What is the What? by Dave Eggers

A while back I read the book God Grew Tired of Us and watched the documentary based on the book.  (See my review here.)  These tell the stories of some of the Lost Boys of Sudan.  More recently, I read The Devil Came on Horseback, in which an American, a former soldier, assists the African Union in the Darfur region of Sudan as an observer, gaining a first-hand glimpse of the genocide.  (There was a film made of this book, too.) These and other stories out of southern Sudan tell much about what is wrong with the human condition, while giving confidence in the resiliency of the human spirit and reason to hope for a future of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Add to these stories the story of Valentino Achak Deng, one of the Lost Boys.  With the help of novelist Dave Eggers, he tells his story in a moving, gripping way.  Achak and Eggers met through the Lost Boys Foundation, which was founded and run by Mary Williams, Jane Fonda's adopted daughter.  Williams called Eggers, asking him to meet with Achak and consider chronicling his story.  They decided to include historical and political background and to expand on Achak's experiences, turning into a sort of autobiographical novel.

The title is from an old creation story Achak hears from his father.  As his last act of creation, God said, "I can give you one more thing. . . . You can either have these cattle, as my gift to you, or you can have the What."  Man asked, "What is the What?"  God replied, "I cannot tell you. . . . You have to choose between the cattle and the What."  Considering the attributes and benefits of the cattle, man chose cattle.  And because man was content with what God had given, "God has allowed us to prosper.  The Dinka live and grow as the cattle live and grow."    In the Dinka version most often told, "God had given the What to the Arabs, and this was why the Arabs were inferior."

When Achak was just a boy, the Arabs began their attacks, determined to purge non-Arabs, non-Muslims from southern Sudan.  Rebels fought the government soldiers in a long, drawn out war.  Many villages were destroyed altogether.  Even thought the rebels ostensibly tried to defend the rights of non-Arabs, they were, in many cases worse than the government soldiers and the raiding tribes supported by the government.

Achak fled his village, embarking on foot on a trek from Marial Bai, in southwestern Sudan, to a refugee camp in Ethiopia.  Conditions along this journey of hundreds of miles can't be imagined by most of us.  The travellers, mostly young boys, most of whom had witnessed the horrors of their parents being murdered, their homes and villages being burned, and worse.  Along the way, the boys (there were some girls and adults, too) suffered every kind of deprivation, going days without food or water, most without shoes, many without clothes.  Many died along the way of starvation, disease, drowning or being eaten by crocodiles while crossing rivers, or being carried off by lions.

When they finally arrived at a refugee camp at Pinyudo, Ethiopia, conditions did not quickly improve.  While there was some degree of security, and some food and other assistance from NGOs, the Sudanese rebels made their presence known and came to rule the camp, bringing it into the conflict.  Achak and the others were forced to flee, and, after another grueling journey, ended up at another refugee camp in Kakuma, Kenya.

Achak lived at Kakuma for many years.  When Lost Boys began coming to the United States, he, of course, hoped to go.  After years of wondering whether his parents were alive, he learned that they had survived and were trying to rebuild their lives in Marial Bai.  Soon after, he was accepted to go to the U.S.  He managed to speak to his father by CB, asking if he should come home to Marial Bai.  His father raised his voice, "You have to go, boy.  Are you crazy?  This town [Marial Bai] is still ashen from the attack.  Don't come here.  I forbid it.  Go to the United States.  Go there tomorrow."  He insists; Achak starts to resist: "But father, what--"  His father interrupts, "Yes, the What.  Right.  Get it.  This is it.  Go."

Following Achak's story and experiences, What is the What tells the story of the Lost Boys, taking the reader into the world and the mind of these refugees.  Most of us, thankfully, will never experience what they've gone through.  Reading their experiences helps me appreciate the coddled, easy life we experience in the U.S. and challenges me to expand my perspective to engage the needs of others.  I remember when we lived in Grand Rapids, a group of Lost Boys moved to town.  Some good friends of ours sponsored a group of them and told great stories about teaching them about the simple, daily tasks we take for granted.  What is the What tells some of those stories and so much more.  I highly recommend this difficult but ultimately encouraging story.

