Read A Book Review

N. T. Wright--How God became King

2013-01-08T19:05:00.000-08:00

N.T. Wright & How God Became King

Guest reviewer: Steve Hackman

Followers of Beyond the Pale know that the theme of the Kingdom of God has been resonating in my heart this last year. In fact its probably the driving force behind my re-launching the blog with a priority focus on faith and Kingdom issues. Since I’ve been sharing thoughts on “Kingdom” a couple friends have commented to me, “You must be reading N.T. Wright”

The fact is I hadn’t read any N.T. Wright but now that I have, I know why they thought I had. He articulates an understanding of the Kingdom of God in a way that is not very clearly promoted by much of the church today.

In his latest book, How God became King Wright proposes that the ancient creeds that govern the average church mission statement are…incomplete. Both the Apostolic as well as the Nicene creeds are similar in their silence about anything to do between Christ “being born of a virgin” to “suffering under Pontius Pilate.”

Wright then goes on to state that whenever we share the “gospel” with people we tend to skip over Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and head straight to Paul in order to explain the “gospel”.

We don’t actually use the “gospels” much to share the “gospel”.

N. T. Wright, being a member of the Church of England and former Bishop of Durham, has a great regard for the traditional creeds and he goes into a bit of history on how they developed and why they make the declarations of faith that they do.
As mentioned though, he ultimately views the Creeds as book ends (Jesus born, then jumping to to his suffering and death) and as being incomplete. What Wright argues is what goes on in between, what fills the space that the creeds neglect, is the story of how the God of Israel became King over the whole world.
Says Wright:

The great creeds, when they refer to Jesus, pass directly from his virgin birth to his suffering death. The four gospels don’t….Matthew, Mar, Luke, and John all seem to think it’s hugely important that they tell us a great deal about what Jesus did between the time of his birth and the time of his death.
In particular, they tell us about what we might call his kingdom-inaugurating work; the deeds and words that declared that God’s Kingdom was coming then and there, in some sense or other, on earth as in heaven. They tell us a great deal about that and the creeds don’t.

Wright then goes on to use a metaphor of sitting in a square room with audio speakers in each of the four corners. Each one of them is sharing a different, yet very vital, aspect of the gospel story. He breaks down and explains what is being transmitted out of each of the four speakers:

1) The Gospels are an organic fulfillment of the story of Israel
2) The story of Jesus is the story of Yahweh visiting his people, and this means that his deity is assumed
3) Jesus comes to launch God’s renewed people into the kingdom or into kingdom life. This is what eternal life is all about
4) The kingdom of God conflicts with the kingdom of this world, because it subverts the expectations of worldly kingdoms.

Depending on your Christian faith tradition and church background the book suggests that you may have some speakers turned up too high (causing distortion), some speakers too low, or in some cases, have a speaker turned off altogether. In How God Became King Wright attempts to become the sound mixer and bring balance to each of these narratives.

N.T. Wright’s latest book fills the gap in a lot of traditional evangelical theology. When the gospels are seen as a “whole” and not simply reduced to it’s separate “sermon point” parts in support of random topics you really do begin to see that God was revealing something much, much bigger.

I think much of the church is only beginning to get the enormity of what Christ accomplished between his birth and his death.

Jesus effectively created an alternative society and now He is inviting people to become citizens of that life giving society or, put a better way, The God of Israel has become King of the world and he calls all men and women to be part of that Kingdom.
For me, I am hugely excited about what that entails. I have become much more “evangelistic” when that became the message I was sharing.

Pastor Brian Zahnd calls N.T. Wright “the C.S. Lewis of our generation” So, I would really recommend giving How God became King a read soon!

Follow Steve at http://www.stevehackman.net/n-t-wright-how-god-became-king/

I am just a little sailboat

2012-11-20T18:31:00.005-08:00

Hullo faithful readers!

Thank you for your patience over my extended absence. I've come to announce that I've ventured into a new arena! Now in addition to reviewing literature, I dare to share some of my own. As a caveat, I must add that what you will find there are just humble attempts at various things, but I'll be so happy to have you visit!

Please check it out at: http://iamjustalittlesailboat.blogspot.com/

Look for me as the humble little sailboat.

See you there! =)

Brian Fikkert, Steve Corbett -- When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor. . .and Yourself

2011-10-09T08:12:00.000-07:00

A while back, I read about the famine in Somalia and how foreign aid has actually exacerbated the poverty in Africa. The article actually made me cry and my insides ache--I felt at a loss of what I could do and the magnitude of my own impotence once again. If harm can result even when the intention is to help, what can we actually do? Enter Fikkert’s When Helping Hurts, via recommendation by a friend; I was drawn immediately to its premise.

Fikkert asks first of all, what is the goal of poverty alleviation? Surely it is not simply to increase their wealth or to get them good jobs, for, as Fikkert observes, the group of middle-to-upper-class North Americans is one “characterized by high rates of divorce, sexual addiction, substance abuse, and mental illness” (p. 78). He says instead, “Rather, the goal is to restore people to a full expression of humanness, to be what God created us all to be” (p. 78). I like that very much. But how in the world does one go about this?

Amongst several ideas, Fikkert talks about the ministry of “hanging out” (p. 83), the “Poison of Paternalism” (p. 115), “Beginning with Assets” (Ch. 5), and distinguishing the need for “Development” versus “Rehabilitation” or “Relief”:

1) [The Poison of Paternalism]

It is about us getting away from being the “mzungu [foreigner] and all which that word represents: money, power, money, education, money, superiority, and money” (p. 26).

2) [Beginning with Assets]

When asked, “What are your gifts?” one of the men in a poor community, Mac, shyly starts to talk about how he could fix bikes--“I guess,” he says uncertainly. But as he continues, Fikkert notices, “Mac started to sit up a little straighter in his chair” (p. 135). It is also about recognizing their gifts and talents as well as their needs.

