Chapter 14 - The Peacegiver and The Holy Secret

Hey you! Yes you, the one reading this blog posting right now. I want you to listen very carefully to what I’m about to say. You know that book you are reading right now? Yes, that classic bit of literature, or thrilling non-fiction tale, or that vampire book, or whatever it is that you are currently reading. Put it down. For just a minute. And don’t worry, you can come back to it. But I have a book that you absolutely must read now. Right now. Well, I actually have two books. But you must read at least one of them (preferably both) right this minute. They are the two books by James L. Ferrell, The Peacegiver and The Holy Secret. Put down your current book and pick up one of these. Trust me, you’ll thank me later. (If you’ve already read them both, you are off the hook…unless you want to reread them already. Which is what I recently did). These two books are fantastic little stories that will open your eyes to some absolutely beautiful aspects of the gospel. Both are very short books (around 200 pages each), but neither book is short on content, meaning, or thought-provoking depth. You could easily read through each of these books in an afternoon, but you may find yourself rereading passages, underlining sentences or paragraphs that jump out to you, or stopping to ponder specific points along the way. I found that for me, reading through one time and then going back a second time to underline key points worked well. “Well, what are these books about?” you may ask. “Get to the point already, Spence.” Okay, okay. But I’m not going to tell you much. I don’t want to spoil anything. But here are some teasers…

The Peacegiver tells the story of a man in the midst of a strained marriage who dreams of seeing his deceased grandfather, whom he greatly admires. His grandfather takes him on a journey of sorts where he is able to witness firsthand a few scriptural stories as they take place. The grandfather uses these experiences to teach him about, primarily, the atonement of Jesus Christ and how it can heal his heart, his marriage and his home. Scriptural stories that you may or may not be familiar with are brought vividly to life and used to illuminate inspiring, but often overlooked, aspects of the atonement. These stories not only demonstrate the beauty and majesty of the atonement, but they are fascinating, motivating, and inspiring.

The Holy Secret, on the other hand, tells the story of a man who has realized that he doesn’t love holy things. He faithfully attends church, is obedient to the commandments and has a testimony of the gospel. But he doesn’t have a great desire or love for holy things, namely the scriptures, the Sabbath, and the temple. The danger of his situation is made clear one Sunday at church when he hears an elderly man testify that “if we don’t love that which is holy here and now, we are not going to love that which is holy in the hereafter.” He visits this man to ask him how he came to love these things, and ends up learning lessons to last a lifetime. In a short time, the things he learns from this humble, wise man help him to heal a painful situation that completely changes his life for the better.

The thing I love about these books is that they are very readable (which isn’t always the case with “spiritual” or “doctrinal” books) and that they use very plausible stories to demonstrate the application of the atonement and the gospel. Sometimes we are content to know “what” the commandments are and “what” the atonement means, but somehow don’t get “how” the gospel applies to our specific life situations and “how” the atonement can heal us. These books give us a sense of “how.” So, do me a favor. And do yourself a favor. If you haven’t read these books, take a few hours out of your week and read these books. You’ll be glad you did. I also recommend that you Buy the Books so that you can underline key points, write comments in the margins, and go back and reread these fantastic books.

Chapter 13 - Teddy Roosevelt

Hello my book-loving friends!  I am rising from the internet graveyard, shaking off the blogging dust and resurrecting my forsaken (but still loved) By the Book blog.  Hopefully you are willing to climb back aboard and read on!  Things have been, and still are, busy but I will try to get back to putting up a review more frequently.  And I am still accepting guest reviews!!!  Anyone and everyone is welcome to submit a guest review of a recently-read book, or just one of their favorites.  Now, on to the review...

Of all the historical figures I have learned about in my life, I don't know if there are any who are more fascinating and interesting to me than Theodore Roosevelt.  You may remember him as the President of the United States who had the small round glasses and the round face.  Or you may remember hearing that "teddy" bears got their name after

You may also have once heard that he was an early proponent of national parks in the US.  And you may remember him as the sickly old man who served as President during World War II.  Of course, in this last case you would be wrong.  That was Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  But in any case, the other things are all true.  Yet, they don't even scratch the surface of the man who is Teddy Roosevelt.  Interested?  Let me tell you a little more...

