Review: "Shane"

 

My father liked Westerns, but they never really appealed to me.  So, when the book club I am a part of said we were reading Shane by Jack Schaeffer, I thought “meh.”

Shane is one of the first Westerns written, and it is considered one of the best – if not the best.

Schaeffer portrays the struggle in the 1800’s between the cattle ranchers and the homesteaders over who will have the land.  These disputes led to much of the property laws we now have one the books.

Shane appears one day at a homesteader’s home.  The family consisted of Joe Starrett, his wife, Marion, and their son, Bob. Shane has a dark past which is never explained, but it comes forth as he defends the Starrett’s and as he encourages the best in them.  And that is the point of the story.

Schaeffer shows the family to be made up of three different people – not unequal, but different.  There is the father whose job is to earn a living and protect his family, there is the wife whose job is to care for the homestead, and there is the child who is to learn from and respect his parents and grown into the man he ought to be.

In a time of belief in gender fluidity, this is not a message that is well accepted, but this is how the country was made – how humans were made – and it was the accepted understanding until a short time ago.

[This review appears on my blog, Amazon.com, and Goodreads.com].

Review: "Rembrandt is in the Wind"

 

A friend of mine took me to see sculptures in an outdoor setting.  There are painters I enjoy.  Musicians, writers, all types of artists.  With God as the Author of beauty, art will enhance and lift our lives – even if we have preferences with regards to art – and that’s ok.

Russ Ramsey has written a very helpful and encouraging book for those who love art and those who have little experience with art – specifically focusing on paintings and painters in Rembrandt is in the Wind:  Learning to Love Art Through the Eyes of Faith.

Ramsey tells the story of over a dozen painters in his book – the “big” names as well as some I have never heard of.  Ramsey shows that knowing the life of the artist helps the viewer to see the art.

Each chapter has a black and white painting, and in the middle of the book is a collection of full-color paintings.

As the title of the books suggests, all of life is connected to faith, and the understanding of Scripture.  Ramsey shows how each of the artists and their work reflect some aspect of the beauty of God – whether it be I sorrow or joy.

This book helped me to better understand Art – not the methodology of painting, but how to see it.

There is an epilogue in which Ramsey encourages and challenges the reader to “give yourself to a craft” (208).  There is no guarantee that your efforts will make you rich or famous, but you will “contribute beauty to this world” (208).  We are more than cogs in a machine, we are expressors of beauty that emanates from the Beautiful One.

The first appendix explains how best to visit a museum.  He includes what I found to be encouraging guidance to look around and go consider what you are attracted to – it is not necessary to go to each work one at a time.

The second appendix explains how to look t a work of art.

The third gives an overview of Western art from the Renaissance to the modern day.

Finally, there is a list of selected works and a section of endnotes.

This book is an excellent entrance into art, and it has taught and encouraged me to create beauty and to love other’s art.  It is also an excellent book for those well-acquainted with art and its beauty.  So, I have bought a copy for my friend.

[This review appears on my blog, Amazon.com, and Goodreads.com].

Review: "How to Be Poor"

 

Milo Yiannopoulos has called himself a “provocateur.” Without getting into a debate on his political views and the rhetoric of his speeches, one can acknowledge that he uses humor, the politics of the right, and an over-the-top persona in his appearances.

In recent years, Milo has fallen on hard times, largely due to his excessive spending and naiveté about the money he had and the people he considered friends.  In his book, How to Be Poor, he addresses these errors and gives advice that will help the reader avoid becoming poor.

He addresses seven issues:  eating the wrong foods and too much of them, using expensive transportation, having your hair done far too often, picking “friends” who only care about what they can get from you, using your body self-destructively, being paralyzed with shame, and turning away from Christianity.  These things, he argues, drove him into poverty.

He doesn’t just state what he did wrong, but he specifically goes through how to correct each of these issues, hopefully regaining a footing in life.  I leave the answers to these issues to your reading.

That being said, Milo makes good arguments for what he did wrong – and what we may have done wrong – and well as how to become a better person.  I recommend this book to you.  It doesn’t answer everything, but it does address some serious issues and will help you consider making positive changes in your life.

[This review appears on my blog, Amazon.com, and Goodreads.com].

Review: "The Qur'an and the Christian"

 

The Qur’an and the Christian:  An In-depth Look Into the Book of Islam for Followers of Jesus by Matthew Aaron Bennett is my latest read.

Bennett clearly and readably offers insight into the Qur’an – where it came from, what it claims, and what Christians ought to do with it.  Though he doesn’t say it until later in the book, let me state upfront that he recommends that Christians read the Qur’an to understand something of what his “neighbors” believe.

The book is divided into three sections:

In the first section, he explains how the Qur’an came to be and what believers in Islam understand to be its revelation and how it is to be used as a teaching instrument.

Next, he examines the teaching of the Qur’an and its relation ship to the texts of Judaism and Christianity.

Finally, he consider how a Christian might “use” the text of the Qur’an.  He explains and evaluates positive and problematic uses of the Qur’an in presenting the Gospel.

This is an excellent primer both on understanding how Muslims understand the Qur’an and how the Christian can engage with it and followers of Islam. (Thus the need to actually read the text and interact with it prior to talking with Muslims about it and its relationship to the writings of Judaism and Christianity.)

This is a book I would recommend reading more than once to get a handle on all that he is explaining – and it would be good to read along with reading the Qur’an.

I received this book for free from Kregel in exchange for an honest review.

[This review appears on my blog, Amazon.com, Kregel.com, and Goodreads.com].