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Philip Roth's 22nd book takes a life-long view of the American experience in this thoughtful investigation of the century's most divisive and explosive of decades, the '60s. Returning again to the voice of his literary alter ego Nathan Zuckerman, Roth is at the top of his form. His prose is carefully controlled yet always fresh and intellectually subtle as he reconstructs the halcyon days, circa World War II, of Seymour "the Swede" Levov, a high school sports hero and all-around Great Guy who wants nothing more than to live in tranquillity. But as the Swede grows older and America crazier, history sweeps his family inexorably into its grip: His own daughter, Merry, commits an unpardonable act of "protest" against the Vietnam war that ultimately severs the Swede from any hope of happiness, family, or spiritual coherence.
Book Description
As the American century draws to an uneasy close, Philip Roth gives us a novel of unqualified greatness that is an elegy for all our century's promises of prosperity, civic order, and domestic bliss. Roth's protagonist is Swede Levov, a legendary athlete at his Newark high school, who grows up in the booming postwar years to marry a former Miss New Jersey, inherit his father's glove factory, and move into a stone house in the idyllic hamlet of Old Rimrock. And then one day in 1968, Swede's beautiful American luck deserts him.
For Swede's adored daughter, Merry, has grown from a loving, quick-witted girl into a sullen, fanatical teenager—a teenager capable of an outlandishly savage act of political terrorism. And overnight Swede is wrenched out of the longer-for American pastoral and into the indigenous American berserk. Compulsively readable, propelled by sorrow, rage, and a deep compassion for its characters, this is Roth's masterpiece.
Customer Reviews:
Roth takes on the American Dream.......2007-09-21
I read Philip Roth's, "The Plot Against America" and "Goodbye, Columbus." With these books in mind, I started "American Pastoral" expecting Roth's prolixity, as well as such themes as American Jewish identity, factious race and class relations, sex, and Newark, NJ. American Pastoral, in many beautiful sentences and passages, has this and much more.
Roth skillfully guides the reader through Seymour "the Swede" Levov's life. The Swede has everything: a beautiful wife and endearing daughter, an idyllic home in the country and a prosperous company, not to mention good looks. He is the epitome of the American dream. Then his gentle daughter, Merry, turns into a revolutionary fanatic and blows his pastoral life up with a bomb.
Such a tragedy is needed to reveal that the American dream is just a dream. Many Americans live under the conception that anything is possible, dreams do come true, and hard work pays off. The founding fathers encouraged such thinking and it has helped our country greatly. Such thinking is ideal but isn't always realistic.
Things go wrong. People go crazy. Some, like Merry, bomb a local post office to protest the Vietnam War. Viewing America only in the pastoral light is willfully ignoring the bad stuff. Many people wish to see their country as an Eden-like place, a pasture (I admit, I do at times). But by doing this they are closing their eyes, covering their ears, and keeping out any negative, perverse reality that actually exists. Life isn't carefree nor has it ever been. In American Pastoral, Roth forces his reader to take in all the craziness of the world and deal with it.
Read American Pastoral.
American Patoral.......2007-09-08
Roth is one of America's greatest writers. This book is one of my favorites. A fascinating read.
A Tiresome Read.......2007-09-08
This book was quite impossible for me to finish. I found the writing unbelievably self-indulgent, muddy and abstruse. In a vain effort to be poetic, Philip Roth's style becomes overblown and ego-centric. Many times he expresses a thought in 3 or 4 pages that could have been articulated in a couple of paragraphs. It's like scratching an itch on your right ear with your left hand. I grew up in a neighborhood similar to his setting so I appreciated this but there wasn't enough clarity or dramatic reality to make me continue reading. His characters are cardboard and uninteresting. They didn't mak me care about them.
an essential novelist.......2007-08-18
Few US writers nowadays take on the subject of America in their writing and make it work. Roth is clearly at the tail end of the generation of the Great American Novelist, a writer who writes as much about the character of the United States of America as he writes about the characters in his books. Don DeLillo (Falling Man: A Novel, Underworld: A Novel and White Noise) is something of this, but DeLillo's concerns are more of the intellectual background of the US rather than its character.
But this book takes on the evolution of America full force--Swede seemed to be an idyllic American. The son of a glovemaker, he was a Varsity letterman and an idol in high school who married Miss New Jersey and seemed destined to be the center of idolatry.
