5 comments about When God Is Gone, Everything Is Holy: The Making of a Religious Naturalist.

1. Chet Raymo is a science writer who wants us to believe that we need to shed our outmoded views of God and instead see nature as the cathedral of our lives, the inscape, the divine flashing forth in everything, "the inexhaustible mystery." Or something like that.
   
   The real gist of the book is to make atheism palatable while at the same time making existence meaningful. On both points I would conclude that he has failed. Having said that, I did enjoy much of the book and can certainly identify with Raymo more than this review would indicate..
   
   His opinion of science is, IMHO, overarching. I enjoy the discoveries of science as much as the next guy. I have a degree in microbiology and work in the field. Still, I do not see science as an end all. Apparently, Raymo does, since he abandoned his Catholic roots for the holy grail of science. Since science is about evidence, I find it strange that he dismisses Christianity out of hand while at the same time admitting that our "ignorance is eternal."(p25 ff.) In my readings, science cannot explain the origin of the universe (the big bang screams of origins, hence God), the origin of life from non-life (by a mindless, directionless universe), or the origin of consciousness (mindfulness from total mindlessness). Seems like a lot of holes in the icon.
   
   Even if there were no God, how can scientists be so proud as to state this as a fact? Is naturalism so sovereign that it passes judgment on the metaphysical, the flesh judging the spirit? How arrogant! (Not to mention the fact that when you break down all the points and counterpoints, we all begin our arguments with uncertain a priori assumptions. We all do.) I think science writers should stick to what science can do and stop pretending to know more than what they can know. Ignorance- for all of us- is eternal. There is just so much that we simply do not know, especially about things beyond our means of analysis..
   
   Some atheists, such as Loftus, point out that a life lived in delusion is a wasted life. I agree. But who gets to draw the delusion line? With the big three questions (listed above) left unanswered, I don't conclude that naturalism has met burden of proof.Though a lot of evidence leans toward naturalism (DNA, evidence for common descent, an old earth, the gradual fossil record), much doesn't (complexity of life, the fine tuning of our universe, probability issues). Science by definition cannot address the metaphysicaland we can't assume that naturalism will explain everything observed in the physical realm. I wish Raymo had addressed some of these issues. In the meantime, I'll draw my own delusion line, thank you.
   
   The subtitle- The Making of A Religious Naturalist- is misleading. He fails to discuss the process by which he left religion. I do not know his personal story, what made him ultimately a naturalist. It has been my experience with others, and in reading biographies of atheists, that a person has an experience in their religious life where they feel betrayed, abandoned or hurt by God which turns their hearts away from God. In the Christian world, this is referred to as a "root of bitterness." It can grow and destroy the inner life; I bet we have all experienced this to some degree. I suspect that Raymo has had this type of experience. I suspect this because he does not tell us what led him away from God. Interestingly, he quotes Darwin extensively, including Darwin's story of how the death of his daughter turned him away from God. The take away: Turning away from God is an emotional and spiritual thing, not intellectual.
   
   The first chapter contains some subtle irony. While in college, his girlfriend had given him a novella called Mr. Blue, a story of a devoted Catholic man. In his book, Raymo describes Dr. Blue: "One cannot counter scientific agnosticism with reason and argument, he believes. The only answer to the prevailing spiritual malaise is a life lived with passionate, unquestioning Christian conviction. " (p.2) Raymo adopted this mantra and said of himself, "Whatever life would bring, I was determined it would not be mediocre." (p.3) But then- here is the irony- only a page later he casts off his entire belief system and happily embraces mediocrity! At what point am I supposed to buy into his thinking! Why would I want to?
   
   Raymo makes some assertions that I believe are simply wishful thinking.. For me, atheism could never lead to a joyful life; been there, done that (Which is not the same as saying that I have the answer, unfortunately.) Without eternity and a sense of something more, I could not see life as meaningful or even potentially meaningful. Meaning is rooted in permanence. The reasons that the Catholic sacraments he refers to have meaning is that the participants were using them to look beyond their existence to something greater, the blessed Hope. The empty ritual without God would not only be empty, it would be stupid. Atheism is nihilistic by necessity.. Note the "dread essence beyond logic" (p20) And if there is no God, then nature is not holy. It is only sad. Mediocre. All the butterfly drawings in the world won't change that.



2. Religion and the role God plays in our lives has always been a topic of interest to me. From reading Thorton Wilder's "Bridge Over San Luis Rey," in high school to Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code," kept that interest alive, both spawned great discussions into the night with long time friends. Chet Raymo's book will be the next "chapter" on that road with my friends. Our perceptions and views change as we grow older and our demand for "quality" answers increases. Not to duplicate some of the wonderful dissections of this book already posted, I just want to give some personal thoughts. This is a well-written book that I feel could have been longer. I actually didn't want the book (or the "discussion") to end. At times there were parts of this book I felt that I had "written myself." Though at times the author appeared to try not to say "no," the "understanding" and message Mr. Raymo gave to me is that God and nature are interconnected. They are intwined and cannot be seperated. They compliment each other and are the better because of each other. One of my favorite lines in the book is in "The Modesty of Truth" chapter: "The more we understand the staggeringly complex machinery of life, the more truly marvelous the world becomes." And, in turn to me, the more marvelous my faith and wonderment in God becomes because it's one more scientific "piece" of the puzzle where God reveals "Himself" to us. For anyone who belongs to a book club or simply enjoys discussion and/or reviews of books with friends, I recommend this book for the many avenues and roads of discussions it will create. I am going to enjoy travelling those roads with my friends. If there is one "frustration" to the book it is that it gives us no conclusive answers and, of course, it cannot. And in the end, isn't that what has held our interest, curiousity, beliefs, and fasination with both God and nature? We never will know all the answers and that is what keeps the human spirit on the quest to continue to do so. In defense of my postitions I give you this: The Apollo moon landings (science) were becoming mundane in the public's mind until the Apollo 13 crisis. For a few days Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, Jack Swigert, the Odyssey, and Aquarius reconnected us to both our science and our faith.