“We are not bringing Christ to poor communities. He has been active in these communities since the creation of the world, sustaining them ‘by his powerful word’ (Heb. 1:3). […] This should give us a sense of humility and awe as we enter poor communities, for part of what we see there reflects the very hand of God.” (p. 60)

“I realized that when these folks pray the fourth petition of the Lord’s prayer--Give us this day our daily bread--their minds do not wander as mine so often does. [...] And I realized that these people had a far deeper intimacy with God than I probably will ever have in my entire life.” (p. 70)

3) [Relief versus Rehabilitation versus Development]
Above all, if the people themselves are not the source from which these plans emerge, the result will be abandoned tractors and programmes that fell apart after the foreign aid workers left because of the lack of ownership by the people themselves. Even in relief situations, true poverty alleviation is co-participatory, where for example, the recipients of the food bank can be involved in every process, from cooking the meals together to planning and buying the groceries together.

Fikkert opens the book with a story about how he found a witch doctor near death and saved her life with penicillin. Awesome story, huh? And yet, his final pages conclude that even that mere $8 he gave to pay for the medicine, without a second thought, could potentially have undermined their whole 2.5 years worth of work in that community. A bit extreme? Perhaps not, when the focus is empowering the community themselves and recognizing and healing our mutual brokenness (p. 64). So how can we be more mindful and wise in helping the poor and disadvantaged? What I like about When Helping Hurts is that it does not stop at just identifying harmful perspectives and actions but offers practical and enlightening insight on true poverty alleviation. Check it out!

Get it here for only $10USD: http://www.chalmers.org/when-helping-hurts/purchase.php
or internationally, Amazon
or on Kindle (read the first chapter free!):

Pre-read: Brian Fikkert, Steve Corbett -- When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor. . .and Yourself

2011-07-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

Currently reading: When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor. . .and Yourself (Brian Fikkert, Steve Corbett)

in light of some issues I've been trying to reconcile in my head

--Recommended by a friend as "really good"

Read it yourself at: http://books.google.com/books?id=B7ls7JMQSSUC&printsec=frontcover&hl=fr&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false

(Buy it to read the whole thing at http://www.chalmers.org/when-helping-hurts/purchase.php)

I welcome your comments~ (I could actually do with your insights and thoughts, would help me as I try to work through these issues myself)

Jackie Pullinger - Chasing the Dragon

2011-04-29T02:12:00.000-07:00


Image courtesy of lastfile.com

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. —John 12:24 (NIV)

Despite knowing better, my fiction to non-fiction reading ratio is admittedly lopsided—my head-up-in-the-clouds notions are easily wooed by fiction’s art of story. Hence it so peculiar that, of the last ten or so books I have read lately, so many are non-fiction. Yet with books like Jackie Pullinger’s Chasing the Dragon, the reason for this shift becomes obvious. On several occasions, I found myself moved to near-tears by these incredible but true stories. One lone young English woman, responding to the call of God, picks up her life and moves halfway across the world to the bustling commercial hub of Hong Kong. But Pullinger finds herself not amidst the stunning skyscrapers of the glitz-and-glam financial region but rather, within the hollows of the Walled City—otherwise known as the City of Darkness—where drug addicts, gangsters, and prostitutes abound. However, it is precisely with these people that Pullinger starts to slowly build her new community.

Her story strikes a chord in me personally. When I first shared with a friend of my move to Hong Kong, she immediately pronounced, “You have to read Chasing the Dragon, I think you would really like it.” So, hearing that Pullinger was to speak at our school, I borrowed our library’s sole copy and devoured it within days. I ended up typing up three full pages of quotes from the book.

Countless true stories of drug addicts being miraculously liberated from withdrawal effects fill the pages of the worn, unassuming book: where before, five strong men could not hold an addict craving a drug, this same man—if he prayed with the belief that he would be healed—was immediately delivered from this suffering. The necessary funds would miraculously turn up—exactly enough—when there was nothing to do but pray. Prostitutes were rescued, gang lords were changed. It’s crazy! It’s amazing. My belief in the power of prayer over man’s limitations has been renewed and I have begun visioning once again of God-scale dreams and lives. Of course, Pullinger herself is the first to maintain, such miracles and incredible life transformations were only because she literally had no more money to give and the addicts had no other way to turn: she gave up everything but both she and the boys truly believed that God was enough and He would turn up and nothing else could do.

Yet what moved me most was her genuine love for the people whom she encountered. Each is not just another “case” to be solved, but a person, a friend, family. During her visit, she gestures at the young boys who accompanied her (on whose robust, healthy bodies there remains no trace of their pasts of drug addiction, etc) and says, “People ask if I have any family in Hong Kong? These boys are my family.”

To see an English girl weeping for a Chinese criminal and drug addict was unusual; the prosecuting police snapped his briefcase shut and […] asked me why I was crying. ‘Because he didn’t do it,’ I sobbed, ‘He isn’t guilty.’
‘Well, he’s got a record as long as your arm,’ said the inspector kindly, ‘in fact he has thirteen previous convictions. You shouldn’t waste your sympathy on him.’
‘That’s not the point,’ I replied, ‘he hasn’t done this one.’
(Pullinger, p. 87)

At another point in the book, she shares an experience early in her ministry after her club was vandalized with sewage and faeces:

[O]ne of [the vandalizers] replied, ‘We’ve broken up the place; she’ll never welcome us back.’
‘Oh yes, she will,’ Goko had said, ‘because Miss Poon [Pullinger] is a Christian and she’ll forgive you no matter how many times you offend. She’ll open the door and welcome you back.’[…]
[H]e said, ‘we’ve been watching you [Pullinger]. […] He spoke maliciously. ‘We find ways to discourage [missionaries] until they have no heart to continue […] We couldn’t care less if you have […] free rice, free schools, judo classes, […] What we want to know is if you are concerned with us. Now you have been here for four years we have decided that maybe you mean what you say.’
(Pullinger, p. 72-73, 77, 80)

To end, I will leave you with this short clip: Go! Jackie Pullinger (YouTube.com) I must have watched it a half dozen times and even have it uploaded to my iPod now, in case I come upon someone with whom to share it. (I am not really sure of the reason for the photos of African children since Pullinger was based in Hong Kong.) Nevertheless, how can we not but be willing to give it all away when we see the possibilities of how our one life could be used for the sake of many more!

