This morning at church, my friend Donna handed me this book. She had been looking for it for a long time, and had found it in a used bookstore. She was loaning it to me, because she thought I would enjoy it. She showed me how to read it, to be sure I noted that at the top of each page, it told you if it was Adam or Eve speaking. She thought it was funny and showed Twain's love of his wife. She particularly liked the ending. I asked if I could keep it awhile, because it might take some time to get to it. That was fine with her.
Well, I opened this afternoon and couldn't put it down! So clever, so witty, so true, and also sweetly poignant. I finished it in almost no time. It's just a little over a hundred pages long, and the illustrations (by Michael Mojher) are intriguing and beautiful.
I love how Twain's take on masculinity and femininity are played out in the dialogue between Adam and Eve. Adam's mostly clueless, and Eve is a talker. Yet there's a fresh innocence about them both and a truthfulness about their situation that is beguiling and not far removed from scriptural truth.
The editor, Don Roberts, took Twain's separate works on Adam and Eve and combined them into this narrative that is so charming and effective because of the way their views are juxtaposed. Apparently, Twain wanted them to be published together, even though he didn't get to it in his lifetime. The love between Adam and Eve develops and matures and is uplifting to observe. It apparently mirrors Twain's own love of his wife, Livvy. A very sweet read!
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Origin by Dan Brown
This is my second Dan Brown book, and this one was similar in some ways to the other one. Same urgency in the story, compressed into 24 hours of peril and chasing and interesting settings. A little redundant in that way. Very predictable characters. Why did I read another one of these?!
Yet...this one had an interesting premise. Set in Barcelona and other parts of Spain, a rich scientist whose goal in life is to eradicate religion, is set on unleashing a new discovery that will discredit all faith in God. He is able to spontaneously generate life form in a test tube from basic elements, proving that life can spring from nothing. That part wasn't particularly intriguing. What WAS intriguing, though, was his prediction about what comes next. This was fascinating.
Our next iteration as humans is that we integrate ourselves with technology and evolve into "singularity" -- that moment when synthetic intelligence trumps human intelligence. It's artificial intelligence on steroids. It turns out that the mastermind behind a complex set of murders and malevolence is a supercomputer known as "Winston." As the story unfolds, his devious plan becomes chilling, because he doesn't view it as wrong. An interesting premise... The very technology that will help us solve complex problems like drinking water and global warming can also make us amoral. It's an interesting twist near the end of the book.
Religious people and "creationists" are thrown into the same unintelligent bag, and that's annoying. There doesn't seem to be room for people of faith to be thinkers... Although one of the main characters, Professor Langdon seems to straddle the faith conundrum artfully in an explanation of the difference between patterns and code. Patterns occur in nature and do not convey meaning. Code, like language conveys meaning. He cites DNA as an example of something organic in nature that ALSO has meaning, and therefore may have an intelligent creator. So...that was an interesting distinction.
Yet...this one had an interesting premise. Set in Barcelona and other parts of Spain, a rich scientist whose goal in life is to eradicate religion, is set on unleashing a new discovery that will discredit all faith in God. He is able to spontaneously generate life form in a test tube from basic elements, proving that life can spring from nothing. That part wasn't particularly intriguing. What WAS intriguing, though, was his prediction about what comes next. This was fascinating.
Our next iteration as humans is that we integrate ourselves with technology and evolve into "singularity" -- that moment when synthetic intelligence trumps human intelligence. It's artificial intelligence on steroids. It turns out that the mastermind behind a complex set of murders and malevolence is a supercomputer known as "Winston." As the story unfolds, his devious plan becomes chilling, because he doesn't view it as wrong. An interesting premise... The very technology that will help us solve complex problems like drinking water and global warming can also make us amoral. It's an interesting twist near the end of the book.
Religious people and "creationists" are thrown into the same unintelligent bag, and that's annoying. There doesn't seem to be room for people of faith to be thinkers... Although one of the main characters, Professor Langdon seems to straddle the faith conundrum artfully in an explanation of the difference between patterns and code. Patterns occur in nature and do not convey meaning. Code, like language conveys meaning. He cites DNA as an example of something organic in nature that ALSO has meaning, and therefore may have an intelligent creator. So...that was an interesting distinction.
