Ignorant Historian

“…you won her over. Gave up everything for her. Maybe that’s the only way to convince her you love her.” – Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, p. 329

“Many churches speak about homosexuality in terms of sin and judgment but about divorce in terms of forgiveness and grace. When a same sex couple goes down to the courthouse to petition for a marriage certificate, the Christians show up with sandwich boards. Do they also show up when their congregants go to the same courthouse to petition for an “unbiblical divorce?” Likely not. And the hypocrisy on this issue has not escaped the next generation.” -“Why Our Generation Doesn’t Care About Prop 8″ by Jonathan Merritt

“I asked the children [from the suburbs] where the slums were. But they said there were no slums near where they lived, only far away, in the city.” – The Love Wife by Gish Jen, p. 44

“We’re fickle, stupid beings with poor memories and a great gift for self-destruction.” – Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, p. 379

“Annie, being a virgin in this day and age is something to be proud of…you’re like a unicorn.” – Shirley, Community, “The Politics of Human Sexuality”

“He is the God that understands that I just miss being loved by a lover….I am blessed in the truest sense of the word.  I am also a little lonely.” – Amy Beth Bullard, “The God Who Understands”

“Finally, he can see me for who I really am. Violent. Distrustful. Manipulative. Deadly. And I hate him for it.” – Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, p. 232

“A proud person tries to reinvent reality. He tries to redraw the borders of human behavior to suit himself, displacing God as the Lord and boundary keeper of life.” – Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., p. 125

“I noticed, too, it was the cruelest thing you could say about a person–that they were small.” – Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl

(advice given against early engagements) “…if a man is going through a woods, and sees a good young sapling, he may mark it and come back afterward and get it, if he can.” – Most Famous Man in America

” ‘Oh, no. It costs a lot more than your life. To murder innocent people?’ says Peeta. ‘It costs everything you are.’ ” – Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, p. 23

What kind of Hunger Games fan would I be if I didn’t talk about the release of Mockingjay today?  Perhaps you’re like me and waiting to get a copy from the library (it’ll still be brand new, but I don’t have to pay for it).  Or perhaps you’ve stayed up all night reading it (don’t spoil it for me!) and you’re looking for something else to read.

So, what should you read if you like The Hunger Games?  In other words, what are my favorite dystopian/adventure books?

In no particular order (too hard!):

1. The Giver, Gathering Blue and Messenger

I read The Giver when it came out and really enjoyed it.  As an adult, I realized that there was a companion novel, Gathering Blue, and later realized that there was a 3rd.  I wish I had read all 3 back to back as I had a hard time following the strings that connect the first two to the third.  If you haven’t read these (or have only read The Giver) I recommend them thoroughly!

2.  Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

This is the first book of a series (with no knowing when book 2 will be out as Fforde has several series going on right now).  To be honest, I wasn’t sure that this was dystopian until the end, and I loved that (sorry to ruin that).  In classic Ffordian-style, this is full of plays-on-words and ridiculous mimicry of aspects of our society (think Dr. Seuss’s The Butter Battle Book for adults).  Who would have thought of classifying people by which color they can see (and how much of it)?

3. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

I really didn’t like this book at first.  It’s written in a kind of futuristic slang that really bugged me.  But after a hundred pages, I forgot that and was entranced.  A great idea executed well: a group of settlers on an alien planet are troubled by the fact that everything a male thinks is heard aloud by everyone.  This is actually Book 1 of the Chaos Walking trilogy, but since Book 3 isn’t out until September, I thought I’d delay reading book 2 until then.

4. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Okay, so this is definitely science fiction, but don’t let that scare you off at all.  Like Hunger Games, it tells of a society that exploits children, this time not for entertainment, but to train them to save Earth from invading aliens (stay with me!).  Just try it, okay?

5.  Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden

My all-time favorite book as a teen.  What happens when a group of teenagers returns from a holiday in the bush (gotta love the Australian setting!) to find that their town–indeed, their whole country–has been overtaken by another country?  It’s the first in a series, but easily stands alone.