3. As the subtitle of this book suggests, it describes somewhat autobiographically the 'spiritual journey' that led author Chet Raymo from the Roman Catholicism of his youth to the enlightened spiritual agnosticism he now embraces. Raymo shares with us the many influences that shaped his journey, especially from literature that was reflective of the beauty and mystery of nature. Some of these writings take on a very religious tone, coming from spiritual thinkers who were branded as heretics in their own churches, others come from atheistic or agnostic thinkers whose reflections on nature left them with an almost spiritual awe at the intricate workings of life. Raymo embraces this inspiring, uplifting wonder of creation, and uses it to try to redefine what 'religion' ought to be.
   
   In early chapters, and reappearing in later ones, he urges an agnostic 'humility' on the reader--that no one can really claim to know the "Truth" (with a capital 'T')! This humility should keep anyone from trying to make any truth claims beyond the empirically verifiable. Yet despite his own advice, Raymo boldly makes some pretty far-reaching redefinitions of religion. Placing all religions on the same level, he asserts that what anyone might believe in and worship as 'god/God' (or any name) is nothing but an idol. A fiction cooked up by our own imagination to create 'God' in our own image. He recites the supposed evidence of a 'God-gene' that predisposes (simple-minded?) people believe. He also boldly redefines 'God' as the 'inscape' or 'mystery' of creation; prayer is redefined as attention to the world, and grace becomes the natural graces of everyday life. The author would lead us to believe that rejection of the supernatural is just as necessary as the rejection of the superstitious--such as ideas that elfs and sprites inhabit nature and influence the chance workings of nature. Raymo seems to suggest that the rejection of the supernatural follows logically from the rejection of the superstitious.
   
   He portrays Christianity in such a superstitious light, though often it appears that he equates the particularly superstitious medieval Roman Catholicism he reads about with the genuine Christian article. Yet as with all straw-men arguments, one hasn't really won the debate until they've adequately addressed the real article. He does however, propose a magnanimous solution for the survival of the Roman Catholic church (and presumably the rest of Christendom): simply ditch the doctrines of "body-soul dualism, personal immortality, heaven and hell, the resurrection, the divinity of the historical Jesus, miracles..." and especially that Jesus was the Son of God and actaully rose from the dead (p. 109). Here he choose to kindly retain the inoffensive aspects of Jesus' life and teachings...his care for the poor and needy, the lepers, etc. Yet for all these volleys at the heart of Christianity, aimed to destroy what he feels is an idolatrous attempt to 'personalize' God into our own image--is the 'religion' he ends up suggesting (see esp. p.114) really anything but religion in HIS own image? And wouldn't that be idolatrous, according to his own definition?
   
   I will say, though, that Raymo is definitely on the right track in criticizing humans' attempts to "define God." He of course believes we are bound to do so by virtue of 'God-genes' and 'selfish memes' that perpetuate themselves through culture. And he rejects any notion of divine revelation about who God is, in favor of only natural revelation--what we see in the world around us. Yet he seems to be blind to the fact that it cuts both ways. If my belief in God is preconditioned in my genes, birth in a Christian family, and memetic environment--he is under the same sway, yet perhaps under different influences. So why am I not to assume that his faith in evolution is not simply a result of his genetic makeup combined with the powerful memes of evolutionary thinking so pervasive in all of his education? Ultimately, all human projects to construct God or religion in our own image are doomed to either failure or popular irrelevance. The only way to true knowledge about God is through His own self-revelation, and the historical Jesus Christ claimed and demonstrated that He was in fact the human revelation of God to the world. Since Raymo fires a volley at this central truth of Christianity--he ought to have seriously faced the historical evidence about Jesus, rather than merely dismiss it with assertions. Basking in the wonderment and awe of the physical world does not give meaning to a godless existence, and the title 'religious naturalism' is simply a mask for another example of American self-made religion. 'Sentimental naturalism' might be a better description. Fuzzy logic and emotional assertions about the grandeur of the universe don't do away with questions of ultimate Truth.



4. Like many believers, I've got through periods of doubt in my life. As a reader, when I find myself in a period of doubt, I read about doubt, and faith. I've read Richard Dawkins and other atheists, and sometimes find their works intriguing. They have challenged my faith in ways that I'm still thinking about. Yet I'm often struck by how negative and uncompromising many of them seem to me. If we don't have God, what positive things are there left for us?
   
   So it's a pleasure for me to find a book that discusses the sacred and the divine, not from a believer's standpoint, but also not in a dismissive way. It's a very short bookshelf that holds the books that can fit in that category, and just for that I'd give this book a thumbs up. It's delicious to read these thoughtful musings on nature and the sacred, and I'm sure this is a book I'll turn to again.
   
   Unfortunately, the book lacks a little coherence. It never actually says that the book is a collection of unrelated essays anywhere, but that is what it reads like. Was the book supposed to meander this much? And if it is a collection of essays, it would have been helpful to say so, and to say why the essays were presented in the order that they were. For example, the first three chapters are all basically about three different authors that he first encountered as a young, fervent Catholic, and how his perspective on these authors has changed over time. Interesting, yes, but I thought the book was going to be about the sacred in nature, not literary musings. It quite honestly made it difficult to keep going with the book as it was so far from the persuasive piece I had been expecting - maybe the fault of the reader, true. But if I had realized to start with that the book is structured like a collection of essays, I would have simply skipped around the literary bits, especially since I'm not Catholic and so had no reference for two of the three authors discussed.
   