Khaled Hosseini - A Thousand Splendid Suns AND Jung Chang - Wild Swans

2011-01-06T08:13:00.000-08:00

"Red Sun" Courtesy of shannonwing.com

Even while separated by continents and major cultural differences, a profound conversation seems to naturally arise between Chang's Wild Swans and Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns. Chang's autobiography, set during the Cultural Revolution in China plus two generations before, speaks of anguishes amidst societal agitation and upheaval that are echoed miles away in Hosseini's fictional account emerging from Afghanistan.

Wild Swans follows Chang, her mother, and her grandmother as three women who experience the Cultural Revolution and the events leading up to it on a personal level. Even though men suffer alongside women during that era, the fact that these three are women is important, as they experience injustices only known to women. Chang's mother, for instance, is forced to travel on foot while pregnant because Chang's father refuses to give her any kind of gain that could possibly be misconstrued as nepotism, even in the slightest (she is put through so much dolor to the point that she suffers a miscarriage).

This gendered injustice reappears in Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns. Hosseini describes the lives of two women, Mariam and Laila, from their respective childhoods, lives that intersect in a way that only fictional stories do. Mariam begins life as a scourge to society--a harem born out of wedlock--while Laila is graced with family, love, and beauty--a lovely blonde with turquoise-green eyes--but both find themselves numerous tragedies later leashed down to a life of servitude to a volatile husband. Both women face verbal and physical abuse and live in fear not only of their husband, but of the entire precarious society and its people.

Interesting to note in both stories are the blinders with which the authors suspend the reader in the same ignorance as the characters. The characters are kept unaware of the political uncertainties that encircles them; they only hear bits and fragments of news and political leaders and fronts. The people around them hold firmly loyal to political leaders and parties whom they do not even know and celebrate victories that promise peace and restored justice but bring only further turmoil and disarray. They are constantly led to hope and then brought down to a reality of loved ones dying in war on a daily basis, homes being shelled and obliterated, and people being forced into lives not of their own choosing. You protest the injustice as Laila's golden opportunities are squashed all in one go (Hosseini) and then you know not whether to feel more heartache at Chang's description of brutalized victims, or their torturers, the brainwashed youth in the Red Army.

Both Hosseini's and Chang's characters are hedged in with further and further dwindling choices and seem victim to their circumstances. The authors show the characters to be clearly intelligent and capable, implying that, had these circumstances been different, these women would likely have found success and contentment easily. Unfortunately, the reality is that they as women in a conflict country must obey the laws and orders of those above them, no matter how unjust.

The first chapter of Thousand almost made me cry, while my heart broke at the graphic descriptions of torture in Wild Swans. These are books that inform the soul so to speak--while your knowledge of modern China and Afghanistan is deepened, it is your heart that feels more awakened after reading. A two-for-one review: both highly recommended.

**I welcome your comments even if you haven't read the books. What are you thoughts now having read this review or your thoughts on the review itself?**

Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin - Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time

2010-11-16T06:20:00.000-08:00

"The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family..." --Balti proverb (as cited in Mortenson & Relin, 2006, p. 150)

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace... One School at a Time is a true story about an American mountain climber named Greg Mortenson. His story begins when he accidentally stumbles into a poor, isolated village in North Eastern Pakistan called Korphe. Upon discovering that Korphe's children were receiving their education on a dirt floor, the devastated mountain climber rashly promises the village that he will build them a school. The promise would change Mortenson's life; he has since been committed to building schools in the poorest regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Written by journalist David Relin, Three Cups of Tea is a candid and heartfelt report of Mortenson’s humanitarian efforts, his achievements, and his struggles.

Right off the first chapter, Mortenson is immediately portrayed as the sort of guy you can’t help but root for. He is described as a gentle giant with a giant, gentle heart. You’ll find yourself rooting for him as he struggles to conquer the icy mountain peaks of K2, and as he gingerly attempts to tap out fundraising letters on a typewriter too small for his oversized fingers. You’ll be tempted to pump your fists in victory as Mortenson completes his first project, and you’ll probably kick down several nearby objects when you get to the part where extremist religious leaders try to ban Mortenson from the country.

It is important to note that this book was published in 2006. The events of 9/11 cast a solemn shade on the final chapters of this book, as Relin reports the heart-wrenching effects of our “war on terror.” When juxtaposed with Mortenson’s efforts to “fight terror with books,” our attempt to fight terror with explosives will seem ever more outrageous to the reader.

I strongly recommend Three Cups Of Tea. Mortenson’s story is genuine and heartfelt. Relin’s writing is concise and makes for an easy read. And if nothing else, Mortenson’s magnetic character will draw you in at chapter one, and drag you right through to chapter twenty-three. I encourage you to pick it up, whether or not this sort of book is your cup of tea.

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Peter Wong is a Guest Reviewer for Read a Book Review. A recent university graduate, Peter's background in psychology and religious studies offers perspective to his reading, balancing that which comes from his own ideas and experiences with diverse literature. Currently completing a program that will certify him to teach English as a Second Language, he then aspires to travel the world upon graduation. Peter enjoys writing (but not about himself... off the record) and likes to play guitar and sports in his spare time.

