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Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler | John Hendrix

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monalyisha

An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith | Barbara Brown Taylor

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I have more thoughts about this book than a Litsy review warrants. I think the crux of it is that I found many beautiful passages that spoke to me…but I don‘t think it‘s a perfect book.

Barbara Brown Taylor writes, “Every job has revealed some ability I did not know I had, just as it has exposed some clumsiness I was pretty sure I had.”

I think, in this (rightfully) sensitive and inclusive time, Taylor‘s writing is sometimes clumsy. 👇🏻

monalyisha 1/11: At one point, she even refers to her accidental “oafdom.” What I‘m left feeling unsure about (and there should be NO such ambiguity) is if there‘s occasionally something insidious seeping through that‘s more close-minded than clumsy. (edited) 2d

monalyisha 2/11: For instance, she writes, “We are players but we do not direct the play. Certain decisions were made for us before we were even born. Did you decide to be born in Wichita? Was being a girl your first choice?” The sticking point for me is that we do not have a choice about where we were born. (edited) 2d

monalyisha 3/11: We DO have a choice about how we present our bodies to the world. We have the power to make our outsides match our insides…even if we can‘t change where we‘re from. We can also *leave* the place we‘re born. But she provides no further exposition on the matter. So, to me, this set-up feels like a false equivalency. It feels like dangerous territory. (edited) 2d

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monalyisha 4/11: I worry that with her focus on the incarnation and on matter *mattering* to God, that it‘s entirely possibly BBT could hold anti-trans sentiment. This may be totally off base! The point is that there should be NO SUCH AMBIGUITY. With a more careful writer, there would not be. (edited) 2d

monalyisha 5/11: There are other instances where her position in the world shines through (cis, white, white-collar). She refers to a particular place in the Bronx as “a pretty scary neighborhood” and proclaims that the Uber driver who shuttles her away from it (without any concrete example of threat), “saved her.” (edited) 2d

monalyisha 6/11: This abuts a chapter about “loving the stranger” where she asserts how divinely-inspired it is to “surrender the priority of your own safety for love.” I guess I‘m not convinced that BBT walks the walk as well as she talks the talk, despite her insistence that this book is meant to provide practical instruction. (edited) 2d

monalyisha 7/11: In other places, I made notes about passages where it felt like she was shaming the listener: for being overweight; for being a sex-worker; for not being part of a religious community (she says that these folks (folks like me) feel like they “need to walk off a cliff all by themselves” — and I don‘t get the sense that she admires our sense of adventure). (edited) 2d

monalyisha 8/11: On the whole, I found her tone to be too judgmental, while asserting that she absolutely was NOT being judgmental! This tonal problem is one that the church itself struggles with. It‘s interesting that she was once a representative of their governing body. (edited) 2d

TheBookHippie This is my petty comment. I loathe her and believe her to be dangerous. 2d

monalyisha 9/11: Onto the good stuff, of which there was *plenty!* Many of her thoughts about reverence, awe, & attention hit home. In particular, I loved her thoughts about Moses and what made him special (his willingness to “turn aside” and “look”); her account of walking through a laurel portal with her husband, finding their way in the breathing, moonlit dark… (edited) 2d

monalyisha 10/11: …and her assertion, inspired by the Jewish candle-lighting ritual which illuminates Shabbat, that rest and freedom are intrinsically linked.

An Altar to the World won‘t become my new Bible (though, BBT would insist that the Bible doesn‘t have to be treated like your Bible [infallible teachings, taken wholesale]). (edited) 2d

monalyisha 11/11: I will take from it her suggestion to read Wendell Berry poems to trees. I will take from it her proclamation that “The meaning we give to what happens in our lives is our final, inviolable freedom.” 2d

monalyisha @TheBookHippie That‘s certainly a passionate position! Which details made you feel so clear in your conviction? I feel a lot muddier with the info I currently have. 2d

monalyisha Tagging those of you who I know have read this, so I can get your two cents. 💞 @kspenmoll @BarbaraJean 2d

TheBookHippie @monalyisha she irritates me, I said it was petty 😅🤷🏻‍♀️… there is something in her writing and speaking that feels extremely dangerous to me. I know people love her and get a lot from her. I personally don‘t trust her. Her vibe is off for me and I also find her very condescending. 🤷🏻‍♀️😅 I love your review. It‘s very honest. I love a lot of Berry‘s poems. And a lot of his religion I do not. 🙃 I‘m fun. 2d

