Paula's short review of A Short Stay In Hell

 

A Short Stay In Hell by Steven L. Peck

Strange Violin Editions  

Lent to me by a friend

4 stars

A few months ago my friend was over for dinner and saw that I was reading On A Pale Horse by Piers Anthony. The cover of my edition was a great illustration of Death riding in a Cadillac and prompted a discussion of how we both adore books that take on different views and discussions of death (and capital D personification Death). Her immediate recommendation was the novella A Short Stay in Hell. 

The premise of the book is simple. Our main character, Soren Johansson, has died. He led a simple Mormon life and died young of health reasons. He finds himself in Hell- because all along Zoroastrianism was the true religion. The great thing about this religion? Hell isn't eternal. The downside... it can still last a very very very very very very very long time. (We're still talking millions of years). Soren gets cast into a specific hell based on The Library of Babel. He is told that as soon as he finds the book that contains his life story he is allowed to leave. Being cast into a library for awhile- that sounds awesome right? Soren quickly finds out that is not the case. This library contains every book that has ever been written and Soren can't leave until he finds his own....

Guys. This book is so good. It reminds me (in the best kind of way) of that Twilight Zone episode Time Enough At Last where the bookworm's glasses break. Clocking in at just over 100 pages - it only took me an hour or so to read. I devoured it. Each event that happened was perfectly chosen and needed to be in the story. This book presents a lot of different ideas on death and eternity and isolation. But in a way that doesn't feel forced or "REALLY IMPORTANT" like a lot of literature tends to do. 

Unfortunately since it is such a small release- it might be difficult to find a copy at a big box store. But it should be available on Amazon. http://amzn.com/098374842X so if you are looking for something quick to read that will still fill your mind with amazing thoughts. I highly suggest you click that link.

Book tour: The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau + giveaway

The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau

Reviewed as a part of Historical Fiction Book Tours

Nancy Bilyeau's Website: http://www.nancybilyeau.com

Nancy Bilyeau on Twitter: @TudorScribe

Book Trailer

Tour Event Twitter Hashtag: #TheCrownVirtualBookTour

My thirst for books set in 16th century England is absolutely insatiable. Nancy Bilyeau's new (and FIRST!) book just helped whet that constant need. What appealed to me was the relatively unfamiliar settings and perspectives in her book. The Crown takes place in the midst of the Reformation. Henry VIII is trying to rid England of Catholicism - mainly by emptying out the abbeys and taking the wealth there for himself. Monks and nuns being forced from their lifestyles and beliefs in these abbeys were left in helpless and pitiable situations.

Our heroine in The Crown is Joanna Stafford, a Dominican nun who is also of royal blood. She sneaks away from Dartford Priory when her cousin Margaret Bulmer is sentenced to burn as a traitor for resisting the Reformation. At the execution site, she and her father are arrested for causing a ruckus and are sent to the Tower. There, Bishop Stephen Gardiner (that old grumpy guy who always wears purple robes on The Tudors) offers her a deal in exchange for her release and her father's life. Joanna must search and find him the legendary Athelstan crown, supposedly hidden in her abbey. This crown is said to offer the rightful owner great power and defeat against enemies; Gardiner desires to use the crown to sway the Reformation in his favor. In her search, Joanna meets a mysterious monk named Edmund, a charming civilian (creating an odd love triangle of sorts), and runs into more murders, sickness, and betrayl than I think the average nun did. The action and mystery is nonstop!

One of my first impressions about The Crown was how great it was to read a book that takes place in Tudor England but does NOT focus on Henry VIII or one of his wives. Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn both do play a part, but Prince Arthur and George Boleyn are the main focus of their stories, respectively. It was interesting to get a fresh perspective on the events I've already read so much about. I also loved all of the various characters we met along the way. I specifically liked finding out the reasons why some of the nuns and monks decided to join the church; some were truly pious to God, others simply traumatized in their childhood for various reasons. There was such great characterization and variety! The only lingering feeling that is still bothering me is the ending: I wouldn't say it's exactly a cliffhanger, but it didn't feel completely wrapped up. I wanted to know specifics! Readers may be me left demanding a sequel - not that that's a bad thing!