6. Genesis by Bernard Beckett

This is a short little book that’s more like a long short story.  But though it can be read in one sitting, it’ll keep you thinking for a while.  Telling you anything more would just be doing you a disservice, so just read it, k?

So those are my recommendations to you, fellow Hunger Games-lovers.  Any more recommendations?

In light of tomorrow’s release of Mockingjay, I will be posting on related topics today and tomorrow.

I’ve always been a fan of dystopian novels long before I knew the term “dystopian.”  I remember reading The Giver in middle school and being blown away.  1984 was easily my favorite assigned read in high school.  Recently I can’t get enough of the genre (though there are more coming out than I could reasonably read).

I think what I appreciate about these books is their depiction of the way that we sinners make a mess out of things.  Without God, that’s where we’re left.

Lately, though, I’ve notice that a few of the recent releases stray from the dystopian theme, perhaps.

Can a dystopian novel end optimistically and still be dystopian?

I mean, even Hunger Games ends in a seemingly impossible way (trying to be spoiler free!)…though we still don’t know how the trilogy will end.

Under the Dome (which I don’t mind spoiling because I think Stephen King should have been edited down from 1000 pages to no more than 600) ends simply and optimistically.

Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Last Survivors trilogy is what got me thinking about this subject originally.

But on the other hand, a few years ago I disliked The Road because there WAS no hope in the end.  So either I’m a hypocrite, or my tastes have changed.  Or maybe I allowed my dislike of Cormac McCarthy’s style to color my view of his ending.

I wonder if we want dystopian books to end happily, just like our movies.  Can we not handle the dark truth of a tale like The Picture of Dorian Gray today?

Thoughts?

Photo by mattsabo17

“We order our worship services around our age groups, with music designed to remind each generation of whatever was playing at the youth rallies of their college days. Our congregations are made up of people who look, talk, and think just like we do. And it never occurs to us that this is the same kind of unity the world has to offer. Even in our churches, we seem to identify ourselves more according to the corporate brands we buy and the political parties we support than with each other.” – Adopted for Life by Russell Moore, p. 38

“Becoming a Christian might look more like falling in love than baking cookies.” – Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller, p. 155

“Beauty often seduces us on the road to truth.” – Wilson
“And triteness kicks us in the nuts.” – House, House, “Occam’s Razor”

“…it makes me wonder if secretly we don’t wish God were a genie who could deliver a few wishes here and there.  And that makes me wonder if what we really want from the formula are the wishes, not God.  It makes me wonder if what we really want is control, not a relationship.” – Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller, p. 12

“The quiet scares me ’cause it screams the truth” – “Sober” by Pink

“There’s something about patience that God deems necessary for our life in the age to come and so, whether through agriculture or discipleship or bodily development or eschatology or procreation, God makes us wait.” – Adopted for Life by Russell Moore, p. 142

“And I’ll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I’ve cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm.” – “Praise You in This Storm” by Casting Crowns

“He had forgotten how American children slept. They stretched out long and wide, dreaming of sugar-plums while they waited for handouts from tooth fairies.” – Run by An Patchett, 100

“It seems like, if you really knew the God who understands the physics of our existence, you would operate a little more cautiously, a little more compassionately, a little less like you are the center of the universe.” – Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller, p. 38

“…the masses of the people could not be held back from Nazism, so powerful was its appeal, and this same priest, who would not leave his people, went with them to Nazism, too.” – They Thought They Were Free by Milton Mayer, p. 219

Due to how little I’ve been reading lately (thank you, summer), it’s taken me a while to finish this book, but I’m so glad I have.  Why?  Because since I opened it, I wanted to share it with you all.  I don’t know if it’s the history major or the teacher within me, but I love to share what I learn, especially when it’s something as fascinating as the rise of Nazi Germany.

I’ve read books set during World War II ad nauseam, and while I didn’t want to pick up another for a while, it got me thinking about the roots of Nazi Germany.  How in the world did someone like Hitler come to power, to murder over 11 million of his own people?  How did people much like me actually vote him into power?

