Saturday, January 27, 2024

January Booknotes

 
“In the winter she curls up around a good book and dreams away the cold.” ― Ben Aaronovitch

Nonfiction: Law, History

The Handy Supreme Court Answer Book: The History and Issues Explained by David L. Hudson Jr. J.D.

The U.S. Supreme Court, its decisions, and its nominating process for new justices are often in the news … but are just as often not well understood. Constitutional law professor David L. Hudson, Jr., explains the cases, processes, and important history with this in-depth primer on the U.S. Supreme Court.  Covering the history, nominating process, and court decisions on individual and other rights as well as a few fun facts, The Handy Supreme Court Answer Book provides 600 answers to questions such as …

How has the Supreme Court justices’ thinking on gun rights, abortion, free speech, freedom of religion, and many other controversial issues evolved? What were some of the court’s most important and monumental decisions … and failures? Which justices have—and have had—the most influence on the court? Has the nominating process always been so political and bitter?

Analyzing controversial issues and various points of view, The Handy Supreme Court Answer Book sheds light on the differing and changing interpretations of the critical issues before the court, as well as the confirmation process and some of the court’s most important justices. It also has a helpful bibliography, glossary, and extensive index. This is an important resource for all citizens!

Nonfiction: Christianity, Politics, History

The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta

This is a comprehensive look at the American evangelical movement over the past several decades by an author whose father was an evangelical pastor and is a believer himself.

In his prologue, Alberta takes us back to summer 2019, and his father’s funeral. The Rev Richard Alberta died suddenly, of a heart attack. At his father’s funeral a church elder delivered to Alberta a one-page screed expressing his disapproval of the author for not embracing Donald Trump as God’s anointed. Time, place, and decorum were discarded. Alberta’s “sins” demanded rebuke. Alberta writes:

“I was part of an evil plot, the man wrote, to undermine God’s ordained leader of the United States. My criticisms of President Trump were tantamount to treason – against both God and country – and I should be ashamed of myself.”

Alberta passed the letter to his wife.

“What the hell is wrong with these people?” she cried.

As many “Christians” would see it, nothing. The unidentified elder simply repeated sentiments that had taken root in evangelical America since Trump’s election in 2016.

How did Christians switch from confidently asserting a Gospel-centered witness distinct from the things of this world -WWJD (What would Jesus do?) - to a fear-based, increasingly violent political faith - DWTS (Do whatever Trump says)?
Post from Global Vision Bible Church in Mt. Juliet, TN.
WWJD or DWTS?
To answer this question, the author researched church history and visited evangelical churches, Christian organizations, rallies, and conferences.  He also interviewed participants and leaders. What he found most disturbing were evangelical leaders who dispensed with the Gospel and instead “preached” that loving your enemies is “woke” and “owning the libs” is the answer to WWJD. 

The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism is an excellent contemporary history and a forthright examination of the people, ideas, and behaviors in today's evangelical movement.

Some important quotes from the book:

“What’s wrong with American evangelicals? America, too many of them worship America… I just always found it strange that these Christians relied so infrequently on the words of Christ.” – Pastor Winans

A longtime church member explaining to his pastor why he is leaving the congregation, “I’m afraid we have to leave the church after all these decades because you are not interpreting the Bible in light of the Constitution.”

“I’ve spent time with underground pastors in China who have all been to prison.  But they’re not afraid, they’re not paranoid…Much of what drives evangelicals here is fear…never mind they have certainty of exclusive membership in the afterlife.  We are immodest and excessively indulged people. We have grown accustomed to our prosperity and worldly position that we feel entitled to them.  In America there is no constant emphasis on the scripture itself.”

“More than any figure in American history, the forty-fifth president transformed evangelical from spiritual signifier into a political punch line, exposing selective morality, ethical inconsistency, and rank hypocrisy … Trump did not the author the cultural insecurities of the Church.  But he did identify them, and prey upon them, in ways that have accelerated the unraveling of institutional Christianity in the United States.”

“That’s what you saw on January 6. That’s why, if you’re an evangelical, you think it’s okay to club the cops or break windows.”

