J, by Howard Jacobson

I was looking forward to liking Howard Jacobson's J.  From the back cover, I'm told that Jacobson is a Man Booker Prize winner, and a Sunday Times review is quoted, saying J "invites comparison with George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World."  Wow!  Those two books were formative influences to me, so I just knew J would be a hit.

Well, J does invite comparison to those venerable novels, as in "Compared to the classic dystopian novels Brave New World and 1984, J doesn't hold a candle."  Jacobson's writing is unnecessarily obtuse and frustratingly evasive.  Many passages are lengthy, pointless dialogues which reminded me of those stage plays where nothing really happens but boy, do they ever talk a lot!

There's a love story in J.  SOMETHING HAPPENED IF IT HAPPENED.  What HAPPENED?  Some kind of genocide, even more successful than Hitler's.  I should probably read this again to get the whole social commentary.  But I don't want to.


Thanks to Blogging for Books for the complimentary review copy!

Alternative Movie Posters II, by Matthew Chojnacki

There is a sub genre of art that many of us see on a regular basis, but might not notice: movie poster art.  I personally never thought of it as a separate genre, but here it is, in Alternative Movie Posters II, Matthew Chojnacki's sequel to Alternative Movie Posters.  Chojnacki has collected, as you might expect, alternative movie posters, and presents them here, along with a bit of commentary from the artists.  The occasions for the posters vary: DVD releases, film festivals, anniversary releases of the movies, or just the artist's whim.  All of them share a love of the movie depicted.

They also share a sort of retro feel.  This wasn't true of every poster, but the overall sense of the book is retro, perhaps reflecting the artists' nostalgia for the films.  Not that all films featured are old.  They range from old to new, mainstream to obscure, American and international, kids' movies to rated R.  Many, like the two posters for A Christmas Story, are very busy, including characters and scenes from the whole movie.  Others, like the descending letters of "gravity" on the poster for Gravity give only the barest hint of the movie.  There are even some that do not name the movie at all, merely showing a character or the hint of a scene.

One thing to keep in mind is that these posters are all (as best as I can tell) after the fact, not intended to promote a movie.  These are tributes to the movies, more than anything.  The images serve as reminders to those who have seen them.  The headless horse on the The Godfather poster, the nesting-doll-like Bill Murray heads on the Groundhog Day poster, the shredded paper on the Argo poster all give hints about the movies, but reveal little about the actual content of the movie.

Some of the posters do fit a more traditional movie poster mold, with the name of the movie, key actors, and perhaps even a catch phrase.  These are the ones that feel the most retro.  In these cases, the art is so good that one wonders why this, or something like it, isn't used for the actual, original poster.  The artists included in Alternative Movie Posters II should have their phones ringing off the wall with calls from studios wanting their art.

Movie lovers will love these clever, cool, funny, inventive, and sometimes lovely posters, and will wonder why these are "alternative" and not the real thing.






Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

A Fairy Extraordinary Christmas Story, by A.J. York

Here's a cute Christmas story to get you ready for the Christmas season!  A.J. York's A Fairy Extraordinary Christmas Story focusses on Tallulah, a Christmas tree topper.  After her first Christmas, she is stored in the attic with the other holiday decorations.  When the attic hatch closes, the decorations come to life and build a strong community, encouraging each as the seasons and holidays come and go.

After a few years, some toys arrive in the attic.  The decorations realize this means the kids have grown up.  When the Christmas decorations aren't taken downstairs, all the toys and decorations band together to bring the family together.  It's a sweet, charming story, perfect for younger readers.  Shades of Toy Story, The Velveteen Rabbit, and other children's favorites show up.  A Fairy Extraordinary Christmas will delight and make you smile.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

Daily Devotions for Die-Hard Fans: Baylor Bears, by Ed McMinn

Ed McMinn may not be a Baylor Bear, but Baylor fans will appreciate this Georgia grad's book of devotions.  Daily Devotions for Die-Hard Fans: Baylor Bears includes several months' worth of devotional readings featuring stories about Baylor games, athletes, and coaches.  McMinn, a retired pastor, culled through Art Briles's books, Alan Lefever's History of Baylor Sports, a wide range of newspaper accounts, and other sources to find stories from which the reader can draw inspiration.

McMinn found plenty of stories in recent Baylor memory, but draws on historical stories as well.  Many of the stories will be very familiar to Baylor fans; others will be new to readers.  McMinn starts each two-page devotional with a recommended scripture reading, with an excerpt from the passage.  Then he tells a story from Baylor sports (not limited to football) and applies the story to Christian life, leaving the reader with something to think about as he or she starts the day.

Anyone can enjoy these stories and draw inspiration from them, but Baylor fans will appreciate them most.  For non-Baylor fans, McMinn has written dozens of devotional books focussed on other schools.  


Thanks to Mom and Dad for the gift of this book!

Concussion, by Jeanne Marie Laskas

I love watching football.  I go to all the Baylor games I can, and catch games on TV that I can't attend.  When Baylor's not playing, there are plenty of college games I'll watch.  I love the long pass plays, the plays where the runner breaks free, the scrambles and miracle catches.  But I also love the tough hits, the flattening of the quarterback, the open-field tackles.  However, as the players get bigger and the game gets faster, these big hits take a toll, more and more.

Dr. Bennett Omalu, a Nigerian doctor, came to the U.S. to pursue the American dream and wound up in the middle of a controversy that shook up the sport of football.  Using first-hand accounts, as well as lengthy passages in Omalu's own voice, Jeanne Marie Laskas tells Omalu's story in Concussion.  Dr. Omalu had never heard of "Iron Mike" Webster before his body arrived in the coroner's office where he worked.  Omalu began studying his brain and the brains of other football players, discovering in the process a brain disorder he labelled chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Needless to say, his findings were not popular with the NFL, whose hired researchers were busy debunking the idea that football leads to brain damage.  Omalu stubbornly continued his research and ultimately changed the landscape of football.  Despite the efforts to improve helmet technology, the movement of the brain inside the skull can't be prevented in a collision.  As the brain is jostled on play after play, damage accumulates and may not manifest itself until years later.

