You rented what?? on your Italian excursion??

My Italian Bulldozer by Alexander McCall Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ah, a *new* McCall Smith series--yeah! This is my first read in the new Paul Stewart series--he who is a food/wine writer. I like it a lot. Funny, touching, and filled with the usual interesting characters who have such interesting/engaging conversations. Paul takes a trip to Tuscany to complete a new book on Tuscan cuisine--and had some adventures along the way, including the unusual adventures of his, ahem, rental vehicle. What a hoot! And then there are all the women who end up descending on the little town where he's hole up doing his writing--and the drama that goes along with that. I won't spoil the fun--check it out. But, sometimes the very thing you're looking for has been right there, under your nose, for many years. A call to open our eyes & minds--to look at the world & people around us with clear vision.

Read on my Kindle--borrowed (thank you!) from the library. I'm ready soon to read #2 in the series.


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What a hunt--what a monster!

Hunting Eichmann: How a Band of Survivors and a Young Spy Agency Chased Down the World's Most Notorious Nazi by Neal Bascomb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is my second Neal Bascomb book--both of them related to WWII. It was excellent--an engaging, informative, historical account that was a real joy to read. Well, parts of it were sickening, given the evil schemes hatched in the minds of the Nazi leaders who carried out the intended genocide of the Jews with a vengeance. Eichmann was at the very pinnacle of the so-called & horrific "Final Solution" plan to wipe out the Jews of Europe (though the plans ultimately even went further than that). What Eichmann engineered with tone-deaf & steeled precision against the Jews of Hungary is simply unconscionable. The families ripped apart; the lives of children and women extinguished without so much as a thought of their value as human beings with their lives before them. The plunder of their goods. Eichmann was Hamaan from the Book of Esther in the Old Testament resurrected.

It was so satisfying to read about those who never gave up searching for Nazi war criminals who had escaped justice at the end of WWII. So amazing to read of the intricate planning & man hours & resources involved in the mission of Israel's Mossad (with help from Shin Bet & others) to track down, capture, hold, and bring a monster killer like Eichmann to meet justice & the hangman in Israel. So many things that could have gone wrong; so many alternate plans that needed to be arranged--as well as ingenious ways that their presence & footsteps were deftly covered. The use of the first El Al flight from Israel to Argentina was carried off with aplomb and was amazing to read about. Overall--a well-written historical account of one of the biggest undercover missions ever carried out by a spy agency; which was kept secret for some 40+ afterwards. Bascomb does an excellent job in giving an account of this complex & superb mission.

Borrowed this from the library--read it on my Kindle. I had previously watched a film on Netflix based on the book that was also very well done--and adheres very closely to the book & historical account. Worth a watch--and this book well worth the read.


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The Singer will appear--in The Finale

The Finale by Calvin Miller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The 3rd part of Calvin Miller's Singer Trilogy. This one is said to mirror Revelation; it chronicles a/the great last battle between Satan (World Hater) and the Singer or Troubadour who returns to wrap things up with Terra One--bringing with him a new Terra Two. The War of Fire ends with the World Hater bound & chained and pushed over the cliff's edge into the abyss--where he will spend eternity.

I'm giving this a 2-1/2 stars in my Reading Log. I didn't like it as much as The Singer or The Song; I sort of wished it had followed a little more of Revelation. But, it was creative and definitely fit in with the mood & characters & on-going conflict & plot of the previous volumes.

The cry echoes down through the ages:
"He comes in power,
Rejoice, the hour of
Jubilee is near.
Lift up the cry
Before we die,
our Singer will appear."


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COVID-19 Pandemic Wake-up Call

Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs by Michael T. Osterholm
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is not my favorite kind of reading--it was lots of medical/scientific talk and focused lots on epidemiological research. Not fun, easy reading. But, given the COVID-19 pandemic--yes, a true pandemic of worldwide, shattering proportions, such as I've never experienced in my lifetime--this was a very relevant, insightful, and "frightening" book. The signs have all been there for years: a global pandemic has been set to break out any year--and the world was very, very unprepared for it. Not due to no warming signals; due to other priorities and lack of cooperative efforts that are needed--on a Marshall Plan (WWII) scale.

