in Anne of Green Gables series)

Montgomery, Lucy, Anne of Green Gables (novel #1 in Anne of Green Gables series)

Montgomery, Lucy, Anne of the Island (novel #3 in Anne of Green Gables series)

Montgomery, Lucy, Anne of Windy Poplars (novel #4 in Anne of Green Gables series)

Smith, Beverly, A Land No Map Can Find (novel)

Weir, Andy, Project Hail Mary (science fiction)

Widmer, Ted, Martin Van Buren (presidential biography)

***

Grisham, John, The Judge’s List (crime novel)

I read about one Grisham novel a year, especially when I’m fatigued. In this novel, Grisham does the heavy lifting for me… pulling me through his story with well-crafted suspense and captivating characters. A judge has been killing off people who offended him at some point in his life and is so talented at his hobby that he leaves no evidence. A daughter of one of his victims finds the “thread,” however, and connects multiple murders to him. She secures the services of an unlikely detective–an investigator of judicial misconduct who has never handled a violent crime situation before. But she gets shamed into taking up the variety of cold cases that the victim’s relative has put together for her. Some suspension of disbelief is required to enjoy the book, but it is a fast and refreshing read.

Isenburg, Nancy, and Burstein, Andrew, The Problem of Democracy: The Presidents Adams Confront the Cult of Personality (presidential biography, political science, democracy)

This is the second book Isenberg and Burstein have written coupling two presidents so we could see how one illuminates the other. (Their other book is on Jefferson and Madison.) Their motive for writing the book on the Presidents Adams is to explore their belief and critique of democracy. Referring to such concepts as “impersonation of democracy,” “unchecked democratic posturing and pretense,” and the role of “glitter” in democratic elections, the authors turn to two of history’s most astute political scientists (the Presidents Adams) to find better understanding regarding the political dysfunctions present in the United States today.

The book contains two excellent biographies, one of John Adams (JA) and one of his son, John Quincy Adams (JQA). The quality of the biographies is rooted in the authors’ sympathy for their subjects, their critical eye, and their careful exploration of original source material, particularly the extensive diaries and letters of both men.

My interest in the book was enhanced by the promise of learning the Adamses’ take on “democracy.” We are, after all, being warned about the death of democracy some observers of today’s political scene.

For years I have engaged in healthy debates with my Chinese friends over the qualities of democracy vs. authoritarianism. But in recent years, with elections giving us too many inadequate leaders, I am having a harder time making the argument for democracy. Countries adhering to democracy haven’t done so well in resolving issues of environmental disaster, immigration, racism, gender-related rights, moral stability, election integrity, domestic violence, crime, international influence, public health policies, healthcare, economic recovery from COVID, or management of wealth and poverty.

Isenberg and Burstein found much in the writings of JA and JQA to remind us that “democracy” is not an infallible god. The Adamses believed it was both necessary to good government AND vulnerable to multiple abuses. The Adamses offer checks and balances to democracy.

John Adams referred to a “free government,” one that collects advice from the people, offers free access to the people, and encourages free communication of the people’s wants, knowledge, projects, and wishes. (pg. 108) Several elements are essential to “free government”: freedom of speech, religion, assembly, and press; education, town meetings to learn of local issues, vital churches, and local militia. These local activities provide a training ground for responsible participation in government. Democracy won’t work if the people who vote aren’t educated and rational.

Free government is a check on the insidious power of the wealthy, well-born, and powerful. JA argued that there can be no “free government” without a democratic branch, specifically, one selected through elections. While elections provide the means of democracy, Adams argued that there must be checks and balances on the masses. The Presidents Adams concurred with one newspaper that noted, “Elections are brothels.” The “people” are subject to manipulation, dissemination, artifice, imposture, hypocrisy, superstition, glitter, flattery, quackery, and bribery. Well-resourced politicians, whose primary interest is self-aggrandizement, will lead masses astray and into decisions that are contrary to both the popular good and the principles of free government.

The Adamses saw such abuses in Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and Andrew Jackson—all of whom cultivated personality cults, promoted themselves through images and slogans, and made tools of other people to put themselves forward. John Adams, in contrast, wrote a letter to a political ally describing the two of them as having “an ugly modesty about us…we have taken pains to conceal our names, we have delighted in the shade, we have made few friends, (turned others into) no tools…” He was, of course, overstating his own modesty a bit. But there is much truth to what he said, as no personality cult ever grew up around either JA or JQA. Their independent thinking and constant intellectual growth prevented such adulation.

The Adamses reveal in both their letters and their diaries that they were as critical on themselves as they were on others. This genuine humility and self-examination mingled with their pride and stubbornness, and any picture of them that does not include this paradox is deceptive.

John Adams was engaged in developing and perfecting the idea of a “constitution.” He was the primary author of the constitution of the state of Massachusetts, and the U.S. constitution was modeled after that and much influenced by Adams’s writings, even though he was serving as a diplomat in Europe during the Constitutional Convention. He was particularly keen to develop a difference between the functions of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives would represent the voice of the people, elected by people who knew the candidates locally. The Senate, on the other hand, would act as a check on the House, made up of wise, successful, noble, and able people. The Senate would hold in check the tendency of people to be tricked by the powerful and wealthy. In a world of passion, anger, competition, individualism run amok, liberty turned to licentiousness, and fragmentation, the Senate would make sure the adults remained in charge. (pg. 111)

Adams worried about state and federal elections, where candidates would not be personally known by the voters, and thus more subject to intrigue and deception. “Candidates…invent public identities in order to acquire attention and impress voters.” (pg. 113)

Both Adamses saw how Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson used “democracy” to hide the fact that they were powerful, wealthy slaveholders, who used the democratic masses to maintain the status quo of southern electoral advantage (the enslaved were counted 3/5 in the census, increasing the number of seats in the House the south had…and the number of electoral votes—yet the enslaved could not vote, making the votes of plantation owners and other whites worth much more than northern votes.)

Isenberg and Burstein use the writings of the Adamses to point out that those who developed a “cult of personality” (Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Jackson) take advantage of people’s tendency to live vicariously through the lives of the rich and famous. If tragedy befalls a celebrity, people will feel ten times worse about it than a tragedy that befalls an ordinary person. (pg. 140)

There is an interesting comparison of Washington and the Adamses at the end of the book. While the Adamses both respected and appreciated Washington, (he was never the subject of an attack from them), Isenberg and Burstein see the cult of personality reaching its apex in those days with Washington. Most people, then and now, know very little of Washington’s thinking, his political philosophy, his intelligence, or his substantial decisions. They know him instead by image: silent, above the fray, honest, popular with the people, calm… Both Jefferson and Jackson sought to model themselves by image. The critique of Jefferson, Jackson, and Franklin is for another book, another essay. But the Adamses rejection of image making for themselves is noteworthy.

This book is a critical read today for helping us understand the struggles of democracy. Perhaps democracy is dying because we have been unable to counter its excesses. There is a cycle, the authors contend, that whips back and forth between the injustice of the oligarchy and the rage of the masses. Such struggle is with us all the time. What we see today in the rage stoked by demagogues is nothing new. The news keeps us worked up daily over the issues of democracy and political dysfunction. A good history, such as Isenberg and Burstein have written, gives us some clarity and a glimpse of the path forward. It is very good that the Presidents Adams have left us such a wealth of wisdom in their diaries and letters. A little more time with them and a little less time watching and reading the news would make us all a little more sane.

Jenkins, Jerry, Dead Sea Rising (novel)

Jenkins tells the tale of three stories, but he never connects them in this novel. (I read that he wrote a sequel that connects at least two of them.) But the fact that they were never connected in this book gives the reader a feeling of being cheated in this book.

The first story he tells is of a modern archaeologist (Nicole) who is trying to get a permit to dig in Saudi Arabia. While waiting, her mother gets attacked and ends up in the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The author insinuates that this has something to do with someone evil from the archaeology community, and the attack is a warning to “stay away.” The attack on Nicole’s mother is investigated by a New York cop who suspects the daughter and husband in the attack. The thinking and actions of the cop are totally unrealistic, to the point of being irritating.

The second story concerns Nicole’s father, his time in the Marines in Viet Nam, and a woman he fell in love with there, before being shipped back to the states with part of his hand blown off. The story just dangles at the end of the novel.

The third story takes place in roughly 2000 B.C. in ancient Ur, and is centered around the biblical Abraham’s father (a real jerk) and Abraham’s birth. It is a dark and unsettling story, that may have more truth to it than the modern stories Jenkins tries to tell, although it is entirely speculative without any evidence.

Throughout the novel, Jenkins subtly pushes his misguided theories about biblical prophecy and lauds the thinking and practices of the Christian sect of Messianic Jews.

I didn’t realize until later that Jenkins is also the author of the Left Behind series. This novel, Dead Sea Rising suffers from judgmental theology, shoddy biblical scholarship, artificial characters, disrespect for the reader… The suspense was good… but it went nowhere.

The author also indicates that Nicole is being kept from finding evidence about Abraham that would change the course of Jewish-Muslim history. This “tease” shows a gross neglect of Arabic history and a naivete of enmity and tribalism, something that cannot be undone simply by the discovery of an artifact.

Montgomery, Lucy, Anne of Avonlea (novel #2 in Anne of Green Gables series)

In this sequel to Anne of Green Gables, we see Anne taking up teaching responsibilities at the local grade school, even though she is only about 16. In this novel, Anne’s spirit pervades: optimistic, imaginative, strong-willed, courageous. She is attracted to eccentric people, and her engagement with them is usually life-transforming—for them.

Montgomery reprises many of her themes and scenarios from book one in the series. Instead of Anne being out of control, we are introduced to Davy, an orphan who outdoes even Anne in his lack of discipline and high-spiritedness. We see the ongoing saga of Anne and her love-hate relationship with Gilbert Blythe. She begins to see the advantages of friendship with him, but spurns his romantic overtures.

Anne is persistent and flexible in this novel. While holding to her high ideals, she is forced to find ways to deal with the practical problems facing her, especially in teaching and working with students.

