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A review by kierkegaards_pancakes
The Tank Man's Son: A Memoir by Mark Bouman
2.0
As a memoir, this was an unbalanced and uninspired telling of what was portrayed to be a memorable life. The blame should not be completely leveled at Bouman since he had help in telling his story.
The largest part of the story focuses on Bouman's early relationship with his father. This part of Bouman's life is characterized by anecdotes which prove his father to be a bitter and violent man child. In many ways, the same story of irrational violence is told over and over with different details, never fully sussing out a deep emotional tie to the reader.
If not for the father owning a tank, this would not be an extraordinary story.
The remainder of the story, Bouman's conversion and reconciliation with his father, seems to be almost an epilogue to his childhood. Bouman's conversion: he finds a church and then the altar call. Bouman's marriage: a few dates and the ceremony. Bouman's ministry: his call and a few stories about a Cambodian orphanage (a story one thinks could have fueled a book all on it's own). Bouman's reconciliation with his father: Bouman gives a talk at a church with his father in attendance.
The ultimate message is, God used the horrors of Bouman's childhood to face the trials of ministry.
Without doubt this is a tremendous message that glorifies Jesus Christ and our heavenly father, however this message gets buried under bad story telling and inadequate focus on Bouman's conversion and the insights that come with the life of ministry.
This could have been so much more but falls short.
(Again, but for the tank would this story have been told?)
The largest part of the story focuses on Bouman's early relationship with his father. This part of Bouman's life is characterized by anecdotes which prove his father to be a bitter and violent man child. In many ways, the same story of irrational violence is told over and over with different details, never fully sussing out a deep emotional tie to the reader.
If not for the father owning a tank, this would not be an extraordinary story.
The remainder of the story, Bouman's conversion and reconciliation with his father, seems to be almost an epilogue to his childhood. Bouman's conversion: he finds a church and then the altar call. Bouman's marriage: a few dates and the ceremony. Bouman's ministry: his call and a few stories about a Cambodian orphanage (a story one thinks could have fueled a book all on it's own). Bouman's reconciliation with his father: Bouman gives a talk at a church with his father in attendance.
The ultimate message is, God used the horrors of Bouman's childhood to face the trials of ministry.
Without doubt this is a tremendous message that glorifies Jesus Christ and our heavenly father, however this message gets buried under bad story telling and inadequate focus on Bouman's conversion and the insights that come with the life of ministry.
This could have been so much more but falls short.
(Again, but for the tank would this story have been told?)