Although he was born into an established, well-to-do family, Teddy had a physically-challenging childhood where he suffered from, among other things, a debilitating asthma condition.  From this meek beginning, he rose to overcome his physical trials, and pretty much any other trial that stood in his way.  By the time he was my age, he had accomplished an unbelievable list of things, including: became a self-taught biologist and naturalist (writing a paper on the history of insects before he was 10!), became well-versed in hunting and taxidermy, graduated from Harvard, married and had his first child, became a widower (2 days after the birth of his daughter), studied law at Columbia, lost both parents to death, became an influential New York State assemblyman, investing in and built a cattle ranch in the Badlands of North Dakota, published a naval history of the 

war of 1812 to great acclaim (he would go on to publish many books), and many other remarkable things.  And remember, this was all before he was 30 years old.  It makes me wonder what I have wasted all my time doing thus far.  From there, he was to serve on the unpopular but important US Civil Service Commission, president of the New York City police commissioner board, and assistant secretary of the navy,  all before he gained further fame by successfully leading the "Rough Riders" during the Spanish-American war.  During all of this, he found time to marry for a second time, have several more children, and publish extensively on an incredible variety of topics (government reform, hunting expeditions, historical essays, biology and conservation, to name a few).  Let me remind you that all of this was before he was to become vice president and then, following the assassination of President McKinley, President of the United States at the young age of 42 (still the record for youngest president).  

Later in life, after he was out of politics, he was to explore Africa on an extensive expedition where he and his comrades killed and collected over 11,000 animals.  What?  Is that right, you ask?  Yes.  And that's not the end of it.  He also completed an incredible exploratory expedition through the Amazon jungle of South America to chart the previously unexplored course of the River of Doubt (later renamed the Rio Roosevelt in his honor).  During this journey alone the ex-president faced hostile indian groups, deadly river rapids, unknown diseases, insufficient food, murderous crew members, and the fear of the

unknown course that lay ahead of them.  Ultimately he made a narrow escape from death and returned to his wife and family in the US.  Whew...I'm tired just thinking about this man.  And I haven't even mentioned a single thing from his presidency.  Do you know why?  Because I don't know anything about his presidency.  Not yet at least.  So far I have read three books on Teddy Roosevelt and not one of them has covered a single day of his presidency.  There is enough interesting stuff about this guy to write a whole library of books, even without the presidency.  The books I have read so far are:

Mornings on Horseback:  The Story of an Extraordinary Family, A Vanquished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt - by David McCullough.  If you've read my first post on this blog, you know that McCullough is one of my favorites.  And this book won the National Book Award.  It covers Roosevelt's early childhood up until his mid-twenties.  I enjoyed this book very much.  However, I must say that I enjoyed the following book even more:

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt - by Edmund Morris.  This book won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award when it was published in 1980.  It covers Roosevelt from birth up until the moment when he hears about McKinley's assassination.  This was a fantastic book and I enjoyed it very much.  I would highly recommend this to anyone.  The third book I read about Roosevelt is:

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey - by Candice Millard.  While this book didn't receive the accolades of the previous two, it was also a very fascinating, well-written book.  This book recounts the remarkable journey through South America that I mentioned.  This is a quick read that I would recommend to anyone who wants to know more about Teddy's search for adventure.

There are many other books on Teddy Roosevelt out there (such an interesting subject matter is sure to attract a lot of attention).  I am anxious to read Edmund Morris' 2nd volume in his planned trilogy of Roosevelt titled Theodore Rex (it's sitting on my shelf).  I'm also anxious to hear from any of you who have read other interesting books about Teddy Roosevelt.  So, if you have a good one to add to the list, please add a comment to this post, or email it to me so that I can add it.  

So. in conclusion, I think that there are few people as accomplished, interesting, and captivating as Theodore Roosevelt.  So if you haven't yet read anything by or about him, I highly recommend you Buy (one of) these Books!

Chapter 12 - To the Last Man (review by Scott Wilson)

This excellent review was written by my good friend Scott Wilson.  We continue to share interesting books even though he now lives with his family in Okinawa, Japan.   Thanks, Scott, for the great review!

My Shaara exposure began in the same may as most readers, with The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara.  A winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Michael Shaara was working on his second book in the Civil War trilogy when he passed away.  His son, Jeff, neither a historian nor a writer at the time of his father’s passing, vowed to complete the trilogy that his father had started.  And this he did, penning Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure -- thus completing a work his father had begun years earlier. 

