Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Chapter 14 - The Peacegiver and The Holy Secret
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.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Chapter 13 - Teddy Roosevelt
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
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.Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Chapter 11 - A Sense of the World
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!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Chapter 10 - Endurance
The subject of today’s review is Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing. When I first started reading non-fiction books a few years ago, I read this little gem and have been hooked on non-fiction ever since. This is an amazing story of adventure, of overcoming hardships and beating incredible odds in order to survive. This story is all the more amazing because it actually happened.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Chapter 9 - The Screwtape Letters
1. Screwtape is telling Wormwood about the ups and downs that all of us humans experience. He calls them "troughs" and "peaks" and explains how theses ups and downs teach us. After explaining to Wormwood how God sends humans His spirit to bless and guide them he says, "But He never allows this state of affairs to last long. Sooner or later He withdraws…He leaves the creature to stand up on its own legs." He continues, "It is during such trough periods, much more than peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be. He wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away His hand; and if only the will to walk is really there He is pleased even with their stumbles." And then, Screwtape delivers a caution to Wormwood, and for us, on the other side of this story, a beautiful image: "Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy’s [God’s] will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys." Isn’t that really the ultimate sign of faith and obedience? When all apparent evidence of God is missing, yet we still obey? Nothing must please God (or frustrate the devil) more than when our commitment to God and obedience to his laws is complete and unwavering, even in extremely difficult or trying times. It is easy to understand why Screwtape would issue such a warning to Wormwood.
2. In a lecture on the impact of "large" or "small" sins, Screwtape has this counsel to give: "You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy [God]. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the light and out into the nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one – the gentle slop, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts." This paragraph reminded me of the scripture that describes how Satan "leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever." We must be careful and cautious to be ever diligent in the "little" things. We often hear people explain that people don’t often trip over boulders. It’s the small stones and pebbles that cause us to trip up. I love that last line from Screwtape..."without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts." Wonderful imagery.
3. Later on, Screwtape discusses the nature of ownership, namely who is the owner of our souls. In other words, do we humans own our souls, or do we belong to someone or something else? Screwtape explains, "...the joke is that the word "Mine" in its fully possessive sense cannot be uttered by a human being about anything. In the long run either Our Father [Satan] or the Enemy [God] will say "Mine" of each thing that exists, and specially of each man. They will find out in the end...to whom their time, their souls, and their bodies really belong – certainly not to them, whatever happens." In other words, we are not our own. We are either God’s or Satan’s. They would each like to claim us. Screwtape goes on to explain that while God has proper reason to call us His since He made us, Satan, on the other hand "hopes in the end to say "Mine" of all things on the more realistic and dynamic ground of conquest." Satan and his devils will try to conquer us and gain ownership of us during this battle we call life. They have no rightful claim to us, so they will take what they can by cunning, deceitfulness, and vigilant effort. I am reminded of a talk by D. Todd Christofferson where he says, "Our choice in this life is not whether we will or will not be subject to any power. We will be. Our choice is to which authority will we yield obedience: God's or Satan's?"
These are a few tidbits just to whet your appetite. This is a short book that you can read quickly, but will think about for much longer. There are some great quotes, thoughts and insights in this wonderful book. So, if you haven't read it already, I encourage you to Buy the Book!...you’re certain to enjoy it! (There is also a great boxed set of C.S. Lewis' religious books that you can check out here).
Monday, July 16, 2007
Chapter 8 - Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
Well, the book I want to review today is a whale of a book. But, if you take it in small bites and chew slowly, you’ll find that not only will you be able to finish this book, but you’ll be licking your chops for more when you finish. The book is “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” by William Shirer and was recommended to me by one of you (thanks, Tom!). My paperback copy came in at 1486 pages, not including the notes, bibliography, acknowledgments and index. So, it’s fair to say that it’s a very long book. But, boy, what a fantastic read! William Shirer was an American journalist living in Germany during the early years of the Third Reich. He was an eyewitness to Hitler’s rise to power and the complete spell he and his fellow Nazis cast over the German people. He gives some unique insights into the ideas and emotions that were swirling around Germany during the 1920’s and 1930’s which I think help us to understand how a country could be taken by Hitler and his ideas. The book starts with Hitler’s youth and follows him up through his remarkable rise to power. As the “Fuehrer”, he eventually takes control of virtually every aspect of the government, one piece at a time. For as egotistical and wacky as he was, Hitler was also an incredible orator and would captivate crowds and persuade nearly everyone who heard him speak to believe in him and his dreams for Germany. He had a remarkable vision of what he wanted to accomplish, and for many years, he was successful in all he set out to do. In 1938, the Germans took over Austria and Czechoslovakia without firing a shot. Later, the war began as they attacked Poland, then Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium, France, etc. One by one the countries fell in combat. Before reading this book, all the books I had read about WWII related stories of battles in the Pacific arena of the war and discussed battles that happened post-Pearl Harbor, once the U.S. was officially engaged in the war. I didn’t fully appreciate or realize how much the war had completely engulfed Europe before December 1941 and how close Germany came to controlling all of Europe. It really is remarkable how much, how far, and how fast Germany was able to conquer Europe. They employed a brand new form of warfare with their tank divisions and their blitzkrieg bombing raids. They were certainly a force to be reckoned with. Thankfully, England chose to hang in and fight, even against great odds. They were eventually greatly helped in the east by the Russians, after the Germans turned on their one-time-allies. Of course, we know about D-Day and the U.S. troops that came later to drive the Germans back and defeat them with a whole coalition of troops.
Okay, okay, but enough about the war. There are plenty of WWII books out there that tell the story of the war. The fascinating aspect of this book is that it is told from the German perspective. Shirer grants us a front row seat to see the workings of the Nazi government before and during the war. We become very familiar with Hitler’s right hand men including Goering (Reichstag president and head of air force), Himmler (chief of S.S. and chief of police), Goebbels (propaganda minister) and Ribbentrop (foreign minister), just to name a few of the closest co-conspirators. While Himmler may have been the cruelest and most cold-blooded of the bunch, Goebbels seemed the most deceitful and outright creepy to me (see picture at right). We meet hundreds of other participants in the marvel and terror that was the Third Reich. Overall the story is fascinating and gripping. I had worried at the outset that I was likely to become bored or lost somewhere among the almost 1500 pages. But, the way that Shirer brings the reader into the story kept me interested and curious throughout the entire book. There’s a lot more to this book including: descriptions of the political and military agreements between Germany and Italy, Russia and Japan, the extermination camps and mass murder crews (Einsatzgruppe) that were part of the “final solution” for the Jews, concentration camps and labor prisoner programs that led millions of Russians and Slavs to their graves, the heroic efforts of the Norwegians, English, Americans and underground resistance groups to slow and stop the Third Reich, and several interesting stories about Hitler including incredible fits of rage, several attempts at assassination and the women in his life. This book is a riveting tale of one driven, determined, fanatical man, his near success in conquering an entire continent, and his collapse and destruction, along with which his political party also ceased to exist. So, for anyone interested in Hitler, the Nazi party, WWII, European history, or any other aspect I have mentioned, I highly recommend that you Buy The Book !!! And remember, the only way to eat a whale is a bite at a time…just go from one bite to the next and before you know it this fantastic book will be over. Oh, and I promise this book won’t take 89 years to read.