If you like history, religion, and mystery (from that description, this book sounds similar to The Da Vinci Code...it's not.) then this book is for you! 4 stars to a great debut novel.


Giveaway!

Due to limited space and an impending move later this year, I am giving away my copy of The Crown to one of you! Open to US residents only, enter by filling out a short form HERE! You have until March 16th. Good luck!

Kelly Reviews "Escape" by Carolyn Jessop

Title: Escape

Author: Carolyn Jessup & Laura Palmer

Published: Broadway Books, 2007
Rating: 4 stars

Back in October 2009, I pulled this book at random off a shelf at the library, and boy, am I glad I did. It is the story of a woman, Carolyn Jessop, born into a polygamist community in Utah. She became the fourth wife of a man more than thirty years her senior when she was eighteen. (Over the course of his life, her husband had more than a hundred children by fifteen different wives.) Her husband mistreated all of his wives, to the point of slavery and extreme domestic violence, but these women still strived for his affection, even though they knew they didn't love him. They also challenged each other and did not stick together. Life was miserable for Carolyn in this religion; in extreme sects of FDLS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), women have absolutely no rights or freedom.

The climax of the book is where she plans and executes her escape with her children from the FDLS sect and her husband. In order to properly be separated, she must cross the state lines into non-FDLS territory. Her children, particularly the older ones proved to be the hardest obstacle in her escape. Some felt torn loyalty between her and their father and were not eager to leave their community. 

The part that scares me the most is the fact that this is happening in modern day...not five hundred years ago like it sounds like it would. She went on to become one of the few women who ever challenged her husband and religion, and the first to successfully leave the community with all of her children. The compound was later raided by police in 2008.

This book is full of encouragement and knowledge for those like me who were completely ignorant about FLDS and polygamy. The writing style is not the best, but was very thought-provoking nonetheless.

R holds forth on The Battle for God

The Battle for God by Karen Armstrong

Knopf, 2000

Where I got this book: The library.

Why I read this book: I've always been fairly interested in the topic.

The Battle for God is a historical overview of fundamentalism in the Abrahamic traditions, with a focus on American Protestant fundamentalism, Israeli/Zionist fundamentalism, and Muslim fundamentalism in Egypt (Sunni) and Iran (Shii). It explores the circumstances through which fundamentalism arose as a uniting force in each of these cases, the conditions that led to the development of these four movements that play such important roles in the international arena today.

To describe this book as merely a factual overview, however, would be to misrepresent it - Armstrong does in fact put forth some of her opinions on the theological, political and social implications of the various veins of fundamentalism.

The main thrusts of Armstrong's argument are as follows:

1. The dawn of religious thought saw the development of two different but mutually reconcilable methods of perception, mythos (myth abstraction, metaphysics, religion and so on) and logos (rational thought, the scientific method, you get the drift), both deemed integral to a holistic existence, but also two distinct realms that were not to encroach upon each other (i.e. mythos was not considered a "blueprint for practical action");
2. The incidence of fundamentalist movements are reactionary in nature, emerging as they do in response to the participants' perception of undesirable or overly rapid modernization;
3. While the stated aims of these movements are often purportedly conservative, to espouse a continuation of or reversion "to the wellsprings", their interpretations of theological principles as well as the manner in which they go about furthering their causes are often modern and in alignment with the contemporary zeitgeist;
4. The modern world has moved away from its previous balance of mythos and logos, and is now almost entirely reliant on logos to the detriment of mythos; and
5. Much of the religious unrest of the modern world is a result of fundamentalists who choose mythos as a means of practical action in response to the overwhelmingly logos-driven world, a plan of action that is incongruent with traditional religious principles.