Osterholm should know--as he's been doing epidemiology work for 40+ years. And he's done his part in warning the US government, as well as others, for years. His clarion call gets summed up at the end of the book, and I'll include it here. These are issues, steps, goals that need to be heeded & taken soon--we've had fair warning. As Osterholm states, "Our ultimate goal should be to have a dose of game-changing influenza vaccine for every human being on earth."

"...Willis Towers Watson polls 3,000 insurance industry executives each year for what they consider the greatest risks to their industry...At the top of the list is “Pandemic: A new, highly infectious and fatal disease spreads through human, animal or plant populations worldwide.” That pandemic is most likely to come in the form of a deadly influenza strain. [ah, well, it's ALREADY come in 2020]

He declares that "we also have no illusions about what must be done if we are to make our world a safer and healthier place for our children and grandchildren, where pandemics do not threaten our way of life on every level imaginable, where infections caused by drug-resistant microbes do not kill for lack of an effective treatment, where drinking water does not become a vehicle of death, and where the emergence of new infectious diseases does not become a public health crisis because we are not prepared to rapidly stop them."

And here's the recap: "To review, our greatest threats are: 1. Pathogens of pandemic potential, which essentially means influenza and the downstream effects of antimicrobial resistance. 2. Pathogens of critical regional importance, which include Ebola, coronaviruses like SARS and MERS, other viruses such as Lassa and Nipah, and Aedes-transmitted diseases such as dengue, yellow fever, and Zika. 3. Bioterrorism and dual-use research of concern (DURC), and gain-of-function research of concern (GOFRC). 4. Endemic diseases that continue to have a major impact on the world’s health, particularly among emerging nations, including malaria, tuberculosis, AIDS, viral hepatitis, childhood diarrheal diseases, and bacterial pneumonia.

The Crisis Agenda:
Priority 1: Create a Manhattan Project–like program to secure a game-changing influenza vaccine and vaccinate the world. We would hope other national governments, philanthropic organizations, vaccine manufacturers, and the WHO would readily join the effort. Our best guess is that we would need to invest $1 billion per year for seven to ten years to make this happen.
Priority 2: Establish an international organization to urgently address all aspects of antimicrobial resistance.
Priority 3: Support and substantially expand the mission and scope of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovations (CEPI) to fast-track comprehensive public-private vaccine research, development, manufacturing, and distribution for diseases of current or potential critical regional importance.
Priority 4: Launch the Global Alliance for Control of Aedes-Transmitted Diseases (GAAD) and coordinate with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s malaria strategy, “Accelerate to Zero.”
Priority 5: Fully implement the recommendations of the bipartisan report of the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense.
Priority 6: Establish an international organization similar to the National Scientific Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) to minimize the use of DURC and GOFRC to transmit pathogens of pandemic potential.
Priority 7: Recognize that TB, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other life-threatening infectious diseases remain major global health problems.
Priority 8: Anticipate climate-change effects.
Priority 9: Adopt a One Health approach to human and animal diseases throughout the world.

Hopefully, the powers that be will get busy as a result of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic to accomplish these priorities, ensuring a better world for our descendants. I borrowed this book from library; read it on my iPad.


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Liked these Camino Winds better

Camino Winds by John Grisham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have to say that I really enjoyed this sequel of Grisham's to his earlier Camino Island. I thought it was much better; more involved/complex plot, developed characters, interesting setting (what with the unexpected hurricane that blows in to wreak havoc--and become part of the plot). It pulled me along and keep me reading to find out how things were going to be solved--and what was going to come out and/or be revealed as Bruce the book man dug deeper & deeper. Borrowed it from the library (actually, my wife was the borrower on this one) and read it on my Kindle.


