Character Driven

 The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty, is a summer book club read. Right up front I'll tell you that this type of book is not my taste.  There is literally and figuratively no action, unless you count dying as action.

The story is about Laurel's dad dying in the hospital.  Then the rest of the book is about the characters that came to his funeral.  The reader has to make a list of characters, or she would be lost.  It ends with Laurel coming to closure and going home to live her life.

Interesting tidbits:

The optimists are:
     1.  Laurel's mother, Becky, who is a gardener.  You have to be optimistic to garden.
     2.  Laurel's father who doesn't entertain the thought of dying.  He even remarried, after Becky died, to a woman Laurel's age.
     3.  Laurel is the most hopeful optimist because after going through her husband's demise, her mother's death, and then her father's, she leaves it all behind to charge forward to her future in Chicago.

Foreshadowing:
    1.  The deaths--both parents' demise began with eye problems.
    2.  The bird trapped in the house is like memories being trapped in your head.  The bird escapes and flies away, just like Lauren escapes the memories of her childhood, and friends and flies away home.

Good points:
   1.  Eudora Welty writes beautifully.
   2.  The Optimist's Daughter is a short novel.

Masked Marauders

As the morning sun appears over the hills,
a young fawn drifts away from the herd,
grazing further to the edge of the forest.

The wolf pack strategically positions,
assessing vulnerability, surrounding 
the doe grazing and foraging along
the grass, clover, and delicate blooms.

The wolves close in coordinated attack,
pounce, fangs exposed, they bite,
dig in, tear, pulling and ripping at
the throat, the head, face, and heart.

The herd falls in paralyzed powerlessness.
like the masked ICE agents swooping in
droves, to purge unsuspecting undesirables,
like teenagers going to volleyball practice.

Marcelo just turned 18, with dreams,
plans, and a promising future in the
United States of America.

or not.

Marcelo Gomes da Silva, center, speaks to journalists after being released from detention on bond in Burlington, Massachusetts, on Thursday. To his right, Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts listens. 

Rodrique Ngowi/AP

Can You Spare a Coin

 

Lectio:        Acts 3:1-10

Peter and John were going up to the temple area
for the three o’clock hour of prayer.
And a man crippled from birth was carried
and placed at the gate of the temple called “the Beautiful Gate”
every day to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple.
When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple,
he asked for alms.
But Peter looked intently at him, as did John,
and said, “Look at us.”
He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.
Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold,
but what I do have I give you:
in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.”
Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up,
and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong.
He leaped up, stood, and walked around,
and went into the temple with them,
walking and jumping and praising God.
When all the people saw the man walking and praising God,
they recognized him as the one who used to sit begging
at the Beautiful Gate of the temple,
and they were filled with amazement and astonishment
at what had happened to him.

Studium:

Note that Peter is going to pray.  He is a good Jew.  He is with John--the oldest and the youngest apostles.  They are not solitary; they are friendly and going to community prayer.  Like Jesus, Peter pays attention to the undesirables.  Peter refers to Jesus, pointing that they are poor, but be-cause of Jesus, he can help the crippled man.  The man is open to Peter's teaching. Such is the Kingdom of God

Meditatio:

When I ask God for something, sometimes I don't get it.  I don't get what I want, I may get what I need. Whatever, I should "walk and jump and praise God."

Oratio:

Lord, thank You for Your love, Your care.  I need to realize that You know best.

Contemplatio:

Thank You, Jesus, for loving me.

Resolutio:

Every day I need to remember to praise God.

Life After the Concentration Camp

 At first I thought Grace in the Wilderness, After the Liberation 1945-1948, by Aranka Siegal, was a memoir.  At times, I couldn't figure out what person the book was speaking in. Eventually, I googled the title and deduced that this is a historical fiction novel.it the library book sale.  There were 10 copies of it.  Maybe a book club read it.  The story is about a teenage girl, so maybe a high school class read it.  I bought them all, thinking that I'll give them to my book club.