Now, I can agree with points 2, 3, 4 and the first half of 5. However, I find it difficult to believe that, as Armstrong asserts, the earliest generations of humanity thought of mythos as entirely metaphorical, not at all seeing religion as a literal explanation for things happening in the physical world. Surely such abstract ideas as creation myths were passed down because they were actually believed, not merely because they were known to people as allegorical manifestations of the lack of human understanding. Certainly, whether these ideas are literal, allegorical or indeed totally redundant is always an issue that is hotly debated. But considering the spectrum of opinions today, is it not possible that this spectrum existed even as our main monotheistic religions were taking shape? There really is no solid, documented evidence of whether or not religion had been understood metaphorically by its practitioners all those years ago, hence the fact that Armstrong took such a leap with her main thesis really undermines the book.

That said, the exhaustive chronological landscape drawn by Armstrong is a strong point. I must say that I feel like I learnt a lot about a number of related topics - from the difference between Sunni and Shii Islam (in my ignorance, I used to think it was just some kind of family feud ... well, it kind of was, but there's so much more to it than that) to the dispersion of the Jewish diaspora (which I'd known even less about).

What I appreciated most about the book is its overriding message of religious tolerance. A recurring theme that is brought up in various scenarios is that the use of oppression and force against a religious group tends to have a contrary effect. In her capacity as a former Catholic nun and recipient of the 1999 Muslim Public Affairs Council Media Award who teaches at Leo Baeck College for the Study of Judaism, Armstrong herself is apparently a beacon of interfaith understanding. As one whose natural inclinations tend in this direction, I was as such particularly well-disposed to the book on this count, even in spite of my aforementioned scepticism of its main argument.

It is because of this that I give The Battle for God 4 stars; the readability and meticulousness of its factual overview trumps the lack of veracity of its mythos/logos thesis. Regardless of its flaws, I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in the topic that it covers; ultimately it does a pretty decent job.

R holds forth on Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor

This is the first contact, as it were, that I've had with the works of Flannery O'Connor. I believe the Southern Gothic genre, of which this is a quintessential example, is one that is uniquely linked to the culture and geography of its country of origin... which may serve to explain why I (a non-American) had never heard of this title until I came across it on Goodreads. (I suspect that, internationally, lists of "classic" English language novels tend to be biased against American literature in favour of British writers... but I digress.)

Anyway, I've heard Wise Blood described as a comic novel - but if you approach it anticipating a barrel of laughs, you'll probably be sorely disappointed. That's not necessarily a bad thing, mind; it hasn't necessarily failed as a humourous work. The thing is, the humour here is in the uneasy semi-reality of the scenes, with the characters doing outrageous things that you could almost imagine someone doing in real life, although the very thought of it remains deeply unnerving. Wise Blood is chockfull of genuinely weird stuff that strays to the farthest end of dark comedy. If it causes any laughter at all I can only imagine that it manifests very occasionally, and primarily in nervous, slightly horrified little giggles.

Beyond that, if I'm honest, I scarcely know what to think about it. In that case, you may wonder, why bother to attempt to review it at all? Well, there aren't many books that leave me as bewildered as Wise Blood did. Generally speaking, the books I've read can be broadly categorized into two distinct categories - Books I Liked or Books I Didn't Like. My bewilderment at this book belongs to a unique category of its own; I rarely read a book that I think I like, though I find the memory of it vaguely unsettling.

It's a showcase of the dark side of religion, an exhibition of individuals for which religion and penitence act as a conduit for madness. Basically it's just fantastically bleak and now, having given it 3.5 stars, I might go off and stare at a wall for a moment to clear my mind.

Jess' Review: The Crisis of Islam (Bernard Lewis)

Image from Amazon

Title: The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror

Author: Bernard Lewis (Web site)

Publisher: Random House, 2004

Notes: I checked this book out of the library.

A brief summary: "After the terrorist attacks of September 11, many Americans yearned to understand why Muslim extremists felt such passionate animosity toward the Western world, particularly the United States." (Quote from Goodreads.) This book aims to explore the historical bases for this animosity.