Montgomery, Lucy, Anne of Green Gables (novel)

Catalogued as a “children’s” novel, this delightful read (for any age reader) traces the adventures of Anne Shirley, an 11-year-old orphan, who is adopted by an old bachelor, Matthew Cuthbert, and his never-married sister, Marilla. They thought they were getting a boy to help out around the farm.  But her being a girl was the least of their adjustments.  They had never imagined such a fiery, imaginative, and loquacious child existed.  

Lucy Montgomery, an interesting character in her own right, published this novel in 1908.  It likely gave her an imaginative respite from her own turbulent life.  The character of Anne is still providing a needed refreshment from all that weighs us down.  The laugh-out-loud speeches that Anne gives, and the predicaments she causes, leave the reader thinking, “I needed that!”

Montgomery wrote a series of books about Anne, as she grows up.  But it is clear that her first novel about her is the best.

Montgomery, Lucy, Anne of the Island (novel #3 in Anne of Green Gables series)

In this third novel about Anne Shirley, we see her headed off to college, encountering more eccentric character (such as her housemate Phillipa) and meeting the man of her dreams (Roy Gardner.) Gilbert Blythe, her childhood friend, has proposed to her, but she declines, and their relationship becomes very distant after that. He dates another girl, whom everyone expects will become his wife. Meanwhile, everyone also expects Anne and Roy to get married: they seem the perfect couple. But as the novel ends, Roy proposes, Anne’s answer surprises, and we are set up for novel #4 in the series.

Montgomery, Lucy, Anne of Windy Poplars (novel #4 in Anne of Green Gables series)

This fourth novel is less a story and more a series of letters and narrative adventures. Anne Shirley, with her college degree in hand, is now a principle at a school, with a staff of two other teachers working with her. She is opposed by the Pringle family, an extended family in the local area. They wanted someone else to get Anne’s job. It looks like they will drive her away after just one semester, even though she planned to keep the job for three years, the time it will take her fiancé Gilbert to finish his education to become a doctor.

As in the other novels, Anne is attracted to a number of eccentric characters, whose lives are changed because of Anne’s involvement with them.

Less a story, and more a collection of anecdotes, many of them variations on previous anecdotes in the Anne series, this book lacks the quality and depth of Anne of Green Gables. But it keeps us connected with characters we love. It is a good book to take to bed at night, to cleanse the spirit before going to sleep.

Smith, Beverly, A Land No Map Can Find (novel)

Libby is an imaginative, fearless, big-hearted six-year-old; and she can’t get enough of her parents and her little sister. She even loves her big sister, despite the aggravations the two of them cause each other.

But by the middle of the novel, Dr. Holt (Libby) is estranged from her family, friendless, lonely, suffering panic attacks, and clueless as to where to turn or how to proceed with her life. Wherever she needs to “go” in order to recover some semblance of her better angels is a “land no map can find.” What then can give her hope and direction? Beverly Smith’s novel gives us hints.

The novel has two parts: Libby as a child and Libby as an adult. Her family suffers several catastrophes in Libby’s childhood that sweep away her bright world. She copes with these difficulties in the ways children do: with illusions of her own power, imagination, curious physical ailments, and compensatory achievements. The world of math steadies and assures her when everything else is unreliable and harmful. (Beverly Smith knows children: their mannerisms and their psychology. She writes about children in the same way that Mary Cassatt paints them: with uncanny and appreciative perception.)

As Libby’s story moves into her adulthood, she finds herself imprisoned by the tragedies of her childhood. But her psyche rebels, especially through a series of panic attacks. There is no map for escape, however, only a courageous exploration into her own overgrown past and an opportunity to carve out a new path to find elements of her true self that can be resurrected.

Smith takes us into the dark, but doesn’t leave us there. This is a novel is full of truths we all share. It is also a novel of hope, the kind that can infuse its readers.

Beverly Smith is a colleague in my writers’ group, and a friend. She is one of our best writers, and I recommend this novel with no hesitation. Of course, as mutual critics of each other’s work, she and I enjoy challenging and pushing each other, and even in this published work, there are places I want to start an argument with her. But ultimately, this is a wonderful read: full of poetic prose, creepy and sad in all the right places, and culminating in hope. Read it!

Weir, Andy, Project Hail Mary (science fiction)

Middle School science teacher, Ryland Grace, wakes up in a spaceship, not knowing how he got there, not knowing why he’s there, and at first, not even able to recall his own name. He discovers that his two fellow astronauts are dead. He is alone. As the novel moves on, he slowly begins to recollect the pieces of the story that led up to his predicament.

One of the things he remembers is that the sun is rapidly dying, a scenario that will kill nearly all life on earth within 30 years. He then remembers why its dying: it is infected with a parasite, a living organism called “astrophage.” He deduces that he is on the spaceship to solve the problem.

Thus, the reader learns that Grace is on a spaceship with a well-equipped lab, on a mission to save the earth. It is a journey that will take him out of the solar system and into discovery of other life forms in the universe. He will encounter several life-threatening disasters, which means that if he dies, so does everyone else on earth.

I’m not informed enough to know whether the science in this novel is credible, but I enjoyed the story thoroughly: its flawed but likeable characters, its suspense, its plot, its theme, its twists and turns… The story includes themes of persistence, learning how to use problems to solve problems, the power of rational thinking, and ethics. The novel is also full of good humor.

I listened to it on Audible, and the great performance by Ray Porter enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

Widmer, Ted, Martin Van Buren (presidential biography)

I read Widmer’s short and well written book in conjunction with a visit to Lindenwald, Van Buren’s retirement home after he left the presidency.

While Van Buren’s presidency was less impactful than his predecessor’s (Andrew Jackson), his work and creativity as a politician was more significant than anyone else’s in American history. As an individual, he wrestled with the primal conundrum of every politician: do I do the right thing… or do I do what I have to do to win the next election? In his career, Van Buren went back and forth on that question. His personal life comprised a good story: born poor, to Dutch farmers south of Albany, New York, Van Buren had to learn English as his second language. He scraped and scratched his way into law, then into politics. His wife died before he made it to the White House, and Van Buren never remarried. His children were a significant part of his life and prominent around Lindenwald (outside Kinderhook, south of Albany) in his retirement.

Van Buren was a political engineer. Finding a broken system, especially dysfunctional in the aftermath of the 1824 presidential election, he (theoretically) sought to transform political parties from personality cults into disciplined organizations built around issues and compromise. He also was the first to market the party to the masses, engineering Andrew Jackson’s landslide election in 1828. Ironically, Andrew Jackson was himself the object of a personality cult. As a reward, Van Buren became Jackson’s Secretary of State, and then his vice president (during Jackson’s second term.) He was the founder of the modern Democratic Party. The system Van Buren promoted was perfected during his time in New York State politics, in Albany.

Side point: in order to understand all the national presidential elections of the 1800s, it is important to learn about inter-partay fighting in New York State, on both the Democratic side and the Republican side. Widmer’s work gives us some insight into that.

Van Buren won election to the presidency in 1836. Put in historical context, is administration occurred at a time when divisions were hardening between the north and south over slavery, and an economic depression unexpectedly hit the country within months after Van Buren took office. He lost his re-election bid in 1840 in one of America’s most raucous elections ever. While he ran again in 1844, he lost the nomination because of his principled stand on Texas and slavery. He ran as an anti-slavery candidate in 1848, on the Free Soil Party ticket, and his presence in the race tipped the election to the Whig party.

While considered to be one of our more obscure presidents, Van Buren is one of those hidden gems that will enlighten and evoke much thought and insight for anyone wanting to take the time to get to know him better.

Books Read in June-July 2022

Adams, Lyssa Kay, The Bromance Book Club: Bromance Book Club #1 (romance novel)

Berry, Wendell, That Distant Land (short fiction, Kentucky, rural community)

Hanna, Rachel, Sweet Tea B&B (romance novel)

Hanna, Rachel, Sweet Tea Sunrise (romance novel)

Jen, Gish, Thank You Mr. Nixon:  Stories (short fiction, Chinese, immigrants to U.S.)

Nickless, Barbara, Blood on the Tracks (murder mystery, psychological mystery) (Sydney Parnell #1)

Pafford, John, M., The Accidental President:  Chester A. Arthur (biography, history)

Rooney, Sally, Beautiful World, Where Are You? (novel)

***

Adams, Lyssa Kay, The Bromance Book Club: Bromance Book Club #1 (romance novel)

I accidentally read two romance novels earlier this month (see my review of Sweet Tea B & B.)  They were pleasant enough, but I was distracted by the poor writing, the author’s inattention to craft, and sloppy editing.  It made me grouchy.  And so my daughter suggested I try one more:  The Bromance Book Club.  And since I always do what my daughters tell me, I read it.

The craft was much better.  But it still didn’t live up to the standard of a good literary novel.  Craft-wise, the most difficult problem Adams has is the constant shifting of POV (Point of View.)  Sometimes you are getting the inner thoughts of two different characters in the same paragraph. This wobbling back and forth of POV distracts and slows down the reader, as we keep trying to figure out who is thinking and feeling what.  Adams would have been better off had she waited to shift POV at the beginning of each new chapter.

Her story was clever:  a professional baseball team advising one of their players who had just “blown” it with his wife.  His teammates recommend that he read romance novels, particularly from the 18th century, in order to win his wife back.  The story moves ahead with a comedy of errors.

There are steamy sex scenes in the Bromance Book Club.   Writing graphic sex is a challenge for a good writer.  How do you craft them without imitating pornographic letters to the editor published in Hustler magazine?  Adams didn’t clear the hurdle.  It’s not the sex, nor the graphic physical descriptions that bothered me, it was the lack of craft, a failure to find a fresh writing approach.  Sometimes less is more.

The other problem I had with the novel was the obsession with rippling muscles, etc.  It seems that Adams has written off about 99% of the males on the planet as unworthy of a woman’s attention.  But, men have been doing that with women for so long, that I guess turn about is fair play.  But to get in this novel, only studs and hunks and the filthy rich need apply.  I happen to think that romance is possible for everyone.  But I’m not sure this author does.

Having said that, I did enjoy the novel, and if my daughter can convince me that this author addresses some of my “craft” concerns in her subsequent work, I may read another one.