But of course, Swede has to fall, and his fall is as much about the evolution of America as it is the exploitation of his fall. His daughter goes from daddy's little girl to a terrorist/activist responsible for four murders. And from there, Swede's life starts to fall apart, and I mean in every way imaginable. This seems almost expected, but Roth takes this crumbling to some of its deepest psychological and emotional levels. Unlike Yates' Revolutionary Road, Roth makes you care about Swede not only through the explosion of the storybook Middle America into the Turbulent with Knowledge of Inequality 60's and onward, but because his fall is so hard. Emotionally, he is to be left with nothing, and Roth takes us there with immediate prose that grounds like broken glass into the pores of every moment. He is challenging and disturbing and spares no detail, but Roth's work is worth the wait for the depth of pathos and character he conveys. The book seems to end a little lopsidedly, and I found the main drive of The Human Stain a little more compelling than this one, but Roth is certainly a writer we cannot live without. If we want to know what America has become, don't listen to the idiotic pundits on the air (on either side of the fence) think (if you can call it that)--instead, read Roth, and you will see what we have become and who we need to be. While we have entered the era of Controversial Nonfiction, Roth reminds us that the REAL news is in fiction.
Idyllic Life Unraveled (4.25 *s).......2007-07-23
It is a convenient fiction among upper-middle class Americans that life can be managed and maintained in perpetual tranquility: just do the right things, consult all the right experts, associate with all the right people, etc - although it is more an assumption than a well thought out philosophy. Swede Levov, a non-practicing, Jewish third-generation owner of a factory making gloves in post-WWII Newark, was the epitome of that belief system. He was an unassuming star athlete, who married a Miss America contestant, and became the father of a precocious little girl Merry living on a large farm in semi-rural NJ.
But that idyllic life started unraveling, as his daughter developed a stuttering problem blemishing the perfect family, began associating with political radicals at the young age of fifteen, and finally blew up the local post office killing a beloved local doctor. The narrator, Nate Zuckerman, a younger classmate of the Swede, new little of this when he met the Swede at a restaurant some 27 years after the bombing. He only discovered that his assessment of the Swede as being utterly bland and non-reflective was terribly wrong after running into the Swede's younger brother Jerry at a high school reunion.
The book proceeds from that point from the perspective of the Swede. The Swede constantly assesses and reassesses his family's life trying to find the triggering event(s). In addition, he has to contend with the turbulent times of the late 60s, such as the riots and destruction of Newark, as well as the slow deterioration of his marriage. The book is a very deliberate examination of the awakening and anguish of a once blithely contented man, who comes to understand that much of life is illusory, unknowable, and fragile.
The book does stall in places and is short on answers, such as about Merry. She almost seems more a device to tweak the Swede than a fully explored character. Nonetheless, the book is thought provoking.
Customer Reviews:
Rites of Passage.......2007-06-11
This is a gift from the Father through His daughter to us. And as such it is to be passed on to other daughters..granddaughters, nieces, friends.
A must read!!!
Brilliant.....Vivid......Honest...........2007-05-17
A must read for all Christians, especially females, who are seeking a better understanding of the role of the woman in the church and in the world. The author examines the lives of women in the Bible and allows the reader to see the lessons of their lives and how it connects to ours. The material is fresh, new and insightful. I could not put it down, stayed up all night to finish reading.
Average customer rating:
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Blessed Paradoxes: The Beatitudes As Painted Prayer
Barbara Cawthorne Crafton
Manufacturer: Morehouse Group
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ASIN: 0819217638 |
Book Description
Here is Fannie Flagg's high-spirited and unabashedly sentimental first novel, the precursor to the bestselling Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.Taken from the pages of Daisy Fay Harper's journal, this is a coming of age story set in rural Mississippi that is by turns hilarious and touching. It begins in 1952 when Daisy Fay is a sassy, truth-tellin' but lonely eleven-year old, and ends six years later when she becomes the flamboyant, unlikely -- but assured -- winner of the Miss Mississippi contest. Along the way, we meet some of the raffish and outrageous town locals, including her own Daddy, who comes up with a mortgage scheme that requires Daisy's "resurrection." This is a thoroughly entertaining comic novel with a heroine who is bound to capture your heart.Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg is also available from Random House AudioBooks.