I won’t lie, my fascination with this in part comes from my fascination with the Star Wars series.  Actually, the more I study it, the more I see how George Lucas created the Empire in the type of Nazi Germany.  The scene where the senate votes Palpatine emergency powers and Padme’s comment, “So this is how liberty dies, to the sound of thunderous applause” is easily in my top 5 favorite moments of the series.

Enough Star Wars.  I promise I’m not that geeky.

Milton Mayer, an American journalist and a Jew had the same question about Hitler’s rise to power.  So in the early 50s, he goes to West Germany to interview 10 everyday, former Nazis.  The answers they give him are insightful into human nature and in many cases, frightening.

In spite of what I believed before, these people weren’t hypnotized by Hitler.  It wasn’t chiefly his charisma or his ability to rally the people that drew them to him.  They chose him and his party because they saw him as the only practical answer to communism–the great enemy.

They joined the Nazi party to gain jobs and because they thought that Germany would be better off under Nazism (remember, that the Great Depression of the 30s was as big a motivator for them as it was for them).  And in some cases, they still thought that at the time of their interviews.

It is that motivation that is incredibly scary to me.  Americans seem to evaluate politicians based on what they promise to do for them.  What a poor evaluation criteria, but one you’d expect from a selfish people.

Only one of the 10 Nazis really regrets his party involvement, and he knew it was wrong from the beginning.  He joined primarily in order to be able to help out his friends (both Jews and Jewish supporters), but he rightly argued afterwards that by saving say 300 people is nothing like saving the millions that died because he went along with it.  Sure, by himself he couldn’t have stopped the momentum of the Nazi movement, but if more people had stood up against it, it would have made a difference.

I’m afraid I would have been like him…know that it was wrong, but go along with it because I perceived some greater good. But we know now, 11 million lives is a high cost for any earthly good. Don’t go along with anyone or anything–politician, social activist, or party–just because it’s against a perceived evil.

There is so much more to this book (and certainly to the discussion) than I can talk about here.  I wish I could quote huge chunks, but that’s just not practical.  I’ll just say that if this interests you at all, pick it up.  I had to order it through Interlibrary Loan, but I’m so glad that I did.  Though it’s printed by an academic press, it’s accessible to any who are at all familiar with World War II in Europe.

I look forward to one day using this book to teach my children about the rise of Nazi Germany (and you bet we’ll watch the Star Wars movies alongside).

“With the right lever you can move a planet.” – Dune by Frank Herbert (paraphrasing Archimedes)

“What my friends believed [against the Jews]–and believe–is an accumulation of legend, legend which comes to them no more guiltily than the cherry tree story comes to us.” – They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-1945 by Milton Mayer, p. 142

“And we’re content with the world we know, just adjusted a little for our identities as Christians. That’s precisely why so many of us are so atrophied in our prayers, why our prayers rarely reach the level of ‘groanings too deep for words’.” – Adopted for Life by Russell Moore, p. 55

“I have learned the hard way that ‘well-educated’ doesn’t always mean ‘smart.’ ” – Another Place at the Table by Kathy Harrison, p. 8

“You can be a real jerk sometimes, you know that?”
“Yeah, and you’re the good guy.”
“At least I try.”
“As long as you’re trying to be good, you can do whatever you want.”
“And as long as you’re not trying, you can say whatever you want.”
“So between us, we can do anything. We can rule the world!” – Conversation between Wilson and House, House, “Fidelity”

“It is one thing when the culture doesn’t ‘get’ adoption and so speaks of buying a cat as ‘adopting’ a pet. But when those who follow Christ think the same way, we betray that we miss something crucial about our own salvation.” – Adopted for Life by Russell Moore, p. 19

“We’ll continue to enforce all the laws…especially the immigration laws.” – Joe Arpio, Maricopa County Sherriff

“But I didn’t want to see it, because I would then have had to think about the consequences of seeing it, what followed from seeing it, what I must do to be decent.” – Herr Hildebrandt in They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-1945 by Milton Mayer, p. 201

