Book 21: The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

Title: The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

Pages: 355.

How it was obtained: I apparently borrowed this from my parents, probably on one of their many attempts to purge books from their library and put them into mine. For that I am eternally grateful. Thanks mom and dad!

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 2 or 3 years, I think.

Days spent reading it: 4 days.

Why I read it: In High School we were allowed to choose between The Killer Angels and All Quiet on the Western Front. I thought I was smart back then, saw that The Killer Angels was about 350 pages, but All Quiet was about 150 (I don't remember exactly). I chose the shorter book. Today I read the longer book.

Brief review: As I finished this book tonight, I was stunned. I was truly moved by the final chapters of The Killer Angels.
The novel is historical fiction based as closely to the real details of Gettysburg as the author could create. Shaara draws you into the time period, the characters, and the battle as if you were right there in 1863. Simply incredible.

There are a number of things that I liked about this novel. First, it was well written. From the first page on, the reader is drawn into the world of the officers and soldiers who met their fate at Gettysburg.
Second, the characters are well drawn out. Robert E. Lee comes to life on these pages. So do Longstreet, Picket, Chamberlain, and a host of others involved in this historic battle.
Third, Shaara writes about the complexity of "the Cause" of the Civil War. The fact is it was not just about slavery, but slavery was a major factor. The cause is complicated, both sides have different reasons for fighting. Sometimes people on the same side have vastly different reasons for fighting. Very fascinating look at the complexity of a war that we sometimes boil down to being just about slavery.
Finally, I love the humanity of this book. As Longstreet is forced to send thousands to their deaths, he literally seems to fall apart at the orders he must make. My english teachers from High School used to tell me "War is Hell." It seems that most books with war as their central theme talk about the hellish nature of war. This book paints that same picture, but it does it looking through the eyes of men who have been forced to make the decision to send men to their deaths. I cannot imagine what anguish their souls must have gone through after making those kinds of decisions.

Two quick personal notes of interest. First, in the book they mention that some soldiers would not actually fire against the opposing army. I saw a piece of a program that reported that some rifles had been found that had 20 or more rounds inside of them from soldiers who pretended to load and fire, but never did. That is completely fascinating to read about and to consider what kind of people were fighting and who they were forced to fight.
Second, I visited Gettysburg years ago during a spring break trip. All I remember is that it was cold and windy. I recall being on Cemetery Hill where Picket made his last charge. I wish I had known more about the battle when I was there. Perhaps I will be able to go back again someday and appreciate the battle site more than I did.

The scope of Gettysburg simply baffles me. But The Killer Angels paints a clear picture of the battle, the decisions that were made, and the military ramifications. The Killer Angels is a mandatory read for Civil War buffs. It is a worthy read for people interested in historical fiction, war in all of its complexity, and for Americans who want to learn more about their heritage.

Favorite quote: "A little eccentricity is a help to a general. It helps with the newspapers. The women love it too. Southern women like their men religious and a little mad. That's why they always fall in love with preachers."

Stars: 5 out of 5.

Final Word: Sobering.

Book 20: The Tempest by William Shakespeare

Title: The Tempest by William Shakespeare

Pages: 187 (including commentary and notes).

How it was obtained: I do not remember where I picked it up. It's used, so either from the used bookstore in Columbia, or possibly from the library here in Elkins. I just don't remember.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 2-3 years.

Days spent reading it: 1 evening.

Why I read it: I was reading some sci-fi books (Illium and Olympos by Dan Simmons) that used characters and plot points from the Tempest as a major element of the book. I figured it was about time that I read a classic Shakespeare and figure out why these characters were used and why someone might use them again in a sci-fi story.

Brief review: What an odd play. The Tempest is about a storm that causes a ship to basically wreck on an abandoned island. As we get into the play, we are introduced to the main character Prospero. Prospero has apparently caused this storm to happen and has plans for the people whom he has shipwrecked.

It's difficult to say if I liked this play or not. It was very difficult to read. I find Shakespeare brutally difficult to understand, and this play was no exception. His sentences and syntax are so difficult to read its hard to follow what exactly a character is talking about.

A major part of this play is Prospero's plans. We are never told explicitly what Prospero's actual plans are. He apparently changes them at some points in the play. He has no advisors and no confidants. The critical introduction to my version of the play says that is what makes this play unique amongst Shakespeare's plays. Prospero is an enigma. He's ambiguous. He's hard to pin down. And what are we to make of his "monster" Caliban, who serves Prospero but also wants to overthrow him? He repents, but are we to believe his repentance? What are we to understand about love as represented by Miranda and Ferdinand? Can love be setup? Can we recognize our true loves in a matter of minutes? Or seconds? Shakespeare has some unique insights into the nature of humanity, but some of his ideas ultimately seem forced or unnatural to me.

I realized once again, I'm not a big fan of Shakespeare. I'm sorry. I just do not think the effort of understanding is worth the payoff. I know, blasphemous, but that's my take on the Bard. I'll stick with my greek tragedies please.

