MysteriousFaith

Q1 2007 Bookshelf

The Creation by E.O. Wilson

This is the secularism book which deserves primacy over Dawkins and Harris. It says much of the same thing, but it views the outcome – preservation of our world, justice and harmony – as that which we should focus on, allowing our differences to be set aside and focus primarily on that which we hold in common – protecting our world. Wilson does this by focusing primarily on biology and the fragile ecosystem he believes we are in danger of losing. He writes the book in the form of a letter to a pastor-friend, and prefaces his comments in words I wish to remember for myself: “For you, the glory of an unseen divinity; for me, the glory of the universe revealed at last. For you, the belief in God made flesh to save mankind; for me, the belief in Promethean fire seized to set men free. You have found your final truth; I am still searching. I may be wrong, you may be wrong. We may both be partially right … Let us see, then, if we can, and you are willing, to meet on the near side of metaphysics in order to deal with the real world we share. I put it this way because you have the power to help solve a great problem about which I care deeply. I hope you have the same concern. I suggest that we put aside our differences in order to save the Creation. The defense of living Nature is a universal value. It doesn’t rise from, nor does it promote, any religious or ideological dogma. Rather, it serves without discrimination the interests of all humanity.” (pg. 4)

Point to Point Navigation: a Memoir by Gore Vidal

One has the sense, after reading Vidal’s memoir, that were you ever to meet him, any attempt at being insightful or witty would only result in being made fun of by him, which would not stop the humiliation from being any more enjoyable or delicious a memory. Vidal’s personal memories are everything one should expect from the last great novelist of the 20th century still alive. Much of the book skirts along his prodigious Rolodex of haunts and their respective ghosts and ghouls – some of whom he liked, many of whom he found boorish.

At times his irony (a word he takes pain to explain has ceased to mean what it should, and why such a loss bodes poorly for our culture), dissipates and we get a moment of wrenching eloquence, none more so than this, a comment from shortly before his partner of some fifty-years Howard died: “Near the end he asked me, ‘How old am I?’ I told him he was seventy-four. He frowned. ‘That’s when people die, isn’t it?’ I said that I hadn’t and so far he hadn’t. I was sitting beside his armchair looking out over the tile roof opposite. For a moment he looked puzzled; then he said: ‘Didn’t it go by awfully fast?’ Of course it had. We had been too happy and the gods cannot bear the happiness of mortals.” (pg. 85).

Not Even Wrong: the Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law by Peter Woit

Quantum mechanics has given birth to a family of theories commonly referred to as string theory. Much of the work within this body of material is outright conjecture which looks more like religious faith than scientific inquiry, and little by little string theory is rightfully losing its adherents and beginning to be forced out of its sequester. Woit’s new book is very technical, but adequately makes this point. The PBS Nova series on this topic is better, although it comes from the vantage point of those who believe that string theory – with all its elegance – somehow must hold some truth. For those who find this a poor choice given the depth science promises, the need to give up string theory and focus on other methods of inquiry is obvious.

The Varieties of Scientific Experience by Carl Sagan

This book, in the tradition of William James’ The Varieties of Religious Experience made me ache over the loss of Sagan. He would have had much to say about the current state of dialogue between religion, politics and science, and in part would have added a dose of empowered humility to how science is currently confronting religion. This book is richly appointed with beautiful pictures of the galaxy and illustrations of various scientific principles. As secular apologetic books come, this particular book is a welcome and kind introduction to how skeptics think. Very highly recommended and undoubtedly a favorite book for 2007.

Jesus Land: a Memoir by Julia Scheeres

Scheeres’ memoir had the effect of evoking some very raw memories for me. Her particular story is focused around her life at the age of eighteen and her dysfunctional family who used fundamentalist Christianity to hide their own anger, malice and inability to make sense of the world. Many children of fundamentalists hide dark secrets – about themselves, their families, their fellow churchgoers – and Scheeres writes candidly of hers. This book is very provocative and will distress some who read it, but it is a necessary contribution for those of us who will bear the wounds of fundamentalism with us our entire lives, and find solace in sharing our story with others who can help us be reminded that we did not do these things to ourselves, and that we can afford not to blame ourselves.

A Glorious Disaster: Barry Goldwater’s Presidential Campaign and the Origins of the Conservative Movement by J. William Middendorf II

Revisiting Goldwater has become increasingly popular of late given the questioning people have been going through as to why today’s Republican party seem so far away from the original designs of its most recent contributors and founders. Middendorf, a campaign insider at the highest of levels to Goldwater, does a good job walking us through the ins and outs of the Goldwater campaign, and his discussion of how Goldwater’s efforts led to the foundation of the modern conservative movement are worth reading.