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The Actor's Life--by a likable working actor

The Actor's Life: A Survival Guide by Jenna Fischer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I thought it would be interesting to learn more about the journey that took an unknown midwestern girl to Hollywood stardom in the comedic hit series, The Office--which I loved. Pam was so good as Michael's secretary, especially the way she so sardonically put up with all his shenanigans. I loved her disapproving & quizzical looks.

This book was not exactly what I expected, though if I'd read the subtitle, I would have seen it was a practical manual for budding actors. It was pretty good overall. It did include interesting tidbits on Fischer's background and struggle to make it as a working actor. Mostly, though, it focused the nuts & bolts one needs to know to have a chance at making it in show biz--if that's what should happen (there's no guarantee, as Fischer makes clear--and it's a long, hard road to any kind of success). There were some funny stories of the struggle over her first eight years to land as an actor on a regular show that did more than pay the bills. And what a show & run it was on The Office! I enjoyed also the stories of the four other actors Fischer interviews and includes at the book's end. Making it as an actor--a working actor who makes their living from acting--is a tough row to hoe; not for the faint of heart, for sure. This book made me appreciate all that goes into getting to where those whom we think of successful finally get. I also enjoyed having Fischer herself narrating her story in this audiobook. Borrowed from the library; listened to it on my iPhone.


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Invitation to a Journey of Spiritual Formation

Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation by M. Robert Mulholland Jr.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Read this as a read-aloud devotional book each evening with my wife. Some very good insights into how to develop a more deeply spiritual life/walk. Mulholland focused on aspects of both personal spiritual formation, as well as community ones, including the importance of our corporate testimony to the world (Babylon). He discussed various personality types--using the Myers-Briggs assessment's terminologies/definitions--demonstrating how we all have inherent strengths, as well as weaknesses--which is why we so desperately need each other in The Church (the Body). I really liked his look at the book of Revelation and the various characteristics & issues of the Seven Churches, relating that to our current church situations--as well as to our testimony to the corrupt world around us. Mulholland had some good/powerful quotes from a guy named Leech--need to look him up & do some reading from him. We read this on my wife's iPad.


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Selections from the illuminable Thomas Howard (of Christ the Tiger fame)

The Night Is Far Spent by Thomas Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thomas Howard is a treasure. A wordsmith like few others. His books were some of my early favorites, when I started reading again in my college days. He expanded my vocabulary like no other author and gave me wonderful insights into the likes of classic writers like C.S. Lewis & Charles Williams. His classic books--that all should read: Christ the Tiger; Chance or the Dance; Hallowed be This House; The Achievement of C.S. Lewis; The Novels of Charles Williams. Soak those up one of these days; you won't regret it. Howard used to teach at Gordon College--where a number of my family attended. I remember with righteous jealousy hearing from my mother that she was in a course taught by the illimitable & illuminable Tom Howard--and was getting his insights & lessons into C.S. Lewis' works on a weekly basis. If only I could have joined her, but alas, I was in college at the same time and only home on school breaks--when she was also out of class. After becoming a Roman Catholic--which I still don't completely understand and don't agree with--Howard left Gordon College and taught for many years at St. John's Seminary.

My parents did know his sister--the wonderful Elisabeth Elliot--and got to housesit for her one time, up along the beautiful North Shore of Boston. Alas, I wasn't around in those days to also enjoy that adventure. I would love to drop in on Thomas Howard one day; does he live on the North Shore as well? I recently have enjoyed some interviews that Eric Metaxas--also a huge Howard fan--did with Tom Howard (in his home!--which looked, from the short glimpses of it, like a classic New England structure) on his Socrates in the City program. Well worth watching.


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Very relevant to the COVID-19 Pandemic going on now

Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World by Laura Spinney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A well-written & documented history of the Spanish Flu of 1918--it's genesis, causes, effects, and the lessons we should be learning from it. Just in case there's another flu pandemic...oh, like the one we're in right now with COVID-19. Spinney is an engaging writer who takes what could be boring history and enlivens it with good stories, illustrations, historical insights, and also does a great job in then drawing out lessons that need to be learned.