Customer Reviews:
hilarious.......2007-10-10
I love Fannie Flagg's books, this book I found to be very funny, everyone I lent it too also thought it was funny. Enjoy
A perfect book.......2007-09-08
I just recently discovered Fannie Flagg and have been reading any book by this wonderful author that I can find. This is a warm, funny and wonderful novel about a young girl growing up in a very interesting enviroment. It had just enough mystery to keep me turning the pages (I love a good mystery) but was a good book to read before bed--some of those terror mysteries make it a little too hard to turn off the light.
I really enjoyed this novel--it is staying in my bookcase for a second read.
Fun Read.......2007-07-09
This book is interesting and full of fun. I laughed a lot reading this book.
Fannie Flagg and the Miracle Man.......2007-06-08
This book is one of my favorites. I adore the way Fannie Flagg greets you and warmly invites you right into the family. It's like a whole different world where you feel so welcome and so familiar. This particular book has wonderful sentiment and a charming sense of humor that only Fannie Flagg could create.
What a story .......2007-03-11
I love Daisy Fay. She made me laugh, she made me cry and then I was done with the book. I have to tell you this book was referred to me by a true southern lady named Melba and I will be forever indebted to her. When I finished the book I felt as though my best friend left and I was never to see her again. I will read Daisy Fay again and again. Fannie Flagg is now one of my favorite authors and I will look forward to all her future book. KEEP THEM COMING FANNIE. I AM A TRUE FAN!
Average customer rating:
- Thought provoking sermons.
- The Seeds of Heaven
- The Seeds of Heaven, Sermons of the Gospel of Matthew
- Taylor is an outstanding writer
- Barbara Brown Taylor spins new stories from St Matthew
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The Seeds of Heaven: Sermons on the Gospel of Matthew
Barbara Brown Taylor
Manufacturer: Westminster
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Bread of Angels
ASIN: 0664228860 |
Book Description
This wonderful collection of sermons by renowned preacher, author, and speaker Barbara Brown Taylor is based on the Gospel of Matthew. Each of the fifteen sermons, three of them appearing here for the first time in print, is based on a reading from Matthew, including Exceeding Righteousness (Matthew 5:17-20), The Problem with Miracles (14:13-21), Family Fights (18:15-20), Once More from the Heart (18:21-35), Beginning at the End (20:1-16), and On the Clouds of Heaven (24:29-44).
Customer Reviews:
Thought provoking sermons. .......2007-08-24
Mrs. Taylor's fifteen sermons printed here are not new ones but they are fresh and challenging to adult and young adult students, even if they have heard them before. Recommended highly for study groups.
The Seeds of Heaven.......2007-02-18
Excellent! I love the way Barbara Brown makes the scripture relevant to the everyday world. She has an entertaining way of expressing her thoughts.
The Seeds of Heaven, Sermons of the Gospel of Matthew.......2006-02-27
Barbara Brown Taylor shares her sermons and insight on the typical gospel of Matthew but add so much more. This book is so impressive we have incorporated it into our Lenten program for this year. Thanks Barbara for this wonderful collection.
Taylor is an outstanding writer.......2005-10-23
I purchased the book to be used in an adult church education class. The volume is a collection of sermons based on the Gospel of Matthew. They are scholarly, yet easy to read. Taylor provides some fresh interpretation to this beloved old gospel. Her ideas make for lively in-class discussion. I recommend her work very highly.
Barbara Brown Taylor spins new stories from St Matthew.......2004-11-23
She paints mesmerizing pictures from Matthew's Gospel. Bound in the colorful cover outlining two hands around a tender green plant above brown earth, Barbara Brown Taylor is symbolized as the Gardener who brings forth fruit from The Seeds Of Heaven!
"As the world grows smaller and followers of the world religions become our literal next-door neighbors, the question of Christianity's relationship with these neighbors gains new urgency; It may take us awhile to sort out proximity to Hinduism or Taoism, our nearest neighbor is and always has been Judaism."
On hearing from her close friends tell of Barbara Brown's time-off to write her new book, I anxiously awaited my first reading. About the same time my close friend who is a Muslim Chaplain, spoke about her Columbia Seminary class visiting his Dec. Muslim Worship near the season of RAMADAN.