Berry, Wendell, That Distant Land (short fiction, Kentucky, rural community)

Wendall Berry is a farmer, a poet, a critic, a storyteller, and a Kentuckian. His novels and short stories usually find their setting in Port William, a fictional town about 50 miles from Louisville. His characters span several generations, starting in the late 1800s. He describes how the changes in technology, culture, and world events change lives in Port William. 

This particular book is an anthology of stories that appear elsewhere in his writings. He tells them in chronological order, and you find yourself wanting to read about the same characters as they are covered in more depth in his other writings. His descriptions of nature, secret feelings and thoughts, and earthy observations about the human body are exquisite.

If you haven’t ever read a Wendall Berry short story, don’t wait. This book is a great starting point.

Hanna, Rachel, Sweet Tea Sunrise (romance novel)

I read the first book in this series and was glad to get to the end of it, not caring much for the writing or the thinness of the characters. It was nice bedtime reading to clear my mind though, and when the author ended Sweet Tea B&B by hanging the reader off a cliff, I forked out another $4 to read book two to see what happened.

The main character, Mia, keeps discovering new relatives through a DNA test she took. As I finished book two, since there was no cliffhanger, I was released from buying volume 3. The men in her stories are all hunks who were immature when they were young and suddenly become sensitive and brilliant when they are in their 30s. The girls and women are all victims, but fall for these gorgeous hunks who once broke their hearts. There is little depth of character. Suspense ends predictably. Everything moves toward a happily ever after ending with little change in character or attitude or insight that the reader can see. The women are the main characters, and the stories are mostly told through their point of view. All the women are rude and rejecting of the men in the story, then they decide not to be so stubborn (because the men are hunks, and they are soooo nice!) 

The author seems like a nice person, but I’m looking for a better story.

Hanna, Rachel, Sweet Tea B&B (romance novel)

This is a quick, quick read… something I read before going to bed to clear my mind. It is not well written (several typos and editing mistakes) and the characters are too much alike. All the men were jerks in their youth and all the women have similar stories about suffering from those jerks. The men all come back years later and apologize, and the women all give in, fall madly in love with them, and fall into torrid romances. Oh… the men are all hunks. 

Meanwhile, the dialogue lacks originality and quickly becomes tedious. The south is good and the north is bad. The rural town is good and the city is bad. 

The setting is a southern B & B owned by a woman whose mother has died. Through DNA testing, she discovers she has a sister, from the north. The sister comes with a bratty daughter. Of course, once they get exposed to the south, they are transformed.

Other than that, I enjoyed the book and wanted to keep reading it. 

I was glad to complete it, but it ended with a suspense I wanted to have resolved. Damn it. So I spent another $4 to get the sequel on my Kindle and read it too. See my review of “Sweet Tea Sunrise” to continue. 

Jen, Gish, Thank You Mr. Nixon:  Stories (short fiction, Chinese, immigrants to U.S.)

This collection of short stories centers most around family relationships found in Chinese who have immigrated to the United States. Some of the same characters weave in and out of the several stories. As the spouse of a Chinese immigrant, it seems that there is much truth to Jen’s story telling.

Jen is decidedly unimpressed with the ethical standards of the ruling Communist party in China, although the troubles individuals face at the hand of that government are more a sub theme rather than a main theme of her stories. She is has a good ear and eye for the stress that immigrants have as they leave one culture and take up residence in another. She also has a sharp insight into the generational stress experienced by immigrant families. 

Her first story (Thank You, Mr. Nixon) provides is a misleading title for the anthology as a whole. It is a delightful story of a 10 year old girl in Hangzhou who sees President and Mrs. Nixon on their visit to that city. She reflects on how Mrs. Nixon in particular influenced her.

The story then shifts mostly to the United States and traces the struggles and choices of both first and second generation immigrants. 

Jen is an excellent writer and you find yourself getting involved with her characters. The end of each story leaves you wanting more.

Nickless, Barbara, Blood on the Tracks (murder mystery, psychological mystery) Sidney Rose Parnell # 1

The protagonist of Barbara Nickless’s debut novel is Sydney Parnell, a twenty-something young woman who works as a railroad cop (outside Denver) while trying to finish her college education. Sydney is also still in the reserves, having served as a Marine in the Iraq war. She worked morgue duty in the war, picking up and processing the bodies and remains of her fellow soldiers. The dead she has handled visit and haunt her, even back in the states.

At the beginning of the novel, Sydney’s friend Elsie, (almost like a sister) is murdered and her body mutilated. It seems like an open and shut case: all signs point to another ex-Marine as the perpetrator, someone Sydney met in Iraq. He protests to Sydney that he is innocent, and she decides to do some sleuthing.

Like a good mystery, the novel leads you this way and that before a final twist in its surprise ending. Along the way we learn about railroads, the culture of those who hop the trains, ritual sacrifices of Nazi white supremacists, moral struggles of those who have committed war crimes, and hobo subculture. We also get some shoot ’em up scenes, a budding romance, a fierce winter snowstorm, and a sex scene between two badly injured cops.

All this may seem a little much, but it’s not: it works. The novel moves along, maintains suspense, stays within the lanes of credibility, and satisfies.

All through the story we see Sydney wrestle with her demons and struggle to square her conscience with the realities of her life… and the actions of those closest to her. She is an imperfect, likeable, and sympathetic protagonist.

The novel brings the reader into intersecting worlds of violence: war, racism, domestic violence, nature, suicide… The protagonist tries to find a way to move on with her life in such a world. Her plans for moving on waver, muddy, and yield to whatever crisis or opportunity land in her way. Her hope lies mostly in whatever accidents and luck come to her. In the end, even though Sydney is still trying to find a better way through all the violence, the novel itself wraps up by paying homage to the myth of redemptive violence: do unto others before they do unto you, the only way to survive violence is with violence.

This is book one of the Sydney Parnell series. I liked Nickless’s writing skill enough to give book 2 a try soon. I saw just enough of Sydney to think she may be able to find a way around the myth of redemptive violence in the future.

Pafford, John, M., The Accidental President:  Chester A. Arthur (biography, history)

I’ve read several books on our 21st president, and this is the one I’d least recommend. Pafford takes a sympathetic approach to Arthur, but his information is thin and more than half the book is more about Arthur’s times rather than Arthur himself. In fact, Pafford seems more interested in giving a general history of the United States from the time of the Civil War to Theodore Roosevelt than in telling us about Arthur.

Granted that original sources about Arthur are slim, given that he ordered all his private and official papers burned a few days before his death. But there are many documents that survive that are never mentioned by Pafford, such as the letters sent to him by Julia Sand (a woman in New York who wrote to him about his reputation for corruption and urged him to rise above that reputation as president.) There are also many newspaper articles Pafford could have gleaned in his work, specific to Arthur and his presidency.

For me personally, Pafford is irritating because he gives a number of personal opinions that are condescending to women, blacks, and Chinese. He is more an apologist for how politicians in the late 1800s treated various “outsiders” than he is seeing the bigger picture of how systems wasted so much human capital. Pafford also lets his religious beliefs get in the way of his historical objectivity, as he has a concept, mentioned several times, of “biblical religion,” as though there is only one proper way (his way) to interpret scriptures. This comes up in several places as he tries to describe changes occurring in American religious history in the early 20th century. This is odd since it has nothing to do with Chester Arthur, his presidency, or even issues that were relevant to him. 

Rooney, Sally, Beautiful World, Where Are You? (novel)

Among the novels I’ve read this year, thus far, this is the one I recommend to all my literary friends. It has suspense, flawed and fascinating characters that elicit our empathy, politics, psychology, friendship, sex, unique dialogue, nature, sensuality, religion and faith, and numerous quotes I want to underline and recall.

Set in Ireland and England, just prior to the pandemic, the four protagonists are Eileen and Simon, and Alice and Felix. Eileen and Simon have known and adored each other all their lives. But their fears and unhealthy coping mechanisms are keeping them from making a commitment to each other. Of the four, Simon is the religious one, a catalyst for interesting conversations and questions among the three atheists. Simon is an even tempered, generous care-giver, but is incapable of letting anyone care for him. Eileen has been lonely all her life, and her grief frequently turns to grievance, which exacerbates her loneliness. All the way through the novel, both characters struggle against their flaws and we find ourselves rooting for them.

Alice was Eileen’s college roommate. While Eileen was timid, Alice was the “bad girl” who took risks. Throughout the novel we read email exchanges between the two of them, as they reflect intelligently on their past, their friendship, their love lives, religion, politics, family, sex, the future… We also begin to note some fault lines in their friendship and wonder where they will lead. Eileen goes on to become an editor for a little known literary magazine, and lives in near poverty. Alice, on the other hand, writes a best selling novel and becomes famous and rich beyond anything she imagined. This difference between the two friends also gives the novel an interesting dynamic. Alice has a psychotic breakdown and is hospitalized (a past event the two friends occasionally reference in their emails) and Eileen suffers from her own, less note-worthy emotional dysfunctions. This also plays into the dynamic of their relationship.

Alice meets Felix on a dating site and the two of them strike up the most unlikely relationship. He works in a warehouse and doesn’t read books. He’s also constantly broke and owing money to his friends. He’s never heard of his famous “blind date” and has no idea she’s wealthy. At their first meeting he’s not impressed and walks out. His actions and comments are the most surprising and original of the book, revealing his insecurities, rudeness, strength, insight, independence, and humor. The interaction between Felix and Alice is fascinating and suspenseful. The dialogue is brilliant. They keep coming back together, and the reader slowly finds the credibility of the relationship between the two growing. 

I find myself both impatient with the characters AND wanting to remember the things they write and said for my own benefit. Everything considered in this novel: Five stars. 

Books Read in April-May, 2022

Bishop, Bill, The Big Sort:  Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart (politics, sociology, religion)

Brammer, Billy Lee, The Gay Place (political novel)

Fagan, Kate, All the Colors Came Out:  A Father, A Daughter, and a Lifetime of Lessons (memoir, basketball, ALS)

Keller, Timothy J. and Inazu, John D., editors, Uncommon Ground:  Living Faithfully in a World of Difference (Christian living, political conflict, theological conflict)

Koehler, Jeff, La Paella:  Deliciously Authentic Rice Dishes from Spain’s Mediterranean Coast, (cookbook) 

Owens, Virginia Stem, Wind River Winter

Bishop, Bill, The Big Sort:  Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart (politics, sociology, religion)

Bishop is a journalist who partnered with sociologist Robert Cushing to understand the grassroots contributions to America’s political polarization.  The gist of his discovery is that Americans are using their mobility to cluster in communities and neighborhoods of like-minded voters.  Red areas are getting redder because people are moving out of blue areas to be more comfortable with their neighbors.  People move into blue areas for the same reason.

