Two middle–aged sisters with families of their own are suddenly faced with the challenge of an aging father who is determined to marry a thirty–something woman from his native Ukraine.
Tag: Review
Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits, by Laila Lalami
This is the first novel of Laila Lalami and it created something of a splash when it was published two years ago. It is a little book, well–crafted and worth reading. Clearly Lalami has literary aspirations and clearly too she has the potential to write bigger pieces of fiction in the future. I hope the world can give her the space to do that.
Utopian Pedagogy: Radical Experiments against Neoliberal Globalization
Published by the University of Toronto Press, this collection of essays and interviews considers pedagogy in the context of higher learning. The University of Toronto”s official motto is “velut arbor aevo,” a snippet from a poem by Horace which suggests the image of a tree filling out and taking root.
The Faiths of the Founding Fathers, by David L. Holmes
We are victims of the Chinese curse. We live in interesting times—or at least polarized times. Differing opinions have gravitated to the poles of a left–right axis, first in politics, then bleeding over into our religious discourse until, at least in some public debates, it has become impossible to discern which discursive practice is driving our disputes.
Living Islam Out Loud: American Muslim Women Speak
This is a collection of pieces by Islamic women living in the United States. Their stories reflect a diversity of experience—from growing up within the tradition-laden strictures of immigrant families, to afro-american women who are children and grandchildren of Nation of Islam founders.
Islam: Between Globalization and Counterterrorism, by Ali A. Mazrui
In his book about the emergence of Islam as a global presence, Ali A. Mazrui opens with a question that is apt to raise eyebrows. He begins with the Toynbean theory of challenge and response—in the case of the Roman empire, it failed to find creative responses to the challenge of emergent Christianity.
Marcus Borg, Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary
This is a book which should have begun with its epilogue. It is at the end that Marcus Borg makes clear what is at stake for a twenty-first century treatment of the historical Jesus and why it matters.
What the hell is atonement?
Is it just that I’m thick? Or is it that no amount of finesse can rescue atonement from the sin of obscurantism? Nevertheless, having a good guide like this lends clarity to the challenge of addressing some of the most problematic strands of thinking in 21st century Christianity.
Scar Tissue by Michael Ignatieff
With Canada’s federal liberal party leadership race coming to a close today, and a copy of the Booker–nominated novel, Scar Tissue, sitting unread on my book shelf, I decided to sit down yesterday and see for myself what I could learn about Michael Ignatieff.
The Future of the Page
How does one read a book whose fundamental premise is its own demise? It feels a bit like visiting an elderly relation in the old folks home. The conversation is at times awkward, at other times nostalgic and entertaining. After all, when someone (or something) has been around for quite a number of years, it…
Short Journey Upriver Toward Oishida
Reviewing a collection of poems and short prose by Roo Borson is like reviewing a book of scripture. There is something in her voice that is spiritual, something that speaks, perhaps, beyond ordinary experience. And so a simple review is pointless, impossible even.
Written in the Flesh, by Edward Shorter
Although the title of Edward Shorter’s book suggests a discussion of erotic desire, in fact, Shorter offers a book about erotic desire of a particular sort – the desire to eroticize every last inch of our bodies. His project is to trace what he believes is the inexorable trajectory of human sexuality to embrace “total body sex,” to engage all our senses in a fuller exploration of opportunities for pleasure.
The Good Works of Ayela Linde, by Charlotte Forbes
An intelligent writer chooses her form wisely, then leverages it to yield meanings that would be impossible if she relied solely on words. Form is a container, like a bucket or a vase. Even before we inspect the contents, the container gives us clues, or at least raises expectations.
Pound for Pound, by F.X. Toole
F.X. Toole is best known as author of the short story which inspired the Oscar winning movie, Million Dollar Baby. He did not live to see the publication of his first novel, Pound For Pound, nor even to complete a polished draft. But given the subject matter – small-time boxers trying to make it to the pros – there would be something wrong with the novel if it didn’t read a little rough around the edges.
The Wanton Sublime, by Anna Rabinowitz
In her third volume of poetry, The Wanton Sublime, Anna Rabinowitz creates an extended meditation upon the Annunciation—the moment that starts everything in traditional Christian believing—the moment the angel Gabriel appears to a young Mary and tells her she’s going to be the mother of God.