Books 33-35
Getting tight in my 50-book quest. I wonder if I can count books of the Bible individually if I've had to read them all piece by piece over the course of the lectionary year...
All three are officially new reads, and rated out of five stars.
- 33. Night, by Elie Wiesel. Embarrassing, but I've never read it in its entirety, which is strange given that a. it's very thin and b. I walked past the man's office door every day for three years. Obviously, it's a powerful book, and I think one goes straight to the second eighth [I wanted the next-to-worst, but I forgot which direction Milton counted in for a minute there!] circle of hell for giving it less than five stars. Deserved, of course, but how do you even judge the caliber of a book that is so personal? *****
- 34. The Woman Who Laughed at God: the untold history of the Jewish people, by Jonathan Kirsch. How to pack the entire history of the Jewish people from Abraham through the founding of the State of Israel in 250 pages. Pretty impressive, and Kirsch does it all with the premise that there is no one religious or cultural definition of what it means to be a Jew, but many conflicting ideas in one vast conversation throughout time. To be Jewish, he argues, is to dare to challenge the established tradition and, like Sarah, laugh at God. ****
-35. The First Christmas: what the Gospels really teach about the birth of Jesus, by Marcus J. Borg and John D. Crossan. A pretty good summary of Matthean and Lucan birth narratives and what they meant in their historical contexts. Again, nothing earth-shaking, and only a few ideas for Advent and Christmas preaching that I might be able to incorporate, but for a layperson it might be a really good read. Well done, and respectful. ****
Okay, two books a week, right?
All three are officially new reads, and rated out of five stars.
- 33. Night, by Elie Wiesel. Embarrassing, but I've never read it in its entirety, which is strange given that a. it's very thin and b. I walked past the man's office door every day for three years. Obviously, it's a powerful book, and I think one goes straight to the second eighth [I wanted the next-to-worst, but I forgot which direction Milton counted in for a minute there!] circle of hell for giving it less than five stars. Deserved, of course, but how do you even judge the caliber of a book that is so personal? *****
- 34. The Woman Who Laughed at God: the untold history of the Jewish people, by Jonathan Kirsch. How to pack the entire history of the Jewish people from Abraham through the founding of the State of Israel in 250 pages. Pretty impressive, and Kirsch does it all with the premise that there is no one religious or cultural definition of what it means to be a Jew, but many conflicting ideas in one vast conversation throughout time. To be Jewish, he argues, is to dare to challenge the established tradition and, like Sarah, laugh at God. ****
-35. The First Christmas: what the Gospels really teach about the birth of Jesus, by Marcus J. Borg and John D. Crossan. A pretty good summary of Matthean and Lucan birth narratives and what they meant in their historical contexts. Again, nothing earth-shaking, and only a few ideas for Advent and Christmas preaching that I might be able to incorporate, but for a layperson it might be a really good read. Well done, and respectful. ****
Okay, two books a week, right?