This same phenomenon is visible in religion, where people increasingly feel more comfortable in churches where people think and vote like themselves.  Mainline denominations, with a big tent mindset, are fast losing ground to homogenous denominations and non-denominational congregations.  Bishop bemoans the growing narrowmindedness this causes, and the paralysis of national politics, but offers no solutions.

While the book left me feeling bleak, I found the information very helpful and it has given me much to ponder as I think about my own decades as a pastor in a mainline denomination, one that is currently experiencing a walk-out over an intolerance of diversity, particularly around LGBTQ+ issues.

Brammer, Billy Lee, The Gay Place (political novel)

The novel is centered around three politicians (a state representative, a U.S. senator, and a governor’s speech writer) who are getting bored with politics, friends, and marriage.  Their search for “the gay place” has a grim and frantic character to it.  At times the novel is dark and depressing.  What kept me hooked, however, was the character that linked all these other politicians:  Governor Arthur Fenstemaker, a mesmerizing master politician, full of ambition, biblical quotes, and political savvy.  Fenstemaker, modeled on Lyndon Johnson (for whom the author once worked) is simultaneously charming, deceptive, all knowing, and entirely mortal.  I wish the author would have given us more of him. Fenstemaker’s wife is known as “Sweet Mama,” and bears a remarkable resemblance to Lady Bird Johnson.

Published in 1961, the novel has been called one of America’s greatest political novels, so far not a terribly high bar to reach.  Its author modeled several of the politicians on his own life, a frustrated quest for love and power.  It was Brammer’s only novel.  After its publication, he drifted in his professional and private life and eventually died of a drug overdose in 1978.  

Originally 3 novels, the publisher insisted it be published as one book.  It was appreciated by critics more than readers.  I agree with the early critics that the book will stick around and likely be a classic, perhaps 100 years after its publication. It includes descriptions of actions, words, and feelings of various politicians that add up and give us remarkable psychological and political insight. I wish we could have heard more from Brammer, and his hero, Arthur Fenstemaker. 

Fagan, Kate, All the Colors Came Out:  A Father, A Daughter, and a Lifetime of Lessons (memoir, basketball, ALS)

The central character of this memoir is Chris Fagan:  his love of basketball, his relationship with his daughter Kate, and his long and losing struggle with ALS.  Fagan played college basketball, then professional basketball in Europe, passed his love of the sport on to his daughter Kate, who played high school and college basketball herself, and then went on to become a writer and on on-air personality on ESPN.  

Three themes mingle powerfully throughout this memoir:  the father-daughter’s shared love of basketball and many hours playing one on one together, the father’s battle with ALS and how Kate, her mother, and her sister all got drawn in to help as he grew increasingly dependent on others, and reflections on the ups and down of the father-daughter relationship and what this particular father and daughter each meant to the other.

Chris died in late 2019, just months before COVID shut everything down.  His daughter’s description of his struggle with ALS is graphic and powerful.  She is brutally honest about the effects of the disease on the body and the ways it upends the life of everyone in the family.  It is hard to read, but very important for those of us out of that loop to understand.

The memoir hones in on the times father/daughter spent playing basketball together, and his influence on her, both to give her athletic skills and life skills in that process.  It is touching.  Kate Fagen shows us her own growth process through the story she tells, and she honors her father in the process.

Keller, Timothy J. and Inazu, John D., editors, Uncommon Ground:  Living Faithfully in a World of Difference (Christian living, political conflict, theological conflict)

Ten different authors contributed essays to this book, each one reflecting on the conflicts they encountered with more secular associates and religious people who held ideas they considered “unjust” or “unbiblical.”  

I most appreciated the tone of the writing:  gracious and thoughtful.  Each contributor wrote from a particular standpoint, one a songwriter, one an artist, one a lawyer, one a pastor, one a teacher, etc.  Each was interested in how to maintain creativity and relationship in the midst of conflicts that normally destroy relationships.  The conflicts were almost entirely over issues of race and human sexuality.  The authors tended to be appalled at racism but judgmental about what they considered sexual lifestyle choices.  

And for me, this was the primary problem of the book:  the sense of religious certainty each author assumed for their own position on the ethics of race and sexuality.  While remaining gracious in tone, the authors each assumed a single “Biblical truth” on racial and sexual issues.  Regarding their certainty, I graciously demur. Biblical teachings and pronunciations regarding racial and sexual issues are incredibly complex.  Those ancient teachings are rooted in cultural understandings and applications not at all equivalent to our own times, thus leaving their thoughtless wholesaling of those “truths” into our own lives a grievous violation of the fundamental teachings of Jesus.  

Religious “certainty” is an insidious virus that is at the root of war, racism, sexism, and nearly every inhumane thing one person can do to another.  If the book wanted to address our growing polarization in both the church and in the wider society, it needed to recognize and address the issues certainty, condescension, and pride that is an occupational hazard for we religious persons. This said, however, the book was a helpful reminder to me, and a teacher, showing me how to treat others out of God’s love for all rather than my impatience with some.

Koehler, Jeff, La Paella:  Deliciously Authentic Rice Dishes from Spain’s Mediterranean Coast, (cookbook) 

This is the first cookbook I read the entire way through.  I was unfamiliar with paella until my wife and I went to a restaurant in Tampa and noticed the dish being brought to the table next to us.  We went back to the same restaurant a couple nights later and ordered it for ourselves.  I decided quickly to try fixing it on my own when I got back to the Midwest.  

Not wanting to do it halfway, I announced to my congregation that we were going to have a “paella” night.  No one there had ever fixed it (nor had I at that point.)  I got hold of this cookbook from a friend, who also loaned me her paella pans.  I read the book from cover to cover and watched several YouTube videos.  On the night of the dinner, 15 people showed up to help me cook, and we fixed four different recipes from the book, without a trial run beforehand.

The crowd of 30 who showed up to eat finished everything.  

The paella has the following necessities:

1.  A paella pan:  a shallow, steel pan, up to 26 inches in diameter.

2.  El sofrito: a slow, aromatic sauté of vegetables.  Tomatoes and fresh peppers are almost always included.  The sofrito can also include artichoke hearts, green beans, eggplant, peas, etc.

3.  La picada:  a mashed paste of toasted almonds, fresh parsley leaves, and garlic cloves, sometimes people add rabbit liver.  La picada is added near the end of cooking the sofrito.

4.  Saffron and smoked paprika:  added at the end of the cooking the sofrito.

5.  Featured meats and fish:  added at various times, depending on the recipe.  These can include snails, clams, mussels, head on shrimp, rabbit, chicken, pork, cuttlefish, etc.

6.  The liquid:  fish stock, vegetable stock, chicken stock, or water.

7.  Rice:  this is the most important ingredient.  It should be short or medium grain, preferably from Spain.  You can buy this rice at specialty stores or online. When the water is boiling in the paella pan, with the seasoned sofrito, add the rice, poke it around to distribute it evenly, then do not stir for the next 18 minutes:  10 minutes on high flame and 8 on low.  The rice will carmelize on the bottom of the pan:  the best part. 

Owens, Virginia Stem, Wind River Winter

This is a 35 year old memoir by a prolific writer, known for her powers of observation and turn of phrase.  Without betraying too many personal factoids, Owens tells us that she (a teacher) and her husband (a pastor) have taken a six month sabbatical to Wyoming to learn how to die.  Both are about 40 and have reached the end of the line, both for their careers, as well as for other aspects of their activity and identity.  Their cabin is a little east of the Tetons.  

Starting in September and going through March, we see the approach of winter, its deepening, and its yielding to the renewal of the earth in springtime.  The winter and what it does to nature all around them becomes a metaphor and a teacher of death.  As they attend a local church through this winter, we get an interesting juxtaposition of religion with real issues of life and death.  Letters and messages from home, their changing relationships with their independent, young adult children, and their physical reactions to the winter all come into play in this memoir.

Owens is a marvelous writer, with uncanny observations and original twists of phrase, unafraid to plunge into mystery and confusion and hold up gems of wisdom.  It is not an easy read, but a valuable and life-giving one.

Books Read in February-March, 2022

Arias, Mortimer, Announcing the Reign of God:  Evangelism and the Subversive Memory of Jesus (theology, Kingdom of God, evangelism, Christology)

Coleman, Robert E., The Master Plan of Evangelism (religious conquest of the world)

Cullen, Art, Storm Lake:  A Chronicle of Change, Resilience, and Hope from a Heartland Newspaper.  (memoir, environment, small town rural America, agriculture)

Dickens, Charles, David Copperfield (novel)

Hunter, George C. III, Radical Outreach:  The Recovery of Apostolic Ministry and Evangelism  (church growth, religious conversion, complaints about Christians and institutional church, culture and religion)

Jones, E. Stanley, The Christ of the Indian Road  (memoir, Christian mission, Christology, India)

Larson, Kate Clifford, Walk With Me:  A Biography of Fanny Lou Hamer  (biography)

Messud, Claire, The Woman Upstairs (novel)

Moriarty, Liane, Apples Never Fall (novel)

Pinder-Amaker, Stephanie, and Wadsworth, Lauren, Did That Just Happen?!: Beyond “Diversity”–Creating Sustainable and Inclusive Organizations (cultural diversity, bigotry, rising identities)

Probulos, I.M., Jesus Returns July 13: Times Square New York (satire)

Stevenson, Robert Louis, Treasure Island (classic novel)

Strout, Elizabeth, My Name Is Lucy Barton (novel)

Arias, Mortimer, Announcing the Reign of God:  Evangelism and the Subversive Memory of Jesus (theology, Kingdom of God, evangelism, Christology)

Mortimer Arias, born in 1924, was the bishop of the Evangelical Methodist Church of Bolivia from 1969-1976.  Afterward he taught missions and evangelism at Perkins, Iliff, and Claremont.  He also taught at the Latin America seminary in Costa Rica.  His book, Announcing the Reign of God:  Evangelism and the Subversive Memory of Jesus was written in 1984, during a period of extreme violence in Latin America.  That part of the world was home of the proxy wars between the United States and the Soviet Union.  Ronald Reagan was pouring arms and mercenaries into Latin America to fight both communist and democratic movements.  Repressive governments in El Salvador and Guatemala were systematically killing their own citizens, including Christian leaders who advocated for the poor.  Bishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador was assassinated by government agents as he stood at the altar leading worship.  Liberation theology focused on the power of Jesus for bringing justice and jubilee to the masses.  Both the Roman Catholic Church and American Evangelical movements used the repressive regimes in Latin America to get an edge on in their own ecclesiastical political wars.  The Reagan administration used the religious right to support its political aims in overthrowing the Sandinista government of Nicaragua.  