Amiable What a wonderfully written and thoughtful review. 2d

kspenmoll I did quote some passages from her that I liked… I grew up white & privileged (except for my femaleness)when Catholics, Jews, blacks, browns, whites were largely separated geographically, which meant socially, politically, & psychologically. Life has changed me because I sought that change & grasped the new. I went to a regional integrated HS when the nuns & priests were throwing off their habits & leaving the church in droves. So maybe 🔽 2d

monalyisha Thank you, @TheBookHippie & @Amiable ! Christine, it can be hard to put your finger on the source of “vibes.” I‘m totally sympathetic to that! I need to read more Berry. Coincidentally, a friend (who‘s going through a really difficult time) just texted me that he was currently reading the tagged and was so grateful that he was. I think I‘ll pick up his most famous, A Timbered Choir, next.

World-Ending Fire: The Essential Wendell Berry

kspenmoll 🔼 I can relate to some of her experiences. I avoided certain areas of Hartford (although I lived there several years) & the reality is poverty & violence still exists & there are places my students tell me not to drive thru aline-they know, they live there. Not sure what I trying to say here. @monalyisha @TheBookHippie Am I making sense?! Also I do enjoy Berry‘s

A Timbered Choir: The Sabbath Poems, 1979-1997

(edited) 2d

monalyisha @kspenmoll You *are* making sense. I just think language is so important. Why refer to “urban neighbors” as being a challenge to love, or call a residential area a “pretty scary neighborhood,” when you could introduce more nuance by calling it something like, “a neighborhood with high need and a high crime rate to match”? Neighborhoods aren‘t scary. They‘re a symptom of a scarier reality. Wealth disparity is scary. (edited) 2d

monalyisha @kspenmoll I think when your whole M.O. is careful attention, that ethos needs to be applied to your language. 2d

monalyisha @kspenmoll Another example: at one point, she talks about the “adolescent energy” of Hawaii. She writes, “its divinity had not yet suffered from the imposition of shopping malls.” But what about the suffering on the sugar plantations? It feels like she‘s negating the very real, historical suffering of the people. 2d

monalyisha @kspenmoll I think so much of her writing *was* considered and crafted. The part where she discusses the beattitude plays, for instance, brought me to literal tears! Or her final discussion of transubstantiation (how Jesus has no hands but ours, no bread other than that which we make…How we ARE his body? Gorgeous!). But if you bring a judgmental tone to your writing and then aren‘t perfect yourself? 😬 That‘s a hard position to find yourself in. (edited) 2d

TheBookHippie @monalyisha She, the author, White Privilege is for sure, the number one feeling I get is bigot and unsafe ally. The vibe is way offffff. Oy.

Berry can be very very soothing. Some of his poems I read over and over. I'll have to go look which book I own, I know it's a collection. 2d

monalyisha @TheBookHippie I guess, overall, I did feel like she was trying. And I think she succeeds in a lot of radical ways! She seemed open to me, and willing to admit her mistakes. But I do have concerns. I‘m inclined to think that it comes down to being a little out of it (which is evidence of privilege) and a lack of timely care. She doesn‘t know she‘s leaving room for interpretation. 2d

kspenmoll @monalyisha Now I understand what you‘re saying! You have a wonderful way with the words. 2d

JamieArc I think I read this (or at least one of hers) as I was leaving the evangelical church, and I remember I was glad to have read it at that hard and confusing time as a transitional piece. This was also just at the point that I started to examine my own whiteness, so I wasn‘t paying attention to certain aspects of it. I wonder what she would say for herself 16 years later. (edited) 2d

monalyisha @JamieArc Oh! I was not *remotely* conscious of the fact that this was published more than a decade ago! That actually blew my mind. 🙈 It‘s an important detail to consider. I just saw it on more than one #AuldLangSpine list and assumed it was new, which is entirely my fault! Thanks for pointing it out! I did try to Google her stance on trans rights… but I didn‘t find anything directly related. (edited) 2d

monalyisha @kspenmoll Thank you. 🥹 2d

TheBookHippie @monalyisha I think for sure she does not know her privilege. I too appreciate any effort of any kind. I just didn't feel she was genuine. But I love this conversation! 2d

monalyisha @TheBookHippie @kspenmoll @JamieArc Yes! I‘m so happy I had people to discuss it with. 😊 2d