Eventually, Jeff Shaara began to separate himself from his father’s legacy, and has proven himself to be every bit the writer that his father was.  He was written books on the American Revolution, the Mexican War, WWII, and WWI.  His book on WWI, To the Last Man, is the fourth book I have read by a member of the Shaara family and probably one of the more exciting.  His signature format, combined with some of the private portraits presented in the book, helped make it a memorable read. 

The Shaara format is unique and, for me, it serves to make the story more intimate and compelling.  In To the Last Man, Shaara tells the story of WWI through the eyes of several of the war’s key protagonists.  One such character is John “Blackjack” Pershing, West Point graduate and commander of the American Expeditionary Force.  From

General Pershing, we get a strategic perspective on the war, and gain insight into the logistical, political, and diplomatic nightmare that was America’s initial entry to the war effort.  Pershing struggles throughout the book to deal with a never-ending stream of demands and suggestions from the French and English, who, having endured three years of pounding from the German military, were desperate for relief and reinforcements.

Then there is Raoul Lufbery, French/American fighter pilot and eventual commander of the Lafayette Escadrille, a group of American volunteer pilots.  These men formed the unit to aid the French in their war effort against the Germans because the United States (led by the isolationist, League of Nations supporting, and 14 Points suggesting Woodrow Wilson) remained neutral until 1917. 

Opposing Lufbery and his squadron is Baron Manfred Von Richthofen, the famed “Red Baron” and most distinguished flying ace of WWI. Richthofen is probably on of the most dynamic characters in the book, at least from a literary standpoint.  His unbridled devotion to duty and country is constantly at odds with his struggle to understand the conflict, his aerial prowess, and his country’s labeling him as a hero.  He seems indifferent, almost unfeeling, about his success and the dozens of men he has sent to their death.  Yet at the same time is full of passion as he preaches virtues like duty, honor, and courage to those who fly with him.

Finally, in stark contrast to the other more distinguished characters in the book, we meet Roscoe Temple, an ordinary 19-year-old Marine Private from Monticello, Florida.  Temple provides us with insight about life deep in the trenches of those fighting along the front lines of The Great War.  We follow him through some of his initial training where he develops unspeakable bonds with fellow Marines who will serve with him in some of the most storied battles of the war.

While the characters are the vehicles Shaara uses to make history a little more vibrant and colorful, the awfulness of war was most evident because of references and conversations involving people not participating directly in the actual fighting.  These interactions presented in the book provide vivid imagery that really brought home the realities of the conflict and the impact that it had on the populations of each country involved.  Allow me to share a couple examples:

(1) After months of brutal combat, Temple is lying one night on his back in a shell hole, enjoying the first clear night in some time.  He was going over in his head what he would say to the mother of a fallen comrade, when his thoughts wandered to his own mother.  Shaara writes:

“He imagined his mother, the strong woman who wasa so prone to emotion, sitting in her single chair on the wide porch of the farmhouse, in unstoppable tears.  It sickened him, knowing her pride in her son could be replaced by stunning grief.  She had written him of her hopes for his safe return, apologizing for mother’s concerns.  Now, he imagined her receiving the cold impersonal regrets of her government, a woman whose life would be changed in such a horrible way, losing her only son to a war she knew so little about.  How many mothers had been through this already, women who watched their sons board the trains or great ships, pride tempered by tears, scolded by the men in their lives not to embarrass their sons with a mother’s fawning."

(2) Richthofen, having just sustained an injury during a dogfight, was basically ordered to take leave by the German High Command.  When he arrives home, he engages in a telling conversation with his mother.  Mother is upset about some of the bad news coming out of the German war effort and about the death of another of Richthofen’s pilots.  Shaara sees the conversation as follows:

            “What of your Mr. Voss? You will have to prepare another obituary.”

He did not want to talk about Voss, (the pilot recently killed) but her words took away the energy for his smile. “Yes, I will go later.  There is little I can do about it now.”

“You are wrong Manfred.” (says mother).  He saw anger in her eyes, the tears again, and she said, “You can stop flying, you have done your part.  No one would ever find fault.”

“Father would not agree with you.”

“I do not speak for your father. If it is selfishness to want my sone slive, then I am selfish.  I want you to have a wife.  I want you to know what it is to see the face of you own babies, to watch your own children grow up.  You have done enough for your country!”