Her first chapter, "Exceeding Righteousness" pictures her unique way of interpreting the Gospel for other religions. Her urgency gains new momentum in the next sermon, "The Marginal Messiah, I wish I could tell you that Jesus death and resurrection changed everything...That once the word got out what God had done with Him everybody saw the Light and turned toward it on the spot."
From her tough CPE experience in a downtown Atlanta Hospital, she takes us into the inner lives of Matthew, Thomas, Peter with her inner thoughts about the Kingdom. After five flashes of the Gospel coming quickly, she says, "Jesus zings us with snapshot-like scenes glimpsed thru windows of a fast-moving train!" Her vivid use of the today's vernacular shows relentless urgency as she pursues her goal of showing us "how the Kingdom of Heaven is like this, and this, and this!"
Although I'm familiar with more of her Sermons as compared to hearing her lecture delivery, it is interesting to see how much more transparent these passages from Matthew's Gospel give an inside perspective of Barbara Brown Taylor! I first notated this in the margin of Chapter 13, when she speaks of not being sure this Parable of the Golden Rule sounds like Jesus. "It becomes necessary to look below the surface!" Her previous books do not move as intensely forward with such interest and energy in their reliving the early miracle teaching of our Master, as "The Seeds Of Heaven!" AMEN! From Retired Chaplain Fred W Hood
Average customer rating:
- Delightful characters, setting and situation!
- Satisifying Read
- Definitely worth my money and my time.
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But Why Shoot the Magistrate? (MacLaren Yarbrough Mysteries)
Patricia Sprinkle
Manufacturer: Zondervan
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ASIN: 031021324X |
Book Description
In the second MacLaren Yarbrough mystery, MacLaren finds herself trying to single-handedly solve two mysteries: Was it really Pastor Luke Blessed who killed gentle young Amanda Kent -- and who shot MacLaren's husband, Joe Riddley?
Customer Reviews:
Delightful characters, setting and situation!.......2007-07-22
I enjoyed this book very much, as I had already come to love Maclaren Yarborough from her later escapades. The characters are well-rounded, the plot beautifully executed, and the setting, Hopemore, Georgia, is a place I never want to leave. I wonder, though, if I would have enjoyed this one as much had I read it first. ("Why Shoot the Magistrate?" is Maclaren Yarbrough's debut story.) The reason for my hesitation is that this book is a bit heavy on the "preachy" kind of religion. Overall, I love Mac's philosophy, her connection with God, her staunch morality. But in this book, and the next (When Did We Lose Harriet?) the reader is made to feel that unless you believe exactly what Mac does, you are sadly misled, spiritually. Happily, every book in this series from the third one on is light on the religion angle and heavy on just basic common sense and common decency - and excellent plotting. Don't pass this one by, even if you have no religious beliefs at all, because overall the book is a winner!
Satisifying Read.......2003-12-29
All of the MacLaren Yarbrough books are engaging mysteries and easy reads---the kind of book that is best enjoyed on a rainy day with hot chocolate. What Sprinkle does with clues is interesting, especially in this MadLaren book.
Definitely worth my money and my time........1999-06-02
I bought this book because the cover had a sticker that said if I did not love it, I could return it and get my money back with no questions asked. I figured what did I have to lose? Patricia Sprinkle has since become one my favorite authors. Her Maclaren Yarbrough books are easy reads. I felt like I knew her characters personally and was already missing them as I read the last few pages. If you like Perry Mason, Ben Matlock, or Jessica Fletcher, you will love Maclaren Yarbrough.
Amazon.com
"A child takes life as it comes because he has no other way of taking it," Frederick Buechner writes in this first of his autobiographical books. With this statement he attempts to explore the event that is at the center of this book, and which forms the (missing) center around which so much of Buechner's fiction and essays take shape: the suicide of his father when he was 10 and his brother 8.
As with much of Buechner's work, there is a movement in this narrative from suffering to grace, a grace that comes in unexpected ways and places. Here it comes through the preacher George Buttrick on a Sunday sermon: Jesus refused Satan's crown, Buttrick said, but "he is crowned in the heart of the people who believe in him. And that inward coronation takes place ... 'among confession, and tears, and great laughter.'" It was when he heard this final statement, Buechner writes, that something turned over for him, and led him to speak to Buttrick and ultimately led him--driven literally by Buttrick--to Union Theological Seminary. Here in this beautiful book this soul-changing journey across Manhattan stands for "the sacred journey" of a life--and of all of our lives. Whether it ends in truth or dream we cannot know, but Buechner sides with King Rinkitink of Oz who says, "Never question the truth of what you fail to understand, for the world is filled with wonders." --Doug Thorpe
Book Description
This memoir reflects on key moments of the author's early life, from childhood to his entering seminary, that reveal how God speaks to us in a variety of ways every moment of every day.
