Ignorant Historian

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).

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.

The Translator: a Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur is the story of Daoud Hari, a member of the persecuted Zaghawa tribe, who returns to the Darfur region of Sudan.

Hari had been in Egypt and Israel seeking employment in order to provide for his family, but got arrested for doing so illegally.  After being held in Israel and then Egypt, he is finally going to be handed over to Sudan.

Fortunately, with some help, he was able to escape to avoid being handed over to the government that wants his people dead.  Now released,  he wants nothing more than to see his family again.

Yet, he doesn’t make that his only goal. He decides to do what he can to help his people by using his language skills to translate for researchers and journalists who will get the word out about the genocide.

I must admit, I was quite ignorant about this region. This was a great introduction for me in to what Hari describes as the complex genocide in Darfur.

Of course, the details of the genocide are quite appalling. But Hari does a good job of not focusing on the graphic natures of the horrors nor glossing them over.

He had some interesting things to say about genocide prevention and the American government. He had good things to say about the American people, but not necessarily about the American government. He says, “The proof of a democracy is surely whether or not a government represents the hearts of its people” (p. 86). In context, he seems to be implying that the American government in fact does not represent its people, as the people want action in Darfur, but the government remains inactive.

I also find it saddening to see the role that imperialism had on the region and the negative consequences still felt today. Of course, I’ve seen the negative impact of forcing “superior” Western political ideals on other peoples in my studies of other regions (even after the Western nation relinquishes sovereignty), but here’s just another example.  We in the United States and Western Europe can’t just sit back and point our fingers…our nations aren’t innocent.

If you are as ignorant about Darfur as I was, I’d recommend this book (and even if you know something about the conflict in Darfur). It’s short and personable, and a easy way to begin to grasp the complexities and atrocities in Darfur.

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream is about just that: rescuing American Christians from the deadly kudzu of the “American Dream.”

He’s not saying that America=evil or that everything within our culture is bad, but that there are harmful ideas that we have bought and followed without discernment, becoming normal in the American church.

I don’t really know where to start on this review.  In some ways, I only need to say: go out and buy it (it would be worth buying at twice its $10-12 price tag, and when you’re done with it, lend/give it to someone else).

When I first got my hands on this, I did what I do to every book: look to see how many actual pages it had (secret: I do the math to figure out how many pages I need to read in each book per day to finish it by the date that I want).  At the very end, I noticed it has 5 things he wants the reader to commit to, and leaves room for you to write out how you’re going to carry them out.  I read them before I read the rest of the book, and I thought, “Ehh, those are good, but I’ve heard all that before.”  But when I read the book and then got to that section?

You bet I was praying, asking God’s forgiveness for neglecting these simple things and praying through how I was going to re-implement them in my life.

This book was the perspective change that I needed.  This book is the perspective change that the American church needs.

If you want to know more about what Radical is about, check out the video on the bottom of the homepage of the book’s website.  You can even sign up to read the first chapter for free.  But really, you need to read chapters 6 (“How Much is Enough?: American Wealth in a World of Poverty”) and 7 (“There is No Plan B: Why Going is Urgent, Not Optional”).

Chapter 6 hits on the very topic God has been working on in me: that I’m abundantly wealthy (yes, in a worldly sense) and I squander that wealth on myself (more on this in an upcoming blog post).

In chapter 7, David Platt walks simply through 7 Biblical truths that makes participation in missions mandatory for all Christians (going, praying, sending, and/or supporting).  Nothing new for me, but this was the simplest and most logical presentation I’ve seen.  Kind of a “duh” thing.

While I’ve been blessed to have heard a lot of this before from the ministries I have participated in and my church that I love, I needed to hear it again.  The American Dream is so easy to get caught up in.  It’s easier to join in the pursuit of a better living, fun gadgets, and being well-dressed than it is to live sacrificially and simply so that I can bless others with the blessings He’s blessed me.  After all, I don’t want to be weird, do I?

But indeed, the Christian faith as laid out in the Bible is radical.  When we try to soften it’s commands and examples, we’re wrong.

I don’t know what else to say to convince you to read this book.

I first heard about Green Like God from Carol (her review is here).  It sounded like a very interesting book.

And then I looked at the author and recognized the name; we had gone to seminary together.  Cool to know the author…or at least know of the author.  I promise that hasn’t influenced my review of this book…he blew me away in spite of the fact that we sat before the same teachers.