As long as the teams line up every weekend, I and millions of fans will be cheering them on.  Fans, the NFL, college coaches, and coaches and players all the way down to the peewee leagues need to evaluate the way they coach, the way they play, and the extent to which they value the individual player.  I don't see American's giving up on their favorite spectator sport, but the pattern of damage that Omalu exposed cries out for change in the game.



Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

Take It as a Compliment, by Maria Stoian

Maria Stoian's Take It As a Compliment is, potentially, a very important book.  Hardly a week goes by that we don't hear about some sexual harassment or rape case, often on a college campus.  Whether people are reporting it and talking about it more, or if society has become more flagrant and open about sexual impropriety I don't know.  Stoian has gathered stories from readers of her blog about their experiences as victims of sexual assault or harassment and illustrated them in this book.

One on level, reading these experiences shocks me.  Are there really men who treat women like that? My life has been sheltered.  These women tell stories of being humiliatingly harassed by strangers in public, both verbally and with groping and slaps.  Do some men really think it's OK to put their hands inside a girl's skirt on the subway?  Other stories are about abusive relationships, or encounters with friends and acquaintances who force them to do things they don't want to do.  (Most of the stories are about men mistreating women, but one or two are about women abusing men . . . )

As shocking as the stories are, I found myself questioning the victims as well.  Men are groping you on a crowded subway?  Why not yell at them to stop?  Do you have that little faith in humanity that you believe no one would have a sympathetic ear?  And those abusive relationships--I know they can be complex, but why are women compelled to stick around when a man is beating her or forcing her to do things she doesn't want to do sexually?  And when a boy threatens that if you don't perform a sexual act, he will spread rumors about you, do you really think he won't spread rumors anyway when you do?

This comment by a girl who tells the story of waking in a stranger's bed after getting drunk was particularly telling to me: "Of all the times I've ended up in regrettable sexual situations, the one that will follow me the longest will be the one I remember the least . . ."  All the times??  Is she a slow learner, or what?  After one regrettable sexual situation, wouldn't you learn to stay out of the circumstances and settings that get you into those situations?  Apparently not.  Girls, here's a free tip: don't get so drunk you pass out when you're at a party.  I'm not saying it's OK for a man to touch you when you're passed out, I'm just saying it happens a lot, and you can prevent it.

I know I probably sound like a male chauvinist.  Someone might want to label me a predator, or at least a potential predator.  I'm not.  Guys, treat women with decency.  Treat them like you'd want your mom or sister to be treated.  Be respectful.  No means no.  Don't act like the guys in this book.

I hope readers of Stoian's book will take these stories as she intends them to be taken, as a warning of what might happen, an encouragement not to let these things happen to you, and as a comfort to victims of sexual abuse or harassment that they are not alone.  She ends with an admonition to listen to and support survivors of sexual abuse and harassment, to watch for signs of it happening or potentially happening, and to intervene to protect others before they become victims.  I can get behind that message, for sure!



Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

Losing Our Religion, by Christel J. Manning

The fastest-growing religious group in the U.S. is--no religion!  The "Nones" as they have come to be called are growing like crazy.  As a None herself, Christel Manning wondered about a little-discussed part of the lives of Nones, parenting.  In Losing Our Religion: How Unaffiliated Parents are Raising Their Children, Manning asks, How are the Nones passing along their (non)religious views to their children, and what does this mean for the next generation?

Manning points out that the Nones are a diverse and scattered group.  The fact it, they're not a group at all, of course.  This makes coming to conclusions about the Nones difficult, and, unfortunately, leaves Manning's book without a very coherent flow.  She puts forth a good effort, though.  Manning conducted interviews with a wide variety of Nones and drew from a number of sociological studies.  The problem is that Nones defy categorization.  Some are religious believers who don't participate in organized worship.  Others are decidedly non-religious, explicitly atheist or agnostic, and pursue alternative philosophies or world views.  Many simply don't care about religion or non-religion.  Questions of God or theology don't factor into their day-to-day lives.

One strength of Losing Our Religion is the personal interviews.  Manning interviewed a variety of None families, included religious, non-religious, and indifferent families.  Hearing them talk about inculcating values, balancing family traditions with independent thinking, and educational and ethical considerations added richness to what could have been a dry, impersonal treatise.  I was surprised by how little time was spent talking about truth and salvation.  Much of the conversation about religion centered around rituals, milestones like bar mitzvahs, family holiday traditions, and cultural trappings tied to religion.  As an evangelical Christian, rituals and traditions are far less important to me than a relationship with Jesus.  Although Manning did interview some Nones who were former evangelicals, the interviews seemed to skew toward Catholic and Jewish families, for whom religion is more closely tied to culture.

Losing Our Religion made me sad.  As a Christian, I am saddened by the church's failures.  Whether hurt by headline-grabbing scandals, or simply having been let down by weak theology and teaching, when someone leaves church behind, I see a bit of the body of Christ being cut away.  The growing number of Nones makes me sad, too, for the future of our country.  Manning emphasizes that Nones as a rule tend to hold high ethical and moral codes (some more explicitly than others), but I am pessimistic as to what the lack of a moral, traditional, institutional authority will lead to in future generations of Nones.  Nones will find Losing Our Religion interesting, but it should really be a clarion call for pastors and church leaders.   There is a mission field in every city in every state: the Nones and their children.



Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the complimentary electronic review copy!