Favorite quote:
Caliban: "Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,/ Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not./ Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments/ Will hum about mine ears; and sometimes voices/ That, if then had waked after long sleep,/ Will make me sleep again; and then, in dreaming,/ The clouds mehtought would open, and show riches/ Ready to drop upon me, that when I waked/ I cried to dream again."

Stars: 2.5 out of 5

Final Word: Ambiguous.

Secret Survivors by Jen Howver and Megan Hutchinson

Title: Secret Survivors: Real-life Stories to Give You Hope for Healing by Jen Howver and Megan Hutchinson.

Pages: 160.

How it was obtained: Bought it with some other youth ministry books.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: None.

Days spent reading it: 3 days.

Why I read it: I know our youth are sometimes going through really difficult struggles. I thought this book might be a good resource to make available to them.

Brief review: Secret Survivors is a powerful book that talks about the secrets that we hold inside that are tearing us apart. It is told by different "survivors" of some very traumatic secrets. Issues such as cutting, incest, rape, pornography, eating disorders, and abortion are amongst the topics that are talked about.

What I liked about this book is the broad range of topics that are talked about. Each topic is talked about through the words of a survivor. Additionally at the end of each chapter are reflection questions that are applicable for any reader (not just those who have been through that particular secret). This was very helpful in thinking through the issues that the book talks about, and truly bringing healing to hurt and damaged souls.

I cannot even imagine living through some of the issues that are covered in this book. Some made my heart feel like it was breaking right there as I was reading. The book encourages the reader to write out their own survival story from whatever secret is destroying them.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has ANY emotional, physical, or spiritual baggage in their past. Healing is possible, and this book helps you take the first steps. I would also recommend this book to anyone who works with youth (or adults even) who may be dealing with these kinds of issues. I gained a lot of insight into some worlds that I have never delved into before. Overall a worthwhile book to read for me.

Favorite quote: The reality is that our secrets eat away at us. Secrets break us down emotionally, physically, spiritually, and relationally. The only way to really survive is to break the power our secrets have over us--by telling someone else.

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Hopeful.

Book 19: Jesus Creed by Scot McKnight

Title: Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others by Scot McKnight

Pages: 335.

How it was obtained: Bargain price of $4.98 at Barnes and Noble. Oh the sweet deals of B&N bargain books.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 1 year.

Days spent reading it: 2 months. (I started it, got bored, put it down, picked it up again and finished).

Why I read it: I enjoy Scot McKnight. He has a great blog called Jesus Creed. He's an evangelical scholar who likes to think outside of the box. I don't agree with him all the time (or even most of the time I think). But he does make me pause and think about my theology.

Brief review: The premise of this book was simple: What does Jesus teach us about how we can Love God? Scot McKnight uses "The Jesus Creed" to explore spiritual formation ('Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The Second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these). McKnight traces how many of Jesus' sayings about spiritual formation are grounded in the Old Testament law and then expanded upon and applied by Jesus.

I liked some of this book. In the beginning McKnight uses too many transliterated Hebrew words in his text. I understand using Shema to talk about "Hear, O Israel" and the Ten Commandments. I don't understand using Anawim (pious poor), mamzer (illigetimate child), tsadaqim (righteous ones), OVER and OVER again to talk about words that are expressed just fine in English. I honestly annoyed me so much I put the book down for awhile.
However, some of McKnight's chapters on about how we live out our lives following Jesus in the second half of the book are very good and were worth reading.

McKnight has some great insights, but he can be difficult to read. His writing is not as clear or as smooth as I was expecting. Maybe it was just me, but I found him akward and frustrating to read during the first 100 pages.

Jesus Creed was alright. It was not great. It was not bad. It was just good. I've read other books on spiritual formation that I would recommend before this book. But if you're interested, McKnight does have some good points about how to follow Jesus in the last half of the book.

Favorite quote: "Our reputation (what others think of us) is not as important as our identity (who we really are). Spiritual formation begins when we untangle reputation and identity, and when what God thinks of us is more important than what we think of ourselves or what others think of us."

Stars: 3 out of 5.

Final Word: Alright.

Book 18: Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

Title: Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

Pages: 342.

How it was obtained: Christmas gift from my parents MANY years ago.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: I'm guessing at maybe 7 or 8 years. One of the longest time frames for an unread book in my collection.

Days spent reading it: 3 days.

Why I read it: Alright, so I've always been an advocate of "don't knock it until you've read it." I've thought that about Harry Potter (and the Christian overreaction to the series) and other books in my lifetime. Now I've never read Left Behind, but I've been a fan of knocking it since I was in college. I've had it for a long time, just never got around to reading it because I knew that I fundamentally disagreed with the author's view of the end-times. So I finally decided I was going to read it.

Brief review: I'll be honest. I did not have much hope of enjoying this book. I knew that I would fundamentally disagree with the major plot point of this book--the idea that the church would be raptured before the tribulation described in the Bible.

However, I enjoyed this book. No, it wasn't the greatest book I've ever read. It wasn't even a book I thought was particularly well written. There was a lot of cheesy dialogue in it. But I think what this book accomplishes wonderfully is this: It presents a CLEAR gospel presentation, and calls all people to turn to Jesus. You cannot read this book and wonder to yourself, "Gee, I wonder how one becomes a Christian." Its just not possible. You can ignore it. You can mark it down as cheesy dialogue. You can think its forced in some places. But you cannot ignore the gospel message in this book. I like that. And since this series has sold literally millions of books (sure, many of them to Christians), I'm sure millions have gotten into the hands of people who need to hear that clear gospel message.

