Shannon Beck

A new addition to my site. Some of you have been asking what I am reading these days. I will hope to add to this monthly.

November 2008

Roadside Religion. In Search of the Sacred, the Strange, and the Substance of Faith  Timothy K. Beal, Beacon Press  www.TimothyBeal.com

When someone you know publishes a book, it is always interesting to consider whether the book fairly represents what you know of the author. Beal’s poignant book of a trip made with his wife, Clover, (my college best bud) and their two children explores the sort of faith peculiarities we wrestled with in college: who is God, how does God work, can we trust others’ odd experiences of faith, and how do we reconcile these sometimes bazaar Christian beliefs and practices under the same umbrella? The books is chalked full of weirdness - and one gets the sense that Beal has made a little peace along the way. The cynicism that emerges from higher education criticism seems to have softened for him. Mostly, though, the book gives the reader the sense that all journeys are personal ones - and that in treating people who seem a few raisins short of two scoops with respect and genuiness gives way to understanding.

Finally, Tim, I read the book! And loved it. Oh those Precious Moments…

Tim is about to come out with a new book: The End of the World as We Know It.

September/October 2008

The Dark Side, the inside story of how the war on terror turned into a war on American ideals.  Jane Mayer, Doubleday Books

Wow. If there is any question whether we need a change in our approach to foreign policy in this new age of terrorism, Mayer dispels it.

Do you have lingering questions about what happened in the White House those days following 9/11? Do you sort-of get the problem with the extremes we have gone to with prisoners since then? Are you appalled at the actions of Abu Graib? Have you wondered why the United States, the shepherds of the Geneva Conventions, have abandoned them for ourselves? Then, go out RIGHT NOW and buy this book. It is an insider’s  account.

As we sit on the edge of a new day, certainly the morality of war and our treatment of “enemy combatants” is something that will judge us as a nation for centuries to come. If, after reading it, you want to change these policies, smuggled through back room meetings and lawyer’s antics, contact www.NRCAT.org. The National Religious Campaign Against Torture.

Practicing Peace. Catherine Whitmire. Sorin Books.

Practicing Peace is an inspirational compilation of Quaker writers reflections on peace in all its dimensions. It is designed as a reflective tool - how very Quaker of Whitmire -  and soaking with insight and honesty. Whitmire begins each chapter with a compelling personal reflection that opens up”possibility” in each topic. One might think that one could run out of material. After all, the Quakers are a fairly new religious tradition. Not so. Perhaps the communal effort to live a life of peace gives more space to discover truths. There are hundreds of authors from the 1600’s on - with important insights and encouragement. A sorely needed book in these dark times. And - Whitmire is a Whidbey Island resident. Go out and buy this right now!

Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of angry and controlling men. Lundy Bancroft. Penguin Books

I read this book about 3 years ago when the family closest to mine fell apart due to abuse. I was so full of grief. We had camped together, babysat each other’s children, slept at each other’s houses, drank wine and gone to Bruce Cockburn concerts together. I was a witness to their adopting twins. I had watched the deterioration, heard things from the children I could hardly fathom, and witnessed the “outer edges” of why people stay in abusive relationships. But, this book was the most helpful of all the literature I read. When the book was printed, Bancroft had spent 17 years counseling abusive men and advising families. He knows the minds of angry men.

Now, 3 years later, another woman I care deeply about is in a similar and much more volatile situation. It was time to read it again. This book is for all women who feel controlled by their partners, who fear there is no way out, whether they hate or love their abuser.

July/August 2008

The Twilight Series. Twilight. New Moon. Eclipse. by Stephanie Meyer

Romeo and Juliet, Samson and Delilah. Sonny and Cher.
Not exactly the kind of love models you want your teenagers to bring home. Sadly, Edward and Bella fit quite neatly into this category of “bring it to Dr. Phil relationships.” Bella is a teenage girl who, against her will, falls head-over-heals in love with a stunning, heart-stoppingly gorgeous vampire. Did I mention he has take-your-breath away, unbearable beauty? Fortunately for Bella and the other mortals, Edward and his adopted family are vampires with a conscience. They have been redeemed into a life of hunting down bears and cougars and other small animals in lieu of humans. But, boy, those humans surely smell delicious!

By the end of the first book, I was more than a little irritated with Bella. She was obsessive and shallow - ready to sacrifice anything for her man - including her humanity. I think Edward would have won my heart a little more if he hadn’t been sitting invisibly in her bedroom at night without her knowing it. This didn’t bother Bella, of course, who is A-OK with her first love watching her every move without her knowledge. Do you get the psycho part?

However, I REALLY wanted to read the second book. And the third. Perhaps it has been too long since I read fiction.

By the third book, Bella’s best friend, Jacob (who now metamorphoses into a werewolf when he wants to) assaults her into realizing that she loves him too. Go figure. The werewolf characters are compelling; the vampires are equipped with voyeuristic powers of mind reading and foreseeing the future and the ability to run at corvette speed. I found these characters less interesting. (I guess the “georgeosity” of them all was just a tad bit too much for me.)

The questions remain: Will Bellah become forever a vampire as they have planned so that she can become equal to her soul mate and join his sleepless, ageless, blood-sucking family? What will happen to Jacob, the werefriend, who seems to be shaping up by the end of the third book? And what about poor Charlie, her unsuspecting father - will he wise up to all the spooky shenanigans that are going on? More importantly, will Bellah ever evolve into someone I like - a person with restraint and a sense of herself apart from the family? When my daughter returns from a week away, I will quickly confiscate the final book in the series and see what happens.

The Fragrance of Faith: The Enlightened Heart of Islam - by Jamal Rahman

The art of storytelling, mostly lost to western society, is woven through this book. Rahman, a Sufi Muslim, lives his faith. This is a book full of grace and humor; monkeys and donkeys, and the love of Allah. Just gorgeous! It will remind you of some of the deeper parts of the life of spirit.