Eggers and Achak at the construction site of a new school in Marial Bai

Achak and Eggers started a foundation to assist Sudanese refugees and promote development in Marial Bai.  That must be immensely satisfying for Achak to be able to make such a huge difference in his hometown.  Read about the foundation and his work here.

The Black-White Achievement Gap, by Rod Paige and Elaine Witty

The question of the achievement gap between black has vexed educators and community leaders for generations.  Why, after decades of progress in civil rights, does the gap persist?  We have a black president, black CEOs, black leaders, so why do test scores, grades, and academic achievement skew against black children?  Rod Paige, Secretary of Education under George W. Bush, and his sister Elaine Witty, a longtime educator and school of education dean, argue that, as the subtitle states, the achievement gap is "the greatest civil rights issue of our time."  The authors argue that while racial prejudice and discrimination were the "primary barriers impeding African American advancement toward economic, social, and political parity with white Americans" up until the 1960s and 1970s, the primary barrier now is educational underachievement.

The authors are hopeful and optimistic about the prospects for advancement.  Given some historical background, it's little wonder that African-Americans lag behind their peers.  During slavery, slaves were prevented from being educated; in some cases the were legally prohibited from learning to read.  After the end of slavery, few would argue that African Americans have had equal access to educational opportunities.  Even now, we see large discrepancies between many mostly minority schools and districts and mostly white schools and districts.

Paige and Witty are pretty tough on the current national shortage of African American leadership.  They didn't stand behind No Child Left Behind, which, Paige and Witty argue, offers much help in closing the black-white achievement gap.  For them, "party trumps race," so they were not enthusiastic about this Republican-led measure.  In the same way, they have disdainfully rejected the leadership of Michael Steele, the African American chairman of the Republican National Committee.  In other cases, they have rejected specific proposals and actions, such as charter schools in D.C. and voucher measures in Texas, because of partisan concerns, with no concern for the actual success of the children affected by those measures.

The Black-White Achievement Gap is not great literature, by any means.  It's a dry policy book.  Their style is in the flat, quasi-academic style you might expect from this genre: not fully academic, trying to appeal to a broader audience, sometimes pretty readable, but mostly dull.  Paige and Witty do provide plenty of examples of charter, private, and public schools who are enjoying great success with African American students, even students from poor neighborhoods, broken families, and other less-than-ideal learning conditions.  I got first-hand exposure to some of these schools when I attended a "No Excuses"conference in D.C., which featured the founders of KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program), charter schools who have seen tremendous success with at-risk populations, and other success stories from places where one would expect the black-white gap to be most evident.  I also got first-hand experience of the gap, when I taught at a Fort Worth junior high that was about 50/50 black and hispanic, and was horrible academically.  Unfortunately, I did not do much to close the gap.  I am hopeful, for the sake of my former students, that African American leadership will pick up on Paige and Witty's recommendations and close that gap!

UnThinkable, by Scott Rigsby

If you ever need some inspiration to overcome obstacles in your life, you need look no further than the ranks of disabled athletes who accomplish feats most able-bodied folks never even try.  Scott Rigsby has accomplished what many never dream of trying, and what many who tried, failed to finish: completed an Ironman Triathlon.  For the uninitiated, a triathlon is a race in which athletes swim, then bike, then run.  Races can be a variety of distances, but the Ironman distance is 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run.  A momentous feat for anyone who attempts it, but for Scott Rigsby, even more so: he did so on two prosthetic feet!  He is the first double amputee to complete an Ironman triathlon.

Rigsby lost a leg due to injuries sustained in a terrible accident.  He was riding in the back of a truck, and when they were sideswiped by an eighteen wheeler, he bounced out of the bed and was dragged under the trailer they were towing.  One leg had to be amputated immediately.  The doctors reconstructed the other, but after years of problems with infection and incomplete healing, Rigsby had the other one amputated as well.

