Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
(Crown Archetype, 2015, 228 pages)
Hilarious celebrity best friend: essays.
3/5 stars
Category: Essays
Me Talk Pretty One Day | by David Sedaris
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
(Little, Brown & Co., 2000, 272 pages)
Sarcastic humor of life experiences.
5/5 stars
Finding McLuhan | edited by Jaqueline McLeod Rogers, Tracy Whalen, and Catherine G. Taylor
Finding McLuhan: The Mind/The Man/The Message
edited by Jaqueline McLeod Rogers, Tracy Whalen, and Catherine G. Taylor
(University of Regina Press, 2015, 304 pages)
Marshall McLuhan was the first person to really investigate and theorize about the effects of electronic media like radio and television. This very interesting collection of essays looks at new issues of digital media and culture through the lens of McLuhan’s basic insights about technology. It includes interviews with people who knew McLuhan, including his two sons, as well as an interview with Douglas Coupland, McLuhan’s most recent biographer. I particularly enjoyed the essay by Karen Brown and Mary Pat Fallon, which applies McLuhan’s understanding of media environments to the issue of library space, as well as the essay on McLuhan’s religious thought by David Charles Gore and David Beard.
Champion of a Cause | by Archibald MacLeish
Champion of a Cause: Essays and Addresses on Librarianship by Archibald MacLeish
(American Library Association, 1971, 248 pages)
Archibald MacLeish, the Pulitzer Prize winning poet, playwright, journalist, and lawyer, served as the Librarian of Congress from 1939-1944. Though he had no previous experience as a librarian, MacLeish did a lot to shape modern librarianship in these years. In the lead up to WWII, he cast librarians as defenders of democracy and the culture of freedom against European fascism. This political stance infused a sense of activism that has come to be a defining aspect of librarianship. This collection brings together MacLeish’s essays and speeches on librarianship.
In addition to writing about how libraries support the democratic process, MacLeish also gives a detailed (and frankly pretty boring) description of the massive reorganization of the Library of Congress, which he oversaw. He also writes about the plans that the Library made to preserve important books and artifacts in the event of an attack on the capital. Between helping to define the role of librarians and modernizing the operations of the nation’s foremost library, MacLeish made a remarkable impact on American libraries in a very short amount of time. The final few address were given in the 1950s and 60s, well after MacLeish had left the position of Librarian. In these, MacLeish speculates on the future of libraries in ways that are still relevant today.
This collection of essays and addresses is fascinating, both for what it reveals about the development of the profession and as an example of how people in government positions reacted to and prepared for America’s involvement in WWII. MacLeish is also an excellent writer, which makes these essays that much more enjoyable.
The Givenness of Things | by Marilynne Robinson
The Givenness of Things: Essays by Marilynne Robinson
(Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2015, 304 pages)
Not only is Marilynne Robinson one of the most important contemporary American novelists, she’s probably one of our most important political and theological thinkers. It’s good to know that she has the ear of people like President Obama, who cites her novel Gilead as a favorite and has also quoted her essay “Fear” (included in this collection) at public events. Robinson has a real love for America – a love for the theology that shaped it and the democratic ideals that it so often betrays.
These essays see Robinson covering much of the ground that she has covered in other essays. First, there is John Calvin and North America’s Calvinistic heritage. The chapter “Proofs” is a particularly good reflection on the nature of the mystery and sacredness of creation in Calvin’s thought. Next there are the failures of American democracy. “Fear” is a provocative reflection on an American approach to gun control laws, which Robinson characterizes as “cowardice.” Also, there is the phenomenon of human consciousness and the poverty of so much reductionistic science. “Givenness” looks to the 18th century American theologian Jonathan Edwards to critique certain attitudes in neuroscience. As usual, Robinson’s deep reserve of historical knowledge is brought to bear with eloquence and wit to address very pressing contemporary problems.
One of the features of this collection that I was excited to see was Robinson’s extended treatments of Shakespeare. As far as I can remember none of her other published essays have done so, except perhaps in passing. Shakespeare was the subject of her doctoral research, and yet it is only now that she has begun to explore his plays. Not surprisingly, her take is theological. She sees the plays, especially the later plays, as serious and brilliant engagements with the theological controversies of the Reformation.
There is no contemporary writer that I enjoy reading more than Robinson. True, her lengthy sentences and implied connections between topics can make for difficult reading. These essays require attention and reflection. However, the work pays off when you stumble across beautiful statements like these:
“Touch a limit of your understanding and it falls away, to reveal mystery upon mystery.”
“Grace is the great variable that puts any reckoning of fault or merit very far beyond human competence.”
“I have lived long enough to chalk up to age inadequacies that have been with me the whole of my conscious life.”
Theology and Literature after Postmodernity | edited by Zoe Lehmann Imfeld, Peter Hampson, Alison Milbank
Theology and Literature after Postmodernity
edited by Zoe Lehmann Imfeld, Peter Hampson, Alison Milbank
(Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2015, 304 pages)
“Theology and literature” has become a very rewarding field of interdisciplinary study. As part of the series Religion and the University, this volume demonstrates some of those rewards. This collection of essays brings together some of the most important contemporary Anglo theologians, including John and Alison Milbank, Rowan Williams, and Graham Ward, to reflect on the connections between theology, literary theory, and specific works of literature.
One of the more interesting claims of the editors is that the book demonstrates “how literature can provide a space in which diverse theological approaches can honestly and hospitably converse” (3). Similarly, they articulate a unique understanding of the basis upon which theological and literary disciplines interact. They aim “to deploy theology hospitably in a reconstructive approach to contemporary literary criticism” (4). This emphasis on a theologically motivated understanding of hospitality sets the table for a conversation between disciplines that often conflict in terms of their methodologies and basic assumptions.
