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leswag97's reviews
233 reviews
The Heavenly Table by Donald Ray Pollock
4.0
Pollock tells an interesting and funny story, filled with an unusual cast of characters, some of whom are likable, but most of whom are not. Similar to other writers in the Souther Gothic tradition, Pollock’s story and most of his characters are off-putting, and at times, this book was a bit too crude and vulgar for me. But the ending was surprisingly quite redeeming; as Pollock notes on one of the last pages of the book: “salvation is sometimes found in the strangest places.”
Ugarit and the Old Testament by Peter C. Craigie
4.0
A helpful and easy-to-read introduction to the world of Ugaritic studies and the importance of Ugarit for the study of the Old Testament.
A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society by Eugene H. Peterson
4.0
Using the Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120–134) as his map, Eugene Peterson takes readers on the journey of faith, beginning with a “turning” (repentance) and ending with a “blessing.” The journey of discipleship for which Peterson advocates is a “long” and persistent one, but is well worth the trip. I enjoyed Peterson’s other book on the Psalms—[b:Answering God: The Psalms as Tools for Prayer|240336|Answering God The Psalms as Tools for Prayer|Eugene H. Peterson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388363857l/240336._SY75_.jpg|232818]—a bit more than this one. Still, anyone who is a fan of Peterson should read this book—it is classic Peterson.
Sula by Toni Morrison
3.0
An interesting story about friendship. This is my third time reading Morrison, and it was my least favorite of the three books I’ve read—the other two being [b:Song of Solomon|11334|Song of Solomon|Toni Morrison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1632283992l/11334._SY75_.jpg|3215642] and [b:Beloved|6149|Beloved|Toni Morrison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1632283781l/6149._SY75_.jpg|736076], both of which are wonderful. Still, fans of Morrison should definitely give it a chance.
Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible by John H. Walton
4.0
In this book, John Walton gives an overview/synthesis of ancient Near Eastern thought and culture (broadly speaking), showing the importance of understanding the ANE for the study and interpretation of the Old Testament. From the outset, Walton makes a case for the value of comparative studies—that is, the process of “draw[ing] data from different segments of the broader culture (in time and/or space) into juxtaposition with one another in order to assess what might be learned from one to enhance the understanding of another” (7). And Walton is especially interested in defending the objectives and goals of comparative studies to those that would be most inclined to reject the usefulness of (or need for) comparative studies in the task of reading and understanding the Bible. Being already familiar with the area of comparative studies and its usefulness for interpreting the Bible, I did not need much convincing, but it was still helpful to see how Walton presents the idea to those who may be initially suspicious of such an endeavor.
Much of the book is devoted to different themes and topics (e.g., the cosmos, the role and destiny of humanity, religion, etc.), and in each case, Walton gives a general overview of the ideas, beliefs, and assumptions at work in the ANE (at times, stressing differences between Egyptian thinking and Mesopotamian thinking). Walton also usually juxtaposes the commonly held beliefs in the ANE with those of ancient Israel (primarily as expressed in the biblical text, but on occasion Walton looks at what material culture has to say about ancient Israel). When Walton compares Israel to its ancient neighbors, Walton does a good job of drawing attention to both continuity and discontinuity.
All in all, this is a good and helpful book, especially for those who are just beginning to learn about the ANE or about comparative studies. I would’ve appreciated having a book like this in one of my introductory Old Testament courses in college, as I think it would have been immensely helpful and eye opening. Readers who have enjoyed Walton’s other books on understanding the Old Testament within its ancient culture (like those books in his popular “Lost World” series) will definitely enjoy and learn from this important volume.
Much of the book is devoted to different themes and topics (e.g., the cosmos, the role and destiny of humanity, religion, etc.), and in each case, Walton gives a general overview of the ideas, beliefs, and assumptions at work in the ANE (at times, stressing differences between Egyptian thinking and Mesopotamian thinking). Walton also usually juxtaposes the commonly held beliefs in the ANE with those of ancient Israel (primarily as expressed in the biblical text, but on occasion Walton looks at what material culture has to say about ancient Israel). When Walton compares Israel to its ancient neighbors, Walton does a good job of drawing attention to both continuity and discontinuity.
All in all, this is a good and helpful book, especially for those who are just beginning to learn about the ANE or about comparative studies. I would’ve appreciated having a book like this in one of my introductory Old Testament courses in college, as I think it would have been immensely helpful and eye opening. Readers who have enjoyed Walton’s other books on understanding the Old Testament within its ancient culture (like those books in his popular “Lost World” series) will definitely enjoy and learn from this important volume.
Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
4.0
This work is classic Steinbeck. After reading it, one feels quite acquainted with Cannery Row of Monterey, California—not as a tourist would be acquainted with somewhere they visited on holiday, but as a local, as someone born and raised there. Overall, this story is less concerned with a plot, and more concerned with a place, with the people that populate it, and with the parties they throw.
Texts of Terror by Phyllis Trible
5.0
Like Jacob wrestling with the angel, so too do many readers wrestle with the troubling and terrible texts of the Bible. Phyllis Trible notes that in our wrestling with the text, "We struggle mightily, only to be wounded. But yet we hold on, seeking a blessing: the healing of wounds and the restoration of health. If the blessing comes—and we dare not claim assurance—it does not come on our terms. Indeed, as we leave the land of terror, we limp" (4–5).
In this book, Trible brings her readers on a journey through this "land of terror," drawing readers’ attention to a handful of stories in Scripture that are particularly difficult to read: (1) the story of Hagar, (2) the story of Tamar, (3) the story of the unnamed concubine in Judges 19, and (4) the story of Jephthah’s daughter. Trible has chosen these stories not only because they deal with very troublesome content matter, but also because they center on female characters—individuals with little power (both in the ancient world and in the story world), and who are customarily overlooked in the church and in the academy. Trible offers a "literary-feminist" reading of these stories, and the result is a fresh and harrowing reading of these unfamiliar, yet canonized, narratives.
Trible pulls no punches—on occasion, she even calls attention to God’s absence in these texts, or (worse still) God’s own troubling behavior. I found myself convicted throughout, and was especially impacted by Trible’s reading of the story in Judges 19 of the unnamed concubine. I find it to be the most troubling story in all of Scripture.
Such a book may leave readers wondering, "What can we do?" And while Trible does not end on a high note (she offers no comforting conclusion to console readers; she simply lets us sit with these texts of terror), she does note that Scripture "reflects [life] in both holiness and horror. Reflections themselves neither mandate nor manufacture change; yet by enabling insight, they may inspire repentance. In other words, sad stories may yield new beginnings" (2). May readers of the Bible—including all of its many sad stories—be inspired to repentance and to seek out those new beginnings.
Though a difficult book to read, this is a very important work of scholarship, and is a must-read for students of the Bible.
In this book, Trible brings her readers on a journey through this "land of terror," drawing readers’ attention to a handful of stories in Scripture that are particularly difficult to read: (1) the story of Hagar, (2) the story of Tamar, (3) the story of the unnamed concubine in Judges 19, and (4) the story of Jephthah’s daughter. Trible has chosen these stories not only because they deal with very troublesome content matter, but also because they center on female characters—individuals with little power (both in the ancient world and in the story world), and who are customarily overlooked in the church and in the academy. Trible offers a "literary-feminist" reading of these stories, and the result is a fresh and harrowing reading of these unfamiliar, yet canonized, narratives.
Trible pulls no punches—on occasion, she even calls attention to God’s absence in these texts, or (worse still) God’s own troubling behavior. I found myself convicted throughout, and was especially impacted by Trible’s reading of the story in Judges 19 of the unnamed concubine. I find it to be the most troubling story in all of Scripture.
Such a book may leave readers wondering, "What can we do?" And while Trible does not end on a high note (she offers no comforting conclusion to console readers; she simply lets us sit with these texts of terror), she does note that Scripture "reflects [life] in both holiness and horror. Reflections themselves neither mandate nor manufacture change; yet by enabling insight, they may inspire repentance. In other words, sad stories may yield new beginnings" (2). May readers of the Bible—including all of its many sad stories—be inspired to repentance and to seek out those new beginnings.
Though a difficult book to read, this is a very important work of scholarship, and is a must-read for students of the Bible.
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
4.0
This is my second time reading Vonnegut’s most well-known work, and it is still one of my favorites. “Slaughterhouse Five” tells of the horrors of war, specifically the bombing of Dresden in WW2, through the lens of time travel and science fiction. This anti-war book is semi-autobiographical, since Vonnegut survived the bombing of Dresden himself. Because it is also a book about time travel, however, the entire book is a rollercoaster of different storylines intersecting with one another, as Billy Pilgrim—the main character—continues to go back and forth between different periods of his own life, most notably the bombing of Dresden. The result is a story that makes one rethink war as well as life and death.
Animal Farm by George Orwell
5.0
First time reading this classic, and I enjoyed it much more than Orwell’s 1984. An excellent and engaging satire. Even though its original target was Stalinism, the story is timeless, still speaking today against all forms of totalitarianism (past, present, and future).