Thorubos

another group blog

2006-02-06T18:48:00.000-08:00

As part of the awesomest course EVER, Phil 390: Seek the Welfare of the City with James KA Smith, I am now a member of the second-awesomest group blog ever. Our class blog, Urban Altruism, may serve as a venue of discussion, draft-quality reflection, and just plain coolness (if you can get over the ghastly pink template). I recommend you all add it to your "occasional blogreading" list for this spring. I hope something comes of it. I certainly will be posting on there and on my own blog about this course, as it has already spurred tons of great thinking in and out of class.

Douglas Coupland's Eleanor Rigby Reviewed

2006-01-07T09:09:00.000-08:00

I’ve been a Douglas Coupland fan ever since I read Generation X during Christmas Break 2 years ago, and Coupland novels have graced my school breaks ever since.  It’s often a challenge for me to read during a school break, since I read so much in the semester, but Coupland makes it easy for me.  This Christmas break I read his most recent novel, Eleanor Rigby.  When this book was first published, I knew I was in for something good, because it’s one of my favorite writers and a Beatles reference all at once.  I didn’t have a chance to read it until now, but I am glad I did.

Like 2003’s Hey Nostradamus! (see my 2004 recommendation) this book isn’t exactly an upper.  It’s about loneliness.  The narrator, Liz Dunn, makes no mistake about telling the reader she is overweight, plain, and uninteresting.  She doesn’t have any friends, she lives alone, she doesn’t like her job or her coworkers.  One would think, with this setup, that this would be the most boring and depressing book ever, but not so.  Like in Coupland’s other works, the characters and events are believably odd.  The writing is semi-existential but also sparkles with a sort of real-world hope.  The hope in Coupland is different from your standard Chicken Soup hope, however.  It seems rooted in an acceptance of the way things are.  Life is full of loneliness, death, illness.  And it doesn’t minimize those things, but rather glimmers out from within them.

Another thing interesting about Eleanor Rigby is that it makes me think, after reading it, about loneliness and reading.  I spent 2 days sitting in public places (airport, mechanic, etc) totally enveloped in a fictional life.  Did this make me less lonely or more lonely, I wonder?  I feel like I know a fictional character intimately, but she is, after all, fictional.

Meta-questions aside, however, Eleanor Rigby is a tightly written, beautiful, unusual story that I couldn’t put down.  I find Coupland’s writing arresting and provocative all the time, and his latest novel is no exception.

Two books that I couldn’t put down (but that doesn’t mean you should pick up)

2005-12-29T00:57:00.000-08:00

I’ve just finished two books that have nothing in common with each other besides the fact that I could put neither of them down. An Equal Music is a probing novel about love by Anglo-Indian author Vikram Seth. The Partly Cloudy Patriot is a collection of essays in which author Sarah Vowell explores her own quirks through the lens of her love of history. Both books read easily (though at 400 pages, An Equal Music takes a bit of time) and thoroughly engrossed me with their provocative questions, but only one left me feeling edified and enlightened.

I’ll begin with the love story! I first encountered Seth when I was in 9th grade and my 18 year old sister read his 1,488 page opus work, A Suitable Boy. Being completely ensconced in the throws of sibling rivalry, I decided to give it a shot. After only a few pages I had fallen in love with the protagonist, a young Indian girl of a few generations ago whose Hindu family is trying to arrange a good marriage for her (hence the title). It is one of the few books of that length I’ve read that deserves that many words because of Seth’s power to transport the reader across time and space. I’ve never learned more about India than I have from reading that one novel, which is why I have no hesitation recommending it.

In An Equal Music Seth successfully repeats his feat of transporting his reader into another strange and exotic world, but this time it’s the world of professional Classical chamber musicians. His protagonist is Michael, the second violinist in a prominent London string quartet. The reader is treated to an in depth treatment of the strange and unique relationships members of elite small group ensembles share. Michael, the child of a working class family and once an aspiring soloist, must deal with his musical insecurities along with the other stresses of life as a professional musician (how to make ends meet financially, differing artistic visions of his ensemble, a family who doesn’t understand his passion, and the frustration of keeping/finding the perfect violin for himself, just to name a few).

But where Seth was able to weave a profoundly beautiful love story into the lush tapestry of his setting in A Suitable Boy he creates a tragic and dark tale of love lost in An Equal Music. Michael is haunted by the loss of Julia, his love during their years studying at a prestigious music conservatory in Vienna. He left her, the trio in which they both performed, and Vienna when he had a falling out with his private teacher. By the time he realized what a mistake it had been it was too late. After a chance encounter years later they attempt a friendship, but have moved on to other lives. The incredible bond they shared has dissolved, and all that’s left of it is music. That, and their memories, is enough to sustain them for a time, but in the end this is a cautionary tale of the elusiveness of love.

