The Catcher in the Rye

You could call Salinger's novel a story about a young man who struggles to live a normal life after the death of his younger brother. Even though, in a sense, that's technically true, it's a deeply inaccurate description of the nature of the book.

A better description would be that it is a book of page after page of funny, wonderfully-written prose that takes you right into the head and the heart of its compelling and oddly loveable narrator, Holden Caulfield. I say "oddly loveable" because he's quite the misanthrope. He likes almost no one, and rarely has anything positive to say. But Salinger constructed him in such a way that breeds a sort of instant familiarty. And the way that he thinks and talks is somehow just funny as hell. And you especially begin to sympathize with him when you learn that his younger brother, Allie, died a few years before the events of the novel, and it becomes evident that this tragedy probably stunted his maturity and is largely responsible for why he is the way he is.

And of course, Holden doesn't hate everybody. His fondness for the memory of his brother is the most beautiful and moving part of the whole novel, especially when Holden reflects on Allie's old baseball glove. Also, Holden is generally fond of children and particularly affectionate towards his little sister, Phoebe, who seems, in the end of the novel, to play a redemptive role in his life.

The Catcher in the Rye is both entertaining and strikingly beautiful; it is well worth anyone's time to read it.

Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage

Everyone should read this book! And please, let me qualify that statement by adding that I don't say that often. I can usually keep a sober judgment about a book; I try to discern whom among my friends would like it and whom wouldn't. So I don't speak carelessly when I say, again, everyone should read this book!

I found it by a chance encounter in Barnes and Noble. The title interested me, I picked it up and read the back cover, table of contents, sat down, read the introduction and 1st chapter and I was hooked. I had no idea who Elizabeth Gilbert was until I read on the cover that she also penned Eat, Pray, Love, which, again, I knew very little about, except for what the cover looked like and that it was a best-seller. Irrelevant.

Committed is essentially two books in one: informal, yet well-researched musings on the history of marriage, interspersed with a personal narrative about previously-divorced Gilbert's journey towards remarriage with a Brazilian man named Felipe, also previously divorced. Though serious about their relationship, neither had any intentions to legally tie the knot ever again, until their hand was forced by immigration issues with Felipe. Gilbert decided she wanted to do it right, so in the 10-month process of waiting for all the paperwork to be processed before they could marry, Gilbert decided to at least try to come to terms with the whole institution, in both an intellectual sense and an emotional sense.

The reason that EVERYONE needs to read this, or at least almost everyone, is because almost everyone is married or is contemplating marriage at some point in the future, and the wisdom that Gilbert finds in her journey is inspiring, beautiful, and practical. The historical/cultural sections are well-handled, engagingly-written, and delightfully educational. Not to mention the fact that the story of "Felipe and Lizzie" that looms behind it all is as sweet as anything I've read.

The primary reason I like this book can be found in the subtitle: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage. In many ways, marriage is being increasingly devalued in our country. You could call me a skeptic, as I struggle with the idea myself. Such a long commitment. Such an enormous responsibilty! Thoughts such as these cast a shadow over whatever romantic aspirations might arise in me from time to time. To watch Gilbert come to the conclusions that she does, without the aid of a Bible or pastors telling her the way things are "supposed" to be, is, for me, an ultimate affirmation of this ancient institution. Rather than simply allowing wisdom to rain down on her in the form of divine revelation, she digs deep for it, and I appreciate the sweat that went into finding that wisdom and refining it into the gem that is this book. Read it.

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan

If you're the kind of person who is always reading some book or another, (which if you're reading this blog then I would assume you are), then you know that the phrase "life-changing" can become a somewhat cliche way to describe a book. Personally, I find it nigh impossible to read any book without finding that it shapes me in some way. Usually, time is the only sufficient measure of how permanent those changes are (most of them are dishearteningly fleeting). However, I feel that I can fairly confidently claim that Carl Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark has permanently altered my way of thinking.

Altering the reader's way of thinking is nothing less than Sagan's expressed intent. Sagan was one of, if not the premiere popularizer of science in the late 20th century. He was at the forefront of countless cosmological discoveries, while at the same time devoting much of his life to promoting science and scientific thinking to the general public. This was one of the last books he ever wrote, as he succumbed to a bone marrow disease in 1996, and it, appropriately, reads like his magnum opus. It exalts the value of scientific thinking and skeptical inquiry in a systematic, yet exuberant way. This is the first Sagan book that I've read, and I find his prose to be straight-forward and academic, while oddly engaging.

I admit though, my one point of frustration came when I felt like he was spending too much time on debunking UFO theories. He devotes many a chapter to using UFO-ology as his proof text for the principles he expounds; however, I soon came to the conclusion that this is part of Sagan's brilliance--he leaves nothing to assumption. Even though it seems obvious to me that all the alien stuff is nutty, he's willing to give it a thorough, scientific treatment, which I came to appreciate. And my patience was rewarded with some unexpected insight: a peek into the psychology of those who claim to have been abducted by aliens, along with the apparent relationship between such perceived experiences and child molestation. This is a fascinating topic, worthy of a book-length treatment itself.

The strongest portion of the book is near the end. After lauding the benefits of science to society, Sagan turns his attention to the American education system, to show us the detriments of the scientific ignorance that pervades our classrooms. But he does something more helpful here than the typical rant about "decreasing standards" of education. He points out the real problem, which, as it turns out, has little to do with the education system lowering its expectations. It actually starts with the overall cultural attitudes towards science. Many kids have, by time they start grade school, already had their curiosity and capacity for wonder stifled by ignorant parents. Sagan also suggests some potential solutions to this crisis, and I must say that despite his professed agnosticism, he made a believer out of me. I now find myself much more drawn to the possibility of pursuing a career in science education.

One final note: as a Christian, I know that many of my fellow believers tend to be leery of science books by non-believers. I can assure you though that you won't find Sagan engaging in any Dawkins-esque tirades against religion. Though an agnostic himself, and certainly critical of fundamentalism, he is generally respectful of faith. And his stated mission, essentially to debunk the psuedosciences, superstitions, occult practices, etc. that arise from flawed ways of thinking, is something that any Christian should see as valuable. What any open-minded reader will take from this book is, not only a better and more informed way of thinking about science, but a better and more informed way of thinking, period.

Reading Jesus: A Writer's Encounter with the Gospels

I've learned over the years to value the act of reading and listening to people with interpretations of the Bible and/or Christian faith that diverge from my own. I always knew it in theory, but the first time it really sunk in was when I read Jack Miles' Pulitzer Prize-winning God: A Biography. I cannot overstate the positive effect that Miles' book had on my faith, my theology, and my relationship with God, even though the doctrines that I hold to won't allow me to agree with most of his readings of the Old Testament. The same goes for his follow-up to that book, Christ: A Crisis in the Life of God. A newly released book by Mary Gordon has turned out to be an equally enriching experience.

In the introduction to Reading Jesus: A Writer's Encounter with the Gospel, Gordon narrates the tale of how, while sitting in a taxi cab and mentally arguing with a preacher on the radio, she had the sudden realization that she had never read the Gospels. That very same day, she rushed to her hotel, opened a Bible to the first page of Matthew, and didn't stop until she had read the last page of John. After reading the books and subsequently studying them with the aid of some study bibles and other books, she wrote this book to share her experiences.

While Gordon's readings of Scripture may not hold water in any serious theological discussions, she is the first to admit that. She makes the dishearteningly accurate observation that her original reading, void of study helps, commentaries, theologies, etc., is the same kind of reading shared by the majority of people who have read or ever will read the Gospels. The overwhelming majority of the world's population will never use a study bible or any such thing. A large percentage of that majority will never even have access to those kinds of materials. So, even though Gordon herself is, of course, well-educated, she reads with a sort of willful ignorance (as much as is possible for someone with her background anyway), and she does so for pragmatic reasons.

For precisely that reason, Gordon's book can serve as a different kind of study aid to those fortunate few, like myself, who enjoy nearly unlimited access to bible study resources. Reading Jesus through Gordon's intelligent-yet-somewhat-Biblically-illiterate eyes is a educational experience precisely because of her lack of theological expertise. It is also a pleasurable experience because she demonstrates no open hostility towards Jesus or the basic tenets of Christian faith, even as she struggles to believe some of the really important ones, such as the resurrection. (She is a devout--though somewhat unorthodox--Catholic.) It is an important experience to have for the same reason that it is important to read the Gospels through anyone's eyes: in doing so, we know Jesus better. How so, you ask? While we may begin such a journey by trying to see him through someone else's eyes, what we ultimately end up doing is seeing others through his eyes.

Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson

This recent biography of the uber-famous, iconic, celebri-genius is one of many, but is widely considered by Einstein enthusiasts as the best one out there. Weighing in at just over 700 pages, it's probably a little long for more casual readers, but it's well worth the time for anyone willing to invest a month or two into conversing with the most brilliant mind of the 20th century.

Walter Isaacson is a talented writer, and he tells and organizes the story of Einstein's life in the most engaging way possible. I was particularly impressed with how well Isaacson is able to explain the significance of Einstein's work. The first half of the book can serve as an excellent introduction to the general concepts behind ideas like non-Euclidean geometry and special relativity. (As for general relativity, that's a little more complex, and even Isaacson is short on words, except to tell funny stories about the struggles Einstein had in attempting to communicate the idea in a way that the general public could understand).

While the first half of the book focuses on Einstein the scientist, the second half is all about Einstein the philosopher/philanthropist/mega-celebrity. I had a brief conversation recently with one of the curators at the Lafayette Science Museum, and he said he found this second half of the book much more interesting, which is funny because I was much more intrigued by the first half. He made a good point though, which is that Einstein was a much more likeable person during the latter half of his life. Many of the decisions he made in his personal life were certainly questionable, and sometimes outright bizarre.

Whether you're looking for a good summary of Einstein's contributions to science, or simply some great reading about one of the most fascinating characters of recent history, pick up this book. But be forewarned: you may learn some discouraging things about this frequently-idolized man. Regardless, I love books that make worthy contributions to the fight against the ignorance of all things science that often seems so pervasive in our country. Einsteins ideas are extremely important, and not just to scientists. Educate yourself, and read a great story at the same time.