Ezra Pound - The River Merchant's Wife: A Letter

2010-08-23T09:11:00.000-07:00

I had always shied away from blogging with my fear of creepy people and stalkers--what would I write about that would both be of merit yet not disclose me to the world? However, I am now cognizant that in sharing my most-loved reads, there is a degree of vulnerability--that you discover more of who I am and the ways that my heart and mind live and breathe in my choices of literature. That said, thank you for respecting my amateur pensées and essais* (and contributing your comments!).

And so now I cheat again as I post another non-book. Ezra Pound's poem, "The River Merchant's Wife: A Letter," is actually a translation of an old Chinese poem by Li Po (李白)--fitting, considering my current life situation. While many poems have left me awed and humbled by their elegance and sophistication, Pound's translation made--and continues to make--my heart sigh in all fullness of empathy.

Here is a Wife simply waiting at the gate for her husband's return, a husband at whom she once scowled. This is a poem in which each and every image contributes to the meaning and deepens the fullness of the poem. Could she, might she, miss him, the boy with the blue plums? Pound manages to capture the Wife's afflicted state with imagery that communicates a powerful emotion that the Wife cannot, the nature that surrounds shouts her longing in a way she is otherwise unable. Once again, words cannot suffice, and yet somehow do, as your dust mingles with mine, with those paired butterflies, and those different mosses (!).

I absolutely ADORE this poem. It is actually one of my most very favouritest. Please don't just canter through it.

Poetry in that way is, by its very nature, pithy, or full of pith, or full of meat. What I have explicated in these hundred odd words, a poem manages to express with succinct gracefulness. In my own fledgling essais into poetical analysis, I find myself humbled in realizing that it would take me a more than a few lifetimes just to write a mere few lines of really good poetry: the depth and complexity of truly good poems astonishes me still.

Don't get me started on the Prufrock in us all.

I may not yet be done with poetry, blog readers.

*P.S. Did you know that the English word "essay" came from the French term, "essai," meaning, "to try" or "to attempt"? If only our English professors had so much sympathy, as we "essai" and "essai" to get at what we truly want to say, to find some bit of meaning that can be shared with our reader in a transformative way.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves - Lynne Truss

2010-07-15T08:20:00.000-07:00

CHILDREN DRIVE SLOWLY... inadvertently descriptive of the disappointing road speeds attainable by infants at the wheel--was eventually altered (but sadly not improved) by the addition of a comma, becoming CHILDREN, DRIVE SLOWLY--a kindly exhortation, perhaps, which might even save lives among those self-same reckless juvenile road-users; but still not quite what the writer had in mind.

--Truss, 2004, p. xxi

*Those poor slow children (And to add to that, there's homonymy: those wealth- and intelligence-deprived dears)

I was torn about whether or not this book should be reviewed for this blog: on one hand, I can't help but feel it to be somewhat of a waste (?) to devote one's entire life to the study of the ellipses "..." (cf. Truss, 2004)--powerful as they are--yet on the other hand, I cannot deny that in a very crucial way, punctuation illuminates meaning in a passage that could otherwise be misconstrued.

Take this letter for example (from Truss, 2004, p. 9-10)

Dear Jack,
I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind,
thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and
inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no
other feelings whatsoever when we're apart. I can be forever
happy--will you let me be yours?
Jill

Which, with the permutation of a few critical punctuation markings, suddenly becomes:

Dear Jack,
I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind,
thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and
inferior. You have ruined me. For other men I yearn! For you, I have
no other feelings whatsoever. When we're apart. I can be forever
happy. Will you let me be?
Yours,
Jill

Poor Jack. [And this is not a misogynous comment about indecisive women.]

Some of my favourite poems, in fact, are acutely dependent on punctuation for a full understanding (it was, after all, "In the Station of the Metro" that made me fall in love with the semi-colon). From a style book in a UK newspaper, punctuation is considered a "courtesy," as it guides readers through a story, helping them to mind their step (as cited in Truss, 2004, p. 7). It's like having good manners. How kind.

For most, therefore, this book will be informative--you will certainly learn something about punctuation's proper usage, even if you consider yourself a punctuation guru--at the same time that is entertaining. One couldn't ask for much more. Did you know, for example, that the British write, "This blog is ace". as opposed to Americans, who say, "This blog is sick." *Note the placement of the full-stop i.e. period. You may accuse Truss of getting her knickers in a knot, but for what better cause is there? Perhaps punctuation is that important (!).

I recognize that in posting this review, your eye, dear reader, will inevitably become more sensitive to my punctuated passages--likely, grossly-mispunctuated passages (goodness, is that hyphen even correctly-placed?)--but to this I am consigned, accepting this sacrifice in hopes that you might just read the book (and comment your thoughts!)

BONUS: a *puzzle* for you (yes, probably incorrect use of asterisks there)!

Correctly place the punctuation so that this sentence makes logical sense:

Charles the First walked and talked half an hour after his head was cut off

(Apologies for the gruesome example)

Thank's for reading!! (<--just testing you there)

Thoughts? To what extent is punctuation important, in your mind? Do you, like the other [apparent] 50% of society properly punctuate your text messages? (I confess, I fall into the lazy latter who try to maximize the 140chars & thus 4go punctuat'n @times. 4give me plz.)

Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World – Henri J.M. Nouwen

2010-06-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

This book is the fruit of an unlikely friendship between two men: a personal request made by Fred Bratman, secular writer/journalist, to his friend Henri Nouwen, author and Roman Catholic priest, to write a book about the spiritual life for him and his friends. It’s an intriguing premise. Could a priest, theologian and academic author speak to the hearts and minds of young, secular, ambitious men and women of our times about spirituality and life?