The accident happened the summer after he graduated from high school.  Scott's plans for college went out the window, and for many years he struggled with purpose and meaning.  Seeking fulfillment in drink, drugs, women, and money, he coasted through life until, through the patient ministry of a campus minister, Rigsby gave his life to Christ.  Rigsby is very honest about his life after becoming a Christian.  Besides the usual struggles of a 20-something new Christian, he had to deal with erratic behavior caused by his traumatic brain injury, the emotional and physical pain of being a double amputee, and the difficulties of finding and keeping steady work in light of his TBI and physical disabilities.  He eventually did graduate, but had a hard time maintaining a career.

His moment of revelation came shortly after Christmas in 2005.  After reflecting on what an aimless mess he had made of his life, his mom, a faithful Christian, prayed with him.  He responded by telling God, "If you will open up a door for me, I will run through it!"  He didn't know how literally God would take that promise.  A few weeks later a magazine cover caught his eye.  It featured a single amputee who had completed the Ironman triathlon in Hawaii.  He read that article, then picked up another magazine with an article about a soldier who had returned to Iraq after having a leg blown off.  In those few minutes, he sensed that he had found the door he had asked God for: he was going to compete in an Ironman triathlon!

The tone of Rigsby's book, and the tone of his whole life, changed at that point.  He was a high school athlete and an active kid before his accident, but he had never done anything like a triathlon.  He had to learn how to swim again, teach himself to run on his prosthetic legs, and figure out how to ride a bike  with prosthetics.  I couldn't help being impressed and inspired by his determination and commitment.  The best passages are where he describes his experience at the Emerald Coast Sprint Triathlon in Panama City, Florida (1/3 mile swim, 15 mile bike, 3.1 run).  Before this, he had never even run a 5K, and was completely clueless about transitions between events, equipment, and racing.  He finished dead last (I can relate to that) but realized that he could do it, and left that day even more determined to finish an Ironman.

I thoroughly enjoyed Rigsby's story, but I think I would have enjoyed a substantial magazine article just as much.  In the first half of the book he tells every excruciating detail of his life.  I wondered if the publisher said, "OK, this has to be at least 250 pages, so you need to add more filler," and he went back to tell stories and conversations that didn't add much to his story but added to the length.  His coauthor, Jenna Glatzer, has written books about Celine Dion and Marilyn Monroe, so I guess the People magazine style of writing is to be expected.  (And I wonder why they decided to capitalize the T in UnThinkable in the title?  That kind of thing drives me crazy!)

My petty criticisms of the book aside, Rigsby has my full admiration.  He has started The Scott Rigsby Foundation, "dedicated to influencing all physically challenged people and youth to pursue an active lifestyle."  He is an active and inspiring speaker, traveling to schools, hospitals, churches, and companies, telling his story and encouraging the physically disabled and able bodied alike to pursue their dreams and reach for fantastic goals in spite of what might stand in their way.  He challenges all of us to pursue a dream bigger than what we think we can accomplish, and make that dream a mission that can change the world.  Thanks for the inspiration and more power to you, Scott!

Boomsday, by Christopher Buckley

Christopher Buckley is a modern master of political satire.  I'm not sure he has the brilliance of his father, William F. Buckley of National Review fame, but he channels what brilliance he did receive into highly entertaining political fiction.  Boomsday tells the story of a 20-something activist who foments a rebellion against baby boomers.  What starts as a blog calling on young people to raid gated communities and tear up golf courses grows into a full-fledged political movement promoting legislation which offers tax incentives to people over 70 to commit suicide.  This "voluntary transitioning" would solve the social security solvency crisis, freeing up resources for the younger generations.