My thoughts:I read Bernard Lewis' The Crisis of Islam as part of a seasonal challenge at the College Students group on Goodreads. I have never embraced Lewis' approach to the Middle East—or more specifically, the Arab World—or Islam, thinking that he often takes a reductionist point-of-view that serves to reify Westerners' beliefs about Arabs and Muslims. I would not recommend this book to anyone who does not already know some basics about Islam or the Middle East. Lewis confirms American suspicions of the region and the religion instead of breaking down barriers to understanding.

Lewis starts out by stating that former President Bush was involved in a fight against terror, but not Arabs or Muslims, yet Osama bin Laden was in a fight against the United States. While this is true to an extent, it ignores the historical and political realities. Bin Laden utilized religious rhetoric to create an "us" versus "them" dynamic, but ultimately he is concerned with geopolitical issues like invasion and occupation, which one could read in his writings, Messages to the World.

Moreover, Lewis spends a good portion of his book relating Christianity and Islam before stating that there are, despite these similarities, profound differences. I start first by saying that Christianity is a faith-based religion (not practice-oriented, with the exception of Orthodoxy and Catholicism, to some extent). Islam is both orthodox and orthoprax, meaning that there's emphasis on both "right faith" and "right practice." Judaism tends more toward orthopraxy. Given the elements that Lewis focuses on—religious authorities' perspectives on justice and morality, apostasy, etc.—it would probably have made more sense to compare and contrast Judaism and Islam.

Lewis also spends an enormous amount of time talking about jihad. Jihad is a word that loosely means "struggle," and for religious Arabic speakers, it usually refers to a personal struggle (sinfulness, indulgence—the same sorts of things that plague "us normal Christians"). However, Lewis discounts this, saying that progressive Muslims like to say that jihad means a personal struggle, but that throughout Muslim history it refers to holy war. But what, you might ask, does he think about the Crusades? He argues that while jihad is embedded in early Muslim history, the Crusades are a departure from good Christian society and behavior. I am flummoxed by this conclusion. Additionally, Lewis discusses apostasy; he cites that the penalty for apostasy in Islam is death, which is harsher than any other religion. I cannot be sure that this is in the Qur'an or not, but my guess is that some Muslim leader or scholar once said this. However, these pronouncements need more evidence to be compelling, at least for me. I think that the uneducated reader or one looking to reaffirm his beliefs in the evil of Islam will take this at face value, which is quite unfortunate.

To be fair, Lewis is well-read in the area of Middle East and world history, and employs this knowledge in his argument. He even recognizes the importance of jizyah (a tax installed for recognized non-Muslim communities in Muhammad's time and in the early years of Islam) for the dhimmi (recognized non-Muslim communities).

Rating: 1 star

Jess' Review: Sikander (M. Salahuddin Khan)

(photo from Goodreads)

Title: Sikander
Author: M. Salahuddin Khan
Publisher: Karakoram Press, Lake Forest, IL, 2010
Notes: I was offered this book to review from the publisher.

A brief summary: Sikander Khan, a Pakistani student turned mujahid after family turmoil in the mid-1980s, is the aptly named protagonist of Sikander. He returns to Pakistan after the fight, falls in love, and settles down to a normal life. Eventually his interest in English and the United States—from his years as a student—reemerge, and he finds himself journeying to America in a pre- and post-9/11 world.

My thoughts: This book is well researched, and author Khan is quite good at explaining and weaving the political history of South and Central Asia into the plot. Even if you don't have a strong background in the history, politics, and religion of the area, you'll learn a lot. You'll also learn slang, religious terminology, and various phrases in Pashto, Urdu, and Arabic in this book. I really enjoy that, though I know it can be distracting for some readers, and I found Khan's glossary explanations thorough and sufficient.