The essays are collected under two headings. The first, “Pedagogy,” focuses on the university context of theological and literary study. The second, “Theological and Literary Reconstructions,” explore the connections between literary and theological concepts and texts with a view to questions raised by postmodernity. In the second group, Graham Ward’s essay “Belief and Imagination” is particularly interesting for its claim that “exploring the divine is always an exploration into the imagination” (81). Ward looks to the novels of Graham Greene for a literary example of how the imagination shapes religious belief (though really he is investigating “belief” in a more general sense). John Milbank’s broad ranging “Fictioning Things: Gift and Narrative” is also noteworthy for its exploration of Christianity’s particular valuation of childhood and its expression in children’s literature. This collection does much to demonstrate how a theological stance can contribute to literary criticism and to a better understanding of specific literary texts.
The Undertaking | by Thomas Lynch
The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade by Thomas Lynch
(W. W. Norton & Company, 1997, 202 pages)
To be honest, The Undertaking caught my eye because I’m fascinated by books that talk about death and dying. This collection of essays took a different approach than what I’d anticipated because I went in expecting more darkness and humor and found myself in the presence of thoughtful essays that encouraged me to think more about death and the role it plays in our lives.
Thomas Lynch is an established poet in addition to being the funeral director in the small town of Milford, MI. His way with words and his lifelong immersion in the world of death (his father was also an undertaker) gives him a unique perspective on how death impacts the lives of the living. Each essay in the book lends itself to reflection. There is humor interspersed throughout, but there’s depth here. I took my time while I was reading.
A few of my favorite essays include: “Crapper,” “The Right Hand of the Father,” “All Hallows’ Eve,” and “Tract.” Don’t let the subject matter deter you from picking up this book. It’s not a doom and gloom read, it’s insightful and well worth your time.
Mama Tried | by Emily Flake
Mama Tried: Dispatches from the Seamy Underbelly of Modern Parenting by Emily Flake
(Grand Central Publishing, 2015, 192 pages)
I picked this up on a whim the last time I was at my public library and I’m so glad I did! I’m a new(ish) mom and at this point in my life it helps to find the humor in the world of early motherhood. Flake is a cartoonist whose work regularly appears in the New Yorker. Interspersed in this book are short essays and humorous comics on everything from the “decision” to conceive to teething and toddlers. I laughed out loud so many times while I was reading this that I kept my husband awake (when you have a 16 month old the only “real” time you get to read is before bed…).
I would certainly recommend this book to moms who have a few months (or years) under their belt and who can appreciate Flake’s commentary on how our society perceives what motherhood should be. I ended the book wishing Flake and I could commiserate over a drink together. I settled for just pouring myself another glass of wine 😉
Essays in Love | by Alain de Botton
Essays in Love by Alain de Botton
(Picador, 2006, 212 pages)
Alain de Botton writes practically and eloquently about big issues. I’ve really enjoyed his books The Architecture of Happiness and Religion for Atheists, as well as some of his lectures. I was aware that he had written a “novel” – the quotation marks are important – years ago (originally published in 1993), but I hadn’t taken the time to read it. Having recently seen that de Botton has written another novel that is about to be released, I thought I’d check out the first one.
The book tells the story of two people who meet on an airplane and fall in love. Each chapter looks at a different aspect of the relationship as it develops. From initial attraction (“Romantic Fatalism”) to the uncertainty of pursuit (“The Subtext of Seduction”) to the ambivalence of romantic feelings (“Intermittences of the Heart”) and finally to the unraveling of a relationship (“Romantic Terrorism”) and the suffering that follows (“Psycho-Fatalism”), the story of a relationship is told from the hopeful beginning to the bitter end. It is told from the perspective of the male narrator as he reflects on, analyzes, and investigates the emotional, philosophical, and psychological pitfalls of love.
Though the book has a narrative framework, it is not really a novel. In fact, the title can be taken at face value. These are really topical essays on romance that are strung together by a (not always convincing) love story. This unconventional format, while interesting, doesn’t work at every point. However, the book contains exactly what I’ve come to expect from de Botton – eminently quotable lines:
“Every fall into love involves the triumph of hope over self-knowledge.” (14)
“We fall in love because we long to escape from ourselves with someone as ideal as we are corrupt.” (41)
“It may be a sign that two people have stopped loving one another … when they are no longer able to spin differences into jokes.” (71)
“We start trying to be wise when we realize that we are not born knowing how to live, but that life is a skill that has to be acquired, like riding a bicycle or playing the piano.” (201)
The Medium and the Light | by Marshall McLuhan
The Medium and the Light: Reflections on Religion by Marshall McLuhan
edited by Eric McLuhan and Jacek Szklarek
(Stoddart, 1999, 248 pages)
Marshall McLuhan, literary scholar and media guru, is famous for his phrase “The medium is the message.” He communicated a deep understanding of the way that electronic media like TV and film not only change the delivery systems that present information and entertainment but also transform the recipients. McLuhan’s theories about “hot” and “cold” media were essential for understanding twentieth century media, and many of his observations about the nature of technology were prophetic in their anticipation of the internet and digital technology.
This collection brings out the religious character of McLuhan’s work. These letters, essays, lectures, and interviews reveal many things about McLuhan’s religious biography and about the theological principles of his thought. As a convert to Catholicism, McLuhan took his faith very seriously, though his major works contain no obvious theological overtones. Statements like this, however, reveal just how integral a part his theological viewpoint informed his views on media:
“In Jesus Christ, there is no distance or separation between the medium and the message: it is the one case where we can say that the medium and the message are fully one and the same” (103).
McLuhan’s Catholic humanism is a major, though neglected, part of his legacy. These essays should be very relevant to those with an interest in media studies, religion and culture, or literary studies.
SCC Library Reads 