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Navigating Mormon Faith Crisis - A Simple Developmental Map by Thomas Wirthlin McConkie
This title is rather off-putting. I probably would have never bought this book if I hadn't heard the author interviewed by Jody Moore, a life coach. She interviewed him on her free podcast, "Better Than Happy" and he was fascinating to listen to. His basic premise is that adults continue to develop along a trajectory in a similar way that children do. Yet in our culture, we often consider adults as a group as "done," developmentally. And this book relates a lot of adult developmental research to adults who are religious and at times become questioners or strugglers in their faith journey. He calls this absolutely normal and gives a framework for development that is reasonable and reassuring.
McConkie himself left the LDS church for twenty years before returning with a new perspective. He has a wide view of the world and beyond that is very appealing to me and very inclusive. He chooses words carefully and respectfully. Here are some quotes that particularly resonated with me...
Page 15 - "We might redraw the cultural maps of Mormonism proper in order to allow different kinds of faith to flourish."
Page 33 - "A central premise in the study of adult development is that meaning making is an essential function of all human beings. The patterns we draw on to make meaning evolve over time in sequential and hierarchical unfolding. Put simply, meaning develops through stages."
Page 108 - "If properly recognized and assimilated, doubt can become an indispensable nutrient for a more robust faith."
Page 124 - "With an understanding that each stage of development comes with its strengths and challenges, its healthy and unhealthy manifestations, church leaders have an opportunity to recognize and reinforce the healthy aspects."
He names the 5 stages of Adult Development; from "highest" to "lowest" in this way:
We do not develop through all stages; they are not linear. He writes a chapter describing the strengths and challenges of each stage. He also relates each stage to what he calls the "faith-doubt polarity" which is an intriguing way to think about each stage's manifestation of questioning. A fascinating way to organize complex information.
He cautions: (page 142) - "The names for the stages, the categories, the whole theory--it's all just a map. It's distinct from the actual landscape--from who we are. And yet a good map can help us get where we're going. We need good maps."
I find this all reassuring. I feel validated that my view is sometimes large and sometimes small...And that my tension in some situations where members' word choices reflect very narrow thinking is entirely normal. I don't need to judge, just reassure myself that there is room for all. As McConkie puts it: "It's beautiful to me that any stage can serve as a healthy and vibrant station." page 146
He writes on page 148: "...a faith crisis may simply be a developmental shift unrecognized, unsupported."
And I love this, from 149 -- "Development shows us that establishing Zion isn't simply a matter of converting others to our way of seeing so much as more deeply converting ourselves to seeing more of the Whole." WOW! Just wow. My kind of thinking and believing.
McConkie himself left the LDS church for twenty years before returning with a new perspective. He has a wide view of the world and beyond that is very appealing to me and very inclusive. He chooses words carefully and respectfully. Here are some quotes that particularly resonated with me...
Page 15 - "We might redraw the cultural maps of Mormonism proper in order to allow different kinds of faith to flourish."
Page 33 - "A central premise in the study of adult development is that meaning making is an essential function of all human beings. The patterns we draw on to make meaning evolve over time in sequential and hierarchical unfolding. Put simply, meaning develops through stages."
Page 108 - "If properly recognized and assimilated, doubt can become an indispensable nutrient for a more robust faith."
Page 124 - "With an understanding that each stage of development comes with its strengths and challenges, its healthy and unhealthy manifestations, church leaders have an opportunity to recognize and reinforce the healthy aspects."
He names the 5 stages of Adult Development; from "highest" to "lowest" in this way:
- Strategist - essence: integrate
- Individualist - essence: include
- Achiever - essence: choose
- Expert - essence: defend
- Diplomat - essence: obey
We do not develop through all stages; they are not linear. He writes a chapter describing the strengths and challenges of each stage. He also relates each stage to what he calls the "faith-doubt polarity" which is an intriguing way to think about each stage's manifestation of questioning. A fascinating way to organize complex information.
He cautions: (page 142) - "The names for the stages, the categories, the whole theory--it's all just a map. It's distinct from the actual landscape--from who we are. And yet a good map can help us get where we're going. We need good maps."
I find this all reassuring. I feel validated that my view is sometimes large and sometimes small...And that my tension in some situations where members' word choices reflect very narrow thinking is entirely normal. I don't need to judge, just reassure myself that there is room for all. As McConkie puts it: "It's beautiful to me that any stage can serve as a healthy and vibrant station." page 146
He writes on page 148: "...a faith crisis may simply be a developmental shift unrecognized, unsupported."
And I love this, from 149 -- "Development shows us that establishing Zion isn't simply a matter of converting others to our way of seeing so much as more deeply converting ourselves to seeing more of the Whole." WOW! Just wow. My kind of thinking and believing.