The unlikely romp has plenty of twists and turns and random connections between characters, but Buckley makes it work.  He holds nothing back with his Dickensian character names and his skewering of just about everyone.  An equal-opportunity offender, he spares no one the barbs of his humor.  The Christian Right and the pro-life movement get special treatment in Gideon Payne, founder of SPERM, Society for the Protection of Every Ribonucleic Molecule.  He is a Baptist, from the South, of course, but the Catholics have the smooth-talking Vatican emissary who, living on a not-so-sacrificial budget in a Georgetown mansion, preys on the grieving widows of rich lay people, convincing them that the Lord would be pleased with their generous gifts to the Church.  The pompous press, with their thinly disguised Sunday talk shows, and especially the den of Washington lobbyists, are roundly ridiculed as well.

Boomsday is full of some great one-liners and riffs on the ridiculous nature of our political culture.  Buckley mocks pointless political junkets: Preparing for Congressman Jepperson's visit to Camp Turdje (the d is silent) in Bosnia, Cass's captain muses, "Fact finding. . . . The fact is we don't have any more facts left.  We ran out of them about a year ago.  Still they come in search of them."  He skewers the practice of "presidential commissions" where ideas go to die while the commissioners issue self-important statements and the administration can claim that they diligently pursued a solution or resolution to whatever the commission was convened for.  His portrait of Washington culture and processes may be skewed, but it sure is funny.

The biggest target, of course, is boomers, self-indulgent, pampered, and retiring too early.  Through their lobbying group, they seek tax breaks on Segways and botox, tax breaks for their ever-grander mausoleums, and other privileges.  Many of Buckley's criticisms ring true, but he fails to adequately address similar faults in the selfish, self-indulgent attitudes of what he calls the Whatever generation.  They certainly could use some good skewering as well.

Buckley raises the question of the future of social security in mocking, hilarious way, but he has clearly done his homework.  Like all good satire, once you stop laughing at how ridiculous the story is, you think, "Wait a minute, this is a real problem, and I don't think anyone in government has a solution for it!"  What are we going to do?  I hope for all of our sakes that someone comes up with a better solution than voluntary transitioning.  In the meantime, for a good laugh, pick up Boomsday.

The Runner's Rule Book, by Mark Remy

A few months ago, I noted (here) a review in the Star-Telegram of Mark Remy's new book, The Runner's Rule Book: Everything a Runner Needs to Know--and Then Some.  Remy, an editor at Runner's World, has a great sense of humor and definitely knows the world of running.  Any reader might find some humor in Remy's rule book, but those of us who are runners, or have been around road racing, will laugh out loud as they recognize themselves and the crazy people they've run with.  You might even learn something, too!

Rule 1.1, Have Fun, and its follow-up, Rule 1.2, Expand Your Definition of Fun, introduce the tone of the book.  I don't know how competitive Remy has been as a runner, but these rules remind the vast majority of runners--those of us who will never be in the Olympic trials and who run marathons knowing they will be way, way behind the winners--that it's all about having fun.  In that light, I need to heed Rule 1.44, One Day a Week, Run Naked, by which he means, without a watch, GPS, or headphones.  I get a bit particular about recording my runs, even when they're terrible, and could use that advice.  I would be better off if I lived up to Rule 2.44, Becoming a Human Metronome is Fun.  I have a terrible time keeping track of my pace without my GPS; I would love to be able to run a mile and predict my pace.

Remy covers etiquette with groups, at races, and on a track, clothing do's and don'ts (I especially liked Rule 3.11, You Can Always Take Off Clothing, and 3.13, When In Doubt, Wear Gloves and a Hat.), and bathroom advice ("If you see a porta potty with no line, use it.  Even if you don't need to."  "On a long run, it's always better to have a bit of toilet paper and not need it, than vice versa.").

As Remy points out in the introduction, these aren't rules that will be found in the USA Track & Field Competition Rules Book.  But novice and veteran runners alike will enjoy his compilation of common sense, received wisdom, and good fun.  Enjoy!