One area where I felt this book was seriously lacking was in Khan's dialogue. The descriptions are sparse and the dialogue common—which is somewhat unusual in the books I typically read—but the dialogue flops occasionally. The characters are flat, and many lack that aspect that make you feel connected to the book. I personally did not find any of the female characters to be particularly compelling either, though I'd be curious to read your thoughts on that.

I think it's difficult to pick apart the book without veering into spoilers, but I would say that the second half of the book is much more interesting than the first. I think the plot is good, though long and drawn-out in a frustrating way at times, and that anyone interested in this area of the world will find it thought provoking. I'm excited to see modern fiction written by Muslim authors popping up in the post-9/11 era, so I think it's worth a read.

Rating: 3 stars

Jess' Review: The Butterfly Mosque (G. Willow Wilson)

(photo image found at Amazon.com)

Title: The Butterfly Mosque: A Young American Woman's Journey to Love and Islam
Author: G. Willow Wilson
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Year Published: 2010
Notes: I got this book at the library, after waiting for its release for about six months.

G. Willow Wilson's memoir is as complex as people's identities; this is not merely a love story, or a conversion memoir, or the tales of an American expat, or the experiences of a woman in a male-dominated culture. I was drawn to this book because, having lived in Egypt myself (though under the umbrella of a 'structured' study abroad program at the American University in Cairo), I was curious to hear this woman's story. How did her experiences change her life so intimately and drastically?

Wilson is an astute observer who looks critically at both Egypt and Egyptians, as well as the United States and Americans. She is not harsh to either, but since she is betwixt and between Arab and American, she navigates the differences and similarities with clear observations and anecdotes. Wilson seems to have an enormous capacity for understanding and relating to other humans, and I find her to be a reliable memoirist. She is well-versed in Qur'an, Muslim folklore, and Middle East history, with a growing sense of Egyptian social norms. Conversely, Wilson grew up atheist and participated in American popular culture for years. These experiences, I believe, have allowed her to identify and critique hypocrisy and paradoxes from each side:

"I think this holds true on a larger scale: of the Middle Easterners I have met who resent the West (and specifically the United States), the vast majority resent it because they perceive it to be a military and economic juggernaut bombing whole countries into rubble, putting local industries out of business (though this title is slowly passing to China), and succeeding and succeeding where the Middle East fails. Religion never enters the discussion." —p135

This is direct commentary on Wilson's personal experiences, but I found it wonderful that she converted to Islam or embraced its role in her life prior to her engagement and subsequent marriage to Omar. People often assume that individuals convert to Islam because they are persuaded or forced to do so. Though Islam is a proselytizing religion, it maintains many of the same tenets as monotheistic religions like Judaism and Christianity, and for that reason has broad-based appeal.

Wilson and her friends are not left unscathed by the post-9/11 political environment. Though it is not central to this memoir, some of Wilson's colleagues and friends are investigated by federal agents; her phone is tapped at times. These are the realities of contemporary American security concerns, and I commend Wilson for her treatment and discussion of them in this book.

Wilson's writing is a pleasure to read. I found it to be purposely detailed and emotional while also succinct. She does not waste any time skirting around issues, but boldly plucks them. Her stories of not eating anything except cheese and bread reminded me of my own time in Egypt—taxicab drivers, the incredible disparity from neighborhood to neighborhood, the strange lack of sweating. She, like me, agrees that to be a Middle East expert you must live amongst human beings in the Middle East.

What may draw many readers in is the love story. Wilson's storybook romance is full of uncertainty, cultural barriers, and the mystery of romance in any society. Yet despite their differences, Wilson and Omar find many more similarities. Readers will find their love fascinating and beautiful.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is curious about Islam or American Muslim converts. You do not need to be learned in either subject to read this book, though it may help. I found the use of Arabic and either Muslim or Arabic quotes throughout the text to be wonderful. I think that this book is a good counterpoint to Irshad Manji and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who depict a negative image of Islam that is quite unrealistic, yet garners great attention from American media.

I give this book 4.5 stars.