Faith, Culture, History and just a few distractions
So much has distracted me this last few months that my pile of books-read is actually larger than the pile of books labelled must-read. I guess I'll start posting a few of those books-read reviews, so I can file the pile back onto shelves. We need to be tidy for Christmas!
One of those "distractions" (the best and most rewarding of them) has been the fact that I've been writing a book about the Bible--Questioning Faith. I'm still hunting for a subtitle, so please leave one in the comments if you can think of something. It's a book designed to help teens, their parents and grandparents, and the teens-at-heart see that the Bible is big enough for all their questions, and God is big enough to encompass all their doubts. I started thinking about it back in England when my son's elementary school friend explained that he didn't believe Bible stories because he'd grown out of fairytales long ago... and I realized the Bible stories were told in elementary school by the same teacher who told fairytales. On moving to the States, with my kids a little older, I was told by one teen that "Christians are idiots because they don't accept the evidence of science," and by another that "Christianity is just the myth you grew up with--it's no more true than Mount Olympus." So... I do accept science (I love it!), I never liked fairytales as a child, but love the Bible, and I see a world of difference between Noah's Ark and Gilgamesh. So... distractions... I wrote a book, and I'll try to get it published in the new year.
But this blog's for book reviews, so I'll start with one about a Jewish family. After all, we share the same Biblical history.
Waiting for a Miracle by Helen Wininger Livnat tells the story of a Jewish family in Eastern Europe, starting before the First World War and ending after the Second. Rather than a holocaust tale, this is a family narrative, with different voices, stark authenticity, and compelling commitment to faith. Allowing the reader to see an often-forgotten part of history, it offers context to underlie courage, and creates a truly compelling drama. Enjoy with some seriously dark five-star coffee.
If I had two Lives by Abbigail N. Rosewood invites readers into another culture; this time that of a protagonist who grows up in a Vietnamese military camp, lacking support from her mother, and finding only one real companion/sister, then moves to the US. In a foreign land she is just as alone, but forms a new attachments, builds different stories, then finally finds herself back where she might have started. Which is more worthwhile--the life we live or the life we make up for ourselves? Ponder this and enjoy a darkly disturbing tale with some more dark five-star coffee.
Crooked River by Valerie Geary follows another culture clash, where an outsider moves away from his family, but picks up his responsibilities to care for his daughters when their mother dies. As their father falls under suspicion for murder, the children--one voiceless, both desperate--try to learn the truth. Meanwhile magical realism blends with mystery in a heart-breaking plot. Read this elegant tale with some richly elegant four-star coffee.
And then come some non-fiction titles, starting with one that looks at the world's greatest culture clashes (and wars):
Peacemakers by Peter Dixon is an inspiring and thought-provoking book about war and peace, written by an author who knows the ins and outs of both, and filled with deeply absorbing facts and experiences. There are no simple answers of course, but the authors tackles the hardest questions with honesty and integrity. A truly compelling (long) read, best enjoyed with some perfectly balanced three-star coffee.
The Samaritan Woman Reconsidered, by Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg, invites readers to consider familiar Bible stories, authors and characters from a different point of view--specifically from a point of view informed by the culture in which they wrote rather than our own present cultures. The book encompasses far more than just the story of the woman at the well, and it's a truly fascinating read. Enjoy with some elegant four-star coffee.
Finally, here are two of the books I read to help me write that book that was so (happily) distracting me:
Misquoting Jesus by Bart D. Ehrman invites the reader to ponder those "other translations say" type footnotes in the Bible. Not only might be wonder where the "other" translations come from, but where do any translations start? Which "copy" of an original can ever be considered more authentic than the rest. I really enjoyed learning how text is analyzed, and I found all the arguments satisfying, pleasingly nuanced, and deeply fascinating. Enjoy with well-balanced three-star coffee.