Sunday, December 1, 2019
Winston Willyums and the Whimsical Windup Watch by Lee Gangles and illustrated by Christy C. Robinson
So this is Jeff Hoffman's second book, and the illustrations are just delightful! Our friend Christy did a professional job on these!
And I like this book better than Ferbert (see previous post). It's less redundant and keeps moving and is shorter and to the point. I like the relationship between the grandson and the "geezer" grandfather and friends in the Geezers' Home. It's also a great reminder for adults about how kids might misunderstand or not understand all the words we use with them...
One big flaw for me was using "your" for "you're" not once, but TWICE in this short book. AAAACCHHH! It you're going to win teachers over, you'd better get better editing/proofing going. The principal/principle debate that goes on in the text is handled pretty well, and I can see teachers using that discussion for good.
The bully, the unkind teacher, the principal are all stereotypes but maybe good springboards for discussion. I notice on his website that Hoffman offers teachers the text digitally so they can do read-alouds, etc., for FREE! That's impressive! I think it's an enjoyable read, and better than a lot of the stuff out there. I didn't really LOVE it, though. Clever tricks with the watch as a plot device for changing people...
The real delight though, is the illustrations that Christy drew. They are clever and really enhance the story. Well done here. I'm giving this to the boys along with the other book. I think it's cool for them to read books when they know the author and illustrator.
And I like this book better than Ferbert (see previous post). It's less redundant and keeps moving and is shorter and to the point. I like the relationship between the grandson and the "geezer" grandfather and friends in the Geezers' Home. It's also a great reminder for adults about how kids might misunderstand or not understand all the words we use with them...
One big flaw for me was using "your" for "you're" not once, but TWICE in this short book. AAAACCHHH! It you're going to win teachers over, you'd better get better editing/proofing going. The principal/principle debate that goes on in the text is handled pretty well, and I can see teachers using that discussion for good.
The bully, the unkind teacher, the principal are all stereotypes but maybe good springboards for discussion. I notice on his website that Hoffman offers teachers the text digitally so they can do read-alouds, etc., for FREE! That's impressive! I think it's an enjoyable read, and better than a lot of the stuff out there. I didn't really LOVE it, though. Clever tricks with the watch as a plot device for changing people...
The real delight though, is the illustrations that Christy drew. They are clever and really enhance the story. Well done here. I'm giving this to the boys along with the other book. I think it's cool for them to read books when they know the author and illustrator.
Ferbert Flembuzzie's Most Exotic Zoo by Lee Gangles
Lee Gangles is a pseudonym for our friend, Jeffrey Hoffman (and his wife, Amber), who are members of our Black Hills ward in Rapid. I saw their posts and excitement about his second book, (next on my list), so I thought I would support him by buying and reading this one. Another friend, Amber Hansen (Mt. Rushmore ward whom I've hiked with) illustrated the cover of this book.
It is an enjoyable, kid-friendly read. Lots of good names and fun fantasy. I was hoping for better than "good" because Jeff is a very bright lawyer. He touches on some interesting themes as Sophia, the main character in the story, deals with big problems of exclusion and even abuse at school. How people react differently to her after sensing something about her, after she's interacted with the magical animals in her father's zoo. It didn't quite all come together for me, though, in the way, say, Chronicles of Narnia does. Although there are some sweet hints about unconditional love, etc.
It's also a little long. The animals get a little tiring to hear about; although maybe kids would enjoy the funny names and magical things they do. I do admire the imagination it took to dream them up. And I liked the scene of father and daughter sitting in their tree when they read and talked...
A good first attempt, for sure! And I think the little boys will enjoy it when I pass it on to them...
It is an enjoyable, kid-friendly read. Lots of good names and fun fantasy. I was hoping for better than "good" because Jeff is a very bright lawyer. He touches on some interesting themes as Sophia, the main character in the story, deals with big problems of exclusion and even abuse at school. How people react differently to her after sensing something about her, after she's interacted with the magical animals in her father's zoo. It didn't quite all come together for me, though, in the way, say, Chronicles of Narnia does. Although there are some sweet hints about unconditional love, etc.
It's also a little long. The animals get a little tiring to hear about; although maybe kids would enjoy the funny names and magical things they do. I do admire the imagination it took to dream them up. And I liked the scene of father and daughter sitting in their tree when they read and talked...
A good first attempt, for sure! And I think the little boys will enjoy it when I pass it on to them...
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