When I was about halfway through Green Like God, a friend asked me if this was a worthwhile book.  I said I thought so.  It wasn’t wowing me, but I enjoyed it and felt like there was some good stuff there.

And then I got to the second half of his book, “Our Assignment in God’s World.”  Merritt confronted me with facts that I’ve long since avoided…when most environmental horror facts are presented in a doom-and-gloom way, you become jaded and in my case, uncaring.

And then there was chapter 9, “The Enemy in Us All.”  It’s an absolutely must-read for every American pastor. Scratch that, for every American believer.

Our actions have consequences.  Our affluence is no excuse (if you are reading this right now, yes, you are affluent because you have regular access to a computer, among other blessings).  All the paint in the world won’t fix a broken building, but may mask it for a little while.

Merritt is right to point out that the blame for pollution and the destruction of creation (not to mention the exploitation of other peoples) rests largely on America.  We’ve allowed consumerism and materialism to be the American way.  If we don’t have to live in the filth (or at least we don’t feel like it), then what does it matter, right?

One particular passage struck me:

At the May 7, 2001, White House daily press briefing, Ari Fleischer, White House spokesperson for President George W. Bush, was asked a tough environmental question: “Does the president believe that, given the amount of energy Americans consume per capita–how much it exceeds any other citizens in any other country in the world–does the presdient believe we need to correct our lifestyles to address the energy problem?”

Without hesitiation, Fleischer snapped back, “That’s a big no.  The president believes that it’s an American way of life, and that it should be the goal of policy makers to protect the American way of life.  The American way of life is a blessed one.” (p. 117, emphasis added)

YIKES.  Nine years later, this attitude is still way too common.  What’s worse, we aren’t content to keep this me-first-and-only attitude to ourselves, but spread it around the globe.

So, yeah, I think this is definitely a must-read.  It’s about time someone with a balanced view and a level head addressed this issue.  Our environmental irresponsibility is neither the extinction of the human race nor is it a myth.

And Merritt is right: Christians have every reason to be the best at creation care (after all, our Savior took on human flesh), not the worst.

I’m off to put in to practice what I’ve learned.

Lately I can’t get enough of dystopian/futuristic/end-of-the-world books.  And by large volumes being published today, I assume I’m not the only one.

The Last Christian is the story of a missionary’s daughter, Abby, who returns to the United States in 2088 after spending her life cut off from the world in the jungle of Papua New Guinea.  The America she returns to is not only equipped with the technological advances you’d assume, but is essentially godless.  Christianity is extinct.

Not only that, but a new medical procedure is being done that replaces the natural brain with a synthetic brain (allowing one to live forever)…but not everything is as it seems.

I enjoyed The Last Christian, though one stylistic issue really bugged me.  Most of the book was told in 3rd person, but everything about one of the characters was told in 1st person.  You don’t usually note point-of-view unless it’s not working, and it wasn’t working here.  It threw me every time it switched.  Also, he must have learned to name characters in the same class Vicki Hinze did, because they were mostly vanilla, Anglo names easily to be confused with one another.

But beyond those things, it was well written.  It was an interesting story.  Though I was driven to skim through some of the more technical portions, it was interesting.  I enjoyed reading how Christianity could be included in a dystopian novel, and I think Gregory does it well.  Though it’s very obvious, I don’t think he was being “preachy.”

If you can’t get enough of this genre like I can’t, I’d recommend checking this one out.

I received a free copy of The Last Christian for review from the publisher, but no other compensation.

You may have noticed that quite a few quotes from Wendy Shalit’s Girls Gone Mild: Young Women Reclaim Self-Respect and Find It’s Not Bad to Be Good have shown up in my Sunday quote lists.  That’s the thing about a good non-fiction book…there are so many quotable things.

I read Shalit’s book at the recommendation of my SIL.  Shalit’s first book A Return to Modesty was the subject of a lot of controversy (who knew modesty was a controversial subject?), and this 2007 book contains a lot of the same themes.

Actually, not having read her first book, I’m not sure what the difference between the two books  is.  Girls Gone Mild is primarily about the immodesty found in and supported by our culture.  She makes a decent argument for modesty (something that I support) from a secular viewpoint.  Basically, she debunks the idea that taking off your clothes is the ultimate show of confidence.  No arguments here.

But I’m not sure she goes about it in the best way.  She spends what I believe to be too much time merely detailing all the examples of outrageous immodesty, like ridiculously explicit sexual advice to tweens and teenagers.