 Arias draws on the spiritual and intellectual giants of Latin America to compile his book.  We see the influence of Jon Sobrino and Gustavo Gutierrez all through Arias’s writing.  We also see the influence of Jim Wallis, Jurgen Moltmann, Leslie Newbigin, and E. Stanley Jones. 

In his introduction, Arias identifies the trouble for “modern evangelism.”  It faces a crisis of credibility, motivation, definition, and method.  His aim is to identify an evangelistic endeavor that is biblical, evangelical, holistic, humanizing, conscientizing, liberating, contextual, engaged, incarnational, and conflictive.  His book succeeds with the ambition goal.

…but not without taking the reader through the thick weeds of German and American theological tomes.  His efforts to engage the breadth of European and North American religious scholars makes Announcing the Reign almost unreadable for the average Christian.  It would be a more powerful book if 60% of it were in footnotes.  Having noted that, I’ll pick out the things Arias wrote that were (and remain) most powerful for Christians who want to share Christ with others.

The key premise of the book is that THE key focus of Jesus was in proclaiming the Kingdom of God.  Jesus’ good news was that the Kingdom was here, near, and distant… simultaneously.  It brought and was bringing justice, liberation, abundant life, healing, joy, goodness, forgiveness, and rebirth.  Both individuals and systems were being upended and reformed by it.  

Of course it was advancing into our lives and world with great difficulty and conflict because too many people were enjoying the privileges of the current order of things.  Systems were firmly in place to protect the privileged. 

The modern church, as a steward of Jesus’ message, was failing.  The message of the biblical kingdom has been reduced in modern times to institutional religion, the afterlife, the individualistic saving of souls by prescription, or mere political causes and reforms.  Arias calls upon the reader to recover the core message of Jesus:  the joy and goodness of the Kingdom of God. “Evangelism,” rooted in the Greek word for “announcement of something good and joyful” should have the kingdom pronouncements of Jesus as its essence. 

Arias points out that the Kingdom in the gospels involved teaching, challenge, signs of new life, social upheaval, and demonstrations of power over entrenched diseases and injustices.  With Jesus, the good news is holistic, the “Kingdom” is all encompassing. The “Kingdom” is mentioned 122 times in the synoptic gospels, 99 times on the lips of Jesus. (pg. 8)

Arias points out that the Kingdom of God has numerous qualities and characteristics, often lacking in evangelistic work in churches today.  It is marked by grace, not condescension or condemnation.  The proclamation of the Kingdom (as Jesus presented it) has the power to stop people in their tracks and put them on a different course of living.  It initiates change in a person’s story by starting with the liberating act of forgiveness, addressing what is often hidden guilt and shame in each person, thus freeing the individual to discover new powers and gifts hidden by God in their lives.  Biblical evangelism, centered on proclaiming the “kingdom” triggers new life in individuals and communities and opens communities to people previously excluded.  

In chapter 3, “The Imminence of the Kingdom,” Arias explores many of the parables and sayings of Jesus in the gospels.  His reliance on academic scholars for their conventional understandings of these parables is the weakest part of the book.  The power of scripture, especially the parables, is watered down and set beyond the reach of the average Christian.  I wish Arias would have done exegesis himself on the parables of Jesus (the core of his teachings about the “kingdom” and given us some fire rather than so much scholastic dust.   

Arias introduces us to a distinction between the prophetic scriptures and apocalyptic scriptures. While disturbed by his simplistic and restricted understanding of apocalyptic literature, I fully agree with the main point he was making:  prophetic literature presents us with a relational God who calls upon us to make a choice.  This is in contrast to a God who has already decided the fate of the world and leaves the preacher with nothing to do but announce catastrophe.  (chapter 3)

In chapter 4, Arias addresses some of the problems with “kingdom language.”  He acknowledges the patriarchic, triumphalist leanings of the word “kingdom.”  In this rather eclectic chapter, he then goes on to show how the Kingdom of God will be opposed by the entrenched systems of this world, whose caretakers will attack the Kingdom of God and its proponents with violence.  There is abundant evidence for this, both in the Bible and in Latin America of the 1980s.  The violent attacks of the 1980s are recounted in detail in chapter 7.  Chapter four also introduces us to the choice put before people:  go with the Kingdom of God or go with its opponents, there can be no neutrality.

The crux of the whole book comes in chapter 5, “The Eclipse of the Kingdom.”  Again, in a rather dry, academic approach, Arias describes how Jesus’ message of the Kingdom gets eclipsed in the writings of Paul, who emphasizes instead the proclamation of Jesus himself.  In modern times, this has sometimes led to a Jesus cult, where people adore Jesus but ignore his message.  We have substituted swooning over Jesus for obeying his teachings.  Christians have reduced Christianity to words and labels rather than actions and sacrifice.  

In chapters 6-8, Arias confronts the reader with the need to give one’s life over totally in obedience to Jesus’ teachings and definitions of the Kingdom.  He calls upon the modern church to position itself so that the teachings of Jesus himself about the “kingdom” are no longer eclipsed. 

Two other very strong ideas that Arias presents are 1) the need to convert people inside the church, because insiders have lost a sense of Jesus’ definition of the “Kingdom” and 2) the need to have a community of joyful people who work together to proclaim and live out Jesus’ teachings. The message and the community are both essential to the work and design of Jesus.

In summary, the role of the evangelist is to center the entire evangelistic endeavor on “the Kingdom,” as taught and exhibited by Jesus. Such an approach offers this world and its peoples the only true hope there is.  Such an approach calls upon all of us to make a choice and see the life-giving, hopeful future of a life of full and total commitment. 

Coleman, Robert E., The Master Plan of Evangelism (religious conquest of the world)

I only read this book because our denomination is making pastors read it for part of their training and I wanted to see what we are requiring these days. Written in 1963 and highly touted by Billy Graham, the book purports to give a strategy for evangelism.  But its strategic concepts are vague and filled with condescension for neighbors who are not “Christian” in the sense that the author vaguely defines “Christian.” Coleman assumes a Christianity that is far more a cultural phenomenon than a matter of living by the spirit and love of Jesus.  Women are dismissed as not part of those Jesus worked with or trusted to bring the message of love to others.  The goal of evangelism for Coleman is “conquest.”  

I have trouble with books that are filled with arrogance and religious condescension.  I kept plowing through this one hoping that I still might learn something.  But the main thing I learned is that this book needs to be retired from the course readings United Methodist pastors are required to study.  

Cullen, Art, Storm Lake:  A Chronicle of Change, Resilience, and Hope from a Heartland Newspaper.  (memoir, environment, small town rural America, agriculture)

Art Cullen and his brother started a newspaper in Storm Lake, a town of 12 thousand located in northwest Iowa.  His memoir traces the demographic and political changes occurring in that part of the state and in the town of Storm Lake itself.  He writes of growing up there, meeting his wife, coming back there after living elsewhere, and the difficulties of basing one’s livelihood on a small town newspaper these days.  He also traces the loss of the family farm, the farm crisis of the 1980s, and the effect of big agri-business.  Distinguishing between horizontal agriculture and vertical agriculture, he says that the trend these days is vertical: one corporation controls everything from planting to raising livestock to processing to sales.  The result, according to Cullen, is destroying the land itself.

Most communities in northwest Iowa have reacted to the change by losing population, growing angry, in that anger supporting politicians who are demagogues, rejecting long-range environmental solutions, and scapegoating immigrants. Storm Lake, on the other hand, is an island in northwest Iowa, not only welcoming but integrating immigrants, exploring conservation, and making room for farms and businesses that don’t give in to the monopoly of big agri-business.

Cullen won a Pulitzer for his weekly columns, often focused on community and the environment.  His book was a good primer for me, a reminder of my own roots in rural northwestern Illinois, a sign of hope in what is often a sea of insanity. 

Dickens, Charles, David Copperfield (novel)

David Copperfield, published in 1849 and 1850 (first as a series and then as a book) is a novel, written in the first person, tracing the life of the narrator from birth into middle age. 

At his birth, Copperfield’s father has already died. His aunt stormed out of the house that night upon finding that her desired “niece” turned out to be a nephew. His childhood is marred by his mother’s remarriage to a wicked step-father, who eventually sends the boy off to boarding school, then to a factory to work (before there were child labor laws.) 

The novel is filled with memorable villains and benefactors, all creating great suspense as one reads along. The gentle, naive, and observant personality of the narrator is both amusing and enchanting. While there is sadness throughout the novel, it is the sadness expected in any person’s life. The story includes more than a fair share of humor and good fortune. 

Dickens slips in a considerable amount of social commentary about 19th century England, without being preachy. His progressive views about prisons, child, labor, the working class, poverty, education, women, religion, education, and government appear deftly throughout, often using gentle satire as his characters are presented.

The language can get verbose at times, and some of the references, coming from 19th century England, can be obscure. But as I kept reading, I found my footing in the story again through the fascinating characters and suspenseful situations they had to work through.

The novel is a reminder that one of the best ways for me to keep my sanity in the midst of the world going crazy these days is to find company in authors of other times who knew exactly what was happening in their own world, and found a way to guide us through with wisdom and wit.