It is a fairly easy read, for us, but I don't think it would be for teenagers.  Like I said, I wasn't sure who was narrating the story.  Also, there are so many characters, the reader surely who have to write down a list of who's who.  As for emotional impact however, this book can be heart wrenching, at times.  It is an excellent view of life after living through Nazi prison camp.

As a history teacher, I would recommend this book.  As an English teacher, I don't think so.  As a social studies teacher, I would recommend it.  As an adult reader, I would recommend it.  Three out of four is good.

Retroactive Prayer

 What do you think?  I'm defining retroactive prayer as praying for things that have happened in the past.  I am not thinking about changing history, that's done.  I'm thinking of changing what happened to people.

For example, you have cancer, or were fired, or a beloved died, etc. traumatic tragedy that befell you. The event is de facto.  However, praying does have the ability to change attitudes and not only the person praying, but others, as well. Doctors say that patients have healed faster than expected.  You aren't as devasted and are handling things better than expected.  

Time changes the way people look at events.  People mature.  Perhaps prayer did work.

We Catholics pray for our deceased to be in eternal peace.  Doesn't God's power reach where it wills.  

"Nothing can hinder the Lord," and "All things are possible with God." (1 Samuel 14:6, Mark 10:27)

Exploitation

 When does commenting and discussing become exploitation?  I posit that it's when someone makes money off of it.  

Think of the upcoming canonization of Carlo Acutis.  Currently, he's popular and there's much ado about him.  He was a religious teen who loved God and understood computers.  He made a web site organizing the Eucharistic miracles up to his time until he died of cancer at the age of fifteen.

 We need role models, especially the young people, but is he being exploited?

Even the nay sayers who look to rain on people's parades are publishing articles criticizing Carlo Acutis.  Worse, are people selling souvenirs of the teen!

I rest my case.

The Truth Comes Out

 Have you ever wished that you had another chance in life?  The major character in The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife does just that.  The author, Anna Johnston has written a funny, heartwarming story.  Everyone will like it.

It begins with Frederick being homeless and coming across a nursing home's outing.  He finds a man dead in his wheelchair.  Fred starts to push him back to the group but trips and falls.  Bernard falls out of wheelchair and into the river and is gone.  Fred is unconscious.  Coincidentally, the two men look alike.  The nursing home staff thinks Fred is Bernard.  He tries to correct their mistake, but no one listens because Bernard had dementia.  Eventually Fred gives up and accepts the fact that he is Bernard--especially when he finds out that Bernard had money.

The new Bernard is an improvement from the real one.  He is kinder, helpful, and very considerate.  He makes life pleasant for everyone, even the nursing home's staff.  Best of all, he reconciles the estrangement between Bernard and his daughter.  

The reader falls in love with this Bernard, too.  However, the truth comes out and read about it yourself. Reconciliation is sweet.

The Schwertler Anabaptists

 The Burning by Linda Castillo taught me about the Amish, specifically a couple of different kinds of Amish.  The groups are under the Anabaptist umbrella.  Then there's the Amish and Mennonites and Hutterites.  There are some Hutterites that are called the Schwertler Anabaptists.  This is the group that Sheriff Kate Burkholder has to deal with. 

An excommunicated Amish man is found burned at the stake.  Specifically, he is found to have been burned alive, like the martyrs described in the book the Martyrs' Mirror.  Kate, in trying to solve the crime has a hard time getting information.  The Amish are a closed mouth group.  They don't talk about each other, even to Kate, who was brought up Amish.  

Once it is found that the victim died according to a ritual, she looks into the different Anabaptists' groups and learns about the Schwertlers.  The Anabaptists are pacifists, but a group of Hutterites believe in taking justice into their own hands.

Schwertler Anabaptists, like Balthasar Hubmaier, believed in the legitimacy of government and the use of force for just causes, distinguishing them from the more pacifist Stäbler Anabaptists. They supported the idea that Christians could take up arms if ordered by the government to defend the innocent and uphold justice.

AI can be helpful. 

