The Bookseller of Kabul

Asne Seierstad traveled to Afghanistan in 2001, covering the war. While there, she met an interesting bookseller and decided that she wanted to write a book about him and his family. With his permission, Seierstad followed Sultan Khan and his family, hearing all kinds of stories and experiencing drama of a level typically found in soap operas. From that, she compiled many of these stories and experiences into a book: The Bookseller of Kabul.

Seierstad weaves these stories together into a pseudo-narrative. At times story, at other times brief history lesson, Bookseller doesn't flow as nicely as other memoirs/narrative non-fiction books that I have read. Each chapter works on its own, but there's some jumping and some odd transitions between chapters. 

On the whole, though, I found the stories in the book fascinating. Through this story you get an inside look into life in post-Taliban Afghanistan. The people and their views are very interesting. Seierstad was able to paint a vivid depiction of Afghanistan's culture, as well as the many tensions that exist in the society. You see arranged marriages that succeed and some that fail, how the justice system works, how women are treated at home and in public, and what daily life is like for the average "middle class" citizen.

The Bookseller of Kabul was an easy yet compelling read. If you like casually learning about other cultures, I would highly recommend this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

51/100 books...still very ahead of schedule

The Last Word

N.T. Wright's The Last Word: Beyond the Bible Wars to a New Understanding of the Authority of Scripture is the American version of Wright's book Scripture and the Authority of God. From what I understand, the books are identical aside from a different preface.

N.T. Wright, for those unfamiliar with his works, is a British theologian famous for quite lengthy volumes containing great analysis of the New Testament. Wright fits neither in mainstream Christian circles nor fundamentalist Evangelical circles. One might describe Wright as a "moderate liturgical Evangelical," if that term even makes any sense.

I love N.T. Wright's writing. He digs into Scripture at a depth that very few modern day writers do. He is not content with the status quo and always seeks new insight and new perspectives to enlighten his knowledge and understanding of the Bible - even though very few living people possess such an overwhelming grasp of Biblical history and theology. His writing requires great focus from the reader, but harvests many rewards for the patient reader. I also appreciate his (relatively) moderate stance. By this I mean that Wright does not allow petty politics (government or church) to inform his study of the Bible. It's a refreshing stance, and one that is largely absent in modern publication, at least in publications that make it on the shelves of major bookstores and libraries. "Liberal" theologians and "conservative" fundamentalists dominate the scene.

This is precisely the point where this book steps in. Wright takes an in-depth look at what the authority of scripture entails. Of course, he quickly points out, "the authority of scripture" is really shorthand for "the authority of God as expressed through scripture." He attempts (and largely succeeds) to express in great detail what this means, and refute popular "liberal" and "conservative" views. Mainstream churches grant very little authority to scripture (and honestly seem to be hardly Christian at all), while conservative fundamentalist churches weigh heavily on certain passages while completely ignoring others. Wright is looking for some sort of middle/other ground where God's authority reigns supreme and all of scripture is held in high regard.

It's nearly impossible to summarize Wright's points in a paragraph or two. He sketches a nearly complete argument over the course of about 140 pages. I also don't want to give away too much - it really is a fantastically interesting book. His approach to studying scripture and regarding its authority is one of balance. However, if you want to know more - you'll have to read the book. It's really quite wonderful.

My only criticism (and the part that keeps this book from its fifth star) is that Wright does show some Anglican bias. Wright held the position of Bishop of Dunham for nearly 8 years within the Anglican church, and his preference for their liturgy shines through in a few spots near the end. It comes off as less genuine than the rest of the book - as if he's saying "I really like these several things the Anglican church does, so they are the best practice for going through scripture." Just a small criticism that really only impacts a few pages towards the end.

If you yearn for scriptural study that goes deeper than your typical book, then you definitely need to check out the work of N.T. Wright. This book is among his shorter works and would serve as a fine introduction to his theology. Be warned, though, that reading this will require great focus and while short, is not an easy read.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

book 50 of 100...halfway there 19 days before my halfway point!

The Life God Blesses

Just finished another short in-between-book devotional. This one was written by the pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle, Jim Cymbala. The Life God Blesses is a short book that contains inspirational stories, Biblical connections, and brief teaching points. Cymbala's main point is that God seeks to bless you, but you must have God's heart to receive that blessing.

There's nothing revolutionary here. The stories and lessons may very well bless you. I found some of the stories interesting, but I probably would have connected better if I were a member of the Brooklyn Tabernacle or was more familiar with Cymbala's writing. Still, the stories were pleasant and the message decent enough. A nice light uplifting read.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

book 49 of 100...well on pace and almost half way there!

Polaris

Polaris, by Jack McDevitt, follows antiquities dealer Alex Benedict and his assistant Chase Kolpath as they try to make an epic deal for artifacts from the ship Polaris, which had a tragic history. Sent out with a ship full of wealthy influential people, it was later found in space completely empty. Before long, Benedict and Kolpath find themselves in over their heads. A terrorist destroys most of the remaining artifacts from the ship, and our two heroes find themselves on the run as an unknown group of people seek out the artifacts they now possess.

McDevitt writes this book in first person, from Chase Kolpath's point of view. That was kind of weird. I haven't read a first-person fiction book for quite a while. I felt that technique really took away from the book's intensity. When the main character tells the story you know he or she is going to come out of this just fine. A few chapters deviate from this narrative, but only briefly.