Most of her research took place in 2006, a year after I graduated from college.  While I have seen and am not surprised by a lot of her examples, some that she purports are representative of college culture in America sound nothing like what I saw on my college campus only a year earlier.  Sure hooking up was big at OU, but co-ed bathrooms and roommates were strictly forbidden and for the most part followed (I lived in the dorms all 4 years).  I think making a huge deal out of minor examples actually weakens her case.

While I would have enjoyed Girls Gone Mild more if she focused more on her thesis and didn’t spend so much time in the evidence, I really enjoyed the interviews she did with the women and girls who have become public figures primarily because of their support of modesty.

The paperback version of this book goes by the name The Good Girl Revolution (which I do think might be a better title).  I’d recommend checking out Wendy Shalit’s writings.  If you’ve read anything by her before, what did you think?

I can’t quite explain why I enjoyed How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford so much.  I read this book in the middle of the Read-a-thon a couple of weekends ago, right after coming to tears at the end of Shadow of the Giant.

Well, this one brought me to tears as well.

I always have a lot of respect for books that can make me cry.  Few do.  Movies that make me cry are a dime a dozen, but it’s harder to convince me to react emotionally when the only weapon you have is words.  Natalie Standiford did that.

I hope that doesn’t turn you off to How to Say Goodbye in Robot.  It’s not a sad book, really.  Just very real.  I’ve been reading a lot more YA books lately, and they seem to fall into many of the same clichés over and over again. This book didn’t do that.  It reminded me of books that I enjoyed (Special Topics of Calamity Physics and Wintergirls) but in no way is like those books.

How to Say Goodbye in Robot is the quirky tale of the budding friendship between Bea and Jonah.  It’s not plot-driven, but it still surprised me in the end (though it probably shouldn’t have).  Standiford does a great job of getting you to feel what it would be like to be Bea in the story, and leaves you thinking just as Bea is left thinking.

If you ever enjoy YA literature, I recommend checking this one out.  Check out The Page Flipper’s review for another take on it.

I’ll admit it: I want to be married.  Probably not a huge revelation here on the blog, but it’s  a hard one to make in real life.  For whatever reason, it seems wrong to make that admission, like it’s a shameful secret.

That said, my reasons for wanting to read Get Married: What Women Can Do to Help it Happen by Candice Watters are pretty obvious.  I was familiar somewhat with Candice (and her husband Steve) from Focus on the Family’s Boundless Webzine and Blog.  If I wasn’t, I seriously doubt I would have picked this up.  I hate the “just try harder” sentiment found in a lot of books written for Christian single women…it’s just discouraging.  I get that I have a part to play in my own singleness.  I could be thinner, more outgoing, more godly.  I know all that…yet I also know that women like me are getting marriage proposals every day, and here I sit without a date (please don’t read a pity party into this, I’m just trying to be honest).

Thankfully, I didn’t get much of that from this book.  She’s pretty blunt about a lot of things which doesn’t come off as encouraging, but when the sting of unrighteous indignation wears off, I get her point.  There ARE things I can do to increase the likelihood that I’ll get married.  A big focus in my life right now is being as marriable as possible: working on being content in GOD ALONE, getting body and finances in shape as well as trying to break out of my (very small) social comfort zone.  These things happen to be the exact same things that will make be a better single woman, which is no coincidence.

As I was typing the title just now, I accidently wrote “What Women Can Do to MAKE it Happen.”  No, that’s not what Candice is suggesting at all.  She’s not presenting a magically formula or old-wives’-tale-like tasks to do (Sometimes I feel like I have to do the spiritual equivalent of hopping on one leg while balancing an apple on my nose to get married).  But she does purport that there are things women can do to not only prepare themselves for marriage, but to make it more likely to happen.

I’m still working through what Candice had to say.  I by no means have it figured out (and probably wouldn’t even if Mr. Right was knocking on my door right now…which he’s not).  I’m glad that I’m reading Carolyn McCulley’s Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye? at the same time, because Carolyn’s bent towards resting in God and Candice’s towards helping marriage happen are a good balance.

I would recommend this to someone who is unintentionally single…but put it down if you get frusterated.  If you’re teachable (as I’m not always), you’ll recognize a thing or two that you can learn.  I certainly still have a lot to think, pray, and talk through.

I first heard about this book from Carrie at Reading to Know.  I think I read more books recommended by her than any other person, as I trust where she’s coming from.  I would suggest also checking  out Carrie’s review of Get Married as well as Candice’s other book, Start Your Family.