Nouwen’s response is simple and to the point: “You are the Beloved." He speaks to the deepest part of us that longs to be known, understood and yes, loved. Long before we were loved and affirmed (or wounded and hurt) by our parents, family, friends, teachers, and others, we are loved by a God who called us by name, calls us His own, knows each of us intimately and whose favour rests on us. And in our arrogance and in our doubts when we cannot see ourselves clearly for who we are, we may ask, “If those who shower me with praise now know who I truly am, would I still be loved?” -– the answer is yes. And it won’t come from someone else or some place you go to or some goal you achieve… it comes from becoming the Beloved and claiming our identity to become who we are truly meant to be.

And so Nouwen explains the spiritual journey we can undertake to become the Beloved. He describes the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives through four actions: taken, blessed, broken, and given. We are taken (or chosen) by Christ, blessed as children of God, broken because of sin and lastly, given to the world. Nouwen does a thorough and thought-provoking job in describing spiritual truths along with specific disciplines or practices to assist us in living out these truths. His love and care for his friend--for whom he wrote this book--is evident throughout the book and it is clear Nouwen deeply hopes to fulfill the request set before him. Does he accomplish the job? Read the book to find out!

A highly recommended read that reaches the core of who we are and can transform us from the inside-out.

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Peggy Li is a Guest Reviewer for Read a Book Review. Currently working in the field of policy making within the government, Peggy's heart for social justice naturally permeates her work, her conversations and actions, her life. The books on her shelves are transformative and defining, with deep meaning and purpose. We wish her all the best with her recent engagement and future passages, congrats!

A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

2010-05-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

The proofreader nodded, 'You see, you cannot draw lines and compartments, and refuse to budge beyond them. Sometimes you have to use your failures as stepping-stones to success. You have to maintain a fine balance between hope and despair.' He paused, considering what he had just said. 'Yes,' he repeated. 'In the end, it's all a question of balance.
—Mistry, A Fine Balance

Mistry pulls no punches in setting out to conquer the fringes of our imagination as he forcibly carries us back to India during the tumultuous Emergency Crisis. More sculptor than painter, he masterfully switches between a heavy mallet and a fine pick as he describes in violent detail the tortured lives his characters lead.

And oh, what lives they lead; the story centres around four unlikely flat mates – Dina Dalal is a spinster who needs the rent money to open a business, Ishvar Darji and his nephew Omprakash Darji are both tailors hoping to find work in Bombay and Maneck Kohlah, a student in refrigeration electronics come to the big city for an education. Yet despite their admittedly modest aspirations, they are constantly swept up in one government scheme after another, all designed to lift them out of their own “squalor.” The tailors are forcefully taken to a vasectomy camp, even as they search for a bride for Om; Dina turns to a beggarmaster to threaten her corrupt landlord. And like a chorus through the book, everyone abuses what modicum of power may be given to them.

While it appears the four have little in common, their shared struggle against the cruel and impersonal injustice so pervasive in a Malthusian society binds them close, even while tearing them apart unflinchingly. These relationships in the swirl of such vindictive forces capture both the inexplicable sorrow and resolute strength of the human spirit in the midst of shattered dreams.

Never preachy, but always honest, Mistry gives no solutions on how transform an ailing society or give ease to her most unfortunate, yet his Dickensian propensity for detail more than creates space for our empathy. For those who thought the demise of the novel was at hand, Mistry gives ample evidence to the contrary – highly recommended reading.

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Johnson Solomon is a Guest Reviewer for Read a Book Review. A student of the University of Toronto, Johnson enjoys reading a variety of literature outside of his field of study in engineering. In devoting himself to seeking the true meaning of a word, his interaction with literature becomes more accurate and authentic as does his understanding of humanity, even as it resists being defined.*

*This profile was written on behalf of Johnson, a process found to be even more difficult than writing any book review. Reflecting on my fear of misrepresenting a flesh-and-blood individual, I realized my insecurities also about trying to represent great works of literature in my reviews: how painfully inadequate are my attempts, yet I continue in the simple hope that through these humble entries, others might be inspired to read and experience for themselves the transformative work of literature. [That's why I really love your comments--they encourage me when I feel like no one is reading this and connect me to you through a shared experience=)]

Searching for God Knows What - Donald Miller

2010-05-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

If there is one book to redeem* Christians and Christianity, Searching and the others in his "Greatest Hits"** could qualify (which, yes, makes it more than one book). Admittedly, there could be many other worthy contenders as well, but there is something about the way Miller writes that is disarming in its sincerity, wit, and non-preachiness; it chronicles an authentic struggle with one's deepest core beliefs. He takes the ideas of circuses and fine wines, trees and nudity, heart and humanity, to illustrate his ideas such that Christians and non-Christians alike can read it as a conversation between friends rather than a theological debate.

Perhaps its appeal of not-trying-to-convert-you is found as Miller declares outright that the point is never about Christians or proving Christians right, but about Christ. A humbling reminder. At one point, he describes a time during college when he and his friends set up a "confessional booth" on campus. When people came to protest their self-righteousness, Miller explained that it was a reverse-confessional, in which he and his friends were the ones confessing, apologizing for all the times they as Christians had not loved the world like they should, from the hate protests and rallies to colonization to their own judgmental ways when they recognized the plank in their own eyes (Matthew 7:3). What if we stopped trying for a minute to make people see Christianity as right and instead tried to make things right by showing them how they're loved?

The gospel that Miller communicates is a gospel in which God does not fit in a box or a three-step program nor is the Bible just another self-help book to get God to become your genie. His premise is that the gospel cannot be whittled down to a handy pamphlet comprising five simple bullet points, a simple prayer, or a jump through a hoop. All of this is too reductionist for the grandeur that is God, if you are to believe in such a God. Rather, Miller likens the gospel (God/Christianity/the Bible) to poetry, a form of art that resists formulaic compositions. Poetry that in all its complexity and layers engages your emotions, senses, and intellect all at once. (The English geek in me relished in Miller's allusion to Shakespeare's balcony scene: how Romeo's rigid iambic pentameter that described his childish love of Rosalind simply cannot contain his love for Juliet, so much so that catching a glimpse of her on the balcony, he breaks into free verse.) Perhaps poetry is the only way to recognize the fullness that is the gospel.