And Correcting Jesus by Brian Griffith (ah, what similar titles), looks at how those words (in all their different translations) have been interpreted through the centuries, presenting again a fascinating, compelling book that encourages readers to see faith through better informed eyes. More well-balanced three-star coffee required!
One of those "distractions" (the best and most rewarding of them) has been the fact that I've been writing a book about the Bible--Questioning Faith. I'm still hunting for a subtitle, so please leave one in the comments if you can think of something. It's a book designed to help teens, their parents and grandparents, and the teens-at-heart see that the Bible is big enough for all their questions, and God is big enough to encompass all their doubts. I started thinking about it back in England when my son's elementary school friend explained that he didn't believe Bible stories because he'd grown out of fairytales long ago... and I realized the Bible stories were told in elementary school by the same teacher who told fairytales. On moving to the States, with my kids a little older, I was told by one teen that "Christians are idiots because they don't accept the evidence of science," and by another that "Christianity is just the myth you grew up with--it's no more true than Mount Olympus." So... I do accept science (I love it!), I never liked fairytales as a child, but love the Bible, and I see a world of difference between Noah's Ark and Gilgamesh. So... distractions... I wrote a book, and I'll try to get it published in the new year.
But this blog's for book reviews, so I'll start with one about a Jewish family. After all, we share the same Biblical history.
Waiting for a Miracle by Helen Wininger Livnat tells the story of a Jewish family in Eastern Europe, starting before the First World War and ending after the Second. Rather than a holocaust tale, this is a family narrative, with different voices, stark authenticity, and compelling commitment to faith. Allowing the reader to see an often-forgotten part of history, it offers context to underlie courage, and creates a truly compelling drama. Enjoy with some seriously dark five-star coffee.
If I had two Lives by Abbigail N. Rosewood invites readers into another culture; this time that of a protagonist who grows up in a Vietnamese military camp, lacking support from her mother, and finding only one real companion/sister, then moves to the US. In a foreign land she is just as alone, but forms a new attachments, builds different stories, then finally finds herself back where she might have started. Which is more worthwhile--the life we live or the life we make up for ourselves? Ponder this and enjoy a darkly disturbing tale with some more dark five-star coffee.
Crooked River by Valerie Geary follows another culture clash, where an outsider moves away from his family, but picks up his responsibilities to care for his daughters when their mother dies. As their father falls under suspicion for murder, the children--one voiceless, both desperate--try to learn the truth. Meanwhile magical realism blends with mystery in a heart-breaking plot. Read this elegant tale with some richly elegant four-star coffee.
And then come some non-fiction titles, starting with one that looks at the world's greatest culture clashes (and wars):
Peacemakers by Peter Dixon is an inspiring and thought-provoking book about war and peace, written by an author who knows the ins and outs of both, and filled with deeply absorbing facts and experiences. There are no simple answers of course, but the authors tackles the hardest questions with honesty and integrity. A truly compelling (long) read, best enjoyed with some perfectly balanced three-star coffee.
The Samaritan Woman Reconsidered, by Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg, invites readers to consider familiar Bible stories, authors and characters from a different point of view--specifically from a point of view informed by the culture in which they wrote rather than our own present cultures. The book encompasses far more than just the story of the woman at the well, and it's a truly fascinating read. Enjoy with some elegant four-star coffee.
Finally, here are two of the books I read to help me write that book that was so (happily) distracting me:
Misquoting Jesus by Bart D. Ehrman invites the reader to ponder those "other translations say" type footnotes in the Bible. Not only might be wonder where the "other" translations come from, but where do any translations start? Which "copy" of an original can ever be considered more authentic than the rest. I really enjoyed learning how text is analyzed, and I found all the arguments satisfying, pleasingly nuanced, and deeply fascinating. Enjoy with well-balanced three-star coffee.
And Correcting Jesus by Brian Griffith (ah, what similar titles), looks at how those words (in all their different translations) have been interpreted through the centuries, presenting again a fascinating, compelling book that encourages readers to see faith through better informed eyes. More well-balanced three-star coffee required!
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