   All in all, a good book if only because it presents its subject in a way that isn't often seen. I just wish there had been more structure behind it.



5. This book is about Chet Raymo's journey from Catholicism to a self-described "religious naturalist." Raymo, who grew up Catholic, is now a scientific agnostic who as a "religious naturalist foregoes a personal God" (Raymo 19). Raymo's first chapters set the tone for the book and focus on some Jesuit religious opponents to naturalism (in the 1800's) who apparently opposed the poet and fellow Jesuit Gerard Manley Hopkins. Raymo states that faith and nature ought not to be at odds with each other, but at times some organized religions have forced nature and religion to be at odds. How frustrating for the naturalist indeed. Don't the heavens and the earth proclaim the glory of God? Why in the past has organized religion attempted to deny this?
   I am not of a Catholic upbringing so the book was only a fair read for me. I grew up agnostic and then found God. Raymo grew up Catholic and then became agnostic. I was hoping to find something of interest in the book. I was hoping for more science, and there wasn't enough to satisfy me in the book, but I did really appreciate Raymo's quotes of poetry. He quoted some very beautiful poetry about God and nature, and it made me think of some poetry that has influenced how I look at God and nature, so that is how I will end this review. Perhaps here is a glimpse of inscape: below is an excerpt from the poem "Seascapes" by Philip Comfort from his book Seascapes (quoted with permission of the publisher):
   
   Seascapes
   
   I return like morning to the sea
   Spirit souls the sea
   hummingbird in hurricane
   the boy who tried to cross
   what the sea sees
   September surf
   the voice
   slow beauty, slow circle
   seascroll
   between sea and cemetery
   spawning sea
   ocean oaks
   sea acacia
   seacoast monarchs
   ocean interlopers
   creation song
   hurled into God
   twin epiphanies
   our ears hear before our eyes
   sacred motion
   seaside drum circle
   Hawaiian surfer--He'e nalu
   riding giants at Maui
   the catch
   dolphin dawn
   antiphony
   the beach is his

5 comments about Papillon (P.S.).

1. Papillon is the roughest, toughest, rootenist, tootenist, best lover, and most fair, prisoner ever. And these are his adventures trying to escape from prison.
   
   At a certain point, the book had all the believability of a Penthouse forum letter.



2. The thing that Henri Charriere desired most was his freedom. A French prisoner, he never stopped plotting ways to escape. The only time when he didn't have a plan in motion was when he was either in solitary, or upon personal request of the warden (they would request that he didn't escape so that they could finish their term, and not have their record/pension ruined by his escape).
   
   This autobiography spares no details about the violence and horrors that surrounded the prisoners daily. He loses a number of his friends to disease, or murder. Papillon was generally respected by his fellow prisoners, and the administration. He was quick to criticize the administration to their face. Many of the wardens and doctors even agreed with how screwed up the French justice system was.
   
   Henri is very detailed about his experiences and escapes. He remembers well the people who aided him before, during and after an escape. You will find yourself rooting for Henri with each escape attempt!
   
   There has been some criticism that say that Henri took details from other prisoners' accounts or that some of the anecdotes are made up. Regardless, this autobiographical tale of escape is better than any work of prison escape fiction that can ever be written.



3. While I suspect certain elements of Papillon are true, e.g. the conditions in the "bagne" and general state of French penal code when it was written, you would have to be pretty gullible to believe the story itself to be true. The author suffers through a number of escape attempts that could each be the basis of a feature film, and proves to be virtually indestructible in situations that claim the lives of everyone else surrounding him. But even so, it's a good adventure story.
   
   The believability meter for me finally broke when our hero (who is loved by all, including all the guards, wardens, convicts, etc), becomes adopted by Indians who typically hate all outsiders. Not only do they take Papillon in, but they offer him lovely virgins to bear his children and tearfully wave bye-bye when he abandons them! Please.
   
   Research on Papillon confirms the book was originally planned as a novel, which makes a lot more sense. I'm giving Papillon four stars as a novel, NOT a work of non-fiction.



4. Sweet Papillon, wondrous butterfly; keep going man freedom's just a head, and you can see it in that sunset.



5. Excellent and quick read, notwithstanding the length (540 pages). Much better than the film, starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman released in approximately 1973-74. I felt a stronger than normal sympathy and admiration for the never-give-up, protagonist, Papillon. After reading this book I have a greater respect for the simple freedoms that many of us take for granted.

5 comments about My Life in Advertising and Scientific Advertising (Advertising Age Classics Library).

1. This should be a must reading in every single business university on the planet earth that teaches marketing and advertising. Brilliant book!



2. If you are going to be successful in direct marketing you need to the buy this book and read it until you can quote from it. Study this book and it will pay off.



3. Hopkins's career began at the dawn of advertising and copywriting. As his career progressed so did advertising and he gives us a behind the scenes look at many advertising campaigns from the late 1800's-1920's. Hopkins almost single-handedly helped take copywriting out of its "swaddling clothes."
   
   Of equal interest is his personal history. He was raised in a strict religious home and expected to become a minister. But at age 17 he delivered a sermon that revealed his true beliefs, which were more liberal than his mother's, and he said it was the defining moment of his life. Not once, however, does he criticize his parents or his upbringing and he credits his mother for his advertising and copywriting skills.
   
   Hopkins launched his career in Grand Rapids, Michigan and eventually moved to Chicago, and other cities, for bigger and better jobs. Yet he says that he wondered if remaining in Grand Rapids and living a quiet life wouldn't have been the better choice. He remained connected to normal, real people even after becoming affluent and said he learned much about contentment from them. Hopkins's attitude is very different from most authors of modern business and personal finance books, where it's all about the money.
   
