Unsportsmanlike Conduct, by Jessica Luther

Jessica Luther is a life-long, die-hard fan of Florida State University football.  Yet the revelations of sexual assault by star football players has left her feeling ambivalent about the program.  "The FSU fan in me is desperate to feel the high of cheering on my team without the weight of knowing the cost of the system that creates football champions."  In Unsportsmanlike Conduct: College Football and the Politics of Rape, Luther examines the "play book" for addressing accusations of rape, finds it lacking, and proposes a new one.

Luther has been tracking college football rape cases for many years.  She found that with few exceptions, press coverage, if there is any at all, is limited, regional, and short-lived.  She runs through a litany of rape accusations and the school, team, or police responses, making the argument that colleges, and we as a society, don't take such accusations as seriously as we should.  Some of her new "play book" responses are perfectly reasonable and doable.  Clarifying consent and promoting bystander intervention are a good start, but some of her other proposals are in the flimsy "wouldn't it be great" or "if everyone could just. . . ." realm.  We're not talking about values of football players, we're talking about values of society.

Maybe it's beyond the scope of her book, but to me, if we're going to address rape among football players, we have to examine sexual culture of young people, particularly on college campuses.  There are several issues which she does not mention.  First, today's college students have lived their entire lives immersed in readily available pornography.  Early exposure and easy access to depictions of explicit sex on their smart phones and computers shape the expectations young men (and women, actually) have regarding sex.  Yes, many men view pornography and do not turn into predators and have healthy sex lives.  But I can say with certainty that sexual predators, on or off college campuses, are fueled by and "inspired" by porn.

The increased sexual "freedom" of women (Thanks a lot, feminism and "free love.") has led to the hook-up culture, which is prevalent on college campuses.  Anonymous sex, sex outside of any kind of relationship, "friends with benefits," recreational sex are now hallmarks of campus party culture.  Luther alludes to this, in cases where players or recruits go to parties with expectations that everyone there will be having sex.

And speaking of parties, Luther says 40% of football player rapes are gang rapes.  It makes me wonder, is consensual group sex among these college kids de rigueur?  Are they getting together for group sex with willing female participants on a regular basis, and then when a young lady is unwilling they respond by pressuring her or forcing her to participate?  Is it common for teammates to share sexual partners?

My suspicion is that some students, including but not exclusively athletes, are awash in this culture of porn, casual sex, and group sex.  They come to relationships and social situations with expectations that are frequently met by willing participants.  They are not prepared for cases in which someone is uncertain or unwilling.  Luther's suggestions for change can make a difference, but unless this culture of cheap, casual, frequent sex is reversed, sexual exploitation will be inevitable.  I know this sounds puritanical, but I don't think it's too much to ask for football players to keep it in their pants!!

Luther makes some valid points and certainly has done her part to continue this conversation and raise awareness.  I appreciated her pointing out the hypocrisy of the "hostess" programs, where pretty coeds were used as bait to draw in recruits, in many cases having sex with them on recruiting weekends.  Their very presence seemed like an offer to the recruits.  The NCAA has sort of addressed this practice, but not very convincingly.

One thing that bothered me about Luther's treatment is her dismissal of exonerations at trial, and her lack of discussion about criminal convictions in contrast to Title IX rulings.  On the one hand, she hearkens back to lynchings of black men accused of whistling at white women: "Fears about powerful black men being punished via false accusation are not irrational or dramatic; they are borne of actual experience."  Yet she dismisses the idea that football players are sometimes falsely accused.  "The statistical odds are very high that the person reporting in these [rape] cases is not lying."  Worse, she seems dismissive of cases where the accused were found innocent in a court of law, implying that they are actually guilty despite what the court ruled.

She does not address a big problem with Title IX, that a student can be found simultaneously guilty under the lower threshold of Title IX ("more likely than not") and innocent in a criminal court ("reasonable doubt").  As many cases have demonstrated, this double standard has led to confusion, lawsuits against schools, and, importantly, disruption of the lives and education of the accused.  If Title IX is to continue as the law of the campus, reforms will be needed to avoid its being the unjust kangaroo court that it frequently tends to be.

A recurring theme in Unsportsmanlike Conduct is victims' unwillingness to report rape or to press charges.  They speak of fear of recrimination, harassment, and abuse.  Unfortunately, this is a reality for some victims.  For their sake, I hope that the greater awareness that Luther and others are promoting will create an environment in which a victim can report crimes against her with confidence and with the support of her community.