Customer Reviews:
holy goose!.......2006-03-10
check out doug thorpe's comments on this book; he's a Seattle Pacific University muse, so his words must be golden. here's my two cents:
the writing style of the sacred journey seems deceptively simple, even hypnotic, and buechner has done a masterful job at piecing his memories together into a meaningful (and occasionally preachy) message. in fact, he provides a first-rate example of how to do exactly that which he suggests, pour over one's past for surprising glimpses of God's grace-filled touch. if nothing else, buechner sure knows how to write a stirring introduction.
listen to your life.......2003-08-06
I have read The Magnificent Defeat, Godric and the meditation book, Listening to Your Life. I've read other books by Richard Rohr that have blown me away in how they've illuminated Christianity for me but I've never read anything quite so beautiful, so rich with humanity as this slim little volume.
It is rare that words fail me but it seems that anything I could say about this work wouldn't do it any justice at all. It's not about Christianity, it's about looking into your life, listening to all the strangeness, horror and wonder and perchance finding what God might be saying.
and still my words fail. Read this and take the journey yourself. You'll see what I mean.
once below a time..........2002-03-28
The mystery of our lives. The oddity of memory. The things that make us who we are. Frederick Buechner explores all of these topics in the first volume of his autobiographies, "The Sacred Journey."
Slowly--word by word and line by line, Buechner has won my respect as an author. How he unravels the story of his own life, how he makes the past breathe, gives it life...it has all combined to deepen my esteem for him. He is one of the greatest living authors.
Buechner's honest search for something universal in his story has captivated me. We all stand, in one way or another, in the shadows of our own lives. Alone, we cannot even comprehend the whole of our own journeys. The value of Buechner's excavation of his past is that when others view it, it may help them see the importance of their own journey.
In spite of the author's uncertainness about writing them, I have found Buechner's autobiographies to be of great value. I am thankful for the man's openness, courage and skill (they are fun to read).
I give "The Sacred Journey" my wholehearted recommendation.
A reflective, honest book.......2002-02-10
Perhaps the best thing about Rev. Buechner's book is that, in reading about his early journey toward finding Christ, it really will, as so many have noted, help you reflect on your journey. Buechner writes about how our lives are like novels, that they have a structure and a meaning, and indeed, they do, if we take the time to delve into them and try to process them. God, of course, is the Author of that meaning, and as Buechner finds meaning in his life, so too can we find meaning in ours. This is one I am sure I will read again and again. (Fair warning -- the cover photograph will come to haunt you as you read about what happens to Buechner's father!)
Beautiful language, beautiful message.......2000-07-26
Rev. Buechner has an amazing gift for crafting language to portray exactly what he feels and needs to say. He writes this autobiographical and spiritual book, he says, with the hope that the reader will see the threads of his or her story weaving in and out of his own.
Buechner's work is popular, and this book is the perfect introduction, explaining the major events of his childhood, which shape his life, minsitry, and writing. Sacred Journey is certainly not a self-help book, but you will be encouraged toward reflection on your life past and present, and if you let him, Buechner will shape your life.
Customer Reviews:
Good Book.......2003-01-21
This book is very helpful for a few reasons.
1) It gives the authors understanding of the basic principles of Black Preaching.
2) It speaks of the different domains that Black Preaching addresses such as Social Injustice, Personal Piety, etc.
3)It provides a number of sermons from Black preachers through the years and analyzes them according to the principles set forth in the book.
If you want to gain a greater understanding of Good Black preaching I would suggest this book.
Excellent.......2001-09-14
The contents of HEART OF BLACK PREACHING includes acknowledgments, an introduction, and four chapters of proposed analytical nomenclature, application of that system of analysis to 19th century and contemporary preachers and one of their exemplary sermons, ending with a review of the preceding exposition and analysis. The appendix contains a full published
rendition of the sermons analyzed in chapters 2 and 3. There are ample footnotes, bibliography, acknowledgments of copyrighted material and an index at the close of the book, which totals 260 pages.