But not all evangelical Christians have lost sight of Jesus Christ.

“Some of us are just tired of being used as political props.” – Member of an evangelical church

How an American who studied Theology at the University of Wales described his experience: “It was wild to spend time with Christians whose identity wasn’t wrapped up in anything but Christ … in a culture where Christians don’t filter every idea and conviction through a lens of right versus left.”

“If Jesus were here, I think He’d be overturning tables everywhere. Everywhere.” - A young Christian referencing Matthew 21:12-13 in response to the selling of hats and shirts emblazoned with “MAGA” and “Fuck Joe Biden” at a church-sponsored conference.

What would the world look like if Christians followed the way of Jesus, exuding love, patience, peace, gentleness, meekness, and self-control rather than the hateful and hostile spirit so typical of evangelicals today?

Nonfiction: Psychology, Sociology

Misbelief: What Makes Rational People Believe Irrational Things by Dan Ariely

An interesting book. The author is the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University. He also holds an appointment at the MIT Media Lab where he is the head of the eRationality research group. He was formerly the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Behavioral Economics at MIT Sloan School of Management. Utilizing the latest research (References and Index are included), Ariely reveals the key elements—emotional, cognitive, personality, and social—that drive people down the funnel of false information and mistrust, showing how under the right circumstances, anyone can become a misbeliever.

👉“We meet aliens every day who have something to give us. They come in the form of people with different opinions.” – William Shatner

I am familiar with “need, narrative, network” as a basis for understanding how people are drawn into cults, conspiracy theories, and extremist movements. Misbelief provides some additional psychological research that supports the “need, narrative, network” framework.

The emotional factors (stress, feeling disadvantaged, fear) create a need for a cognitive narrative (it’s his/her/their fault - i.e. creating a villain: “knowing” without evidence or ignoring evidence because “they” can’t be trusted) to explain why you don’t feel better.

While personality (over trusting intuition, prone to misremembering, narcissism) may have some influence, the social element is extremely strong. Feeling ostracism or “less than” and being exposed to a narrative that seemingly explains why you feel the way you do - you seek companionship (network) with others. Once you find “your” group, you look to them for how you should behave, they solidify your beliefs, and you become loyal to the group. This social bond “seals” the deal. Cognitive dissonance then causes you to double down on your misbelief – that there are villains (like the government or scientists) who can’t be trusted in any circumstance.  

Misbelief ‘s concluding sentences: “Hopefully, by understanding the deeper psychology that underlies the issue of misbelief, we can begin to find ways to bridge the gaps and work together. In the end, despite being demonized, I was able to humanize, understand to some degree, and empathize with the people who demonized me. And that alone gives me reason to be optimistic.”

Fiction: Historical fiction, Nature

North Woods by Daniel Mason

North Woods, is the story of a place — a yellow house deep in the woods of western Massachusetts — and its succession of occupants, human and otherwise, who leave their mark on the property over the course of four centuries.

The novel consists of twelve interlinked stories corresponding with the seasons and months of the year, all set around the yellow house in the north woods. The first story takes place in the time of the Puritans, with each subsequent tale advancing through history and focusing on the subsequent inhabitants of the house. These include an apple-obsessed orchardist who fights on the wrong side of the Revolutionary War, and his twin daughters, one fierce, the other lovelorn; a lonely, closeted, naturalist painter who all too briefly connects with his ideal soulmate; a young black mother fleeing slavery and bounty hunters; a conjuror; a schizophrenic whose mother corresponds with prison inmates while her son hallucinates about the house's former inhabitants; a reporter for True Crime magazine; a recently widowed history buff and a post-doctoral student. The stories are all stunning in prose and cleverly linked, many shaded a bit of the supernatural.

North Woods manages to balance both the short and the long view, intimately focusing on the lives of each of the house's inhabitants, yet expansively encompassing American history, natural history, and the relentless march of time and the cycle of the seasons.  The novel is above all a tale of ephemerality and succession, of the way time accrues in layers, like sedimentary soil.