Have a Little Faith, by Mitch Albom

Mitch Albom got his start as a sports writer, but he's better known to the general reader as the author of the inspirational books Tuesdays With Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven, both of which were made into TV movies.  Have a Little Faith is in the same genre as Tuesdays With Morrie. 

Albom grew up in suburban New Jersey, where his family is actively involved in a local synagogue.  Since leaving home, Albom has not actively practiced his faith, but the rabbi, Albert Lewis, asked Albom to do his eulogy.  That led Albom to spend hours and hours with Lewis over the next several years.  As their friendship grows, so does Albom's appreciation for the rabbi he knew as a child but never really knew.

Lewis served this congregation for generations; it's the only placed he ever served.  Albom's reports of their time spent together bring out Lewis's wisdom and teaching in such a way that make the reader long to sit at his feet and listen to stories.  Their conversations range widely, encompassing questions big and little.  As a Jewish man married to a Christian, Albom is especially interested in the question of inter-religious relations.  Lewis tells the story of an early episode in his tenure.  After an ugly encounter between a priest from the parish next door and one of the synagogue members, the priest (at the insistence of his superior) and Rabbi Lewis walked arm in arm around the parish schoolyard, during recess, in a demonstration of the fact that the two faiths can coexist.  Albom asked Lewis, "But what if someone from another faith won't recognize yours?  Or wants you dead for it?"  Lewis sagely replied, "That is not faith.  That is hate."

Lewis always had a ready answer, or at least a question to make the questioner reflect.  Full of wit, always singing, and loved by all, Lewis left a deep impression on Albom and everyone with whom he came into contact.  Lewis did not hold back when Albom asked him the secret to his happiness: "Be satisfied.  Be grateful.  For what you have.  For the love you receive.  And for what God has given you.  That's it."

During the time Albom was meeting with Lewis, he also met Henry Covington, pastor of Pilgrim Church and director of I am My Brother's Keeper in Detroit.  This inner city ministry, a church and homeless outreach, was struggling, poor, and small, but full of faith.  Covington's story, though very different from Lewis's, inspired Albom in different ways.  Covington had been in and out of prison, immersed in drugs and crime, when he became a Christian and began serving others.  Albom initially met Covington to investigate the ministry, to determine whether his foundation would give them a grant.  He got to know Covington, visiting him on several occasions and attending services at the church.  He eventually wrote a newspaper column about their having the heat turned off because of their failure to pay the gas bill.  It didn't help that the roof of the old church had a gaping hole.  That little bit of publicity brought interest and money to the ministry, and now the church has a solid roof! (Read about that here.)

Albom's storytelling skill and sensitive portrayals of Lewis and Covington draw the reader into a rare circle of friendship and shared faith.  Have a Little Faith reminds us of the treasures that can be found talking with the regular people around us.  We might be inspired by the biographies of great leaders or historical figures, but these two clergymen, common men by the standards of history, possess and convey the kind of greatness that really matters, impacting the lives of people around them.  There are volumes to be written about our neighbors, the family in the pew behind us in church, the family who runs the dry cleaners I go to, the bus driver who picks up my daughter every day.  I know those books will never be written, but Albom reminds me that if I take time to listen, I might hear some stories worth remembering and will likely learn a few things about living life.

Sin Bravely, by Mark Ellingsen

The title of Mark Ellingsen's recent book caught my eye: Sin Bravely: A Joyful Alternative to a Purpose-Driven Life.  I wondered if this would be a satirical jab at the Rick Warren empire.  I figured the author wasn't a Christian, but was a secular comic.  Turns out that Ellingsen is real live seminary professor at an actual Christian seminary!  And if I remembered my theology a little better, I would have recalled that the title is actually from a quote by Martin Luther.  In an oft-quoted letter to Philip Melanchton, Luther argued against the idea that we can achieve purity, to live without sin.  "Be a sinner and sin bravely, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more bravely, for He is victorious over sin, death, and the world."  Similar quotes and themes can be found in several places in Luther's writings.  Neither Luther nor Ellingsen advocate sensual hedonism; both require some fleshing out to clarify what they mean.