Hunter, George C. III, Radical Outreach:  The Recovery of Apostolic Ministry and Evangelism  (church growth, religious conversion, complaints about Christians and institutional church, culture and religion)

A 2003 book, Hunter is frustrated at the institutional incompetence and the spiritual aridity of most congregations in America.  He looks back to the more effective days of the New Testament, particularly Paul’s success in Corinth, a multi-cultural city in which he sees many similarities to the American scene. Hunter also celebrates the examples of First Baptist Church in Leesburg, Florida, as a place that has overcome the anemia of most other congregations.  His favorite historical character is St. Patrick, who evangelized Ireland.  (Hunter has written another book on Celtic evangelism.)  Another hero of his is John Wesley, who eschewed the religious forms of his day and plunged directly into relating to the masses of 18^th century England.  

As an outside “expert” and seminary professor, Hunter took his freedom from the trenches of pastoral ministry to position himself in a place of condescension and judgment. He is not always wrong in his observations, but his spirit is irksome.  He blames the laity for focusing on their own needs and the clergy for protecting their jobs and unnamed multitudes for fretting over political agendas and correctness.  He also has a demeaning and presumptuous way of classifying anyone who is not a Christian:  pre-Christian.  

Having gotten all that off my chest, there are some helpful observations Hunter makes.  He writes about how people change their religious perspectives and loyalties and notes that there are about 30 elements in the “chain.”  These include acts of God, texts and ideas that stick in people’s minds, compassion and stories from others, and a person’s own determination and agency.  

Hunter chides Christian for being afraid of people outside their churches, anxious about their ideas, behaviors, social status, character, or mental condition. He also chides church people and pastors for not being more creative in finding ways to relate beyond the conventional churchy activities.  

One helpful concept is that of “indigenous” religion.  While presenting the spirit of Christ, a concept that transcends most cultures, Hunter advocates that Christians engage people with more indigenous words, rituals, and activities.  European Christianity, imported to American shores hundreds of years ago, has bequeathed forms not currently indigenous to most people in the U.S.  The high point of the American church, the 1050s, has also left us with form and practices that are alien to current Americans.  The spirit of Christ should be conveyed in practices, music, words, and rituals that are easily meaningful to people.  Churches need to be more strategic about how they use space, time, materials, and play to relate to their own mission fields. While there is a foreignness to the Christian message, it must be expressed indigenously.  On the other hand, he warns against having indigenous messages (adding a layer of religious reinforcement to the worst tendencies of our society).  He brings the reader to the question of what is Christ and what is culture?

Hunter also attacks the prevalence of clericalism, letting clergy do Christianity and evangelism for everyone else.  His book calls for laity to be let loose and take up the bulk of the work of ministry, including evangelism.  

A whole chapter is devoted to recovery ministries, and Hunter urges congregations to look at organizations like AA and find ways to model them.  He also encourages churches to examine the status of their hospitality and devotes several pages to the importance of quality conversations as a means of relating to people and persuading them.

It is a helpful book for a congregation that wants to get its laity more involved in ministry and be less dependent on the pastor.  

Jones, E. Stanley, The Christ of the Indian Road  (memoir, Christian mission, Christology, India)

Written almost 100 years ago (1925), we get acquainted with E. Stanley Jones, a gentle spirit, a sharp thinker, and a man who embodies much about the focus of his life: Jesus of Nazareth.  Jones had already been in India for 17 years when he wrote this memoir.  His time there coincided with the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, and the two were acquaintances and had several interactions.  

Jones’s critique of traditional Christian missionary work and institutional Christianity is devastating.  Sadly, his observations still apply.  India’s 19^th and 20^th century experiences of Christianity were tied in with English colonialism, racism, and entitlement.  Jones believed that Christianity had been portrayed exactly the opposite of who Jesus really was. Initially, he believed that his job was to present “cultural” Christianity to the Indian people, complete with justifications for the Old Testament, 20 centuries of Church history, and the entire Western civilization, “the whole line.”  Very quickly he realized he had to “shorten his line” and focus on the person and work of Jesus alone.  

The book is full of insightful phrases and telling illustrations. He tells how the Mayflower, after depositing the Pilgrims, left port to steal slaves from Africa, how a tribe of Saxons became baptized while holding their right hands out of the water… so they could continue to use their weapons contrary to the nonviolent Jesus. 

Jones very quickly settled on six rules for doing missionary work in India.  1) Do not attack other religions.  2) Show how Christianity is helps fulfill the yearnings of other ancient religions.  3) Start with topics that are familiar to all and bring Christian perspectives to the table.  4) Be absolutely frank, no hidden agendas.  5) Allow people to ask all the questions they want, express opinions, and engage in friendly argument.  6) Share Christ as an experience, not an argument or theory.

Jones believed that all people need three things:  1) an adequate goal for character development, 2) a full and free life, and 3) a connection with God.  If people had no connection with God, they would be vulnerable to devoting their lives to institutions and causes that would take life from them without giving back. Jones believed that a growing experience of Jesus, as portrayed in the gospels, was the surest path to each of those needs.  He shared with people out of love for them and identification with their needs, not out of his own sense of triumph.  

Jones firmly believed that Christianity and the institutional church could not hold Jesus.  He also believed that people need not give up their native religions entirely in order to put Christ first in their lives.  As with Judaism, Christ came to fulfill the Torah, not abolish it. The perfection and fulfillment of every great spiritual tradition can be found in the person of Jesus.  If only institutional Christianity could rediscover Jesus…  Jones devotes an entire chapter in this book to Gandhi and the similarities and differences between him and Jesus.  

A theory he promotes in his book is “Evangelize the inevitable.”  See where people are developing new powers and influence and spend time with those people, sharing the grace and love of Christ with them.  Jones was not afraid to relate to anyone, however rich, poor, powerful, powerless, or frightening.  

He is especially harsh on the American church for its racism and sexism, showing how practices in churches here have discredited the gospel message elsewhere.  Over and over he recalls individuals in India chiding Christians for being so unlike Jesus.  

His concept of “Christ of the Indian Road” invites people in India to picture Christ not as a westerner, but as one of their own who walks the roads of India.  As he encouraged people to envision Jesus as one relevant to their own culture, he noticed how much people were becoming attracted to the Jesus of the New Testament.

For all who whose Christianity needs a tune-up, this book will surely do the job.

Larson, Kate Clifford, Walk With Me:  A Biography of Fanny Lou Hamer  (biography)

Fannie Lou was her mother’s 20^th and last child, one of them who lived into adulthood.  Born in rural Mississippi in 1917, far below any concept we have of poverty, and black.  Hamer begin picking cotton as a child, suffered malnourishment, gave away everything she had to her poor neighbors, and died in near poverty.  She was involuntarily sterilized, beaten, and raped by white men, and evicted by a white landlord for trying to vote. White men driving trucks slowly cruised by her house, occasionally shooting into it, bombing it once.  She was treated dismissively by Martin Luther King Jr. and other men in the civil rights movement for being a woman and only having a sixth grade education.  She was ignored by most black pastors in Mississippi for being a rabble rouser.  She was treated contemptuously by black power advocates for her resolute loyalty to non-violence and Christianity.  When appearing at the 1964 Democratic convention in 1964, after risking her life to integrate the all-white segregationist state party, she had to borrow a dress for the occasion.  Speaking eloquently, she electrified the nation.  Yet a queasy national party establishment still denied her a seat.  As time went on, she started a farm to feed the poor of her own country.  It failed.  She spoke up for the rights of women, but because she was anti-abortion, an issue deeply emotional for her due to being sterilized and seeing abortion used first hand as a way of genocide.  Leaders of the women’s movement dismissed her for her lack of “purity” on that issue.  She spoke openly against the Viet Nam War.  When she died, her grave went untended for years.

She wasn’t perfect.  But if our nation only has one national holiday to honor a singular individual, in my mind, it should not be January 15 for Martin Luther King, Jr., nor February 22 for George Washington, nor October 12 for Columbus.  It should be October 6 for Fanny Lou Hamer.  

Larson’s biography was my choice to observe “Black History Month.” It doesn’t hide Hamer’s faults.  It does make her real, inspiring, and empathetic. It gives us access to Hamer’s power for our own generation.

Messud, Claire, The Woman Upstairs (novel)

Messud’s novel centers around the private thoughts of a 42 year old single woman, Nora, a grade school teacher, who narrates a story about an intense relationship she had with an international family happening to spend a year in her community (Cambridge, Massachusetts.) The boy, Reza, was in her third grade class. The mother, Sirena, Italian, is a fairly well known artist, and the father, Skandar, Lebanese, is a scholar of history and ethics.

Nora’s “singleness” is foremost in her mind all the way through the telling of the story. The “woman upstairs” becomes her metaphor for how people see single women: nearby, but at the periphery of their lives, mostly invisible to others. People have weird emotional responses to adults who are “still” single past their late 30s. She is very conscious of being marginalized by those heavily occupied with families, and part of this story delves into her consequent needs and her ways of coping, sometimes with illusions.

She falls in love with each member of this family, separately, for different reasons. There is a strong sexual component to her love and fascination with both Sirena and Skandar. The eight year old boy is in her class and she develops a special fondness for him, one that pushes her past boundaries she sets up with all her other students. Her eventual infatuation with this family causes her to withdraw her intense focus on her teaching. Because Sirena is an artist, Nora’s own lifetime love of art is awakened. Nora has been building tiny model bedrooms of famous single women, such as Emily Dickenson.

As the novel proceeds, an intense relationship is developed with each family member. And then the family suddenly moves back to Europe, to Paris where they reside. Nora is left with her grief, her anger, her confusion, and her own self-disorientation. Something eventually happens near the end of the novel to make her feel betrayed, an event foreshadowed earlier in the story.

At that point she is left with her anger. Many people reviewing the book dislike Nora and are troubled by her anger. I didn’t share those feelings. While flawed, Nora tells a story that is both honest and wise. She is willing to take risks. While not always understanding her feelings, she expresses them well and gives the reader a chance to understand them. Her relationships with the family are complex and ring true, psychologically. They each become an illusion of the life she thinks she wants for herself. While many would say she has an infatuation, I prefer the term “illusion,” as it becomes a short-cut bypassing her own growth and integrity.