“We adopted her when she was 3.  She was the perfect child–healthy, bright and beautiful.  But when Karen turned 4, we began to notice some neurological problems….we have learned that perfect is all about perception.” – Another Place at the Table by Kathy Harrison, p. 8

“…the same lie, at bottom, that dominated the Hitler Youth, the lie that children can educate themselves.  Children who grow up without religion cannot decide about religion for themselves; that’s a fallacy, that people can choose intelligently between what they know and what they don’t know.” – They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-1945 by Milton Mayer, p. 214

Let’s continue the adoption theme of book reviews, shall we?  It’s what I’ve been thinking about.  Actually, the fiction book I’m reading right now (Run by Ann Patchett) talks about adoption, too.  But I didn’t know that when I picked it up.

Ever since I first heard about Adopted for Life, I wanted to read it.  Not only is it on the subject of adoption which interests me, it’s by an author I’ve respected ever since I heard him speak at my church a few years ago.  When I saw it on the Half-Price Books shelf on Monday, I immediately picked it up and bought it.

And finished it within 24 hours.

I was not disappointed.  This is the book on adoption–both  the adoption of children and the theological concept; they’re inseparable–that the Church needs.

While Moore said a couple smaller things that I disagree with, he definitely gets it.  As someone who is not currently in a place to adopt, he didn’t make me feel bad, but simply encouraged every Christian to consider what they can do to adopt or to support adoption.  He’s under no illusion that we all should adopt en masse, but he also knows we aren’t adopting as much as we should.

In some ways, adoption is one application of living the radical Christian life.  Except adoption has the further benefit of being what God has done for each and every one of us.

One thing that Moore said that I had never thought about before is that adoption is a way that we can show others that we aren’t procreating and caring for our children because of some evolutionary, biological imperative.   Adoption requires something more.

If you’re curious about the “why” behind the recent adoption push in Christian circles, have strong opinions for or against, or are simply open to a challenge, I hope you’ll pick up this book.

Yep, another non-fiction review.  It’s about all I’m reading these days.

When my intentionally-illiterate roommate was excited about finding a memoir to read, I immediately took her to our small branch library (if I didn’t think that she would have slapped me, I might have forced her shoes on her feet just to get her there before she changed her mind).  While it didn’t have any of the titles that were recommended to her (by me or any one else) on hand, she browsed the shelf, picking up several.

Another Place at the Table was the one that stuck.

It’s the story of Kathy Harrison and her family as they grow their family through adoption and foster care.  Though I still haven’t written the post on it, I’m a huge fan of adoption, so when my roommate enjoyed it, I knew I wanted to read it next.

It reads about how you expect (many heart-breaking stories of abuse balanced out with many touching moments), but it was very good.  Reminds me that being a foster parent is HARD but worth it.

There are hundreds (thousands?) of children in my area who don’t have someone to love them.  I want to do that.  While I’m not in a position right now, I’m working on getting myself there.  Sure, this means denying myself (which I’ll admit I don’t usually enjoy).  But I have a great example in my Savior for this, don’t I?

As she said, ”We could have had more time and more stuff [if we hadn't been foster parents], but I don’t believe we would have been any happier.” (p. 126)

I definitely recommend this book.

“In our quest for the extraordinary, we often overlook the importance of the ordinary, and I’m proposing that a radical lifestyle actually begins with an extraordinary commitment to ordinary practices that have marked Christians who have affected the world throughout history.” – Radical by David Platt, p. 193

“Why can’t others think and see the world the way I see it?” – Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork, p. 23

“Lyman firmly believed that the best fisherman was he who caught the most fish, regardless of the bait used.” – The Most Famous Man in America: the Biography of Henry Ward Beecher by Debby Applegate, p. 57

“And most pastors in Germany had always preached Christ crucified without seeing–who does?–that he was being crucified all around them every day.” – They Thought They Were Free, The Germans, 1933-1945 by Milton Mayer, p. 87

“When I went back into Darfur with my first reporters, the African journalists, I was asked why I was taking the risk, and I told them, not trying to be too dramatic, that I was not safe because my people were not safe–and how can you be safe if your people are not safe? And so who are your people?  Perhaps everyone is your people.  I was wondering about that.” – The Translator by Daoud Hari, p. 173