 Kate confronts the group and is almost martyred, herself.  I am leaving a lot out.  Believe me.  You must read the story.  The book is plot driven and fast paced.  Kate survives by the skin of her teeth.  She must because Police Chief Kate Burkholder is a series by Linda Castillo and The Burning is # 16. It stands alone however, because this is the first book I've read, in the series.  I certainly will be reading more.

There're Mummies and then There're Mummies

The mummies in this book, The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis are:

           Hathorkare--female Egyptian Pharoah mummy

          Charlotte--Egyptologist who tragically loses her daughter

          Anne's Mother--selfish woman

The story begins with Charlotte working in Egypt as an archeologist.  She falls in love, marries, and has a daughter.  Tragedy strikes.

Anne is working to support her mother, who is constantly trying to marry someone rich.  Anne gets her dream job, working in fashion.

The scene shifts to Charlotte in New York, working in a museum. Anne is involved in using Charlotte's museum as a backdrop for a fashion show.

A valuable necklace is stolen.

Charlotte goes to Egypt looking for answers.  Since Anne was fired, she tags along with Charlotte.  The adventure, and mystery, lead the two ladies into a lasting friendship.  

Something's Off

Pitch Dark by Paul Doiron is a thriller. The setting is near the border of Canada and Maine.  The major character is Maine game warden Mike Bowditch.  The story begins with a missing person.  People do get lost in the woods, but something doesn't add up.  Mike comes across a father bringing up his daughter alone.  He's homeschooler her.  They're secretive. All too soon, a murder occurs.  The father and daughter are on the run.  The original lost person is found bound up in a trailer.  He's not just a random walker who got lost.  He's a bounty hunter looking for the father and daughter.

Soon, the pace is frantic.  Mike is after the father and daughter who aim for the Canadian border.  What shocked me was that the father threatened to shoot his daughter, when Mike got too close to them.  How to stop and capture the man before he shoots her?  You'll find out when you read the book.  I'm not spoiling it for you.

Vanishing Without a Trace

 Have you ever heard of Ambrose Bierce?  I guess I'm not as learned as I thought I was, because Ambrose Bierce is famous, and I never heard of him.  He was a novelist, poet, short story writer, journalist, as well as serving as a First Lieutenant in the Civil War.

He was born in a log cabin in 1842, .  His parents were poor but literary.  All 13 of their children learned to read and discuss literature critically. Interesting, the Bierce's 13 children all had names beginning with the letter "A".  Abigail, Amelia, Ann, Addison, Aurelius, Augustus, Almeda, Andrew, Albert, Ambrose, Arthur, Adelia, and Aurelia. Ambrose himself, left high school at age 15 to work at a small abolitionist newspaper, the Northern Indianan.

His disappearance is what peaked my interest.  I was reading Kathleen Norris' book, The Cloister Walk, and she quoted Ambrose Bierce as writing, "You can't stop the wicked from going to Chicago by killing them...", so I googled Ambrose Bierce, and found out that his life and disappearance have been the subject of over 50 novels, short stories, movies, Televison shows, stage plays, and comic books. They portray his interesting life and ending with his mysterious disappearance.

The last he was seen was touring Civil War battlefields.  He was age 71 and decided to journal the revolution in Mexico.  He passed through Texas and in Juarez he joined Pancho Villa's army as an observer. That's it. In one of his final letters, he wrote,

 "Good-bye. If you hear of my being stood up against a Mexican stone wall and shot to rags, please know that I think it is a pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age, disease, or falling down the cellar stairs. To be a Gringo in Mexico--ah, that is euthanasia!"  

Some other theories:

Bierce deliberately left a notebook but concealed his true whereabouts because he was going to commit suicide.

Some of Pancho Villa's men said he was killed in battle.

Oral tradition in Sierra Mojada, Coahuila, documented by priest James Lienert states that Bierce was executed by firing squad in the town's cemetery.

His ultimate fate is unknown.  It's a mystery, like the stories he wrote.  His disappearance is one of the most famous vanishing acts in American literary history.

            https://youtu.be/t2dAv5zcgPs?si=GKmHS7R61wVqdxaa

Five Ends Baptist Church's Congregation

 

Deacon King Kong by James McBride is hilarious.  McBride is so talented.  Look at this alliteration:

           ...that lowdown grizzle-faced stupid son-of-a-bitch snitch, had sat.