Borrowed this from the library (had to borrow it 2x--there's a long line for it right now, go figure); read it on my Kindle.


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Och!--What a Read in Angela's Ashes

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Och, what a read! Had heard about this memoir for years (from my wife who'd read & enjoyed it)--finally got around to reading it. What a childhood--what a sad situation McCourt and his brothers (siblings who survived) find themselves in, not to mention his mother, Angela. Drunken father who basically abandons his family and drinks up his wages--leaving them nothing. Oh, he was a character and did have some decent interactions with his wife & kids. But, most of the time, it was after coming home in a drunken stupor, singing old N. Irish battle songs--and waking the kids up to teach them the songs, while marching them around the house in the middle of the night. He surely instilled a hard-nosed, daring-do mentality in the kids, as they had to basically fight for every scrap of food & coal to heat their miserable, flooded, cold tenement in the stinky lane in old Limerick, Ireland--where they'd had to return to after emigrating to the US (and then running out of money/job, when the Depression hit NYC & the US in 1929).

Amazing that McCourt made it as a kid. The stories/insights into the R.C. Church and its practices and folk religious beliefs are quite interesting, and, frankly, comical. Actually, there's a lot of comic relief in McCourt's attitude to all the horrible situations he finds himself in growing up so downtrodden and poor. You have to hand it to the R.C. Church for at least helping the family "on the dole" with food & clothing at various times. Not much, but better 'en nuthin' for sure. Och!--what a shame. What insight too into the not-so-underground hatred of the English--who had oppressed the Irish, as they loved to repeat to each other--"for eight hundred years."

McCourt has an enlivened & engaging writing style that grabs you from the first paragraph & doesn't let go til the last one, as he makes his way, finally at the age of 19, back to NYC. McCourt was obviously a smart kid, who, despite his atrocious--in many ways--upbringing, goes on to use his smarts & persistence & assiduousness to become a successful private school teacher in NYC. And, later, a world famous author--who wins the Pulitzer Prize, no less. Good on ya, lad! Let's lift a pint to toast your success--but, hey!, don't get too familiar with those pints (remember your father's terrible example). Yes, what a great city/country you made it back to in the end--'Tis!

I did something different with this book: I mostly read our old paperback copy of it, but then thought: ah, maybe there's an audiobook available from the library that's read in a real Irish accent? I checked--and, not only was there, but it was read by the author himself!--so I finished the book's last several chapters via the wonderful audiobook on my iPhone, with the lyrical Irish accent of the author himself (who passed away in 2009). Nice way to end the book.


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The Glacier Meets the Desert/Drought

The End of the Ocean: A Novel by Maja Lunde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Read this book on the recommendation of a friend (thanks, Steve!)--he said he'd been reading a dystopian novel. Well, with the COVID-19 pandemic, I have felt I'm living in some version of a dystopian world, so I thought this might be a good read. Well, I was pleasantly surprised--and really enjoyed the book. There are 2 parallel story tracks--that for the longest time don't seem connected at all (alternating chapters), and they aren't...till they are and everything falls into place. I figured there was going to be some way the stories & characters converge--despite the radical differences in their contexts/situations, and yes, they did converge, but not in the way I'd thought they would. And, I think it was just a few pages before the "big reveal" that I finally realized how they had converged and how the actions of one of the parties turned out to be hugely influential in the lives of the other party of people. Interesting--and probably timely, as water & drought seems to be a growing issue in our world, as a result of growing climate change & global warming.

Very disparate contexts; very interesting character developments & life histories. It was engaging the whole way through. I borrowed this from the library and read it on my Kindle.


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The Kept (boring...)

The Kept by James  Scott
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was an Amazon First Reads book, so we got it for free. Well, you get what you pay for, right? This book had an interesting concept, but was poorly written & developed. It dragged & dragged, on & on, without much plot or really character development. At times, it would sputter and seem to come to life, only to fall flat again and become boring & dull. There were often sections that shifted imperceptibly from the present to the past, not always clearly, making for some confusion in the time/context. I think it could have used an editor and more rewriting. Read this aloud--well, my wife did, on her iPad, in the evenings. We both were anxious for it to end, which it finally did, rather disappointingly. What? That's it...after all that?