   Scientific Advertising is, as you already know, must reading for advertisers and copywriters. The chapters are short and address very specific topics: headlines, letters, individuality, telling a full story, and, my favorite, service. "The good salesman does not merely cry a name...He pictures the customer's side of his service until the natural result is to buy."
   
   In this book you will not only learn about advertising but you will encounter a humble man who remained detached from the trappings that advertising can sometimes present.



4. I have read marketing books by several of the most famous marketers who are still alive and this book is much better than all of them. This book lets you really understand marketing in a practical way, whereas other books make marketing seem more difficult, confusing, theoretical, and vague. Other books are much less helpful than this one. I think Claude had many times more experience and major successes than any living marketer. I think he knew what he was talking about much more than any others. That's why he explains things much better. I think he was also much smarter and talented as well. He was truly a marketing genius. It doesn't matter that this book is old, because people haven't changed and the scientific principles underlying marketing have not changed at all. If it is true that few people read this book, then I am glad! I would be afraid if all my competition read this book!



5. This is the seed book on advertising and copywriting.
   
   It's a short book. The ideas in it are so tersely stated
   it's easy to miss their profundity.
   
   Very concise. Very well illustrated by examples from
   Hopkins' advertising career. The incidents described
   occurred in a different time though - so they might
   at first inapplicable to today's marketing environment.
   
   Housewives no longer become excited by canned Baked Beans
   and mail-order corsetry. When this book was written
   products were described with words and a drawing at
   best. The demands of the marketplace today are different
   and customers have been split-up into almost infinite
   niche markets today.
   
   Still, timeless wisdom about what gets people to buy.

5 comments about The Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur.

1. As I write this review, I can't think of much interesting to say that hasn't already been written in other reviews, but below I do make some different points, from a metaphysical point of view. It is certainly worth reaffirming the many great things about this book. The author has a fantastic grasp of English, as well as a native, at least from the writing in the book. The book is painful to read but easy nevertheless because most of the writing is simple/pithy but elegant. Not only is his style easy to follow, but also there are many places where he is writing about the amazing events in his life during the catastrophic war in his native Darfur in which he comes out with statements that reveal a precise but again simple, elegant wisdom. One such poignant comment, that unfortunately reminds me of people in my own life, is on p. 149. He is being interrogated by an army general who is telling him that he is the criminal, not the murderous general and his cohorts. Hari comments: "The anger that poured out of him was so great that you could see his soul knew very well that what he was saying was completely wrong."
   
   Thus I obviously recommend "The Translator" very, very highly, no matter how painful it is to read. I did find the last part of the book, where he depicts in great detail the 5 weeks of torture he endured with a reporter and a driver, to be a bit difficult to read due to how much was written and how graphic it was, but no way I'd give this book anything less than 5 stars.
   
   My comments from a metaphysical viewpoint are simply that it's hard for me, who has had a relatively privileged life in America cannot fathom what it is like to live in on a continent where human life seems to be mean almost nothing in times of war and other times. For a long time I've studied and pondered metaphysics, the meaning of life, the fact that the earth school is some kind of "symbolic" place for learning lessons, and that a person who wants to advance as a "soul" not only has to be pure in action, but even pure in thoughts, and that the slightest transgression will set the person back in soul development. Juxtapose that with horrifying accounts of endless brutality, torture, and murder that we read going on in Africa and elsewhere, and one wonders about the "karma" of the evil-doers and their victims, and why some of us are supposed to try to be so "perfect" when such debauchery is tolerated. I would assume that if I were ever in a situation where I was actually experiencing these awful deeds, I would have more to worry about (survival?) than worrying about the metaphysical implications of my current circumstances! I think we can learn compassion, and to be quiet in some kind of humility from reading books like these and pondering the many levels of what they reveal. I do believe that some souls, in a group way, have to go through these outrageous trials before they can "incarnate" in safer places like Europe and the US. A lot of these metaphysical things are simply a mystery as far as I'm concerned.



2. Daoud clearly had a remarkable string of luck. He should have died at least a dozen times, but thankfully, he lived and has written this moving and well-written account of his time in the desert. I highly recommend buying this short book and reading it wherever you go. The book could be read in a night but for how sad it is. I found I could only take a chapter a day. If you don't find yourself crying despite your best efforts to remain objective, distant or dispassionate, then you are a stronger person than I.



3. Daoud Hari has written a painful, unglossed but also celebratory novel of the Darfur region of Western Sudan, and with his understated approach, genuine character, and very unexpected humor, reminds us that Darfur was a place well before it was a tragedy.
   
   This approach allows Hari to engage his readers on a personal level: he asks them to consider their response to losing their cities and their children; he reminds them of the simple connecting power of cellular telephones, and the vital necessity of friendship. Few individuals presented in Hari's narrative escape as caricatures of evil. Instead, their histories are contemplated, their motivations explored, and the Sudanese government's pitting tribe against tribe is revealed as a manipulative orchestration that will make a man a soldier one week and an enemy the next.
   
   But what makes The Translator most remarkable is that its author exists. Hari does not take credit for much, but his grace, his honesty, and his willingness to learn the individual stories in the murderous epidemic that dominates his land, demonstrates him to be of a completely singular character and a person whose love and friendship will, for some, hold back a end that we might wrongly feel to be inescapable and, for Sudan, inevitable.



4. Daoud Hari's powerful, penetrating, concise eyewitness account brings the life-or-death struggles of his people into our minds and hearts.
   
   His descriptions of horror can make you weep or retch, yet the book is infused with humanity, dignity, and even humor--a testimony to the worst and best humankind has to offer. Daoud Hari has witnessed utmost cruelties and survived unspeakable crimes which struck down his family, his village, the region of Darfur, and which continue to corrupt and cripple the nation of Sudan, as its tribal citizens are wiped off the face of the earth or turned into unwelcome refugees.
   