The strength of this novel is the writing and the vivid imagery that transports you to the” north woods”. The landscape changes over time, generations of people come and go, leaving an imprint on the land – a legacy of joy, sorrow, loneliness, tragedy, and renewal. Truly an immersive novel!

👉"The only way to understand the world as something other than a tale of loss is to see it as a tale of change."

Nonfiction: Medical, Science

No Longer Radical: Understanding Mastectomies and Choosing the Breast Cancer Care That's Right for You by Rachel Brem, Christy Teal

Excellent!  This is the best book I have ever read about breast cancer.  Every woman should read this book – you may be the 1 out 8 American women who find themselves with a breast cancer diagnosis. No Longer Radical was written by two top doctors in the field—Rachel Brem, a breast radiologist, and Christy Teal, a breast surgeon—who have also made the personal decisions to have preventative mastectomies.

Reading this book is like signing up for a comprehensive graduate seminar. The authors explain:

·         the latest research on the causes of breast cancer (including the role that family history plays in a woman’s chances of getting breast cancer),

·         the importance of the pathology (type) of your cancer and how that will influence your treatment – Breast cancer is not a “one size fits all” disease!

·         the many treatments for breast cancer depending upon your family history, genetic testing, pathology, and personal circumstances,

·         and a wide variety of post-surgical options (including breast reconstruction).

The authors cover everything from preventive mastectomies to the impact of the diagnosis on the friends and family of a breast cancer patient.  And they use a profoundly important word: curable. Many, many cases of breast cancer are curable.

👉“Fortunately, the odds of survival today are dramatically better than they were in the recent past. … Forty percent fewer women die of breast cancer now than two decades ago.”

I found this book to be enlightening and empowering. At the end of each chapter there is a list of suggested questions that a patient might want to ask their health care provider. These are extremely useful. The main point of No Longer Radical is to educate women about their need to ask questions so that they can make an informed decision about how to screen for, prevent or treat breast cancer as appropriate for their personal, unique situation.

It is so refreshing to read a book about women’s bodies that puts knowledge and power in the hands of the patient.

👉"The doctors you consult with may have completely different reactions than you would have to the same situation. That’s fine. It’s human nature. Never forget that you’re the one who must live with the results. When you are considering your options, it doesn't matter what your doctors (or anyone else!) would be comfortable with. Ask yourself what you will be most comfortable with."

Nonfiction:  History

The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History by Ned Blackhawk

“How can a nation founded on the homelands of dispossessed Indigenous peoples be the world’s most exemplary democracy?” This is the provocative question with which Ned Blackhawk opens The Rediscovery of America.  Blackhawk (Western Shoshone) is Professor of History and American Studies at Yale University.  The Rediscovery of America won the 2023 National Book Award for nonfiction.

This book stresses the importance of telling US history with a wider and more inclusive lens.  Blackhawk recontextualizes five centuries of U.S. history by putting Indigenous peoples at its center. Blackhawk rejects the myth that Native Americans were quick and easy victims to European invaders and instead asserts that they were central to every century of U.S. historical development.  He recounts how Native Americans played a foundational role in shaping America’s constitutional democracy even as they were murdered and dispossessed of their land.

The most enduring feature of U.S. history is the presence of Native Americans, yet most histories focus on Europeans and their descendants. Like Nikole Hannah-Jones’s 1619 Project, The Rediscovery of America is a reminder of the danger of a single, Euro-centric retelling of American history.  Our history is better understood as a multiverse of perspectives which yield a truer account of the United States and reveal the varied meanings of America.

While this is a “heavy” read, it is worth the time and effort.  It has 616 pages of which almost 150 are extensive notes and an index. The front inside cover has a detailed map of “Estimated Locations for Select Pre-Removal Native Nations” while the back endpapers have a map of “Contemporary State and Federally Recognized Native Nations and Lands in the Contiguous United States.”   The Rediscovery of America is a comprehensive, scholarly work on American history.

👉“Incapable of conquering true wilderness Europeans were highly competent in the skill of conquering other people … They did not settle a virgin land. They invaded and displaced a resident population.”