DrSabrinaMoldenReads I loved this book too 2d

BarbaraJean Thanks for the tag! And my thoughts aren‘t going to fit just one comment, so you‘re not alone! You‘re very right about the clumsiness/inconsistency, and I really appreciate your thoughtful review. I‘m frustrated I didn‘t pick up on more of the issues you raise—a measure of my own privilege that I missed a lot of the examples you pointed out, and was willing (perhaps too generously) to give her a pass on others. I think it‘s partly generational, ⬇ 2d

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) ...but I agree with @JamieArc that some of it can also be chalked up to when this was written. I really resonated with the chapters on getting lost and finding purpose (but even the purpose stuff comes from privilege, so…). I‘m not at home and don‘t have my copy handy, but doesn‘t she have a whole passage about a power outage where she tries to acknowledge her privilege while coming across as super privileged? ⬇ 2d

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) Same with her reflections on physical labor while volunteering at a shelter? All of that tracks with @TheBookHippie‘s vibes! And BBT‘s background as an Episcopalian tracks with the white privilege, unfortunately. I say that as someone who left the evangelical church and landed at an Episcopal church because of its progressive & affirming theology. The Episcopal Church is trying, and there‘s a lot of good intent (and actual good) there, ⬇ 2d

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) ...but a lot of the people in the pews are still pretty darn privileged and white. Much like BBT and this book. @kspenmoll Also, perhaps not coincidentally, I‘ve been (very slowly) reading through Berry‘s Timbered Choir for the past few months… 2d

TheBookHippie @BarbaraJean My vibes have never been wrong in all my life. It is annoying but helpful. OY VEY. 2d

BarbaraJean @TheBookHippie My husband gets similar vibes and I tend to find it annoying… then inevitably I have to admit he was right 😆 2d

TheBookHippie @BarbaraJean Mr BookHippie suffers the same issues 😂😂😂😂♥️ 2d

monalyisha @BarbaraJean I actually don‘t have my copy anymore, either! I passed it along to my stepmom, who I think will appreciate a lot of BBT‘s ideas. I just met her & my dad for brunch and I finished the book while my husband drove. 😅 My stepmom finds comfort in religion but she also has a bit of a wild streak, which always comes as a surprise given some of her other identities (Canadian, special or accessible education teacher turned principal)…👇🏻 2d

monalyisha @BarbaraJean There‘s a line that reads, “More to the point, there are times when dancing on tables is the most authentic prayer in reach, even if it pocks the table & clears the room.” My stepmom‘s been kicked out of at least one bar for that exact kind of “authentic prayer.” So. It seemed right. 🙈 I underlined the sentence and directed her to it in my inscription (where I also mention that it‘s not a perfect book & note my favorite bits). 2d

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BooksandCoffee4Me

The Divine Proverb of Streusel: A Novel | Sara Brunsvold

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A few of the books read in 2024. Highly recommend #divineproverbofstreusal and #lionwomenoftehran

PaperbackPirate Welcome to Litsy! Visit @LitsyWelcomeWagon for some helpful links. 4d

BooksandCoffee4Me @PaperbackPirate Thank you, I will! 4d

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Yenya1954

When Crickets Cry | Charles Martin

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Hearts, sometimes even the best need help. A doctor who knows broken hearts steps away from his profession. A young girl with an unhealthy dying heart becomes friends with the man the doctor has become. Disastrously, the girl needs a new heart because hers is pumping towards its end. Will a donor heart arrive in order to save her life? Will the best transplant surgeon return to his profession? Grab a box of tissues as you‘ll need them. 5/5

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monalyisha

An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith | Barbara Brown Taylor

I‘m not sure about this one yet.

I added it to my list when going through #AuldLangSpine recs with a fine-toothed comb. I asked my husband to buy it for my birthday. I decided to dive in now to scout it as a potential gift for my stepmom. I think I support the author‘s overall message. I‘m not sure (yet) whether I‘m here for her *tone.* TBD.

It might not have been a natural follow-up to “A Well-Trained Wife.” Religious content is tricky atm…

TheBookHippie I cannot. If you needed the probs only person who 🤮🤢 this book. It‘s HER. Not necessarily the content for me I think. 1w

Meshell1313 🤣🤣🤣 7d

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Lauranahe

Same Kind of Different as Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together | Ron Hall

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If not for my book club, I would never have picked this book up. I‘m glad I did though. I found Denver‘s story so compelling. It‘s so humbling to know that someone who was basically in slavery, who spent decades as homeless, can be so loving, so spiritual, so faithful to God. In his place, I don‘t know that I would have that grace. The world is a better place for him being in it. As well as Debbie, who was an angel. Cont…