The introduction is unpretentiously clear in its conclusion that the author relies on David Kelsey's theory that "all faith communities have some master interpretive lens that guides their interpretation and use of scripture." (3) This apparently operates in a similar fashion to Gunkel's "Sitz im Leben" for exegetical research purposes. Only, the Kelsey approach is applied to sermon texts, instead of literary and historical development of biblical scripture. LaRue posits that "What we perceive to be the most important aspect of Christianity is the key factor that determines how we construe and use scripture..." Chapter 1 entitled "The Search for Distinctiveness in Black Preaching" contains certain supposedly unique "Characteristics of Black Preaching." The would be "strong biblical content", creative uses of language, appeal to emotions, ministerial authority, and some additional characteristics" ncluding "homiletical musicality." (13) The next "Scripture and Life Experiences" section emphasizes how the black church was born in slavery and continues to carry the legacy of oppression and struggle of the past four centuries. "A Communal Interpretive Strategy" returns to the Kelsey theory and nomenclature for literary analysis of sermons. The concept of "discrimen" means "a distinguishing pattern that guides scriptural use in specific faith communities." (17) LaRue applies this approach so as to postulate "[f]rom beginning to end, therefore, the black sermon has as its goal the creation of a meaningful connection between an all-powerful God and a marginalized and powerless people. (19)
The preceding pages prepare the reader for the most important lesson in the book that teaches Dr. LaRue's literary and sociological approach to understanding the black churches'
common characteristics in sermon content. In "Dynamics of a Black Biblical Hermeneutic" he draws most of the reader's attention to further application of the previously mentioned "Sitz im Leben" approach. He then axiomatically sets forth "five broad domains of experience that appear often in black life and preaching to constitute a paradigm... personal piety, care of the soul, social justice, corporate concerns, and maintenance of the institutional church." (21-25) Although the
author mentions "extended metaphors" including liberation, deliverance, empowerment, providence, reconciliation, parenthood, and election as common themes of the manifestations of God's power in the black religious experience, (28) it becomes very obvious that the sermons used as demonstrative examples are heavily involved in liberation and deliverance in the 19th century and empowerment in the 20th century. On the same token, among the possible array of "domains of experience" LaRue has taken very obvious editorial license to promote the
impression that sermons with the greater significance lean heavily in the "social justice" and "corporate concerns" domains. Impliedly LaRue uses deductive reasoning under the pretext that he is a black preacher having studied and read many 19th century black sermons; that he has read and listened to many contemporary black preachers. He maintains this inner sanctum posture throughout the book.
In chapter 2 "The Power Motif in Nineteenth-Century: African American Sermons" begins with John Jasper's characteristic hermeneutic. It is premised as containing narrative genre, where God acts mightily as a "liberator and defender." He relies on the domain of the "care of the soul." (35). Alexander Crummell is previewed next with a hermeneutic of a God who acts mightily. "History moves under the power of God with purpose and design; God is sovereign over all nations of the earth, including America; and Whatever a nation or people ultimately becomes, both corporately and individually, depends upon its character and obedience to almighty God." (37) Crummell also utilizes principles of destruction and restoration. (41) This is significant, since LaRue fails to feature the post reconstruction sermon "The Greatness of Christ." The political agenda of the author rules and "The Destined Superiority of the Negro" is what the reader gets. (138-146)
LaRue's treatment of the remaining 19th century preachers: Francis J. Grimke, Daniel Alexander Payne, and Elias Camp Morris. This writer has found similar political agendas in the Chapter 3 "A Hermeneutic of Power in Contemporary African American Sermons." Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., Katie G. Cannon, A. Louis Patterson, Jr., Mozella Mitchell, Fred C. Lofton, and Carolyn Ann Knight are all very exemplary. Their styles of preaching are sufficiently varied to avoid any possible accusation that LaRue is practicing denominationalism. Chapter 4 "The Basic Dynamics of the African American Sermon: Power and the Sovereign God" is an admirable summary of LaRue's thorough review of the black preachers he has chosen. "The Black Socio-cultural Context" and "Varieties of Black Experience" hint at possible further research and exposition on themes not raised in this book. As an aside. Justo L. Gonzalez's Santa Biblia, The Bible Through Hispanic Eyes might prove to be an interesting comparison. What if someone wrote a comparative review of many such socio-cultural contexts in the Christian churches throughout the world?