                          She left before he got sanctified and saved.

His descriptions are unique.  His characterization is part of the humor.  Just that fact that the story begins with an attempted murder and the rest of the story is how the murderer gets away with it.  The Deacon is so drunk he wasn't thinking straight.  He tried to shoot a drug dealer, not because he was dealing drugs but because he was wasting his pitching talent.  

The setting is the project with its characters.  No one has a regular name.  Everyone is known by a nickname.  The Deacon is a real Deacon in his church.  King Kong is homemade "moon shine."  The Deacon is always sipping on it.  

In the background, there is a real drug war going on.  There are more humorous personalities that are unique.

I don't know where to begin.  I can't describe everything.  But I enjoyed it.

No Mercy

Sister Ruth sent this email, today.  

Dear Friends,

For those of you who have not heard, our brother Nghia Vy received an email a few days ago from Immigration. ICE told him he will be deported back to Vietnam.  Nghia escaped Vietnam to the US as an asylum seeker after the Vietnamese war.  

When he was released from prison 17 years ago the US did not have a treaty with Vietnam, so he was able to stay in the USA.  Thanks to the new federal administration, we now have a treaty.  Nghia is an amazing brother and friend in our Bethany Community. This is such heartbreaking news for all of us.

Yes, heartbreaking indeed.  If we are devastated, imagine how Nghia feels.

Please pray for him.

A Lifetime of Learning

 "Texas hold 'em", is a polka game, that I am learning to play.  As the dealer was dealing, we were talking.  She said something important.  Something that I've got to tell my granddaughters, whom I teach their faith formation classes to because what this dealer said, applies to the Catholic religion.

The basics are fairly easy to learn.  That's true in "Texas hold 'em" and religion. But it takes a lifetime to master it.  That's true in both.

Now, to get that through to my granddaughter who thinks that she knows everything because she made her confirmation.

Grief

 Maggie O'Farrell's latest book, Hamnet, is about William Shakespeare's son, Hamlet. Hamnet died when he was eleven years old, from the plague. But William is in the background.  The story is about the grief of Hamnet's mother, Agnes.  William is grieving also, but his way of dealing with it is to go away and immerse himself in his plays.  It's the mother's grief that we read, we feel, and sympathize with.

This is historical fiction, and we learn how the people lived in the 1500s.  Their daily chores, their mores, their politics, their hopes and dreams.  We are taken to the beginnings of William and Mary's first encounter.  Their courtship, their marriage, and life thereafter.  No one put much faith in William's ability to become a good wage earner or succeed in a vocation. His family were glovers.  He helped sell the gloves.  But on a sales trip to London, he went to a play.  The rest is history.

William and Agnes lived in a little apartment, attached to the Shakespeare's house.  The entire extended family ate together.  The story involves everyone.  Agnes first, gives birth to a daughter, named Susanna.  A few years later, she gives birth to twins, Judith and Hamnet.  The twins love each other, so much so that when Judith becomes sick, Hamnet is distraught.  He ends by praying to take her place.  If someone is to die, let it be him.  

His prayers are answered.  

As you can imagine, the family is devastated, especially the mother.  She wasn't around when sickness came.  She was the last to arrive at the scene.  She had been off wool-gathering in the woods.  Once, home, she over reacted, if a mother can ever do such a thing, and was so busy tending to Judith, that she didn't, she never, noticed that Hamnet was sick, too.  As Judith seemed to revive, Hamnet seemed to decline. Agnes ministrations were too late, he died.  From then on, Agnes blamed herself.  She was known as a healer.  She who could heal others, could not heal her son.  Worse, she didn't think he was that sick.  She was too late.  Too late coming home, too late noticing what was happening, too late administering medicine, and just too late to be of use.  

The author writes beautifully.  Her descriptions are distinct pictures.  She conveys emotions with raw, profound, anguish. It is no wonder that Hamnet won the Women's Fiction Prize for 2020.