Why Orwell Matters by Christopher Hitchens

The descriptor “Orwellian” is over-used, under-appreciated, and generally misunderstood, each a point Hitchens takes time to elaborate in this analysis of Orwell’s life and works. As with most of Hitchens’ work, the book has the ebb and flow of his essay style, and consequently some pregnant questions left undelivered. Never-the-less, a very worthwhile contribution to properly understanding Orwell.

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford

While Rome is considered the largest and most successful empire, this is largely a byproduct of Western education, and a perspective not shared in the East. At its height, the Mongol Empire was the largest empire in terms of landmass (not as a percentage of global population). Weatherford’s book is half on Genghis Khan, a ruler who knew how and when to use force, and when to make peace and settle. He was the rare combination of a conqueror who could also govern. After his death, the Mongol empire continued to expand and bring into the Western world achievements (ranging from roads to the first credit cards) most commonly believed to be unique to the Roman Empire. The last two chapters of Weatherford’s book are particularly worthwhile.

Will the Boat Sink the Water?: the Life of China’s Peasants by Chen Guidi and Wu Chuntao

This book, banned by the Chinese government, has none the less managed to have over ten million black-market copies printed and sold throughout the mainland. The reason it is banned? It details in excruciating anecdotal evidence the utter depravity of Chinese rural government, a hold-over from the abuse of Mao’s system. For China to fully modernize, it must deal with the enormous inequalities which exist in the country side, and which Guidi and Chuntao risked their lives to share with us.

The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew – Three Women Search for Understanding by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner

Engaging people from other cultures and other ways of thinking is both one of the challenges and opportunities of living in an increasingly small world. For people who approach questions of interfaith dialogue primarily through anecdotal means, this book is a very nice narrative from three women – each of whom represents a different faith – as they honestly discuss with one another the problems they see with their own, and with others’, faith. Someone looking for apologetics about any one faith should look elsewhere; this is a book about the journey, about engaging people who have their own reasons for believing as they do.

A Fighter’s Heart: One Man’s Journey Through the World of Fighting by Sam Sheridan

Admitting to being a fan of the UFC usually means copping to your enjoyment of the baser things in life; while such attraction may in fact exist for me, appreciating MMA as an art form is a large part of its attraction. But fighters are also admirable for different reasons – they confront their ultimate questions about manhood, they tear down images of themselves as the failures life otherwise boxed them into, and they beat another man, who stands in for all their fears. Sheridan’s journey into this world is absolutely fascinating and a wonderful read.

What Would Aristotle Do? Self-Control Through the Power of Reason by Elliot D. Cohen

During the very rare occasion when my wife is not the stable, non-emotion portion of our marriage, I try and remind her that now is no time for “me to be the rational person in this relationship.” Rational, rules based, consistent thinking is not my strength – I much prefer to view every difficulty, no matter how trivial, as having to suffer the slings and arrows of a malicious fate! Cohen’s book is a very good introduction to the power and mechanisms behind rational thinking. Recommended in particular for those like myself who wish to allow reason to be the master of their thought processes, but may not have been raised with such discipline.

The Writing on the Wall: China and the West in the 21st Century by Will Hutton

This is one of the very rare achievements in modern Sino-American analysis: Hutton manages to balance a critique of both China and the US, without erring on the side of hyperbole for either. He can see the good and promise of both systems, but not without caution as to what both parties must do in order to continue their respective modernizations. Hutton’s analysis of both is devastating and requires the reader to view the future with more caution than Friedman’s The World is Flat. I hope to write more on this book in a future book review, so my comments will be limited: a very, very important contribution to international and domestic affairs.

China’s Peaceful Rise: Speeches of Zheng Bijian 1997-2005 by Zheng Bijian

Bijian, advisor to now Chinese President Hu Jintao and chairman of the China Reform Forum, is one of the more important voices within China regarding its future. Having coined the idea of a “peaceful rise” for China, Bijian attempts to court the world’s opinion in China’s favor through arguing that China does not seek to displace other countries’ in their quest for their own motives. His comments about Taiwan are very important, and show how deeply this issue goes to the Chinese national identity. Even voices for moderate reform, of which Bijian is certainly one, are not without their feeling that Taiwan must reunify with China. This book is a very short introduction to Bijian’s analysis, but is a good representation of his thinking and as such, is recommended.

A Cook’s Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal by Anthony Bourdain

This is the second Bourdain book I have picked up and I must say I am absolutely enthralled with his stories and culinary adventures. It makes me want to be more adventurous in my life and eating; a more wonderful contribution to daily existence could hardly be more appreciated!

