My reading journal - May 2008

Born Again and Again: Surprising Gifts of a Fundamentalist Childhood - Jon M. Sweeney - A touching memoir of a Christian who looks back on his upbringing in a Fundamentalist Independent Baptist church, and it's refreshing that he isn't bitter about it. He describes his spiritual journey away from Fundamentalism as he considers a monastic life, but eventually settles in a progressive Episcopalian church. He doesn't reject his upbringing, and he doesn't shy away from the ostracism he feels from his former church friends, but he is thankful for how his f upbringing prepared him for his current spiritual life.

Curses - Kevin Huizenga - Another book I picked up at the Calvin Festival. A graphic novel of short stories, more in the style of American Splendor than Batman, mostly featuring a character named Glenn Ganges, a twenty-something guy who lives in the suburbs with his wife. These stories feature both the mundane details of suburban life and the fantastical creatures that lurk within the imaginations of the people who live there, along with those that lurk underneath the boulevards, strip malls, and chain stores that dot the landscape. I was really impressed with the author's imagination and the simple beauty of the artwork.

So Young, Brave, and Handsome - Leif Enger - A masterful work. The prose transported me into the world of these characters. It’s like uncovering an untold myth of the old American West, and each sentence is constructed by a master of language. To me, Leif Enger surpassed his first novel, Peace Like a River because his voice was so strong, and he swept me into this story. I found the scope of the story mythic rather than realistic, a Western in the style of Terrence Malick rather than John Ford. And the most interesting character of the novel turned out to be one I didn't expect.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - C.S. Lewis - I read this book for the first time since I was a kid. A very enjoyable voyage of imagination and discovery.

Danny Gospel - David Athey - Something unique, a true first-rate literary novel in the genre of so-called "Christian fiction". An intriguing lead character who may not be totally sane, and his journey across America, through tragedy and comedy, through mysticism and faith, and finally toward peace. Beautifully done.

We Are the Ship - Kadir Nelson - A coffee table book illustrating paintings of Negro League baseball stars, each painting showing these men in beauty and dignity, and the prose offers a brief history of the Negro Leagues from the 1920s through Jackie Robinson's breaking of the color barrier into the major leagues.

Speaking of Faith: Why Religion Matters and How to Talk About it - Krista Tippett - By the host of NPR's Speaking of Faith program, a somewhat rambling yet often insightful look the mystery of faith, the inscrutable (to us) ways of God, and the truths that people from other faith traditions can tell us; and how these things intersect with the truths of Christianity, the history of the Christian tradition, the reality of evil, and the providence of God.