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The Crucified Life -- A Paradox to be Lived Out

The Crucified Life: How To Live Out A Deeper Christian Experience by A.W. Tozer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've always loved & appreciated A.W. Tozer's writings. He was a very thoughtful, powerful preacher/teacher in his day--and his insights & teachings based on the eternal Word of God still speak powerfully today. This was a cheap audiobook I got from chirp.com and listened to on my iPhone. It was refreshing & challenging--focused around Paul's seemingly paradoxical declaration in Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (ESV) Tozer presciently points out problems evangelicals of his day were experiencing with the weakening of their faith--and the compartmentalizing of their walk into the "sacred" & "secular." The descent into the belief that people of faith didn't need to take any risks or need to be inconvenienced in any way on account of their faith and choices. A "giving into" the pressures of the culture around them; a "conforming to," rather than a "transforming of" lifestyle.

One of the things I loved about this audiobook was that at the end of each chapter, there was an audio selection from one of Tozer's actual sermons. Great to hear his voice of passion & clarity.


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Tools of Titans

Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Timothy Ferriss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My second Tim Ferriss book-after Tribe of Mentors. More insightful & interesting advice & ruminations from a wide variety of people who have had some kind of impact. I liked the rather free-floating format of the book--mostly based around podcast interviews from the Tim Ferriss Show, but also including asides and/or background info & comments from Ferriss' personal perspective. Also included some extra info at the end from the various subjects that they had later submitted by email/text. Lots of good quotes, book recommendations, food & exercise likes/dos & don'ts. One of the most useful things was hearing from people who had done well in their chosen field on their struggles, victories, setbacks, persistence, etc.--on the real process of getting from nowhere to somewhere. I bought this book cheap; read it on my iPad.


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"Your end is a dead blue wren"

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm giving this debut novel 5 stars--I thought it was pretty brilliant overall. What a riotous, rockin', rambunctious affair--with so many colorful & memorable characters! I listened to the audiobook--borrowed from the library--and just couldn't get enough of the Aussie accents the narrator put into the characters. The story revolves around a Brisbane (Queensland) family with 2 sons--August (Gus) and Eli Bell. Their broken family has had its ups & downs--prison sentences, drug dealing, divorce, alcoholism, etc. Eli--the protagonist--is determined to get beyond his family's craziness & to become a journalist (and buy a nice house in the suburbs, where they have lots of cul-de-sacs). It's quite an adventure--including interactions with Brisbane's shady underground drug dealers and body guards, etc. Some shady deals and characters. But Eli wants to be get beyond that--and wants to be "good." He often asks characters in the book if they are "good people." His heart, from an early age, is set palpitating by a female crime-reporting journalist, who Eli longs to connect & work with. And you'll just have to see how the story turns out for the young whippersnapper..."Your end is a dead blue wren." Read it to find out how the mystery unfolds...


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Awe: Why It Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do

Awe: Why It Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do by Paul David Tripp
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another very good book by one of my favorite writers--Paul David Tripp. He's so honest, down-to-earth, real. We all have a problem--we've got bad cases of "awe amnesia." We're not just law-breakers ("for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"--Rom. 3:23), we are all awe-breakers: we are too easily distracted and lose our sense of awe (fear) of the Almighty Creator God.