Like Luther, I am a life-long fan who has been disappointed by the predatory practices of a few, bringing unspeakable harm to their victims while making their whole team, not to mention their school and alumni, look bad.  Luther's presentation is incomplete, particularly by not addressing the sexualization of society, and of college life in particular, as the driving force behind the epidemic of rape on college campuses.  Her blind spot for men falsely accused, or accused and found innocent in court, is glaring as well.  May the conversation continue. . . .



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

The Children of Hurin, by J.R.R. Tolkien

If you are a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, and have read and re-read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, you will certainly want to read The Children of Hurin.  Set between the events of The Silmarillion and The Hobbit, The Children of Hurin expands on the story of Turin, who gets a mention in The Silmarillion.  Significantly, Tolkien never completed The Children of Hurin during his lifetime.  His son Christopher gathered his father's notes and manuscripts to cobble the book together.

Cobble.  That sounds a little bit derogatory.  But the fact is, I did not enjoy The Children of Hurin very much.  At times, the phrase "fan fiction" came to mind.  At times, I was just bored.  I never got pulled into the story or the characters.  If I had a better memory, or was more of a student of Middle Earth lore, I'm sure I would have thrilled at some of the references and genealogies.  My conclusion: The Children of Hurin has its place in Tolkien's Middle Earth canon, but will be a disappointment to most readers of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.



2016 Reading Challenge: A book by C. S. Lewis or J. R. R. Tolkien
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The Story of Captain Nemo, by Dave Eggers

The ever-versatile storyteller Dave Eggers has taken Jules Verne's classic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and put a modern twist on it for young readers.  In The Story of Captain Nemo, young Consuelo gets to go on an adventure with his uncle, the famous oceanographer Pierre Arronax.  Together they will investigate the sinking of fishing boats around the world and the rumors of a giant sea monster that keeps bringing them down.

It's been decades since I read Verne's original story, so I can't authoritatively say how true to the story Eggers stays.  It's certainly updated to the context of today.  Eggers himself writes that this is not a "definitive distillation" of the original but a "personal and idiosyncratic take on it. . . . meant to intrigue a reader enough to bring them to Verne's inimitable text."  On that count, he succeeds.

It's a quick read, with some fun illustrations.  The sci-fi element is cool.  Just as in Verne's original, Eggers includes enough speculative science to be believable while emphasizing Nemo's mad genius.  The message of valuing human life above animal life while respecting the ocean environment fits somewhere between Greenpeace and a free market of the sea.  Killing humans on large-scale fishing vessels is not OK, even if they are depleting fish populations and destroying habitats.  But it's not OK to kill the offenders.

The Story of Captain Nemo is a satisfying and enjoyable reminder of the literary genius and scientific foresight of Jules Verne.  Pick it up!


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

Cold Fusion, by Dr. Haggis-on-Whey

Are you interested in cold fusion?  Would you like to everything there is to know about cold fusion?  In that case, you'll want to look somewhere else besides Dr. Doris Haggis-on-Whey's Cold Fusion, volume 4 in Dr. and Mrs. Doris Haggis-on-Whey's World of Unbelievable Brilliance.  But if you couldn't care less about cold fusion, don't know what it is, or just want a few laughs, Cold Fusion is the book for you.

Enlightened readers who are familiar with Dr. Haggis-on-Whey's work will enjoy the nonsensical, random, and beautifully illustrated content.  She reveals the fates of "people who scoffed at cold fusion."  She warns of the "possible side effects of room-temperature nuclear reactions," including frogmen and Kevin Spacey movies set in Nova Scotia.  And, of course, "why birds are bad at building superconductors" and how noble gases became noble.

Cold Fusion contains plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.  But the ratio of laugh-out-loud moments per page seemed noticeably lower than previous H-O-W books.  You'll have to take my word for it.  By the way, some of the funniest parts are the captions and footnotes.  Don't skip the small print.

Everyday Supernatural, by Mike Pilavachi and Andy Croft

We read about the miracles of Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament.  But we wonder if those things could happen today.  In Everyday Supernatural: Living a Spirit-Led Life Without Being Weird, pastors Mike Pilavachi and Andy Croft answer with a resounding YES!  They write, "It's possible for all followers of Jesus to see God's supernatural power at work.  Not once or twice in a lifetime, but everyday."

It's easy for teaching on the supernatural to focus on the supernatural (obviously).  Pilavachi and Croft are careful and passionate about keeping their teaching on the supernatural focused on Jesus.  It's not about tongues, healing, prophecy and words of wisdom, but about Jesus himself.  They write, "Our goal should be relationship with Jesus, not power from Jesus. . . . The key to living a life full of supernatural power is to understand that the power is in the presence.  As we are close to Jesus so we will see him move in us and through us."

As Pilavachi and Croft describe the gifts and their practical application, they provide some general guidelines that apply to all the gifts.  First, practicing the gifts is not about technique, but about relationship.  God uses prophecy and healing to bless those he loves.  Second, while some people may have a particular ministry, the gifts are available to all.  As they say, "Everyone can play!"  "All of us are . . . actively encouraged to hear God speak, pray for the sick and speak in tongues.  We are all able to play, so never rule yourself out of being able to use these gifts."  I'm glad they emphasized this, because it so often seems that the gifts are reserved for "professional" Christians.

Pilavachi and Croft write and minister in the tradition of John Wimber, to whom they refer frequently.  If you know Wimber, you know what to expect from Everyday Supernatural, including the good humor and personal touch that marked Wimber's ministry.  I think their emphasis is exactly where it needs to be: on intimacy with Jesus and the proclamation and demonstration of his kingdom.  "Our priority needs to be sticking close to Jesus.  Before being everyday supernatural is about miracles and healings, it's about intimacy and relationship."


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

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencioni

In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, business consultant Patrick Lencioni tells the fictional tale of DecisionTech, a two-year-old tech startup, which is floundering.  Kathryn, whose background is not in the technology sector, gets the call to come in as CEO and set the ship aright.  As she points out to her executive team, DecisionTech has "a more experienced and talented executive team than any of our competitors.  We have more cash than they do. . . . We have better core technology.  And we have a more powerful board of directors.  Yet . . . we are behind two of our competitors in terms of both revenue and customer growth."  She pins their lack of performance and market share to one thing: a lack of teamwork at the top.

Lencioni uses the story to illustrate his five dysfunctions of a team: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results.  In the final thirty pages or so, he develops this model, discussing the way these dysfunctions build on each other and offering suggestions for overcoming them.  This portion of the book is the real meat.  The story seemed like a waste of pages, although in retrospect it provides illustrations of the dysfunctions and solutions he discusses at the end.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is an OK read, but I think a lot of readers, especially busy executives for whom Lencioni is writing, will be impatient to get through the story part of the book.  To oversimplify, it could be summarized in one short sentence: Work as a team.  There's more to it than that, though.  If your team is having a hard time with that concept and all that it entails (setting ego aside, taking an interest in the tasks of other team members, focusing on results rather than career advancement), then spending some time with The Five Dysfunctions of a Team might help you point them in the right direction.



2016 Reading Challenge: A book about leadership
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The Enemy, by Lee Child

The Enemy is Lee Child's eighth Jack Reacher novel, but the first that takes place during his time as an Army M.P. major.  The first seven books gave many hints about his time in the Army.  The Enemy features the same Jack Reacher we have come to know and love, who does what is right, even if he knows there will be consequences.  The Reacher who always seems to bed beautiful women, but never gets attached.  The Reacher who "said nothing."  The Reacher who puts the pieces of the puzzle together against the odds.

The differences are striking, and sometimes amusing.  This Reacher in The Enemy is under command.  He goes where he's told--except for those times when he doesn't go where he's told.  This Reacher will sometimes throw out clothes rather than wear them again, but, since he's serving in active duty and all, he actually carries luggage when he travels!  (Readers of other Reacher books will get that this is a big deal.)

In The Enemy, Reacher investigates the death of a general--until he is told not to.  But he does anyway.  Then a soldier is murdered on base, and he investigates that--until he's told to falsify the investigation.  But he doesn't.  His new superior officer tracks him down to have him arrested for going AWOL, even though he really wasn't.  But Jack, being Jack, manages to escape their clutches.

The Enemy shows Jack as the other books don't, as an official investigator, rather than a lone operator, vigilante type.  I won't be giving anything away when I tell you Jack figures it all out in the end, and is vindicated for his disobeying orders, for the most part.  Jack's conclusions lead him to a great deal of disillusionment with the Army.  Even though he's still in at the end, Child set him up for a break at some point.  I noticed the new Reacher novel, to be released in November, is set before Jack leaves the Army.  I look forward to seeing what else we learn about Reacher in uniform.