   Overwhelmed by the senseless loss of his brother, the escape of his aged mother into the wilderness to hide, the dangerous roaming of his aged, noble father, the author sought to do something meaningful in the wake of madness that engulfed everyone and everything he knew. Armed with the ability to speak Zaghawa, Arabic, and English, and with intimate knowledge of Darfur's geography, Hari became useful to aid organizations and journalists. He became determined to help bring to the outside world the stories of those who died, who killed them, how, and why. The courage and humanity of journalists and other individuals who gathered eyewitness accounts of the genocide in Sudan comprise an essential part of his story. He also supplies significant insights into the historic and cultural contexts of the strife in his country.
   
   In a growing field of compelling books on the urgent, deplorable, confusing situation of war and genocide in Sudan, Daoud Hari's _The Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur_ stands out in its ability to pervade the reader's conscience. Moving us beyond feeling outraged and overwhelmed by man's inhumanity to man, we develop a deep connection to the author and feel moved to do something to help.
   
   Related readings: _They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan_ by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, and Benjamin Ajak, with Judy A. Bernstein (PublicAffairs, a member of the Perseus Books Group 2005, 311 pp) _What is the What, The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng, A Novel_ by Dave Eggars, 2006 (Vintage 2007, 339 pp) _Emma's War, A True Story_ by Deborah Scroggins, 2002, (Vintage 392 pp)



5. I just finished Hari's book and must say that I believe it deserves no less than seven out of five stars! Although Hari is responsible for helping dozens of journalists write the articles they needed to get the story of Darfur to the world, I don't believe anyone can come close to Hari's first hand account. In Hari's book we learn of the culture and lifestyle of the Zaghawa (those natives of Darfur who are targeted by the government of Sudan)--a complex people with ancient traditions and a keen knowledge of survival. We learn of their rich family tradition, hospitality, generosity and wisdom. This introduction to the Zaghawa makes their situation real and urgent to the Western reader and is most important if one is to understand the consequence of the genocide. Hari is a master at subtle and poignant prose. He writes in a simple manner that is as keen to letting the reader in on the details that make the landscape of Darfur come alive as he is at keeping together the big picture. His humanity is magnetic and his recounting of violence and tragedy unforgettable. I would recommend this book as required reading for any political or history classroom. It is easily read and its message is profoundly communicated.

4 comments about Royalty's Strangest Characters: Extraordinary But True Tales from 2,000 Years of Mad Monarchs and Raving Rulers (Strangest series).

1. Anyone who likes books such as "Royal Babylon" by Karl Shaw, or "A Treasury of Royal Scandals" by Michael Farquhar will love this book!



2. 
   
   This book is a very interesting and entertaining look at some of Royalty's weirdest characters
   
   The people in the book range from Chinese Emperors in the 200 BCE's to the mad Roman Emperors about the time of Christ to people like Prince Phillip and Michael Abney-Hastings who people think is the rightful king of England



3. In this remarkable book, fifty royal individuals are briefly profiled, spanning a period from the third century BC to the present day. In these profiles, the author has gone to great pains to focus on these individuals' various types and degrees of weirdness: from having odd but notable quirks to being stark raving mad. But what makes this book so enjoyable is the author's irreverent tongue-in-cheek writing style. On several occasions I found myself laughing out loud at his careful, well-thought-out choice of words and witty descriptions. This book should be of interest to everyone, but especially history buff who are looking for light historical narrative with a most pleasant twist.



4. Let me be honest, I love these types of books, they are so much fun to read. This book is not only interesting on many levels, but the author is also witty and this is a must for a book of this sort. It's incredible to believe people like this existed and ruled countries, though I have a feeling the poor subjects of these nuts didnt find all this so funny.

5 comments about The Bishop's Daughter: A Memoir.

1. Of the summer's two "gay Episcopal" memoirs -- the other being Gene Robinson's book -- I found Honor Moore's by far the more substantive. Nearly all of us wrestle with our parents, and the more charismatic and larger than life they are, the more likely it is that this wrestling will leave us wounded. Honor Moore courageously shows us her wounds (and her wonder) as well as her father's complexity and her mother's humanity.
   
   Moore opens a window onto the significant social pressures Episcopal clergy once faced to sunder their sexuality from their spirituality -- conservative evangelicals take note -- and this alone makes her book a valuable contribution to church social history.
   
   The real beauty of the book, however, lies in its depiction of two parents and their eldest daughter trying to live their lives as authentically as they can. This is difficult in any era, no matter what the current social prejudices, and if none of the three quite succeeds as much as we would have wished, their journeys are no less moving.



2. Honor Moore could teach Freud himself a few things about family relationships. The first of nine children of a marriage between a privileged Episcopal priest and his well-born wife, Honor from an early age longed to get inside the dynamics of her parents' life together.
   
   Coming as it does while the Anglican (Episcopal to Americans) church is in the midst of a controversy about the roles of gays and lesbians, her memoir is especially instructive about the way sex and gender play out in this ecclesiastical world. It is also a cautionary tale about the ripple effect of dishonesty nurtured in closeted homosexuality.
   
   What makes this memoir so compelling, however, is not that Honor Moore outs her iconic father, Paul, the bishop, but her gentle but relentless search for the factual and emotional truth about her parents' multiple liaisons and her own. Meticulously, she recounts her childhood awe of her father's spiritual identity, separate from the one he assumed around the rectory. In his clerical garb, he was apart, but even more than she knew was hidden.
   
   The years the family spent in Jersey City during the late fifties and early sixties in a ministry that involved all its members formed her character and created the image of her father as a dashing activist priest aware of the roots of racism and poverty. She speaks dispassionately of the huge family fortune that provided some respite for the family and enabled her father's ministry. He called it his cross of gold. She would say, I think, that the cross he and his family bore was of a different nature.
   