Ellingsen does engage Rick Warren, about whom he has a few good things to say.  But he demonstrates how Warren's popular teachings and the Prosperity Gospel movement, as exemplified by Joel Osteen, are derived from a Puritanical works theology and feed into the Narcissism of American culture.  These movements, in Ellingsen's estimation, boil the Christian life down to, on the one hand, what do I have to do to measure up to God's standards, and on the other hand, how will it benefit me to follow God?  It's all about self.

I think he's a little unfair to Warren (I'll let him bash Osteen and the prosperity gospel all he wants).  I think my religious programming may be too strong to completely reject Warren's perspective.  I was raised in a tradition that was perhaps too moralist and Revivalist, as well as highly individualistic.  I heard a lot about right and wrong, and about what I should be doing.  The Christian life is about a personal relationship with Christ, I should have a personal quiet time, I need to confess my sins and repent.  All of that is true, and Luther and Ellingsen would affirm those statements, but they would say the self-centered, individualistic, moralistic perspective is incomplete.  We are sinful creatures and will never live up to the standards set by these kinds of teachings.  "Purpose-driven living (as well as the quest for prosperity) is likely to nurture lives of guilt and meaninglessness. . . . The life of brave sinning . . . is a life of grace turned over to God."

Ultimately, brave sinning means a reliance on God's grace rather that on works.  We must acknowledge our own sinfulness, and agree that everything we do, no matter how good or well-intentioned is ultimately tainted by our concupiscence, or the selfish human desire tied up in our original sinful nature.  Brave sinning, Ellingsen argues, is not "permission 'to do your own thing,'" but "a word of permission to do God's 'thing' joyously and with reckless abandon."  Any good that we do is made good by God's grace, since our motives are irrevocably tainted.

Brave sinners don't need to burden themselves with legalism or moralism.  A love relationship with God is like a good marriage.  In marriage, "all sorts of good, warm, and loving things happen among the partners. . . .  No one makes you do those loving things. . . .  The relationship does not depend on such deeds; it is based on love."  In the same way, brave sinners, in love with God, go through life with a playful attitude, a God-centered awareness that any good they do is because of him.  Ellingsen cites extensive neurological research to demonstrate that this kind of God-centered, playful attitude triggers "pleasurable chemicals providing sensations of happiness."

I do like Ellingsen's overall point, drawing us away from a self-centered Christian life to a more God-centered one.  But I think he neglects the importance of discipleship, study, and a teaching community.  Consider the marriage analogy: first of all, if a couple has never seen a good example of a healthy marriage--their parents fought, divorced, or were never married--the will likely continue unhealthy, unhappy habits as well.  Ultimately, people revert to selfishness and have to work against their own self-centeredness in marriage.  Those who can't or don't end up divorcing or living in a loveless marriage.  In the same way, the Christian can, for a while, say "I will live joyously with reckless abandon in following God!"  But that can only last so long before our selfishness steps in.  Discipleship, tradition, the examples of other Christian, careful study of the Bible, all guide the Christian in his walk with Christ.  Books like The Purpose-Driven Life can play an important role in helping a Christian keep his eyes on Jesus.  Of course, it can easily force someone into a self-centered, "What more do I need to be doing?" kind of attitude.  But in the context of a Christian community it can be a useful guide.

The bottom line that I took away from Ellingsen's book is that I don't need to beat myself up over not measuring up.  I've read The Purpose-Driven Life and many other devotional books.  Some have helped me more than others.  Most leave me feeling inadequate, with a sense that I can't do enough.  That's right--I can't do enough!  But I don't need to beat myself up over it!  The Christian life is not about what I do or don't do, it's about joyfully living in a love relationship with Jesus.  I can move in boldness, knowing that I'm going to sin along the way, but also knowing that God's grace covers me.