The Pink Triangle: the Nazi War Against Homosexuals by Richard Plant

Frequently overlooked, the Nazi holocaust included pogroms against a host of sociable undesirables, of which homosexual men were one. Plant’s book is an effort to combine the necessary historical analysis (facts, figures, when, where and who) with anecdotal references to lives ruined and people whose sexual identity made them targets for state-sponsored murder. Plant’s analysis of this particular aspect of the Nazi system refuses to be slavish in arguing – as others have – that much of the Nazi hierarchy was composed of repressed homosexuals. That having been said, it did have a number of predominant homosexuals and people whose sexual proclivities were odd, to say the least. Plant’s analysis is very worthwhile, if none-the-less troubling for its odd parallel to what certain communities have said and would have done with respect to homosexuals.

Near the end of this book, Plant makes the following comment: “To this day, the extent and impact of this catastrophe has not been fully understood. At the end of hostilities, when Allied soldiers first entered the concentration camps, they did not really comprehend what they saw. And despite the overwhelming flood of information about the Nazis’ infernal machine, we still have not understood what it may foreshadow. In many ways, the specters of the Third Reich still haunt us – not because a few elderly Nazis may be hiding in South America and not because groups of younger neo-Nazis demand attention with recycled swastika ideologies and emblems. The specters begin to come to life whenever fanatical fundamentalists of any sect – religious or secular – take over a nation and call for a holy war against its most vulnerable and vilified minorities.” (page 187)

It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life by Lance Armstrong

I am not much for inspirational TV, movies or books. Typically, I feel many fail at the level of drawing out something more substantive than survival alone with respect to the challenges being written about and overcome - things of true inner conviction and depth. Armstrong’s book was strangely different for me. It is genuinely inspirational, both his victory over cancer and his career in general. A recommended read.

The China Fantasy: How Our Leaders Explain Away Chinese Repression by James Mann

This may be one of the most thought provoking books I have read on China, and overall, clearly one of my personal favorites thus far in 2007. Mann’s argument, that economic openness between China and the US may not necessarily result in personal freedom for China’s citizens, is critical because it cuts to the quick of whether a fundamental proposition which has extended to US-Sino relations should be re-evaluated. My review of his book can be read at Asia Times here.

American Shaolin - Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch: An Odyssey in the New China by Matthew Polly

What do you say about someone who takes a break from college and flies to China to live within the undeveloped interior of the country and learn from the Shaolin monks about their unique brand of martial arts? This, primarily before the modernization that has given China its current day patina of modernity, was the act of a man of conviction (or lack of sense!). One of his teachers might have had a literal iron crotch, but Polly certainly has a metaphorical one. The book is fascinating in its tale of China’s culture, using Polly’s time with the Shaolin monks as a wonderful way of mediating the experience while coloring in a much larger tapestry for us all.

Polly’s dry wit makes the book an easy and enjoyable read, and we are fortunate that he provides more than just humor to his commentary. I found this particular quote very insightful about the experience of an American in China, even one fully immersed in the culture: “… it took me several days to realize I was suffering from a minor case of Orientalism. I felt like I had grown up in a shallow, materialistic society and wanted the Chinese to be wise and profound – in short, bracingly poor – so I could get my deepness fix before returning home. It had bothered me that while I was trying to become more like my romantic fantasy of the Chinese, they were trying to become more like their avaricious fantasy of Americans. We were two ships passing in the night.” (pg. 110)

Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism by Michelle Goldberg

A number of books are coming out which suggest that American evangelicals and their interest in political power hold the potential to become something quite troubling. Many authors struggle with any real insight or graciousness when dealing with the topic, but Goldberg does not. Her work is masterful for its ability to be pointed without overlooking the real concerns which motivate evangelicals, and the need for a countering force that does more than just point out the excesses of contemporary Christianity. Reading this coupled with Chris Hedges book (see below) is a very powerful combination.

American Fascists: the Christian Right and the War on America by Chris Hedges

Critics of American fundamentalism and its evangelical cousins are beginning to do more than simply point and cry with alarm at the political machinations and intentions of contemporary Christian thinking. Now, they are beginning to wrestle with what should be done to counteract this as a social influence, and what real needs the movement is touching on which are going unaddressed by secular America. Hedges certainly wrestles with the composition and content of modern Christianity, but he manages to begin and focus on responses and needs to this movement. The latter should be a primary emphasis of future authors as they hold the key to slowing down the ascent of Christian fundamentalism in America.

11 Days in December: Christmas At the Bulge 1944 by Stanley Weintraub

To some, any battle in a war is un-necessary, but certain battles – particularly those that come late during the war once events are fairly decided – are particularly un-necessary. The Battle of the Bulge may be one such battle – an event that occurred long after the German hopes of victory or a negotiated settlement were long past; none the less, the battle occurred and took over a hundred thousand casualties with it. Weintraub’s coverage of the battle is poignant – a blend of the anecdotal, historical and strategic.

Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense by N.T. Wright

There is good in this book, namely its effort to incorporate bits and pieces of modern insights into the concepts and contexts of Christianity. Perhaps more importantly is Wright’s attempt to put Christianity into the gaps where people long for meaning in modern-day life. Having said this, I must confess that I struggled to finish the book in large part because I found its arguments not only unhelpful and largely circular (bordering on tautology), but also troubling. The effort to wholly dissuade the insights of the Enlightenment from penetrating religious thought in any way is a dark side to the argument Wright is making, and overreaches beyond his understandable (and right in my estimation) point that we have forgotten how to allow religion to take care of our inner lives. I will have a more detailed review of this book available soon.

The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten

Steingarten, food editor for Vogue and occasional judge on Iron Chef America, is a wickedly witty writer on all topics food related. This particular book is a collection of essays spaced over a number of years, covering his eating in restaurants and attempts to replicate various recipes ranging from odd to curiously comforting. He reminds us that American apple pie overuses cinnamon and, consequently, obscures the taste of good apples; consequently, we have forgotten what good apple pie should taste like. These little insights make his column approachable, the work not that of a critic who needs fois grasse mousse to be interested. Never better than when describing the lost art of waiters in American culture, he attends a school for waiters where he learns the role they play in selling food. Assigned a product to describe and sell to the customer, he comes up with the following: “a golden roll of classic lemon genoise, scooped out and filled with a delicate sweet cream.” (pg. 133) The product? A Twinkie.

Ill-Equipped for a Life of Sex by Jennifer Lehr

Our sexuality is rarely something we easily come to terms with. For most, if not all, it holds profound insights into our struggles, story and self. Sex denudes us of many things, which Lehr has the courage to share. A book initially lurid and shocking gradually becomes satisfying and relational; a transition most will relate to. A unique read and particularly unique candor to write.

Nixon and Mao: the Week that Changed the World by Margaret Macmillan

Macmillan, author of perhaps the best history of the Treaty of Versailles, Paris 1919: Six Months that Changed the World, now turns her attention to one of the pivotal international developments in the last 50 years – the opening of China by Nixon. Her treatment of the main actors is phenomenal – Nixon, Kissinger and Chou Enlai in particular (Mao is very much discussed, but his portrayal is a bit less vivid and illuminating than that of the other previously mentioned people).

Whose Bible Is It? A History of the Scriptures Through the Ages by Jaroslav Pelikan

Pelikan, a historian sensitive to the bifurcated separation between Old & New Testaments – between people whose traditions, cultures and stories are profoundly inter-related – has written a carefully crafted history of how the Bible became what it now is to both Jews and Christians (with an occasional reference to Islam interspersed). His handling of tradition and its role in shaping theology was helpful to me, a more clear and concise presentation of how the two have shaped and relied on one-another than other work attempting to make the same points.

Leading Quietly: An Unorthodox Guide to Doing the Right Thing by Joseph L. Badaracco, Jr.

Badaracco’s book is a welcome treatment of leadership absent the cult-like personality hagiography which passes for some contemporary treatments of leadersing. Badaracco has studied the features of leaders who quietly make their way through complex situations, fraught with ethical and strategic issues, who are successful without flaunting their own contribution. The book is not about humility, it is about an aspect of leadership frequently forgotten.

Killing the Buddha: a Heretic’s Bible by Peter Manseau and Jeff Sharlet

Ah yes, here we find two souls willing to embrace the ugliness, dysfunction, craziness and utter piercing insights which come from friends wandering the North American countryside in a search for spiritual experience, maybe real truth, but likely not. The book’s treatment of Genesis is so profound it will rob you of any other treatment of this part of the good book. In later unrelated chapters we get spirituality in its extremes – people who’ve done the work, called it shit, and decided they wanted something else and they’d be damned if anyone was going to tell them what they were supposed to be finding. The book shows us lapsed witches, hyper-evangelical fundamentalists, and strippers using their spiritual gifts (at least as they understand them). The book is fun, its bawdy, for some even unsettling. But it’s real about what we don’t know, and how we engage our unknowing.

A Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong

Long a favorite author of mine, Armstrong’s treatment of myth is first-rate. She manages to be brief (not always a byproduct of her thorough scholarship), and consequently produces one of her tighter and more pointed contributions to religious thinking. This book emphasizes the proper role of myth, which is as she sees it, “… in one sense happened in the past, but in another happens all the time.” She provocatively argues that our sense of myth is stuck in the Axial Age or earlier, and that unless we free it we will be left only with an “undiluted logos which cannot deal with our darker selves.” Myth as instruction and illustration and a type of ultimate truth is an important thought, and one I appreciated Armstrong expanding.

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• March 30, 2007

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One Response to “Q1 2007 Bookshelf”

1. Rich Says:
   April 7th, 2007 at 7:37 pm

   Glad to see the book reviews back up and running!

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