   Aside from its political implications, this memoir is a deeply personal exploration of Christianity and the erotic and worth reading no matter what your sexual or religious orientation.



3. I wish that the author of this book had enough income from her trust fund that she didn't have to write and publish a book like this. There is an incredible amount of private information in this book that should never have been made public. Honor Moore has dishonored her family.



4. I happen to have had the good fortune of meeting Ms. Moore in school, many years ago and we have remained in touch sporadically over the years. Can I be objective because of my relationship? Yes and no...I have other friends who have written books and I am predisposed to like them, that said, some I like better then others, reporting to you that I love Honor and I truly loved her latest book. Found it very moving and respectful, not a "Mommy Dearest", loose liped memoir at all. Wonderfully written, evocative, funny and sad and above all written with a full heart. One of my favorite reads in the last few years. Bless her and Mom and Pops too.



5. Honor Moore deeply engages her memories and the documents of her family. She uses photographs, letters, journals and newspaper reports to inform and challenge her original memories as well as plenty of psychotherapy to inform her insights. Her book reflects an adult making sense of her family and herself ... within the context of wealth, privilege and many well-known names.
   
   Most compelling of all is the cost of her parents dishonesty about affairs, sexual orientation and affections. As another reviewer notes, this book is a carefully reflected upon object lesson for all people about the damage done by denials and lies.
   
   At the same time, it chronicles the opening up of new opportunities ... such as Bishop Moore's ordaining the first out lesbian, and other changes in the Episcopal Church. The overall message is one of hope and faith and love (as in the best kind of charity.)
   
   Read it!

5 comments about Roasting in Hell's Kitchen: Temper Tantrums, F Words, and the Pursuit of Perfection.

1. I was floored when I read this book. I've always been intrigued by Ramsay because of his shows and his management style (and, of course, his mouth). He says what everyone wishes they could say -- not a single filter -- and gets away with it.
   
   What you get in this memoir is a deep understanding of how to excel at your job -- be passionate about what you do, commit to what you do and then, simply, do it with conviction.
   
   Ramsay is to cooking what Tiger Woods is to golf -- a unique and talented guy who brings unbelievable attention from the non-culinary crowd to his business.



2. Ok so I am a Chef and I love this book. If you are a fan of hells kitchen, and I was until the second season, you will enjoy reading this. It goes into why he became a chef and why he gets so upset on the show, other than the paid for dramatics. If you are thinking of auditioning then I would suggest reading this book first -M



3. One of the many complaints about Gordon Ramsay is his harshness. Many people I know dislike him because of his treatment and apparent belittlement of his contestants on Hell's Kitchen. (Season 1 now available on DVD - Hell's Kitchen: Season 1)
   
   Read this book and you will have that feeling no more.
   
   The best attribute of this book for me was reading about all of his life experiences and to see how they shaped who he is today. It really becomes evident when you watch him on television. If you think he is harsh to the Hell's Kitchen contestants, listen to what happened to him working for Joel Robuchon and Marco Pierre White. Incredible.
   
   Not only do you feel for him because of his situations with his family, but you really develop a full-blown respect for him. He was, is and always will be a very classy and mature man.
   
   His narrative just sails you through this book. It is quite a wonderful story to read. You will love the stories that you read. It will change the way you look at Gordon forever!



4. I have to admit; I'm not much of a reader. I tend to read books in order to learn something, rather than reading fiction or autobiographies.
   
   I discovered Gordon Ramsey quite by accident. I saw clips of him on The Soup doing Hell's Kitchen, and I thought it looked interesting. So then I watched him on Hell's Kitchen, and later on Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares (both the US and British version), and really enjoyed the shows. Hell's Kitchen was along the lines of the Apprentice. And Nightmares was fascinating as he worked to turn ailing businesses around. Despite his in your face bluntness, he seemed to genuinely care about what he was doing. His passion, and work ethic was extraordinary.
   
   So I became curious about this man, having heard some of his comments on a talk show. I purchased the book, and in a rare move for me, read the entire thing in a weekend.
   
   The story of his rise to the top of his game is incredible. His writing style is as blunt and hard hitting as his on screen persona. He appears to be telling it how it is. The writing style is not the best I've seen, but the book is incredibly compelling.
   
   He started with nothing, failed in a career in professional soccer, and then worked his way up to the absolute top of his profession as a chef.
   
   If you are a fan of Gordon Ramsey, I think you will be fascinated by this interesting read. I would have given it five stars, but had to deduct one for the occasionally muddled writing style. However really, this book is worth 4.5 stars easily.



5. I don't have a lot of time to read so I haven't read more than 3 books in the last 5 years. I got this book from the library and read the whole thing in 1 day! Which for me, is unbelievable. I just couldn't put it down. What a story. It is definitely worth a read if you like Ramsay. I love him even more now that I know where he has come from and what has made him the way he is. He has had a very interesting and very hard life. He is an inspiration. I thought I worked hard, I seem lazy compared to his drive and ambition.
   
   I highly recommend this book. I would definitely read it again. In fact, I am on Amazon right now looking for more books about him.

5 comments about Blonde Ambition: The Untold Story Behind Anna Nicole Smith's Death.

1. I am a firm believer that Larry Birkhead is a good Dad to this baby.
   I somehow have doubts in the "sex act" that supposedly took place with Larry and Howard. The obvious disdain that the two men have/had for one another make this unbelievable.
   I believe it to be true that Howard is sneaky, dangerous man who liked to control and manipulate, and not to be trusted. He very well could have been the one to take the lives of Daniel and Ana Nichole. Sad for this baby who now has no Mother to grow up with, nor Brother.
   Sad Book, Too bad they could not have had the intervention that they needed to save their lives.
   I think Rita did a good job writing this book. It does hold the readers interest, and moves pretty smoothly and quickly.