The Appendix contains the following excellent sermons: John Jasper's The Sun Do Move; Alexander Crummell's The Destined Superiority of the Negro; Francis J. Grimke's A Resemblance and a Contrast between the American Negro and the Children of Israel, in Egypt, or the Duty of the Negro to Contend Earnestly for His Rights Guaranteed under the Constitution: The Roosevelt-Washington Episode, or Race Prejudice; Daniel Alexander Payne's: Welcome to the Ransomed; Elias C. Morris' The Brotherhood of Man; Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr's What Makes You So Strong? Unexpected Blessings; Katie G. Cannon's To Tell the Truth; A. Louis Patterson, Jr.'s How to Know You Are in the Kingdom; Mozella Mitchell's: Pro- vi-dence; Fred C. Lofton's: Bad Black Dude on the Road; and Carolyn Ann Knight's: If Thou Be a Great People.
A Super Preaching Book.......2000-12-18
This is a super book for anyone wanting to know the history and present day dynamics of black preaching. LaRue brings forth a wealth of information on great black preachers of the past and he also draws upon current African American preachers on the American scene. He claims there is a particular way of viewing God that is distinctive to black preaching. Moreover, he argues that there are five domains or spheres of black lived experience that are very helpful to black preaching. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to gain a greater understanding of the particulars of black preaching and a greater understanding of how to prepare your own sermons. It is a most helpful book. Great!
An interesting and informative book.......2000-08-26
As a student it is hard to find books that are both educational and good reads. Cleophus LaRue's novel is one of these rare books. I found "The Heart of Black Preaching" very helpful to me in my studies as a black female preacher. It will remain a staple in my reading diet, and I hope the author will continue to write.
Important insights into Black evangelism and preaching........2000-02-04
Cleophus J. LaRue's Heart Of Black Preaching provides important insights on why black preaching is strong and active, connecting with the real-life experiences of listeners. Too many preachers leave God out: LaRue considers the important connections between life experiences and religion which make black preachers so effective in their communities.
Book Description
A collection of images and impressions captured by those who have listened to the earth with their hearts --- John Muir, Walt Whitman, Annie Dillard, John Burroughs, Rachel Carson, Aldo Leopold, Henry David Thoreau, and more...
The Earth Speaks can be read by individuals in moments of solitude, shared among friends around a trailside campfire, and used by leaders to help their learners develop a love for life and the systems of the earth that sustain it.
Brought to life by the beautiful block prints of Gwen Frostic, this book contains the writings of naturalists and natives, poets and philosophers, plus ordinary people who were able to capture in words some of the magic and meaning of the earth's marvels.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful nature writing.......2007-08-16
This book is appropriate for random reading, mediation and just to experience nature. Many of the selections make the reader appreciate nature more and also be more observant of the small and subtle beauty around them.
Good for Interfaith Worship.......2006-08-28
In designing an interfaith worship service for a scout outing, I was able to use many materials from this book. There are also things in it that are not necessarily suitable for a worship service, but certainly inspirational in respect to Nature and the Earth and our role in preserving them.
An excellent introduction to environmental literature!.......2005-11-02
I read from this book to my 6th grade science class on a daily basis. It introduces them to classic environmental literature and fosters a deep appreciation of our earth.
Awesome peaceful beautiful book.......2000-09-06
I remember at camp our councelors read this a bedtime, and i used sit there and think about what was read. Then at closing ceremony they read a paragraph, this book has a tremendus effect on the way you think about life and the earth when your done reading it. I would recomend this to anyone not just environmentalists.
Lovely, peaceful little book...........2000-08-23
I first bought this book a few years ago when, by good fortune, I was in the middle of Denali National Park in Alaska in cabins with nothing around us for about 100 miles - true wilderness as I have never experienced it before or since. And, to me, this book brings me back to that peaceful, transcendent, truly wild place. I use it as a meditation book in the early morning. I have five that I read - the first four are about peace for me, human person, and they certainly have their place. But this little book I read last because it puts things in perspective and reminds me that I am not the center of anything at all. I buy them in quantity and give them away. It is such a beautiful book. The quotes are outstanding and are from some of our most eloquent naturalists, et al, and the peace that emanates from every reading can only be experienced, not described. It's wonderful.