I am not at all uncomfortable with her anger, which grows throughout the novel. And at the end, it is her intense anger that gives me hope for her and causes me to respect her.

This is a hard book to read, as it is deeply reflective and the plot rather thin. Nora’s feelings may make many people uncomfortable. But it is a book full of perception in many areas of life, especially what it means to be single or to feel marginalized in other ways. It is worthy of a book club discussion.

Moriarty, Liane, Apples Never Fall (novel)

This is a mystery novel: a missing older wife, a husband who seems to be the primary suspect, four unmarried adult children who feel torn in their loyalty to their parents; and a mysterious 20-something woman who shows up at the older couple’s house, several months before the older woman goes missing.

The family is nuts about tennis. The parents ran a school to teach tennis, and one of their former pupils was even a winner at Wimbledon. The four adult children have all abandoned the sport, even though it was their entire life growing up.

I listened to the novel on Audible, where it is read by Caroline Lee, an actress whose Australian voice is mesmerizing for this midwesterner.

The characters become well known in the course of the novel, along with things that surprise us along the way. The young “mystery woman” is both entertaining and threatening. In addition to the suspense found in the story, it also provide good insights into human relationships and maturity.

Pinder-Amaker, Stephanie, and Wadsworth, Lauren, Did That Just Happen?!: Beyond “Diversity”–Creating Sustainable and Inclusive Organizations (cultural diversity, bigotry, rising identities)

I didn’t expect to give this book 5 stars when I picked it off my local library shelf. As a pastor of a church, as a white, cisgender, heterosexual male who cares about others experiences and wants to make our institutions more just and my own behavior more thoughtful, I picked it up out of duty.

The first part of the book consists of several stories of individuals who have experienced “Identity Related Aggression.” In other words, individuals they encountered made assumptions, based on “identity,” that resulted in insult or interference.

Written by two clinical psychologists, the book is tough, practical, smart, fair, and forward looking. I especially liked the “language” they offered to help me understand and identify how people are mistreated because of age, disability, mental health diagnosis, religion, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship status, gender identity, language, and gender expression. All these realities are referred to by the authors as “Rising Identities.”

One issue in American culture is the anger over “political correctness.” The authors’ careful use of language does not scold, but rather helps us speak more truthfully about realities that exist. A glossary at the end of the book is worth reading, even if one does not read the whole book.

But do read the whole book. The first section is “testimonial” as we say in the church. The second is analysis. And the third is prescriptive. The prescriptive section applies to those who are part of a people who have rising identities, those who lead organizations, and those who know they have offended from time to time.

The middle part of the book was most helpful. The authors call on us all to be better listeners. (a no brainer) But they help us out by pointing out the difference between Empowering Listening and Oppressive Listening. An oppressive listener refuses to be curious and broach the topic, tries to remain in the “expert” seat while listening to another person’s story, blames an unchangeable system for the problem, blames the victim, dominates the conversation with surprise and emotional outbursts, diminishes the other’s experience by making analogies, tries to fix the problem, justifies bigoted comments and actions by trying to explain the heart or “intent” of the offender, and jumps in to the be savior of the problem.

The authors are sympathetic to those who listen. We can hear so much sadness in another’s story that we feel compelled to cut off the listening and get started with the “solutions.”

The authors remind us that IRAs (Identity Related Aggressions) are often subconsciously engrained in individuals, organizations, and society itself. Work in any one area does have an impact in the other two, albeit slowly.

There is a good section on how people of rising identities have to make compromises to make it in systems that are oriented to exclude or inhibit them. People often have to hide who they truly are with others, an act that takes its toll through fatigue, discomfort, loss of joy, loss of self-actualization, loss of creativity, and burnout. Persons of color cannot hide that aspect of their identity, and so take to cross-switching when they are working in an organization or around people who are not persons of color.

The authors call on readers to proactively practice “cultural humility.” This is the realization that our own culture limits us from seeing and understanding experiences and phenomena from other cultures. Cultural humility recognizes how our own cultures limit our knowledge and wisdom and call on us to constantly be willing to learn what we don’t know: a lifelong task.

There is an intriguing section on the difference between an oppressive apology and an empowering one. An oppressive apology takes too long, makes excuses, focuses on the behavior and intent of the aggressor (rather than the effect on the person injured), makes the feelings of the apologizer paramount, prematurely asks for forgiveness and understanding. An oppressive apology forces the wronged person to take care of the one who did the wrong.

I’m fairly open minded and “up to date,” (even though my daughters often roll their eyes at me) and I found this book to be helpful and a growing experience. I’ll incorporate it into my work with churches and my writing.

Probulos, I.M., Jesus Returns July 13: Times Square New York (satire)

I picked this book because my birthday happens to be July 13. A satire, the story begins with Jesus entering earth’s atmosphere in a golden chariot being pulled by four white horses. All the major news networks cover the event, at first thinking a meteor is headed to earth, then discovering it is Jesus, landing in Times Square in New York City, ready to get on with the Judgement Day.

By the time Jesus finishes sending all offenders to hell (even Mike Pence is sent to hell for wearing mixed fabrics in his suits) the only people left are members of the Westboro Baptist Church, two Seventh Day Adventists, three Pentecostals, and Jack and Colleen from Davis, West Virginia. These righteous few then get in the chariot with Jesus and ride off to a better place.

Probulos sprinkles biblical quotes liberally throughout his short satire (less than 100 pages), having Jesus quote texts out of context to justify his judgments, just like many Christians take texts out of context.

While the book left a somewhat unpleasant aftertaste, I sensed two values in it. First, it might be a good book for a Sunday School class or Bible study group to read, to get them talking about HOW scripture should be interpreted. While the language and political opinions expressed in the satire are sure to offend many church folks, it does have the potential to stimulate some interesting conversations.

More importantly, for me however, is the vivid picture of what happens when there is a “break.” (After all, what could be more of a “break” than to send someone permanently to hell?) I am a United Methodist pastor, in a denomination that is rife with talk about breaking apart. There are many people in my denomination who are talking about “breaking away” from the rest of us because we have thoughts and behaviors they judge unbiblical or sinful. They want to leave us behind and ride off with Jesus in their new, pure denomination.

Many of my friends want to go with them. But I am worried about my friends. When you go with a group that kicks people out for not being correct or pure, or not effective enough, or not conforming, then how long will it be before YOU get the boot? Such an organization is birthed in a power struggle, and in the power struggles that are part of its DNA, who is to say whether you will be able to meet the standards of those who will ascend to authority?

This satire is an unpleasant reminder that when grace is evicted from our relationships, everything turns to hell. There is no safe place anymore, not even in a golden chariot with Jesus.

Stevenson, Robert Louis, Treasure Island (classic novel)

Embarrassed to say that this was the first time I’ve read this classic tale. A pirate comes to lodge at a boarding house run by Jim’s father. At his death, Jim discovers a map in the old pirate’s chest giving details on an island where pirates hid stolen treasure. When the map makes it into the hands of Jim’s older and better financed friends, an expedition is chartered to sail and recover the treasure. Along the way, not everyone turns out to be who Jim thought they were at first. The novel is filled with suspense, creativity, and interesting characters. Written in 1880 or so, the language takes one back 140 years and requires one to guess at a few idioms and picturesque phrases that are no longer in use. It was an enjoyable read and the narrative thrills were worth the time spent in the story.

Books Read in December 2021 and January 2022

Bird, Matt, The Secrets of Story:  Innovative Tools for Perfecting Your Fiction and Captivating Readers (Advice on writing stories for books, movies, and television) 

Elias, George Skaff, Characteristics of Games  (guidebook for game designers and creators)

McCollum, Vashti, One Woman’s Fight (history, legal, church vs. state, local history, memoir)

Newlyn, Lucy, The Craft of Poetry:  A Primer in Verse  (poetry, examples of types of poems and the craft of poetry)

Ryan, John Fuller, The Man Who Flew the Amerika Bomber    (novel)

Smith, Molly Dale, Transitional Ministry:  A Time of Opportunity

Towles, Amor, The Lincoln Highway  (novel)

Woods, Stuart, Grass Roots (political, crime novel)

Bird, Matt, The Secrets of Story:  Innovative Tools for Perfecting Your Fiction and Captivating Readers (Advice on writing stories for books, movies, and television) 

I listened to the book on audio (while I was driving) and plan to get a hardcopy from the library so I can take some notes.  I’m working on a novel, and Bird’s book is primarily about writing screenplays for movies and television.  About 40% seems to not apply to novel writing.  But the part that does includes the importance of irony (with one of the best explanations of it I’ve heard) and the craft of building suspense.  

Bird takes on a number of assumptions we make about audiences and readers, such as the expectations they have for surprise, good endings, and character flaws.  

His book includes a checklist of over 100 things for an author to ask about the book (screenplay.)

Bird also gives good, practical information about rewrites and revisions.

Many of his examples are from movies and TV shows, and his analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of those are fascinating, even for someone who doesn’t plan to write something.

Elias, George Skaff, Characteristics of Games  (guidebook for game designers and creators)

I read this book for two reasons: I’ve had a lifelong interest in inventing games, ever since I grew up in the country with three brothers and had to be creative for our own entertainment.  Second, I am a pastor who wanted to introduce ideas of church strategy to my leadership in a way that would be entertaining and pedagogically effective, and so I was working on a board game to that end.

This book helped me think systematically about the process.  It gave me terminology (much of it made up by the authors, I think) to understand what I was trying to do and name things I needed to do to make the game more entertaining.  

It included much more than I needed, and because I don’t play computer games, it left me disoriented at places from its constant references to them.  But on the whole, it was a fascinating and evocative book into games, why we enjoy some of them so much, and why we may tire or reject others.

McCollum, Vashti, One Woman’s Fight (history, legal, church vs. state, local history, memoir)

Vashti Cromwell McCollum was at the center of “separation of church and state” debate in my own community, eight years before I was born.  I had never heard of her until a friend loaned me Vashti’s memoir. The specific conflict was over whether the Champaign IL school district could use “release time” during the regular school day and invite local church approved instructors to take over the classrooms for it.  Students were not required to participate, but if they opted out, they had to leave the classroom and all their classmates and either wait in the hall or wait in another room and do their homework while the other students were evangelized.