2. If you are a Anna Nicole Smith fan this is a book for you. I read the book in one sitting. This is a book that you can't put down. You will definitely enjoy it. It's worth the money



3. This book was a dreadful read, confusing, bias and with no cited sources to back up startling allegations. I was disappointed and turned off!



4. it took a while for this one to get going but about half way through it i finally started to get interested... not well written in the beginning, too much he said this but she said that but he said this and she said that, on and on... but like i said it finally made some points, but you are still left wondering what happened....



5. The book basically just tells you everything you already know if you've followed up on Anna Nicole Smith and her life and death. I liked the book better than Train Wreck, but I wished it had more pictures and better information.

5 comments about Actual Air.

1. But I know what I like, and I think this stuff is fun and funny.
   I'll have to check Bill Knott, Harrison Fisher, Jeff McDaniel and Ron Koertge-I may also enjoy reading their poetry.



2. I've ordered Actual Air a couple times from amazon, and both orders were cancelled due to the book being unavailable. Luckily I found it at Drag City's website, which is the record label that the Silver Jews are on. The available edition is hardcover, limited, and more expensive but well worth it b/c it's a gorgeous cloth binding w/ Berman's facsimile autograph etched into the back board. His poetry is fun, and the images can be so simple & fine that I see why some "poets" have a problem w/ someone who makes it look so easy.



3. David Berman, Actual Air (Open City, 1999)
   
   In one of David Berman's amazing poems, we get this passage:
   
   "He wasn't sure how the bathroom mirror worked
   but decided it must be powered
   by the razor blades and aspirin
   he found in the engine compartment.
   
   It was a matter of relearning everything
   after he surfaced from the coma."
   (--"Cantos for James Michener, Part II", XCVI)
   
   In the fifth and sixth lines there, Berman has summed up, with grace, wit, and perfect accuracy, exactly what poetry is about. And in Actual Air, he realizes this concept over and over again. These are poems that are continually surprising, delightful, sometimes downright funny. They exist for the purpose of seducing the reader (and, perhaps, the poet) into looking at the world in a different way than usual. Berman does what the best do-- takes obvious things and juxtaposes them in such a way that we see them in a new light, but that such new light seems obvious, something you would have seen yourself had you simply known to look for it. The medicine cabinet as engine compartment for the bathroom mirror? That's genius, folks.
   
   The much-vaunted Billy Collins blurbed this book, and says in part that Berman has "...the voice I have been waiting so long to hear, a voice, I wish in some poems, were my own." Indeed. This is the type of poetry that is capable of making the most stouthearted of poets break down and weep out of sheer, bitter jealousy, even as that poet hungrily turns to the next page to see what fresh hell is to be found there. And, even more impressive, every page will offer you something.
   
   "He was my assistant wrestling coach,
   sobbing ni the white ruins of his kitchen
   for the olde tymes when the towne hospital was fringed
   with icicles
   and the dogtrack
   stands were packed with his friends.
   
   Instead of helping I sat and watched,
   desperately afraid that someone would append
   a suffix to my name."
   (--"They Don't Acknowledge the Letter C")
   
   When I discover a poet I haven't read before who is capital-G great, I get this unmistakable feeling in my gut. There are a lot of books that make me want to write; there are very few that make me wonder why I have ever considered myself a poet. This is one of them. I haven't felt this way about discovering a new poet since I first read Ira Sadoff almost ten years ago.
   
   Watch this kid. If his first book is any indication, he will be the finest writer of his generation. *****



4. I guess that I am underwhelmed. This is fun, light-hearted stuff. But the accolades that it is given here make no sense to me. It is almost as if slackers have decided that "real poetry" is no longer good poetry because it was already there, and this new, laid-back style of poetry fits their "new generation and we are better than the old generation" attitude.
   
   If you worship Maxx Barry and Chris Moore (and I LIKE their stuff, I just don't think it is the best stuff ever written) then this poetry is probably your stuff.
   
   I think it belongs "on the back of the terlet" for light reading when you are
   
   taking
   
   
   a squat.
   
   Look, I'm a poet too! I was able to put the words in a sentence on different lines and make it look pretentious!



5. (I figured I'd put this at the top so people would catch this -- Berman announced a nice while ago that he has another book of poetry/prose on the way currently titled "Richard Simmons 1950-?")
   
   I found Actual Air through David Berman's band Silver Jews, and since then I think I enjoy his writing even more than his music (which is hard to imagine). Berman manages to keep a cool slice of wit while not taking it too far, has a nice regard for the strangeness in the world around him, and is probably the best "Americana" poet I've ever encountered. A few poems fumble in a few spots with overly awkward language (which really just seems like slightly more hurried diction), but otherwise this is a very good first release for a poet. I forgot we still had those these days -- clever poets.

5 comments about Evangelical Is Not Enough: Worship of God in Liturgy and Sacrament.

1. One rarely finds any Christian dealing so gently with the dichotomy between Evangelicalism and the Liturgical tradition. Moving from his Evangelical upbringing with a slow, thoughtful conversion, Thomas Howard respectfully describes why he believes that being Evangelical Is, simply, Not Enough.
   
   Howard describes how he came to be reconciled with the more controversial issues of the liturgy - set prayers, the routine of the Church Calendar, priestly garb, prayer for the dead, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the incessant reminder that we are flesh and blood creatures, not pure intellects. Describing the Good Friday liturgy, where the faithful kiss a replica of the cross, Howard days, "I had never before done anything other than try my best to think about the cross. Here I was obliged to carry these sentiments into actual physical gestures. The act not only expresses something real, it gives force and clarity to it" (144). Howard constantly presses his reader to consider both spirit and flesh; his argument rests in the simple fact of the Incarnation: God became flesh and redeemed it thus (pg. 36, especially). Any reading of the Old Testament illustrates the incredible, visceral way God deals with his people: through sacrifice and blood, through incense, smoke, and physical posture, through meals and clothing. Few Christians realize just how important our bodies are, and Howard gently presses this, constantly reminding his reader that the Liturgy actually frees the believer to worship and refrain from being caught up in his own emotion.
   