Fiction: International Fiction (Mauritius)

Silent Winds, Dry Seas by Vinod Busjeet

This is one of the first novels by a Mauritian author to be originally published in the United States. Silent Winds, Dry Seas has autobiographical elements, focusing on a coming-of-age story and a tale of emigration.

The narrator is Vishnu Bhushan who is telling about his life 1960 through the mid 1970s.  He tells his story within a greater familial and historical context: The first Bhushan, who arrived from India in 1853, moved to a predominantly Creole town after completing his five years of indentured labor on a sugar cane estate. His narrative is funny and endearing. As I read about his family and friends, I became invested in his character as he grows from a boy to a man. Ultimately, Vishnu’s fervent devotion to educational attainment leads him away from his coastal village to a PhD at Harvard University.

Silent Winds, Dry Seas eventually spans continents, but it is most powerful in its description of an island shrouded in the mists of time. There are outdoor kitchens, railway stations, and windows perpetually left open in the summer. Cyclones follow on each other’s heels, and old retirees spend their time attending trials at the District Court. Injustice is a schoolboy beaten for eating ice-cream, one lash for every scoop. Multiculturalism is the freedom to choose between a suit and a dhoti. Courage is a vegetarian homemaker who spends her life rearing and then cooking chicken for her husband’s favorite meal.

Through a varied cast of characters—Creole fishermen, Hindu planters, white landowners, Chinese shopkeepers—the novel introduced me to the diversity of the Mauritian population and to their many languages. Busjeet’s novel is effectively illustrates the intertwined ways in which gender, class, and ethnoreligious belonging—termed communauté in Mauritius—condition their life experience. But as Vishnu asks, “Our ancestors left India a hundred years ago. Who really knows how they did things in the old country? “couldn’t we, too, could ask the same question about our American lives?

Although I felt the narrative was “choppy” – there is little transition from one chapter to the next - and the book reads like a collection of short stories - Silent Winds, Dry Seas is still a good introduction to the little-known history of Mauritius.

Fiction: American Historical Fiction

This Other Eden by Paul Harding

NOTE: This book was inspired by the real-life consequences of eugenics on the once racially integrated Malaga Island off the coast of Maine. It was the site of an interracial community from the American Civil War until 1911, when the residents were forcibly removed, some of them rehoused in institutions for the "feeble-minded." In 2010, the state of Maine offered an official "public apology" for the incident.

This Other Eden begins on Apple Island, named because of the trees once planted there by the first settlers: a runaway slave, Benjamin Honey, and his Irish wife, Patience. Their descendants continued to live on the island. Esther Honey, great-granddaughter of Benjamin and Patience, her son and grandchildren and their neighbors - Theophilus and Candace Larks and their family born of incest; two sisters who are raising three Penobscot orphans; Civil War veteran Zachary Hand who lives in a hollow oak tree; and elderly Annie Parker.

Life on the island was not particularly easy but the residents survived in their cocoon of tolerance and community. The arrival of missionary/retired schoolteacher Matthew Diamond on the island and his efforts to educate the children directs public attention from the mainland to Apple Island. Doctors who believe in Eugenics come to the island and go about measuring every inch of the islanders’ bodies with calipers and metal rulers, as if they were mere lab specimens.  Branded paupers, squatters, imbeciles, and much worse, the islanders are subject to humiliating treatment.

Diamond’s intention to “save” an artistically talented teenager he believes can pass for White, triggers a shocking series of events that ultimately leads to the eviction of the residents from the only home they had ever known.  The governor of Maine evicts them from their inherited land, apparently for the sake of “humanity and public health”. The Apple Islanders are forced off their homeland, several of them are institutionalized while others are left to fend for themselves.

This Other Eden is a powerful novel about how happiness doesn’t depend upon wealth.  But most importantly, it is about the destruction brought about by “do-gooders” who claim to have the right to decide what is “best” for others.

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June Booknotes

  "These works challenge us not just to understand but to engage, to debate, and to form our own reasoned conclusions. By reading hard ...