I also love how this book emphasizes the fact that being good is not the same as getting into heaven. There are plenty of people who profess to have a relationship with God who are faking it or who are flat out lying. This is an important point to make, because it forces me to think about who is a part of the church? Who will get into heaven? The answer is: only those who have a relationship with Jesus Christ. That's it, nothing else will do.

So a few things that I did not like so much. First, I do not think there will be a pre-tribulation rapture of the church. I just do not that its in the Bible. I won't say any more about it here, feel free to write a comment or email if you want to talk about that. Second, the Christians who are taken away in Left Behind are typically described as the kind of good folk who believed in Jesus and lived their lives perfectly. LaHaye and Jenkins never talk about Christians who were flawed humans being raptured. Perfect pastors get raptured (awesome, I'm in!). Tattooed punks don't (sorry tattooed punks). I think LaHaye and Jenkins will be surprised when people who don't "look like Christians" greet them in heaven. The authors did a good job of saying that people who look like Christians, but in their hearts are faking it, are not really Christians. They did not do such a great job of saying that people who don't look like Christians, but in their heart have a real relationship with Jesus, can be true Christians.

Overall, this is a book that has impacted millions. I am glad that I finally got around to reading it. It caused me to think, it caused me to evaluate what I DO believe about the end-times. Left Behind did not change my mind about how the events will play out, but it did surprise me in a good way. I enjoyed reading it. I would be vaguely interested in reading other books in the series (the series is ridiculously long, and I have tons of books on my current reading list, but someday I might consider it). The characters were enjoyable, and the plot was well paced. Definitely worth the time I invested in it. I would recommend it to anyone who would be interested in ONE perspective of the end-times, as long as they realized LaHaye and Jenkins are not the only interpretation of the end-times and they are certainly not writing Scripture.

Favorite quote: "I'm afraid he's gone off naked. He's a religious person and he'll be terribly embarrassed."

One funny thing I remember about this series. When I was in Toccoa, a Christian Bookstore there had a sign advertising "Desecration available here! Only $14.99!" That always made me laugh. (Desecration is one of the later books in the series)

Stars: 4 of 5.

Final Word: Surprising.

Catching Up...

I haven't posted a new review in almost a month. However, I have been actively reading. I've finished about 5 books since I last posted. So I spent today catching up on those posts. However, instead of giving them all at one time, I'm going to spread them out over the next week or so. Check back everyday for a brand spanking new review. Books you can look forward to reading about: Left Behind, Jesus Creed, The Tempest, Refuel, The Forgotten Ways, A Book You'll Actually Read (4 of them actually!), Secret Survivors, Knuffle Bunny, and Knuffle Bunny Too. Some are from my list, some are ministry books, and some just happened to sneak in anyways. Enjoy!
-patrick

Book 16: The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve

Title: The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve

Pages: 293.

How it was obtained: I purchased it for 10 cents from the library. The book was in good shape, and I thought it might possibly be interesting to read.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: About a year.

Days spent reading it: 4 days.

Why I read it: I often peruse the used book pile at our library. Sometimes a nice looking book shows up, so I buy them. Yes, as I've stated before, I will buy a book based on its cover. More importantly I will often read (or not read) a book based on its font readability. This book's pages and fonts were in great shape. Totally readable. So I read it.

Brief review:
The Pilot's Wife was a fascinating novel about some huge themes. Loss permeates this book as the main character, Kathryn, learns about her husbands death and the subsequent aftermath. Shreve tackles other themes such as death, life, love, betrayal, family and she tackles them with wonderful prose.

Kathryn is awakened at 3 am with news that her husband's plane has crashed. Her husband was the pilot (hence, The Pilot's Wife). Shreve slowly shows us as Kathryn's world unravels around this watershed moment in her life. Kathryn's heartache and loss are felt from the first page. However, the story continues as Kathryn learns about a secret life that her husband has been leading. I would not dare spoil the plot for you, all of this can be found on the back cover. Needless to say, this book unveils slowly a world that was not as it first appeared.

I think Shreve does a wonderful job with her characters. They are complex, they grow, change, and develop with the story. I found her writing smooth, I could just take it in all day. Her conversations are understated, but perfect. They are conversations that went deeper than the words that were uttered. Like every word was important. Shreve says in one sentence what some writers struggle to express in paragraphs. I enjoyed this book until the end. However, I was confused by the last paragraph. If anyone reads this book, and wants to explain to me what the author is trying to say in the last paragraph, please let me know! I just could not "get it."

I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. At first I was afraid that I had picked up a "girl book" and probably would not like it, I just had to press ahead. Instead I really enjoyed it and believe it is a great novel that can be savored by those who decide to pick it up and allow it to take you on a journey about love and loss.

Favorite quote: "If you never suspected someone, she realized, you never thought to suspect."

Stars: 4.5 out of 5.

Final Word: Intriguing.