Vashti did not agree with the theological tenets and proselitizing that was occurring, and so she refused to sign a permission slip for her son to participate.  The good Christian classmates who were receiving the indoctrination preceded to bully her son and the teacher blamed all of it on the boy and his mother for their refusal to conform. Vashti took the school to court on the grounds that the United States Constitution and the Illinois Constitution both forbade such mingling of church and state.

She describes the attacks on her and her family, both verbal and physical, from the Christians of the community and from Christians from around the country.  She also describes the court case in Urbana, county seat of Champaign County, and how she lost the case there.  She describes how she lost the case at the Illinois Supreme Court.  She describes how the case quickly was distorted from being a constitutional issue to an issue over her own religious ideas and practices.  (She was a secular humanist.)  The local newspaper, still in existence, attacked her personally in its headlines and reporting rather than fairly present the issue at hand.  

The case eventually went to the Supreme Court and she won, 8-1, in the first modern case that firmly established how separation of church and state should be applied to public schools.

The local religious leaders who led the effort to teach religion in the schools were in First Methodist Church in Champaign.  I am also a United Methodist pastor, and while I didn’t know the pastor who was at the center of this storm, I find myself embarrassed.  As a denomination, our leaders today would likely be standing alongside Vashti McCollum in her struggle for religious freedom.  But that was not the case in the 1940s.  

Church leaders in those days argued that they needed to teach religion in the schools to virtually captive audiences because they couldn’t get those kids and their families to come to church and receive such evangelism.  They argued that religious teaching in schools cut down on juvenile delinquency.  They argued that what they were teaching was “standard” and accepted by the majority of the people of the community.  They finally argued that it couldn’t do any harm.  But non-biased research into those assertions contraindicated the claims.  

It is an historical irony that the Methodists and other mainline denominations who tried so hard to use the schools to propagate their “majority” beliefs now find themselves attacked by a new majority in many communities:  the religious right.  If the religious right had its way, it would be indoctrinating students not only with theology that is often unethical, but also with political preferences that have nothing to do with Jesus of Nazareth.  I am grateful for the work that Vashti McCollum did, and for her courage.  But it is not a certainty that the rights she fought hard to win can continue to be taken for granted.

Newlyn, Lucy, The Craft of Poetry: A Primer in Verse (poetry, examples of types of poems and the craft of poetry)

Lucy Newlyn is a retired professor of English Literature from Oxford.  In this delightful and creative book of poetry, she teaches the craft of writing poetry, exclusively through her own poems.  

The poems are set in a rural English countryside and village of her childhood.  The “beck” (stream) that runs through the countryside is continually featured in her poems.  Having grown up in rural Northern Illinois, the poems stirred memories and imagination from my own childhood, as well as many resurrecting many places and events I have experienced since.  I borrowed the book from my library, but have ordered my own copy (even though I’m not buying all that many books in my retirement.)  I want to read in it, again and again, when my spirit needs to be comforted or uplifted.

In addition to the beck, she also vividly portrays sheep, farmers, the local pub, young lovers, newlyweds, death, memories of the past when trains went through the countryside, cheesemaking, meadows, long hours of wandering through hills, and the many times she crossed the beck to get to something she was seeking.

Each poem is titled by the concept she is illustrating:  rhyme, rhythm, symbol, metaphor, simile, echo, analogy, Iambic pentameter, Iambic tetrameter, half-rhyme, personification, oxymoron, hyperbole, anaphora, lyric, epic, epistle, Haiku, ballad, free verse…  There are 137 poetic concepts, each illustrated by one of her poems about this enchanted place.  There are no explanations of any of these concepts beyond the example given in the poem called by its name.  You will need another handbook to get definitions… or look them up on the internet.

It is a delightful and informative book, the poems are remarkable in their own right, and it is an overflowing guide to anyone who wants to write anything, not just poetry.

Ryan, John Fuller, The Man Who Flew the Amerika Bomber    (novel)

John Ryan brings his academic study of history and his many 1960s conversations with German war veterans into this novel, which in turn engages the reader in one of the lesser-known plots (never carried out) of the Nazi regime.  

The Germans developed several plans to bomb American cities during the war.  The distances, however, challenged the technology at that time.  Detroit was one of their target cities, due to the Detroit Arsenal Facility, which produced tanks, guns, canons, and trucks for the war.  The heart of Ryan’s story is a failed attempt to destroy Detroit.  

The hero is Max, a hereditary baron from Austria, drafted by the Nazis to fly planes in the war.  He soon becomes disillusioned by Hitler, then horrified as the war proceeds.  But he cannot escape, until he is put on a mission to destroy Detroit.  The plan had two parts:  first to fly reconnaissance over Detroit, publish photos, and scare Americans into bringing home their troops in Europe to defend American cities.  The second part of the plan was to actually bomb Detroit, as soon as the right bomb was developed.  Both plans involved flying to Detroit, turning back toward Maine, landing in the Atlantic, and getting rescued by German submarines cruising the American coastline.  Max subverts the reconnaissance plan and ends up living the rest of his life as a recluse in rural Maine.  

A reporter raised in the area (Peggy) is contacted by Max and begins to learn and write his story.  Her life is dramatically changed by what she learns.  If Max is the hero, Peggy is the protagonist of the novel.  

Ryan’s story moves along at a pleasing pace, is full of suspense, historical insight, pathos, surprising twists, engaging characters, and gently revealed romances.  In short, it is a very good read.

As a matter of full disclosure, John and I are both involved in a writer’s group and I had the opportunity to hear him read parts of his novel as he was writing and editing it.  The process our group followed only permitted him to read a few pages at a time, and all of us eagerly awaited the next week when we could hear more.  I had missed several of our meetings when John read, and was very satisfied to get to read his entire story from beginning to end.

Smith, Molly Dale, Transitional Ministry:  A Time of Opportunity

This is a nuts and bolts anthology describing how interim ministry works in several denominations, particularly Episcopalian, United Church of Christ, and Lutheran.  The writers are all part of a national network of interim pastors, pastors who serve congregations that are in between “settled” pastorates.  In addition to the nuts and bolts covered, in fine detail, the book also has several essays that provoke thought, particularly the one on appreciative inquiry.  As a pastor who has served in one interim appointment (in the United Methodist Church) and is heading into another, I found the book somewhat useful.  

The drawback for me came in that United Methodist pastors are assigned to congregations by a bishop.  The congregation has limited input on the skills they think they need, but virtually no input on “who” will be sent them.  As a consequence, a United Methodist interim pastor needs to work with a congregation that is quite powerless and deal with those real issues.  

On the whole, the book contained nuggets of insight and wisdom.  It’s main drawback was that is was entirely too prescriptive.

Towles, Amor, The Lincoln Highway  (novel)

This was my first Amor Towles novel.  It will not be my last.  The story starts in Nebraska with 18 year old Emmett returning home after a stint in juvenile detention.  His father has just died, the bankrupt family farm is about to be sold at auction, his mother has been missing for ten years, and his eight year old brother, Billy, needs Emmett’s care.  It is Emmett’s plan to leave town, head to a part of the country that is growing, and start life over as a carpenter.  The year is 1954.

But within hours of Emmett’s return, he discovers that two of his friends from the detention center have escaped and attached themselves to him.  One is slow-witted, gentle, generous, and comes from a wealthy family.  The other is a charming scamp who has had to survive abusive parents and a life on the run.  From that moment throughout the novel, these two friends drive Emmett and Billy’s lives.

There is a “girl next door” Sally, whom Emmett decides to leave out of his story.  But she is determined to work her way into it.  And then there is eight year old Billy, who is a bit of a mystic visionary.  He is well read, neurotic, and uncannily observant, and he stabilizes his brother and the other characters in the story.

The Lincoln Highway is Billy’s thing.  As he reads about the adventures and journeys of mythic and real heroes, he wants to find his own place in life by going on such a journey.  And he wants others to have heroic journeys as well.  The Lincoln Highway goes through Nebraska (it was the first continental highway built in the U.S. and is roughly what we know as Interstate 80 today, going from New York to San Francisco.)  Billy soon identify’s the Lincoln Highway as the venue for rebirth for himself and everyone else he knows in the story.  

It takes the brothers a long time to finally get on the Lincoln Highway.  Their ten day ordeal trying to get started on it is the setting of the novel.  The story includes compelling characters who draw you in, humor, a high degree of craziness that will necessitate suspension of disbelief now and then, suspense, twists and turns, sorrow, and relief.

Woods, Stuart, Grass Roots (political, crime novel)

Once in a while I like to put my mind in neutral and just go escape for the ride.  In this case, I let Stuart Woods help me disappear into his political thriller.  Grass Roots was written 32 years ago about a Georgia lawyer running for a senate seat in that state.  The novel itself has become an historical time piece:  it is assumed that a Democrat will win election in Georgia, it is pre-9/11, it is at the very beginning of DNA testing in criminal cases, and it comes from a time when those who lost close elections bowed out afterward, even if they were sleaze-bags.  

The story strains credibility, but I gave all that a pass because I just wanted to live in its narrative, full of political suspense, courtroom drama, assassination of candidates, hot sex scenes, fragile romances, and gunfights.  

It’s the first Will Lee novel I read, and when I’m ready for an escape from reality, I’ll likely listen to another.

Strout, Elizabeth, My Name Is Lucy Barton (novel)

I read this novel because it is the first of a trilogy, and my eye caught the other two books, so I decided to read this first. I probably won’t go on to read the other two, unless I get more incentive.

This novel has no plot, but rather focuses on the muted feelings of Lucy Barton, who spends most of the novel with her mother sitting at her feet. The two of them have little dialogue. They occasionally remember back to people and places they shared, but there is little sense of love between them, even though they both profess it. Their professions lack credibility.

As Lucy Barton tells bits and pieces of her story, I felt sad for her, but not empathetic. This was strange because I am usually very quick with empathy. Perhaps it was a technique of the author, to put me into the same relationship with Lucy as her mother seems to have. I spent the whole book listening to her story, not really hearing enough of it to understand her, and not really motivated to find out more.