While I learned a great deal by reading this book, it left me feeling bitter and resentful about love. Michael is an anti-hero that I want to like, but he can’t seem to change, or doesn’t want to. To use Christian terminology, there is simply no redemption in this book. On the one hand that’s refreshing (I was sure this was going to be one of those “out-of-incredible-personal-pain-comes-incredibly-beautiful-art” stories), but it’s mostly frustrating. It’s almost existentialist in its outlook, which is a far cry from Seth’s first novel. A Suitable Boy spoke deeply about the tension between persona love and intellectual commitments. That’s a theme Vowell takes up in her collection of essays, but completely outside the realm of romance.

Two things are very clear in this book: Sarah Vowell is a Liberal (that capital L was intentional) and Sarah Vowell loves her country. A contributor to NPR’s This American Life, it should come as no surprise that her politics lean so far to the left. What is refreshing, though, is her unabashed patriotism, an attitude that seems to have been appropriated by the conservative side of American politics and turned into a blind faith in the current administration (“Support war in Iraq or you aren’t a patriot!”). Her essays take up a wide range of topics from Lincoln’s Gettysburg address to George W. Bush’s second inauguration and from Rosa Parks to Teddy Roosevelt.

Several other things stand out as notable about The Partly Cloudy Patriot. First, Vowell makes it cool to be a history nerd. She brings characters to life, and shows how much fun it can be to learn about those who went before (and laugh at the silly mistakes they made – California as an island! – while wondering what mistakes we’re making that will be laughed at). Second, history is an important lens through which we can (and should) view ourselves. History and historical figures have something to teach us (and not just how to avoid making the same mistakes they made), particularly about our identity. Vowell mantra of “Gallows Hill and Andersonville: It could be, could be worse” is just the tip of the iceberg. And third, history is the great equalizer. Some of her essays serve as fair warning that we should fair in our actions and opinions now lest history judge us for them later. One of her finer essays is “Ike was a Handsome Man,” a public letter to the curator of the new Clinton Presidential Library, in which she describes her visits to various other Presidential Libraries (Nixon, L. B. Johnson, Eisenhower are the primary ones) and what they did or did not do well. As an avowed Clinton fan, her sage advice to this curator is to not ignore the ugliness of the Clinton presidency, but simply to put it in the perspective of his overall impact on the country.

The essays are quite readable and extremely funny at times. Vowell captures a Johnny-Carson-esque self-deprecating tone which is perfect for her lofty content. I will warn you again that Vowell is a Liberal, occasionally pushing the limits even for an acknowledged tree-hugging hippie like me. Sadly this includes a few instances where she lashes out at her Pentecostal Christian upbringing. For the most part, though, The Partly Cloudy Patriot is an engaging and funny read that asks great questions about American history and politics.

a proposal: book reviews

2005-12-06T11:35:00.000-08:00

In an effort to revive this dormant blog, I'd like to propose a task for Christmas break: let's each write a book review of something we're reading (or will be reading, in the case of those with end-of-term assignments). Any genre is acceptable - theology or childrens' lit, fiction or fantasy. I guess I miss reading and talking about books with you all, so it would be fun to read what's going on in your heads as you read cool things.

Post a comment with the book you will read and review.

Education Segregation

2005-10-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of not posting anymore, I've been reading an article today by Jonathan Kozol, author of Amazing Grace and other must-reads. Entitled "Still Separate, Still Unequal: America's Educational Apartheid," the article addresses continued segregation in American schools.

I think of this every day I ride the #24 bus down Burton, passing by Ottawa Hills High School and near GR Christian High in the space of a few blocks. I think of it when I see the neighborhood kids get picked up in their buses every morning, and wonder where they are going.

Does Prayer Change God? - Books & Culture

2005-10-04T12:50:00.000-07:00

Does Prayer Change God? - Books & Culture

Yeah, nobody posts here anymore, but this article by Phillip Yancey reminded me of some of our Open Theism conversations. thought some of y'all might be interested.

more on Real Sex

2005-05-27T07:44:00.000-07:00

I read this critical review of Real Sex today. The writer takes issue with Winner's blanket statements about extramarital sex as always distorted, bad or hurtful. She says the tradition " lies every time it denies that sex outside of marriage can be very beautiful and “real,” and, by the same token, that sex inside marriage can be very abusive and distorted."

I think the author had some interesting ideas about questioning the church's traditional distinctions about sex. It still seems that no one is addressing the things we had really hoped to find in Lauren Winner's book: how does one affirm embodied personhood and sexuality when you do not have a relationship to express it in? It seems the monastic tradition might have some answers for us, as we discussed at thorubos. Maybe it's the book we can write.

the winner book, sex and sacrament

2005-05-18T06:34:00.000-07:00

I'm looking forward to the Thorubos meeting tomorrow morning where we will discuss Lauren Winner's Real Sex: the Naked Truth About Chastity.