   As a convert to Catholicism from Evangelicalism, I was encouraged by the way Howard deals with controversy and challenged to keep the faith in my own routines - not just to genuflect, but to bow with my whole heart, not just to recite prayers at Mass, but to mean them. I often tend towards "apologetics with an axe," and I found the dignity of Howard's book inspiring. He is so courteous I wouldn't hesitate to hand this book to the most fervent opposer of the Liturgy, or the most timid searcher.
   
   Perhaps most happily, Howard's writing is beautiful. I was first transfixed by his articles in "Touchstone" magazine - where he pointed out the overwhelming use of the word "just" in Protestant prayer, much to my amusement - and am simply charmed by his adept handling of the art of composition.
   
   Brilliantly written, well-considered, and endlessly courteous, Howard's book deserves a place on all our shelves. As for me, I can't wait to get my hands on his follow-up book, "On Being Catholic."



2. Linkage with our ancestors. The ancient liturgy which Howard discovers was lacking in his evangelical roots and found in liturgical world of Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Lutheran and Anglican confessions, fills this void with ritual/ceremony which proclaims the fullness of the gospel in all ages to all generations.
   
   Worthy is this effort to dispel some of the evangelical objections to such formalized, structured worship tied to the ancient past of the NT church. Howard explains the disconnect that evangelicals have made with is past and centering on individual devotion coming together in meeting sense to worship. While not bemoaning much at all any doctrinal differences (he seems to be consistent in saying there are none that are of essential nature) he found liturgical worship to be a necessary historical engine to run his spiritual life.
   
   While finding much to admire and concur with, several things prevent the fifth star from being awarded. He places great deal of emphasis on worshipper acting out in the gospel drama at times to at the expense of sacramental nature of Word & Sacraments. Here, called and ordained Servants of the Word enter to do the giving and working of faith through the holy means of grace. Second, find that his literary style (which some have attributed closeness to C.S. Lewis) began to wear on me and stifled his thrust. Theological talk at times is stretched by literary means which is understandable from one of his training and profession. Yet this theologian prefers more theology talk when this occurs.
   
   I would be slow to recommend this read to certain individuals who could not relate to such a literary style, and his tendency to ignore Lutheran contributions which he seems to conveniently pile away into misunderstood and misapplied category of "Protestant." Certainly this is biased, as is Howard's. Those interested will find many of same themes explained more clearly and theologically in excellent "Lutheran Worship: History and Practice."
   
   For more sophisticated readers, this book will aid many in seeing richness of ancient liturgical past and seek their individual connection of Howard did.
   
   Lex orandi, lex credendi!



3. In this classic and moving testimony of Mr. Howard's conversion from devout Evangelical to what he calls, "Catholic Evangelical," we see the philosophical and emotional challenges that underly the begging questions of Christendom. With a linguistic style and pathos reminiscent of C. S. Lewis, Mr. Howard gives us insight in what it is that attracts so many to the ancient faith. In the end, he offers practical suggestions for Evangelicals to obtain some of those attractions while affirming that nothing short of uniting with the Catholic church will grant the fulfillment of their inner man. Mr. Howard's approach is non-threatening and non-polemic. It is a simple description of what great treasures he feels Evangelicals lost in the Reformation. Perhaps it is best summed up in his closing statement: "Yes-I believe that the Roman Catholic Church is the Ancient Church. I accept its claims. I believe that here one finds fullness ("catholicity") of the Faith. Hence, I mourn the splintering in Christendom. I pray daily for the reunion of Christ's Church. "
   
   This is perhaps the best of the flood of conversion stories available in the quality of pros and the deep understanding of liturgy, ceremony, and sacraments. It is also a great work toward helping Protestants and Catholics understand one another. Indeed, the Reformation is not an event for celebration but for sorrow. We would do well to better understand the depths of that great wound and our need for healing.



4. Mr. Howard explains to us, in a quasi poetic way, the importance and relevance of Liturgy and Sacraments. This is a beautifully written book in which sentences give the impression of having been carefully crafted.
   
   Rites and ceremonies (the backbone of Liturgy) convey a significance of things from Above and enact events of the Church in an accessible way for all types of worshipers.
   
   Rites and ceremonies do not follow the old dictum of form to the detriment of substance as them, having their inspiration on the Bible and in the Church traditions, embody both (substance and form simultaneously).
   
   Sacraments are rooted in the Gospel and have been given their due importance sice Apostolic times. This book is food for the soul.



5. Dr. Thomas Howard was a college English professor who grew up in a well-known evangelical Christian family. (His sister is Elizabeth Elliot.) As a young man, he joined the Anglican (Episcopal) Church and remained there for about 25 years before finally becoming Catholic. The year before he became Catholic, he wrote this book. It is a pseudo-biographical explanation of why someone would leave the evangelical Christian tradition for a more ancient and liturgical form of Christianity.
   
   In the first chapter, Dr. Howard reflects on "Evangelicalism", the tradition in which he grew up. This chapter amounts to the most thoughtful and charitable definition/reflection on "Evangelicalism" and its strengths that I have ever read. He ends by asking why, if so much can be said in favor of Evangelicalism, anyone would ever leave.
   
   He then takes the rest of the book to explain ways in which Evangelicalism, while it has many strengths and gets many things right, nevertheless doesn't give us the whole picture of the Gospel. It misses out on some really important aspects of the Christian Faith. In other words, it's good--very good--but not enough.