Here's the way Tripp nicely summarizes things at the end of the book:
"In this book, we have focused on a theology of awe, and here’s how that theology relates to you. Good theology doesn’t just define who God is; it also defines who we are as his children. It’s not just that God is in every way awesome in glory, but that he is all that he is for you by grace!...you forget who God is (i.e., you misdirect your awe), you will not know who you are as his child (i.e., you will lose your identity), and you will look horizontally for what you have already been given vertically. Now here’s the application to the topic of this chapter: because work is such a huge and significant dimension of our lives, it becomes very tempting for us to look for our identity there. And when you look to work for your identity, you will find it very hard to resist its challenges, demands, and promises of reward.
The Horizontal Identities of Work:
1. Identity in achievement/ success. “I am what I have accomplished” is a very tempting place to look for identity. Success makes you feel able and competent. A trail of achievement seems to make a statement about who you are and what you are able to do.
2. Identity in power/ control. “I am in control; therefore, I am” is a seductive place to look for identity. In a world where most of us have so little control and where our lives often seem out of control, control is a very powerful thing...it is tempting to see the “good life” as predictable and controlled . So how do you assure yourself that you will have the good life? The answer is easy: by working yourself into a position of power over people and things.
3. Identity in affluence/ possessions. “ I am the size of the pile of stuff I have accumulated” is a dangerous place to look for identity."

We need to intentionally cultivate our sense of awe--of God & His creations. Of His goodness & mercy. Of His sovereignty & His salvation--of which we are undeserving. No, we're not in control. No, we don't decide our fate or the end of things. God alone does. Here's another great reminder of these things from Tripp's insightful book:

"It’s important to humbly admit that all these things tempt us. I know they tempt me. I tend to be driven and tend to take too much personal credit for my achievements. I forget that every achievement points to God’s awesome glory. I could not achieve anything without the body that he has given me, the gifts he has bestowed upon me, the control he has over me and my world, and the grace that daily rescues me from me. My successes should depend on my awe of him rather than tempting me to be in awe of me...[I] become an awe amnesiac, and when I do , I tend to work way too hard at trying to get from the people, situations, and things around me what I can only get from the God of awesome glory, who is my Savior. Workaholism is not a need problem . It’s not a schedule problem, a gift problem, or an opportunity problem. It happens when the awe of God is replaced by the awe of something else. When I forget that God in all his awesome glory is all that he is for me by grace, I will look for life somewhere other than in him. When you require yourself to gaze upon and consider God’s awesome glory, it will teach you things that will help you put your work in its proper place.
1. The gifts that you employ in your work come from and belong to God.
2. The time that you invest in work belongs to the Lord. I must recognize that God, in his awesome glory, is the only being in the universe who exists in timelessness.
3. You are called to live for something bigger than yourself. Awe of God teaches me that my life is enormously bigger than merely my life. By grace, God has connected me to things that are huge and eternal.
4. Success is not about accruing power but about resting in God’s power. The most successful person is the person who knows his place. The most successful person is the person who humbly submits all that she has and all that she does to the power of One greater than her.
5. God is too wise and loving ever to call you to one area of responsibility that will necessitate you being irresponsible in another. Awe teaches me that I can never blame God for the consequences of my bad choices. God will never call me to a work life that makes biblical commitments to my family and my church impossible.
6. By grace, God welcomes you to rest in the knowledge that you will find everything you need in him. Awe of God teaches me that, by grace, my life of work can now be an expression of rest and not worry."

Yes, as C.S. Lewis so eloquently stated:
"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."


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The End of Copycat China

The End of Copycat China: The Rise of Creativity, Innovation, and Individualism in Asia by Shaun Rein
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm giving this book a 3-1/2 stars in my Reading Log. An interesting look at China's recent economic developments--especially at how various markets have advanced beyond the simple copying of established Western business models. It's incredible to read how fast & far China's economy has developed, especially since the late 1990s. It has taken off even more with the internet & smart phone economy--and in so many different sectors. A very different place from where China's economy was back when we lived there in the 80s-90s!


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Home to Holly Springs

Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's been awhile since I read my last Karon book in the much-loved Mitford series, and, this one turns out to be quite different overall, as it hardly takes place in Mitford at all. Instead, Father Tim heads south with his good ole friend, big-dog Barnabas, to visit his hometown & roots--from which he's been gone for 38 years. All this based on an anonymous note he receives saying "Come back." Quite an adventure; quite the meetings & catching up with old friends, and some very interesting real-life findings from his past family's life that come out of the blue and do a bit of upside-downing of Father Tim's life. I identify with this adventure, as I finally returned after 30+ years to places where I'd grown up, to find how things had changed and/or moved on since I'd been there.