No longer can you rely on others to think for you nor should you let their handy lists, charts, and acronyms make up your entire theology. Simply put, Miller invites you to question who your god/God really is--to search and to wrangle with the poetry of your gospel, and to let the poor Guy out of the box.

A parting sentiment (which I do not believe to be a cop-out):

"For if you comprehend [God], it is not God."
--St. Augustine

So perhaps this entry outraged you, agreed with you, or you have another book to share--please leave your comments and thoughts! I wish to present this blog not as a unquestionable canon but as that which sparks conversation over literature in hopes that we might read a little more and be changed just that little bit more.

*A non-intentional pun
**includes Blue Like Jazz and Through Painted Deserts

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: A Novel in Cartoons - Jeff Kinney

2010-04-30T05:51:00.000-07:00

Now what would the "diary" look like of a middle-school boy forced by his mother to chronicle a year-in-the-life? Kinney offers a realistic portrait through the lens of 11-year-old Greg Heffley and his facetious drawings offset by his stark plain prose. I came across this book first because a number of the students in my Special Education class absolutely could not put it down. If you're looking for a book/series to engage reluctant readers, look to Kinney.

Cringe and laugh as Heffley and his friend Rowley (as soon as you see his depiction, you'll laugh) brave the "Cheese Touch," navigate parental and younger-sibling relationships, and try to understand girls, all while trying to fit in at school despite some socially-awkward tendencies. Remember that Christmas present you hated but had to pretend to like? Or that time you were cast as an inanimate object in the school play (tree, rock, etc)? This novel in cartoons garners sympathy for that endearing "unique" child.

While arguably not "classic literature," this book does capture what a middle-school boy might write in a journal and presents as an easy, inviting read that is definitely fun and amusing. Similar in style to the popular Captain Underpants series, I personally prefer Kinney's series as a bit more sophisticated and witty, having read through a few Captain Underpants books myself.

Even if you've never seen the book itself, Diary of a Wimpy Kid may sound familiar to you because it was in theatres as a movie just this past March. I haven't seen the movie yet, so I'd love to hear what you thought of it if you did, or what you think about the book itself too! Thanks for reading/commenting!

On the uses of a liberal education - Mark Edmundson (Essay)

2010-04-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

I don't teach to amuse, to divert, or even, for that matter, to be merely interesting. When someone says she "enjoyed" the course -- and that word crops up again and again in my evaluations -- somewhere at the edge of my immediate complacency I feel encroaching self-dislike. That is not at all what I had in mind. The off-the-wall questions and the sidebar jokes are meant as lead-ins to stronger stuff -- in the case of the Freud course, to a complexly tragic view of life. (Edmundson, 1997)

Now I recognize that in a blog called "Read a Book Review," Mark Edmundson's essay, "On the uses of a liberal education: As lite entertainment for bored college students" doesn't quite fit into the category. However, this essay raises questions that have the potential to inspire thought and transformation just as longer works of literature can.

Edmundson is a long-time English professor from University of Virginia who teaches courses in literary theory and romantic poetry (See bio here). I mentioned him in my first post, actually, if you remember. Arguing that universities have now become products of our society's consumerism, Edmundson in his essay laments the student-pleasing, servile attitude of what used to be hallowed halls of higher education. We lower the standards so as to not deter students from enrolling in our classes and we create courses based on students' interests rather than on what we deem to be crucial learning, and what results is a population devoid of passion.

This echoes the commentaries of others, such as Willard in Divine Conspiracy: Whereas literature was once intended as transformative, it is now seen as entertainment. I feel this to have great implications for us as both teachers and learners. Of course, engaging our students is indeed important, yet what are we engaging them for? The question becomes, "Why learn?" Do we seek knowledge simply for knowledge's sake, for the pleasure it brings, for the stimulating insights it gives us to share at dinner parties? Even cultivating critical thinking--what is critical thinking for its own sake that leads to no desire for a betterment of humanity? The emptiness of such an endeavour is strikingly obvious to me. What a shame it would be if we were to read books like Irresistible Revolution and not be changed by it, to simply be "entertained" by its ideas and then shelve it in the back of our minds.

The French word for entertainment comes to mind, "divertissement." In keeping ourselves entertained in this day-in-age, are we simply diverting our attention from that "stronger stuff" of which Edmundson speaks?

Yet I'm certain you, dear reader, must have your own thoughts. Is there such thing as essential literature, for the growth and shaping of one's character? There is a place for reading simply for enjoyment, no? What is the function of literature--and education/learning for that matter--to you?

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

2010-04-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

While I'll admit that Dickens isn't for everyone, I am a fan, with A Tale of Two Cities being my fourth or fifth Dickens novel. Although sometimes criticized for being overly-lengthy or idealized, I personally enjoy his vivid descriptions and find his construction of character masterful. Despite the length of his works, never do I find his writing boring, for his stories comprise amusing and intriguing anecdotes and engaging dialogue that keep the plot moving. Indeed, he transports you to that other time and place and you live it right there with them.

In A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens casts a story of a man, Charles Darnay, who has been accused of treason to the British crown, and a side-story of his love, Lucie Manette. And yet, this story is not just about one man, but about an entire society. Two societies in fact, of Britain and France, circa 1775. Two nations that are at war yet suffer the same ills of society of violence, injustice, and greed. There is Mme Defarge and her blood-thirsty knitting needles, Marquis Evrémonde and his cruel, crushing carriage that shows his indifference for the French poor, and Stryver, the pompous and prideful lawyer. Emerging from these oppressive quandaries, however, is the redeeming work of sacrifice and love, in which one man denies his own life for another, or a father-daughter connection is rekindled despite years of separation, or a minor-character stands up for what's right. Further along, we see that the Lucie thread is not merely a side-story of romance but introduces Sydney Carton as an integral figure to the saga.