I appreciated McDevitt's use of scientific ideas and philosophical debate. Unfortunately, that made up only 1/4 of the book. The rest was the adventure, which wasn't all that compelling. This was supposed to be a light and fun beach read. It was light but not as fun as I hoped.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The Bible Jesus Read

The Bible Jesus Read, by Philip Yancey, bears a deceiving title. This is the second book by Yancey I have read, but I was excited for this one because I thought it might delve deep into Biblical history. No such luck.

The Bible Jesus Read takes the reader on a walk through several texts of the old testament, which would have been (in some form) the scripture Jesus quoted from and was intimately familiar with. After introducing the Old Testament, Yancey goes through Job, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and "the prophets." He summarizes, covers the barest bit of history, mentions how these books might (or did) impact New Testament believers, and tackles some of the difficult questions that arise during one's reading.

I was sorely disappointed by this text. It seemed (from the introduction) that Yancey had only read the Old Testament a couple of times prior to reading it for this book. Seriously. He mentions that prior to this reading he found very little value in the Psalms. He also talks about how the prophets are all to often forgotten by churches. He brings very little to the table that I haven't heard a million times at church. Maybe it's because I go to a church that values the Old Testament, but I still felt like most of his insights and musings were pretty elementary.

If you aren't familiar with the Old Testament, you may like this book. However, if you've read anything substantial or gone to a church that digs into the Old Testament frequently, then skip this.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Go Tell It On the Mountain

Go Tell It On the Mountain is James Baldwin's semi-autobiographical tale of spiritual discovery. It follows John, a fourteen year old boy whose father is a preacher. Home life is harsh under his father's rule, and John struggles with his identity and what it means to be a sinner. His father, after all, thinks that John is a sinner because he likes to hang around white people. True, it was 1935, but that view was still seen as a bit extreme.

The book is told in five sections. The first section follows a day in John's life - his birthday, in fact. We are given a vivid snapshot of the intensity of his home life and then are whisked to a Saturday evening prayer service at the church. At this point, the story shifts to his Aunt Florence's point of view, exploring her past. The third section shifts to John's father Gabriel's point of view as he struggles with temptation while being a pastor. The fourth section follows John's mother Elizabeth as she struggles to find her identity. The final section details John's spiritual awakening.

This was a fantastic book. Baldwin creates remarkable depth to each of these characters. Their struggles, their sins, and their virtues are all at odds - you really truly feel for these characters and find yourself heartbroken when things go sour, which they do at several times. John's spiritual experience in the last section wraps things up well. I found the book difficult to put down, despite a general lack of excitement and adventure. It wasn't always easy to read, but I was completely absorbed by Baldwin's writing.

Rating: Classic! (5+ stars)

46 books, 156 days, still well on pace

This Present Darkness

This Present Darkness, by Frank Peretti, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. With this book (and its success), Peretti paved the way for other Christian adventure/suspense fiction writing, including Ted Dekker and the Left Behind folks.  Thankfully, Peretti shares more in common with the former than the latter.

This Present Darkness takes place in the small town of Ashton. Demonic activity has slowly been increasing and spreading in influence, unbeknownst to most people in the town. Newcomers Marshall Hogan, newspaper editor, and Hank Busche, pastor, discover quickly that not all is as it seems. They quickly find themselves in direct opposition of these evil forces and must find some solution before their lives are destroyed. The people who preceded them in their respective positions were run out of town - as well as many other prominent town figures. Hogan is joined by his assistant Bernice Kreuger in a full-fledged newspaper investigation into shady characters. Before long, they are in well over their heads with little hope of success. Busche wants to launch a prayer attack, but how successful can he be when half of his congregation wants him out of the picture? Angels stand ready and armed to battle the demons, but will they have enough prayerful supporters to overcome the growing strength of Ashton's resident demons?

As you might guess, there is plenty of adventure and excitement in this book. It's certainly a page-turner for most of the book, and it has a nice pacing. It still suffers some of the same problems that many popular fiction books do - the characters are under-developed (but not as bad as in the Left Behind series) and the dialogue leaves much to be desired. From a literary standpoint, Peretti is pretty average. The plot is well-developed and complex, though, and flows well from page to page. It maintains a pretty high level of intensity, although the final battle was not quite as intense as I had hoped.

From a theological standpoint, I had few issues, although I know many people take issue with the supernatural angel vs. demon stuff. I believe that spiritual warfare is a real thing that has major implications in the real world, although I don't really see it taking place quite the same way Peretti does. That didn't pose any issues for me, though. Peretti is also definitely fundamentalist, but again, with only two exceptions it wasn't a problem. He went out of his way to label a demon-influenced pastor as being a big animal rights advocate, but it wasn't overdone, so I was able to ignore that jab. Peretti also has an extremely poor view of the field of Psychology, basically equating it with psychic activity and astrology. Again, it wasn't overdone - just mentioned a couple of times - and it mainly focused on a truly nutso professor, so I was able to look past that.

Overall, I found this book fun to read and at least competently written. I will soon read the sequel and I'm kind of looking forward to it. This is a pretty good entry into the rather bleak field of Christian fiction.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

45 books, 155 days, still well on pace.