He had not seen her angry in a very long time, felt suddenly helpless.  “Mother, you cannot possibly understand.  If everyone felt this way, no one would fight!”  His words lay hanging in the air, and she stared at him for a long moment. 

“Then, my son, no one would die.”

There are so many more examples of this.  Another one involves Raymond Poincare (then Prime Minister of France) and his wife, who meet with General Pershing on the banks of the Meuse River after the Allies successfully secured territory previously held by the Germans.  As Madame Poincare reminisces over the land and its beauty, Pershing is impressed at her ability to “look beyond what a soldier sees,” as he is only able to see the blasted fields, clusters of blackened trees, and the wreckage of trucks and wagons. 

I think these examples highlight what Shaara does really well.  He is widely recognized for his research and ability to present a compelling view of history as seen through some of its key figures.  However, I find his writing intriguing for its ability to make history personal and intimate.  He is able to snatch history from the moors of a literal, intangible, non-fictional realm and instead provide us with an experience that one can internalize and feel.   This helped make To the Last Man both a historical journey and a wonderful story. Don’t believe me…Buy the Bookand see for yourself. 

Chapter 11 - A Sense of the World

Do you like to travel? Do you consider yourself "well" traveled? And when I say “travel” I mean for pleasure, not because you have to for work. If so, how many countries and cultures would you say you have visited? And what would be the total number of miles you have traveled in your lifetime, assuming you summed up the total amount of mileage you have covered on each trip? For example, let’s say you went on a trip from Philadelphia to London (a trip I would love to make). That puts you at about 3550 miles each way, for a total of 7100 round trip. Add in a few side day trips and you might add 7500 miles for that trip. Not bad. So, what would your lifetime total be?

Would you be impressed if I told you about a man that traveled a quarter of a million miles in his lifetime? Yes, 250,000 miles. And that he visited over 200 separate cultures? I doubt any of us come close to that. And what if I told you this man traveled without the help of airplanes, steam ships or railroads, instead traveling on foot, horseback, in carriages or on boats powered by the wind? Impressed yet? And what if I told you that this incredible world traveler was totally and utterly blind? Astonished? Amazed? Then read on!

The man I have described is James Holman, a British naval officer who lived in the early 1800s, who lost his sight early in his adulthood. His story is told in A Sense of the World: How a Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveler by Jason Roberts. This is a quick, enjoyable book about this remarkable, if nearly forgotten, man. Talk about challenging yourself and not letting life’s obstacles slow you down! Besides losing his sight to an unknown illness, Holman also suffered great pains in his joints. Soon after becoming blind, he decided to travel south through Europe to get some fresh Mediterranean air. His doctors thought it would do his joints well and that he might be able to find some treatment for his eyes. While he never was to regain his sight, Holman discovered that traveling was a great thrill to him and invigorated his body and spirit incredibly. After returning to England, he couldn’t wait to be on the road again. He made a lengthy trip to Russia and eastward out into Siberia, attempted to complete a circumnavigation of the globe. When the Tsar’s personal messenger retrieved him in Siberia, brought him westward and exiled him in Poland, Holman’s circumnavigation plans had to be put on hold. But not for long. He soon left on what would become a wild, five-year journey westward that eventually took him around the entire globe, with memorable stops off the coast of Africa, in Brazil, Madagascar and China. His last major excursion was through Scandinavia. Although his books describing his journeys were often met with criticism ("How can a blind man possibly write a travel narrative? He didn’t see anything!"), Holman insisted that his sightlessness allowed him to experience and absorb his surroundings through the other senses in a more complete manner than if he was relying on sight alone. A very interesting concept. The author sums up Holman this way: "Alone, sightless, with no prior command of native languages and with only a wisp of funds, he had forged a path equivalent to wandering to the moon." Pretty remarkable!

I’ll stop here so I don’t give away the whole story. This is a really wonderful book and if you want to hear more about Holman’s unlikely travels, the interesting and often famous people he met, his deaf friend and traveling companion (could there be a more unlikely duo?), his knighthood or his unique method of tapping a stick to "see" his surroundings (echolocation), I recommend you Buy the Book! I don’t think you’ll regret it. And who knows, Holman may just inspire you to get out and add a few miles to your lifetime total!