Borrowed the book from the library; read on my Kindle (only to find out the day I finished it that we actually have a copy of it on our bookshelf!). Oh well.


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Discontent and its Civilizations: Dispatches from Lahore, New York, and London by Mohsin Hamid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another Mohsin Hamid book in the log. I appreciated--for the most part--these insightful & enlightening essays by Hamid that were originally published in various magazines/newspapers around the world. Hamid is a multicultural Pakistani who grew up in Pakistan, was schooled in the US, worked/lived in the UK, and went back to live in Lahore, Pakistan with is family. Lots of these essays centered on or around the great pivot of 9/11 and the consequent impacts that have reverberated through Pakistan. While I appreciate Hamid's insights into the diversity of both Pakistani cultures and Islamic expressions--as well as his acknowledgment of the varieties of Islam in Pakistan, as well as its Christian & Hindu communities--I think Hamid downplays the mess that has taken place across Pakistan, as a result of its bent towards extremist expressions of Islam (intentionally pushed by former President/General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq.

My biggest complaints with Hamid's presentation of Pakistan concerns its connection following 9/11 and the situation with Afghanistan--which, also, reverberated back onto Pakistan and its people. Yes, there is a complex relationship here connected with Pakistan's on-going serious tussles with its hated Hindu neighbor, India. But, I don't believe Hamid mentioned the all-powerful, shady/wily intelligence agency--ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence)--one time by name, though near the end he obliquely referred to it; he mostly mentions Pakistan's military forces. Pakistan's governing powers--mostly through its shadowy ISI connections--have been duplicitous & complicit in actively & intentionally interfering in the post-9/11 situation in Afghanistan, both through the sanctuaries it has offered extremist Islamic terrorists (al Qaeda, Taliban, Haqqani, etc.) and its arming, training, and planning of terrorist attacks inside Afghanistan--against both the Afghan government & coalition forces.

I think Hamid also plays down the reasons behind the strategic drone attacks targeting the terrorist sanctuaries along the Pakistan/Afghan border (which, yes, was arbitrarily imposed on Afghanistan by the British prior to Pakistan's splintering from India). It's a complicated mess, for sure, with multiple factors behind why such sanctuaries even exist, but please don't minimize the duplicitous & weak ways Pakistan's government/military have handled this situation (for 70 years now). Hardly a mention made also of ISI's clear connections to the training of terrorist attacks on India--like on the Parliament & the city of Mumbai (especially horrific as it intentionally & brutally targeted civilians).

Though Hamid does recognize the need for Pakistan's government to severe its attachments to these extremist militants, he doesn't seem to recognize the direct connections between the fiery & extremist brands of Islam that are both encouraged & supported by that very government. And the fact that it's mostly the fault of that very same Pakistani government/military complex that has stirred up this hornet's nest inside its own home, to the detriment of all the peoples/ethnicities that make up the Pakistani nation.

Overall, I like Hamid's writing (and have enjoyed his novels) and think people in the West especially need to read him in order to get a truer/bigger picture of what makes up a complex country like Pakistan. I also agree that Islam is not a monolithic religion (though it tends that way--whether one likes it or not), but has a variety of expressions and, for the most part, should not automatically be equated with terrorism/terrorists. I also agree that Pakistan, with such a rich cultural heritage, has so much potential--but that it has, unfortunately, squandered so much of its potential.


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The Song by Calvin Miller

The Song by Calvin Miller
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm giving this 2-1/2 stars in my Reading Log. I was expecting it to be better and to have more connection to the book of The Acts of the Apostle. It didn't. Creative, for sure, and brought out more of a focus on the "clash of civilizations" (between Rome & its gods and Christianity & its God) and the persecution that entailed in the first 300 years after Jesus' ascension and the birth of the Church.


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