What remains is a tale of transformative power rather than simply a pessimistic criticism of an unsalvageable humanity. In other words, Dickens balances a portrait of hope amidst cruelty and depravity, which is significant. I won't give away the ending, but it will be said that A Tale of Two Cities is pretty epic and leaves you both touched and reflective.

Thoughts? Are you also a Dickens fan or do you prefer other writers?

Anne of Green Gables - Lucy Maud Montgomery

2010-04-11T18:55:00.000-07:00

But Matthew, who had been sitting mutely in his corner, laid a hand on Anne's shoulder when Marilla had gone out. "Don't give up all your romance, Anne," he whispered shyly, "a little of it is a good thing—not too much, of course—but keep a little of it, Anne, keep a little of it."

The first time I read this book, I actually disliked it. I thought, where's the plot? Where's the action? Anne of Green Gables is one of the "Canadian classics" that all Canadian kids know but probably not many other countries' kids. Yet I remember purchasing the book at the Anne of Green Gables historical site while on a family trip to beautiful PEI. I also recall seeing strips of grass sod giving it a contrived feel that detracted a little from the whole Lovers' Lane aura. But that's a story for another time. Back to A of GG.

Upon rereading the book, I absolutely fell in love with it. Montgomery expertly uses a collection of little anecdotes that work together to create the irrepressible character of Anne--with an "e." Whether it be her simple joy in a "spare room" or her accidentally intoxicating her best friend Diana Barry with raspberry cordial or her passionately smashing a slate over the rapscallion Gilbert Blythe, this "Anne-girl" is sure to grow on you. This is a character full of personality who refuses to abandon her dignity and spirit, despite being a 12-year-old orphan girl who seems to attract unfortunate misadventures. Spunk if I've ever seen it.

Series are always dangerous for me--I tend to get attached to characters, I sympathize with them, I get emotionally-involved, even in fictional stories. That's why I couldn't ever follow soap operas: My life would quickly get sucked away. That said, I do love the whole series of A of GG, worth checking out, definitely.

For those who are already A of GG fans, try Before Green Gables, an official prequel by Budge Wilson. I was pleasantly surprised by how true Wilson is able to stay to the voice of Montgomery-writing-Anne, quite authentic.

Candide - Voltaire

2010-04-06T09:53:00.001-07:00

Candide evokes in me a kind of Catch-22 feel, 1759-style, where "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds." In other words, things happen for a reason but this reasoning is circular and really makes little sense. In this work, Voltaire manages to criticize political philosophies of his time in such a lighthearted manner that it seems a ridiculous, outlandish tale, when in fact, it's a serious look into the flaws of our society.

The story follows Candide and those in his company and their misfortunes after Candide is kicked out of his home by his uncle for kissing the uncle's daughter, Cunégonde. In essence, the entire novel is just a bombardment of horrible and awful--often senseless--sufferings that seem to never end and overwhelm the reader.

Its 1759 humour succeeds in transcending the ages: here in 2010, I smirked, I laughed, I kept reading. An amusing-yet-insightful-at-the-same-time read. The original French in particular is witty in its prose and fun in the nuances.

And yet, despite it's ridiculousness and humorous element, Candide still musters sympathy for the valet Cacambo who becomes a slave on a cruel slave ship, the teacher Pangloss who is twice hanged, the old woman who endured horrible suffering and rape at the hands of a tyrannical captain, and of course, Candide. Rousing this emotion stirs in the reader (in me at least) an anger at the corruption and nonsensical injustices of our society. People should not have to suffer this way.

If given another title, Lemony Snicket's (aka Daniel Handler) A Series of Unfortunate Events would seem apt. This description, in fact, could even be considered a litotes, given the severity of the affairs in the book.

It's a short read if you're looking for one, short but rich--check it out!

And then comment here and let me know your thoughts on what 'cultivating one's own garden' means to you?
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Dubliners - James Joyce

2010-04-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

Dubliners is truly an amazing collection of short stories. The book follows the lives of various persons living in Dublin, Ireland (hence "Dubliners") around the turn of the century. For instance, it opens with two nuns mourning the death of a priest in "Two Sisters." As usual, symbolism is huge in this Joyce work--whether by choice of names or recurring images--and contributes an unparalleled richness to the overall text.

What I love about Joyce is how he includes seemingly-small or insignificant details, yet these details function to deepen the meaning of the story in subtle ways and missing them would be a great loss to one's understanding of the text. Furthermore, the connections and recurring themes between the chapters is incredible.

When I read and reread Joyce, I feel like I can come back to it a million times plus one and still find something new and enriching in it. Using "Two Sisters" as an example, this chapter signifies so much more than simply the death of a priest, but hints at corruption, staleness, and essentially, a metaphoric death of the Church, in Joyce's opinion. Or how about Mrs. Mooney as "The Madam," associating her dealings with her daughter in "The Boarding House" to a brothel. Powerful.

A list of the chapters:

“The Sisters”
“An Encounter”
“Araby”
“Eveline”
“After the Race”
“Two Gallants”
“The Boarding House”
“A Little Cloud”
“Counterparts”
“Clay”
“A Painful Case”
“Ivy Day in the Committee Room”
“A Mother”
“Grace”
“The Dead”

I know I called Dubliners "a collection of short stories" at the outset, but this description seems inadequate for such a coherent and interconnected piece. What do you think? What would you call this work?

This is another book you definitely want to own, for it demands reading and rereading a hundredfold.