I finished the book a few weeks ago, and have been thinking about sex and christian practice and the ways they interact a bit in preparation for our meeting. Kent posted some thoughts on it earlier this week.

I've also been thinking about sacraments and the way they function in our lives. And I think, in some ways sex is like a sacrament. Sacraments are a physical expression of God's love for us, and the way God deals with us as whole people - people with bodies that can be submerged or broken, people who eat and touch each other in blessing. God thinks bodies are so important he chose to incarnate himself. Now, human love is obviously not as holy or pure as God's love, and sex isn't the same as communion, but sex too is an embodied expression of love and delight in another person. And, rightly ordered, it implies a promise. A promise we don't always keep - since we're fallen people.

Some traditions count marriage as a sacrament, and I wonder if they don't have the right idea. That God's blessing on a human commitment of love is a Holy Moment - a special instance of embodied grace in our everyday lives. Or maybe it's too different - maybe it's a whole nother thing, as it were.

Winner reviews Rienstra

2005-04-21T05:20:00.000-07:00

I was browsing the latest issue of Books and Culture yesterday, and found a very friendly review of Debra Rienstra's new book written by Lauren Winner. Since members of thorubos have an affection for both these women, I thought I should point it out. I tried unsuccessfully to find the review online. It is in the print version though!

Origins

2005-03-26T11:54:00.000-08:00

For the benefit of anyone who may happen upon this blog and be unfamiliar with thorubos, I thought I'd mention a post I wrote a while ago, which explains a little bit how thorubos came about. It is a quick summary of how I remember the events, but it gives some sense of the flavor of things. So there's that, in the interest of hospitality.

What might a Thorubos blog look like?

2005-03-26T10:08:00.000-08:00

A few thoughts about this blogspot:

Scope: conversations about books from Thorubos meetings, ideas to bounce off the group, things you want to bring to everyone's attention...
Let's avoid: coordinating details. Email works better for that.
Link to it from your site. Let people know about it.
Feel free to post/comment frequently. Crossposting (ie: same post as on your blog) is ok, although original posts are even better.
Any more ideas?

Extending the table

2005-03-26T09:42:00.000-08:00

On the way back from Dean's house a few weeks ago, I shared some thoughts with those in the car on hospitality and blogging. Basically, I've been thinking about the strengths and weaknesses of the blog medium and how the classic Christian virtues could apply to this communication form.

The virtue of hospitality comes to mind when I think about the individualistic nature of blogs: one person spewing their thoughts across cyberspace. Bethany once said that blogging is the most solipsistic of writing forms; I might add "egocentric" to that list. To counteract this tendency in blogs, I think it is important to remember the communal nature of blogging. I like how most of my posts start as conversations with friends. We comment on each other's blogs. We read books together, talk about them, and then continue the conversation online. Thus, blogs are not a substitute for ongoing conversations, but rather an extension of preexisting relationships.

Hospitality takes this further: not only do our blogs mirror an existing community, but they open up this community to others. I like the metaphor of extending the table. We pull out the ends of a grand old oak table and grab the leaves out of the closet, dust them off, and add them to the table. We pull up more chairs, make room for friends, add some plates, put on another pot of rice, and keep talking. Laughter rings through the night.

I think as we strive to be hospitable bloggers, we need to be intentional about our efforts to include others. We need to avoid insider language, welcome others into our conversations, and keep each other accountable.

I'm curious what other people think about how hospitality relates to blogging. Any ideas? Critiques?

Rough summary of thorubos discussion

2005-03-06T06:24:00.000-08:00

I've been charged with the task of summarizing our Thorubos discussion last night. I don't remember everything said, but hopefully the sketch below will trigger your memories so we can continue the conversation.

Pacifism - will also be scarred by sin, like militarism. Who suffers the most when I choose to be a pacifist - myself or those poor people in _____?

The cross and suffering are likely outcomes for those who choose a route of social change that challenges the Powers. The church joins in the suffering of those in Sudan, Iraq, and Rwanda. We must deliberately participate in their suffering.

How does renewal (in the broadest sense) happen? Can people work toward redemption? God does the work/has done the work in Christ. Paradox: God does it/has done it/we do it.
Can renewal happen through fallen means? Yes, our means will be always fallen - even pacifism. But before saying that, Christ's work on the cross comes first. That is, we strive to be Christlike first; then we acknowledge that our very best efforts are tinged with the very worst sins. Niehbur: "irony" --> whenever Christians try to create an ideal society, we screw it up.
Some people raised questions about Yoder's biblical interpretation.