Book Description
When she invites us to "recover the sacred," well-known Native American organizer Winona LaDuke is requesting far more than the rescue of ancient bones and beaded headbands from museums. For LaDuke, only the power to define what is sacred-and access it-will enable Native American communities to remember who they are and fashion their future.
Using a wealth of Native American research and hundreds of interviews with indigenous scholars and activists, LaDuke examines the connections between sacred objects and the sacred bodies of her people-past, present and future-focusing more closely on the conditions under which traditional beliefs can best be practiced. Describing the plentiful gaps between mainstream and indigenous thinking, she probes the paradoxes that abound for the native people of the Americas. How, for instance, can the indigenous imperative to honor the Great Salt Mother be carried out when mining threatens not only access to Nevada's Great Salt Lake but the health of the lake water itself? While Congress has belatedly moved to protect most Native American religious expression, it has failed to protect the places and natural resources integral to the ceremonies.
Federal laws have achieved neither repatriation of Native remains nor protection of sacred sites, and may have even less power to confront the more insidious aspects of cultural theft, such as the parading of costumed mascots. But what of political marginalization? How can the government fund gene mapping while governmental neglect causes extreme poverty, thus blocking access to basic healthcare for most tribal members? Calling as ever on her lyrical sensibility and caustic wit, moving from the popular to the politic, from the sacred to the profane, LaDuke uses these essays not just to indict the current situation, but to point out a way forward for Native Americans and their allies.
Customer Reviews:
Heart and Respect.......2007-08-06
Heart-wrenching and heart-warming. Winona LaDuke's straightforward descriptions of how the indigenous plant, animal, and human peoples of North America were decimated will take your breath away and her inspiring accounts of the steps that are being taken to rebuild and restore will have you breathing a sigh of relief.
A discussion of the struggles Native Americans have made particularly in modern history.......2006-02-10
Two-time Green Party Vice Presidential candidate Winona LaDuke presents Recovering The Sacred: The Power Of Naming And Claiming, a discussion of the struggles Native Americans have made particularly in modern history to reclaim their rights and cave a path that balances personal, ecological, and cultural integrity. From "Vampire" biopiracy incidents such as taking samples of Native Blood under the pretext that it will be used to research diabetes and selling it to bidders who actually use it as evidence for the Bering Strait land bridge theory - in direct conflict with the religious beliefs of those who provided the donation - to corrupting public regard of Native tribes through using their names at sporting events (it would be unthinkable to wave crucifixes or the Torah at heated game, yet spiritual Native American objects such as the feather headdress are freely worn), to modern land grabs for any coal, oil, or valuable materials remaining on any Native reservation and more, Recovering The Sacred sheds a spotlight on the disdainful to hostile manner in which America regards its Native peoples. A carefully researched and persuasively presented accounting of the inequities of the past, what Native peoples are courageously doing now to protect their rights and their culture, and what challenges the future may bring. Highly recommended.
Recovering the Sacred from Materialist Reductionism.......2005-11-03
Leading activist/scholar writing from among the Anishinaabeg (Ojibwe) of northern Minnesota, Winona LaDuke brings to all of us the ecological wisdom of Native Americans.
The sacred has to be "recovered" by "naming and claiming" a people's land, its holy sites, and its "relatives" among other creatures (such as sturgeon, horse, and manoomin or wild rice).
In a splendid blend of wit, good humor, necessary polemic, personal experience (not only as Founding Director of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, but also as world traveler), and copious research, this book lays down its assertive challenge to a dehumanizing materialism that has relegated "the sacred" to an allegedly peripheral irrelevancy.
LaDuke's book describes here how the Native American community has begun to "heal itself from the ravages of the past." Vigorous pro-active efforts emerge in her stories about naming and claiming what is sacred to that community.
Books:
- Bastard Prince: Henry VIII's Lost Son
- Betrayal in Death (In Death)
- Between Heaven and Earth
- Bitten (Women of the Otherworld, Book 1)
- Bone Volume 5: Rock Jaw Master of the Eastern Border
- Brian Jones Straight From The Heart: The Rolling Stones Murder
- Brimstone (Pendergast, Book 5)
- Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture
- Cane River (Oprah's Book Club)
- Charles Dickens Four Complete Novels (Great Expectations, Hard Times, A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities)
Books Index
Books Home
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