88/100

Manga Shakespeare

2010-03-31T19:04:00.000-07:00

While I've always been a proponent of reading the full, unadulterated, unabridged versions of works of literature, I must admit, graphic novel (/comic) adaptations have caught my eye. In particular for Shakespeare, his works were intended to be performed for an audience, not just read and analyzed (don't get me wrong, I'm a geek when it comes to analyzing literature for themes, symbols, etc.). In that way, the graphic-novel format creates a visual stage that mimics the theatrical experience to a degree--in looking at the images, the reader is immediately immersed in the atmosphere and setting of the play.

I stumbled upon "The Tempest" adaptation of the Manga Shakespeare series and I was pleasantly surprised. It was indeed an enjoyable read: the storyline was clear, the graphics were artistic in full colour, and the adaptation stayed true to the original script.

I need not expound upon the benefits of graphic novels especially for encouraging and supporting reluctant readers. For that, you can refer to numerous essays and dissertations on this case (including In Graphic Detail by one of my past professors, David Booth)

Irresistible Revolution, The: Living as an Ordinary Radical - Shane Claiborne

2010-03-31T14:04:00.000-07:00

[F]olks in poverty are no longer just a missions project but
become genuine friends and family with whom we laugh, cry, dream, and
struggle. (Claiborne, 2006, p. 128)

If you're looking for a book that inspires, Irresistible Revolution is one that will show you a way of living that you would think too ideal to be true, but is being lived right now as you read this by a man named Shane Claiborne and his group of friends.

A humble man featured as Esquire's Best and Brightest 2009, in his refreshing prose, he advocates for what he calls, "The Simple Way," now called The Potter Street Community, a lifestyle where people give and receive in love such that no one is in need. As a concrete example, rather than paying monthly insurance fees, each member of the community contributes a small monthly sum towards a hospital fund and receives a card that tells him/her how his/her money is being spent--to support an elderly woman in the hospital, or another person who broke his leg, or a friend who was in an accident--and asking the person to pray for these people. Or the little girl who wanted to own a grocery store. Why? "So I can give out food to all the hungry people." Isn't that a truly amazing community?

I cannot do the book justice by my own words, so I'll let the book speak for itself:

As I read Scriptures about how the last will be first, I started wondering why I was working so hard to be first (p. 42)

What we do is not nearly as important as who we are (p. 108)

We wrestle to free ourselves from macrocharity and distant acts of charity that serve to legitimize apathetic lifestyles of good intentions but rob us of the gift of community (p. 123)

All around you people will be tiptoeing through life, just to arrive at death safely. But dear children, do not tiptoe. Run, hop, skip, or dance, just don't tiptoe (a college prof, p. 225)

At times political and other times downright outlandish, but through and through, this book will charm you by its sincerity and real-ness--it's all true, all the heartwarming, inspiring stories. Such a thing is really possible, it is!

There's more than just those aforementioned quotes. Read the book! Get the book, in fact, you'll want to reread it.

93/100

Also by Claiborne:

The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner

2010-03-31T13:18:00.000-07:00

Do you know concrete poetry? The above is one by S. C. Rigg (aka Sharon Creech) from her book, Love That Dog. With concrete poetry, or "shape poems," the form fits the meaning. In other words, the look of the poem tells you something about the poem's intended meaning. P.S. Did you see the worm?

Similarly, in the classic, The Sound and the Fury, Faulkner artfully uses the novel's form to deepen the meaning of the whole story. The story follows Benjy Compson, a boy/man with severe cognitive impairments, and his family. By reading the story through his disjointed voice first, the reader feels a bit lost just as Benjy feels amongst the confusing existence that is his family. In piecing together the Compson tragedy, the reader recognizes the complexity of their situation and the convoluted helplessness of everything. Powerful symbolism emerges, like the muddying of Caddy's underwear in connection to her future scandals.

Absolutely brilliant. This is one of those books that humbles you if you ever wish to write a book: How can one possibly compare? But at the same time, Faulkner himself admitted that his narrative could not fully capture his meaning. Once again, words fail to suffice but yet stand as the necessary compromise when something is still needed to allow for expression.

To end, check out this poem: "Words" by Dana Gioia.

I gave this an 87/100. Admittedly, my rating system is a bit arbitrary, for giving a book a rating seems to not do it justice. My advice: just read the book.

Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

2010-03-31T10:23:00.000-07:00

Le Petit Prince (trans. The Little Prince) teaches us all a bit about neoteny, in the less-scientific sense of the word:

Neotony: the retention of childlike attributes in adulthood (Joichi Ito)

The book starts with an image, and illustrates our preconceived notions that allow little room for creativity (by immediately assuming a hat without seeing the elephant swallowed by a boa constrictor).

From there, Saint-Exupery continues to poke at our so-called grown-up maturity that has somewhere along the way lost that innocence and love for all things. It reminds us and makes us long for a heart that loves so deeply and sacrificially a lonely rose and scorns the fellow who fritters a life away seeking fortune or reputation.

Of course, having first encountered this gem in my Grade 11 French class, I recommend it be read in the original français, but in any case, a definite must-read, it's one of my favs.

I gave it a 90/100.

Welcome!

2010-03-31T09:33:00.000-07:00

In university, I double majored in Life Sciences and English Literature, feeling that together, they would teach me a bit more about humanity--Life Sciences in the way that we as humans function physically, the tiny cells and mitochondria interacting, and English Literature in the way that we as humans live and think, the way these mitochondria join together to form complex thought and emotion.

I'd make a case for reading, but that has been covered by many before me more eloquent than I. (e.g. see Mark Edmundson's Why Read? -->)

Instead, I simply take this space to explain the plan of this blog: To share reviews--be it thoughts, anecdotes, critical analyses, or unmitigated praise--of literature I have chanced upon and found to contribute to my understanding of myself and the humanity that surrounds me.

Alas, the places we'll go!

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