“To do its worst, evil needs to look its best.  Evil has to spend a lot on makeup.” – Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., p. 98

“And the bitterest single disappointment of Nazism–both to Simon, the insensitive bill-collector, and to Hofmeister, the sensitive policeman–was the fact that Hitler had promised that no officer would get more than 1,000 Reichsmarks per month and did not keep his promise.” – They Thought They Were Free, The Germans, 1933-1945 by Milton Mayer, p. 102

“There’s a big difference between not being a bad person and being a good one.” – Life After Yes by Aidan Donnelley Rowley, p. 252

“It also bugs me when I hear about ‘Angelina’s adopted son’ or ‘Rosie’s adopted children’ — as if that word will always separate them instead of binding them together.” – A Little Bit Wicked by Kristin Chenoweth, p. 14

“Fair enough: evil fascinates people who walk down the Tornabuoni and also those who channel surf across daytime TV.  The fastest way to kill the dramas on daytime TV would be to rewrite the scripts so that shows would begin to dwell on moral stabilities–on marital fidelity, loyal friendship, and generous cooperation in the workplace.  Nobody would watch.” – Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., p. 91

“I know now that there are rare people who will help you carry your burdens through this life.” – The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama, p. 139

“[debating]…whether it was God’s will to install a woodstove to warm the meetinghouse in winter.  Surely, some argued (out of piety or stinginess it was hard to say), such an indulgence would send them down a slippery slope to decadence.” – The Most Famous Man in America: the Biography of Henry Ward Beecher by Debby Applegate, p. 24

Instead of waiting until the end of the year to talk about my favorite books I’ve read this year, I thought I’d go a head start and talk about them now.

In the first half of the year, I read 107 books (I know…I have no idea why I’m not quite sure why I’ve read so many more this year).  These are my favorites (in order).  To fit the unwritten theme of this year, 4 of these are non-fiction.  For fairness, it only includes books that were new to me.

Click the links to read more of my review.

10. The City and the City by China Miéville

This is an “existential thriller”…but really it’s the tale of two cities (quite unlike A Tale of Two Cities, in case you were wondering).  It’s about a murder investigation that leads the investigator from one city to another…that shares the same physical location but is utterly distinct.  It comes off a little weird at first, but it’s very interesting.

9. Get Married by Candice Watters

This book changed how I viewed my own singleness…something that always needs redefining (my view of it…though I’d also settle for a change from singleness, too).

8. Green Like God by Jonathan Merritt

This is the perspective that Christians need on creation care…it’s not just for leftists and liberals.

7. In the Presence of My Enemies by Gracia Burnham

A memoir sharing that when things are bad (and they’re really bad: a year-long kidnapping by terrorists), it is still possible to trust in God.  He remains faithful, even if things don’t work out as we would have orchestrated.

6. How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

I loved this young adult novel.  It made me laugh, and it made me cry, really cry (but not in the Lurlene McDaniels kind of way).  You’d have to read it to understand it.

5. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

I don’t know why I haven’t talked about this one before, but it’s SO good.  Technically a children’s novel (probably because it’s short and has a child protagonist) but an adult would enjoy it more.  Nostalgic and touching.

4. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

No surprise for many of you who have already read it.  But I didn’t until this year.  Definitely deserves its classic standing.

3. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

I was wanting to read this one for months before it (finally!) came out. And now I’m waiting in as much anticipation for the sequel.  Jasper Fforde has an “interesting” take on writing that is unmatched, and his style is a welcomed and unique twist on the crazy-popular dystopian genre.  If you like things a little off kilter and/or dystopian books, check this one out, for sure.

2.  The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I think most of you know why this book is on my list.  If you don’t, you need to read it.  I haven’t heard of anyone who has read it and not loved it.  If its length puts you off, try the audio book.  It’s well done (I’m actually listening to it right now…I broke my “wait a year before a re-read” for this book).

1. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt