I have always been intrigued with Harry Turtledove – a “master of alternative history.” Personally, I am not a big fan of alternative history – I am too much of a realist and can’t think beyond what really occurred in the events he portrays. In any case, I decided to read a historical fiction novel that he wrote about the attack on Fort Pillow during the American Civil War, entitled Fort Pillow.
Online book fair
Don’t sit there grumbling about the lack of content from yours truly, instead be sure to check out the Online Book Fair hosted by FSB Associates:
A cause for celebration and connection for the burgeoning online book community, the three-day fair has something for everybody — from booklovers to bloggers — according to Fauzia Burke, a pioneer in online book promotion and president of FSB Associates, host of the premiere event.
With its “Love of Reading” theme, the event is designed for a wide audience — booklovers, authors, publishers, booksellers, and anyone else who is passionate about books and reading
There are author interviews, guest bloggers, raffles and prizes and what not. Beats hanging around here waiting for me to post. Plus, it will give me time to generate some content. I can’t very well do that with you here breathing down my neck, sheesh!
The End of the Old Order by Frederick Kagan
Sorry for not posting something sooner, but I have been reading a monstrous book about the period of the Napoleonic Wars from 1801 to 1805. The book, The End of the Old Order by Frederick Kagan, is a fascinating look at the events and relationships among the European powers during that time period.
Here is a description of the book from its cover:
Most historical accounts of the Napoleonic era – and there are many – tell the same Napoleon-dominated story over and over again, or focus narrowly on special aspects of it. Frederick Kagan, distinguished historian and military policy expert, has tapped hitherto unused archival materials from Austria, Prussia, France, and Russia, to present the history of these years from the balanced perspective of all of the major players of Europe. In The End of the Old Order readers encounter the rulers, ministers, citizens, and subjects of Europe in all of their political and military activity – from the desk of the prime minister to the pen of the ambassador, from the map of the general to the rifle of the soldier. With clear and lively prose, Kagan guides the reader deftly through the intriguing and complex web of international politics and war. The End of the Old Order is the first volume in a new and comprehensive four-volume study of Napoleon and Europe.
Current Events for $100
I have been busy, busy, busy these days. A combination of work, church, and family has kept me away from the computer for long stretches. For you political types out there, here are some links from the past week or so that I have posted at Right Shelf. They are also reviews, interviews, and/or discussions of some of the political books that are in my TBR pile. So look for my take on many of these titles in the future.
– A hot topic of late has been whether the GOP is better off losing the House this year in order to position itself for 2008 and to regain its conservative limited government focus. Much of this debate was kicked off by the release of Stephen Slivinski’s Buck Wild (BTW, look for a review here in the coming days. I know, I know, promises promises) a description of how the GOP became the party of big government and an argument for divided government. The American Spectator has posted a mini-debate of sorts on this interesting and important topic.
Last Wednesday David Hogberg wondered if this strategy wasn’t “too clever by half.” Hogberg fears the GOP will learn the wrong lessons in defeat, spend to much time in ugly post-loss internecine battles, and that the Democrats will use the majority to cut deals with President Bush in ways detrimental to the country and the hopes of regaining the Republican majority. He concludes:
Yes, conservatives, myself included, are rightly disgusted with Congressional Republicans’ profligacy. But that disgust is beginning to get through, with Congress recently approving an online database to track spending and the House passing the aforementioned earmark reform. Such efforts will surely stall should Democrats win control of the House. The answer is to keep up the pressure through the grassroots and blogosphere efforts like Porkbusters. A GOP loss of the House in November is just as likely to create more problems for conservatives than it is likely to solve, proving once again that, in politics, there is little virtue in losing.
Slivinski responded by arguing that partisanship is the one thing you can count on in DC:
One thing we have seen, however, is that Bush, like all politicians, is a political animal. On domestic policy, he usually cares more about scoring one for his own team than upholding a coherent position on the role of government in a free society. I suspect the president would go hunting for his veto pen more often if he were faced with a Democratic House. And imagine how congressional Republicans would fight the sorts of big government schemes they currently push if those proposals came instead from the mouths of Democratic majority leaders.
Divided government isn’t a cure-all. But I’m willing to entertain the notion that those who value limited government would be at least no worse off under it than they are now.
The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
Okay, I admit it. I sometimes pay attention to marketing and buzz. Not all the time mind you. There are plenty of books that take the world by storm and I have no interest in reading them. The Da Vinci Code? No thank you. The Left Behind series? Nope.
But when Amazon was all abuzz about The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue I was really curious. What grabbed their attention and made them want to promote the book to such a degree (they had Donohue interviewed on Amazon Fishbowl, sent out copies to their top 100 reviewers, posted extra material about the book and its back-story, etc.)? Combine this buzz with my interest in myths/fairy tales, and fiction that mixes the fantastic with the everyday, and I bumped the book to the top of my TBR list.
I am glad I did. The Stolen Child is an imaginative and evocative coming of age novel about memory and loss; and about how we come to terms with our past. It is a remarkable first novel from an author I hope we hear more from in the coming years.
How (Not) to Speak of God by Peter Rollins
The folks over at Paraclete Press publish some thought provoking books. Everything from musings on the Sabbath from a former practicing Orthodox Jew turned Anglican Christian; to interesting fiction (see here and here); to memoirs about the “surprising gifts” of growing up in a fundamentalist family. Given my interest in faith and religion, I suppose it is not surprising I find their catalog interesting.
A recent addition to their catalog continues this trend: How (Not) to Speak of God by Peter Rollins. It is certainly a thoughtful and thought provoking read.
One of the problems with a book like this, however, is that you wonder if it will ever be read by anyone outside the community it describes. Rollins is attempting to describe the philosophical and theological underpinnings of the “emerging church” or the conversation that is taking place around the world about how to approach the Christian faith in a post-modern era.
To do this he brings the work of deconstructionist theory, and the history of Christian mysticism, to theology and faith. In doing so he tries to avoid the dichotomy of fundamentalism on the one hand and relativistic nihilism on the other. He wants to challenge and re-imagine the Christian faith without abandoning its core meaning.
This is not an easy task. I have a feeling that many more traditional Christians will be turned off by 1) what they will perceive as a threat to orthodoxy; and 2) by its language rooted in post-modern criticism and theory.
But I would recommend that this book be read in the spirit in which is written. Instead of viewing it as a threat to orthodox Christianity, view it as a challenge and a source of potential insights. Rollins certainly challenges traditional ways of thinking about theology and faith.
His deconstructionist approach to knowledge and truth will feel awkward and potentially heretical to most Christians, and it isn’t always easy to sift through the language, but there are a number of keen insights for those who put in the effort. Some examples are below.