Lauranahe Ron though…well. I‘m glad he listened to Debbie, and befriended Denver. I really wish he wasn‘t so biased against fat people, because I got real tired of his derogatory asides/jokes about them. 1w

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tpixie

When Crickets Cry | Charles Martin

I‘m reading this for my IRL Bookclub, #FriendsWithBooks.
It‘s a lovely work of literary fiction. I‘m enjoying it so much more than I thought I would. There are many different ways a heart needs healing.

monkeygirlsmama I really feel like I have read this, but it's not logged on my GoodReads so I'm not sure. 4w

tpixie @monkeygirlsmama I hate that when that happens. That is one good thing about Goodreads- if I remember to use it. Sometimes I see the cover of a book or read the back of the book so often that it confuses me of whether I really read it or not! Because just reading the back of the cover makes it seem familiar… 4w

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tpixie

When Crickets Cry | Charles Martin

#ReadYourKindle
I‘m going to try a new challenge this year thanks to @dabbe and @CBee
Thanks for letting me join @CBee
I‘ll start with When Crickets Cry

CBee Welcome! Glad to have you. The Scarpetta books are what got me hooked on the mystery/thriller genre - I started reading them in high school. There‘s a Scarpetta series coming with Nicole Kidman playing her 👏🏻 1mo

tpixie @CBee I‘ve enjoyed the Scarpetta series. There were a few in the middle where everyone was a little too dysfunctional, but I do enjoy the mysteries. I‘m so excited to hear about the series! 1mo

CBee @tpixie see, I like dysfunctional sometimes 😂😂 But I know what you mean. I‘m excited about the series too! 1mo

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dabbe @CBee @tpixie Kidman as Scarpetta? Count me in!!! 🤩🤗🤩 1mo

dabbe 🩶🖤🩶 1mo

tpixie @dabbe @CBee 🥳🥳🥳 (edited) 1mo

DogMomIrene @CBee You are freaking me out! I loved the early Scarpetta, but stopped reading when she changed PoV in her writing. Have they gotten better again? Because I may need to pick this series up again with NK playing KS! 1mo

CBee @DogMomIrene honestly I haven‘t continued the series, I read all of the earlier ones but none of the new-ish ones. BUT I will happily watch Nicole Kidman play, I don‘t know, a crazed blowfish or something - as I love her that much 😂😂😂 She could play anything or do anything and I‘d watch it ♥️ (edited) 1mo

CBee @dabbe RIGHT?!? I‘m so stoked. 1mo

CBee @tpixie also, Jamie Lee Curtis is in it. And I adore her. @dabbe @DogMomIrene 1mo

dabbe @CBee @tpixie @DogMomIrene #woohoo! 🤩🤩🤩 1mo

tpixie @DogMomIrene I think they‘ve gotten better since the ones in the middle. I can‘t remember which one I read that I started enjoying again more. 1mo

tpixie @CBee Jamie Lee Curtis is amazing 🤩 1mo

DogMomIrene @CBee Have you seen her in The Sticky on Prime I think? It‘s about the great maple syrup heist and she‘s freaking hilarious in it! As Americans living in 🇨🇦 we appreciated her character‘s perspective. 1mo

tpixie @DogMomIrene No! Sounds great! My daughter and I are looking for something else to watch. We‘ll have to look into this. 1mo

DogMomIrene @tpixie Im going to do some internet sleuthing on this one then. Because I‘d love to love her books again! Thanks! 1mo

tpixie @DogMomIrene I love Margo Martindale also- from The Americans 1mo

CBee @DogMomIrene let me know what you find! 1mo

CBee @tpixie I LOVED The Americans!! 1mo

CBee @tpixie check out Black Doves on Netflix. It‘s great and Sarah Lancashire is sort of a “Margo-esque” character in it. Plus Keira Knightley! 1mo

DogMomIrene @tpixie Yes! The Americans was so good. And she‘s sooooo great in The Sticky. The whole thing is just wacky fun. 1mo

DogMomIrene @CBee Will do! I‘m expecting someone has a fan wiki about this series where plenty of people will weigh in with their opinion of which book revived the series. 1mo

CBee @DogMomIrene oh, there has to be something like that 👏🏻👏🏻 1mo

tpixie @CBee @DogMomIrene The Americans was great!! Oh a wiki page- smart idea! I also like Kathy Reichs Temperance Brennon series. Forensic Anthropology

Deja Dead, Volume 1

(edited) 1mo

tpixie @CBee ok! I‘ll check out Black Doves! 🕊️ 1mo

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