Review of "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins

Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion was in many respects not the book I had been led to believe. Bear in mind, of course, that I was raised in a primarily christian environment, one in which calling god a delusion was about the same as calling someone's mother a fat, ugly bitch. I would guess that the "reviews" that I heard were mostly just reactions to the title of the book and the word "atheism" of which Dawkins is not ashamed. And while Dawkins certainly does not pull any punches in his approach to religion, he was surprisingly civil and sometimes kindly to those with whom he strongly disagrees. There were one or two sentences bordering on condescending, but Dawkins did a remarkable job of sticking to the facts, logic and reason, and not devolving into name-calling, a tactic oh-so-familiar in most religious debates.

I read Dawkins' book in two sittings; on a seven-hour flight home for the holidays, and on the six-hour flight back. While I may be an aberration in this opinion, I found I could not put the book down. Dawkins' was charming, witty, informative, enthusiastic, and very, very compelling. I found myself nodding in agreement, laughing out loud, and gasping in surprise or horror at all the right moments (just ask my husband; I literally did all of these things on a crowded airplane).

The book is divided up into ten fairly lengthy chapters, which are further divided up under headings (which makes it relatively easy to find a stopping place when it's time to disembark). The chapters were intuitively organized by subject matter; one with religious scriptures, one with religious abuses (specifically of children), one of the science of origins, etc. One could probably even just read the chapters whose subject intrigued the reader, although I would wholeheartedly recommend the entire book to any interested reader.

All-in-all, it is a book that should be read by people of all philosophies: by the religious, to approach the question of why do they believe; by the questioning and doubting to clarify their own questions; by the non-believers to give them the words to stand up for their own beliefs in a world that is often hostile to those who do not subscribe to some system of supernatural belief. That is what the idealist in me believes. The realist in me, however, knows that most religious people might find Dawkins' entire book to be offensive and demeaning (although, I would have to agree with Dawkins when he points out that there is no reason for religion to be more above questioning than any other aspect of human life, society, and culture). This is a book destined to be appreciated by some, although on its merits alone deserved of appreciation by many, many more.

Joseph Andrews, Pt. 2, Henry Fielding

Joseph Andrews, volume the second, was a bit of a let down from the humorous escapades and roaring good parody of the first volume. The second volume felt much more puritanical and preachy than the first, which to my sensibilities was not very enjoyable. The female love interest became less and less enjoyable as the reader got to know her, as she was little more than a helpless virgin trying to cling onto her purity long enough to marry Joseph so he could get her in the sack ('cause, you know, no one respectable would marry a rape victim back then). The parson was equal parts absent-minded professor, puritanical religious nut, and violent brawler in defense of his friends, which was at times an ungainly mix of characteristics. Some of the plot twists seemed like they may have been parodies mocking the unbelievable plots of the time; if they weren't then they were just poor plotting on the part of the author.

I do feel that most likely with more background and history in the literature of the era, specifically the cheap stuff that did not outlast the times (the paperback garbage of the day, so to speak), then perhaps the parody and humor of the second volume would have made sense to me. As it was, I just found it a bit dusty, preachy, boring, unbelievable, and occasionally offensive. I would give the second volume a two-and-a-half out of five, at best.

Review of "Savy Auntie" by Melanie Notkin

Savy Auntie is both a phrase and a movement, both begun by author Melanie Notkin, that gives a place and meaning to a growing demographic of men and women; the childless and child-free that still want to love the kids in their lives. Melanie Notkin is careful to include Moms with kids in her Savy Auntie description, but I personally feel that the Savy Auntie (or uncle) moniker is much more needed for those of us who cannot fit into the cultural boxes of mother/father.

As for the book, Savy Auntie, it wasn't quite what I expected, though in some ways it was probably more than I anticipated. The book is essentially a condensed guide to "parenting" condensed because as an auntie/uncle you don't need to know as much as a parent does. It guides the reader through infancy, toddler/kindergarten, and beyond, with tips and tricks for those who want to be very involved in a child's life without being a parent. As someone who is not an auntie yet, but an older sister (and child-free), I didn't find the book to have much relevancy to this stage in my life, and as the oldest of six kids I found much of the information to be "old hat" anyway. But it was still a very engaging read, and most likely an invaluable resource for those first-time aunties and uncles who are nervous and don't know what to do; never fear! Melanie has the answers for you!

I would give the book a four out of five. The only additional thing I would have liked to see would have been more focus on relating to older kids/teenagers, as that has more relevance to my life right now than babies and toddlers. But an excellent resource and great inspiration and encouragement for those who want to love kids but not have them!

Joseph Andrews Pt. 1 by Henry Fielding

Joseph Andrews is, for those of you who know your history of western literature (specifically American and British) is sort of a parody answer to the novel Pamela by Samuel Richardson. According to the author, the style of the prose was also greating inspired by Cervantes Don Quixote. But enough about history, let's get down to the juicy bits.

This book was a surprisingly quick read, for an older bit of literature (disclaimer; I've been told I'm a surprisingly quick reader). The story, though obviously meant to be comic and over the top in many places, moved quickly enough to keep me interested and turning the pages. There were a few places where I wasn't sure if the author was intending to send-up the over-the-top morals of his day or defend them (and there was one whole chapter of sermonizing by one of the characters that I skipped over) but the plot itself was engaging. The main character was, to me, not at all relatable, but as it was comedy and parody that worked okay anyway.

There were points where, as a modern feminist, I was a little uncomfortable with the surface moral of the book (which often implied that women are all just walking vaginas out to entrap a man). I wasn't quite sure if this was poking fun at the morals of Pamela (which suggested that man are all walking dicks and women must be careful not to be entrapped) or if the writer perhaps believed it to a degree. But, setting that aside, the story was enjoyable, at points laugh out loud funny, and an interesting bit of history trivia to add to my internal database. I would give the book a 3.5 out of 5.

Shopgirl by Steve Martin

Steve Martin, yes, the same Steve Martin from Roxanne, the Jerk, and many other hilarious and touching films. Steve Martin the comedian and actor extraordinaire. Steve Martin the now accomplished and recognized writer, with a brilliant sense of prose as well as a searing insight into the human mind and heart.

Shopgirl is a short story or novelette (I honestly am not sure which one, as it was much, much shorten than the modern novel but a little lengthy for a short story). It has been turned into a movie (with Steve Martin in it, ironically enough), although I have not seen it yet. I have a strict book-first-then-the-movie policy. Okay, it's kind of strict most of the time.

The book was beautiful, and despite the small size of the volume it really packed a punch in terms of emotional impact and memorability. I really felt the characters, for lack of a better expression (hell, I'm still a young writer, cut me some slack). I was surprised by the book in many places, by the twists and turns it took, but it was not a disappointment. In the end I was supremely content with the way the book ended, even though I could not have predicted it. That made it all the more enjoyable and delightful a story. A great read, and a book I'm sure I will reread over the years. Steve Martin has hit it out of the park.

Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx

This is not the kind of book people typically expect me to read, although that may be because the world is under some sort of delusion that since I am a cute and small 20-something that means I must be this innocent virginal character that is perfectly vanilla and suburban. But I digress.

The book is, in case you didn't know, actually a short story, though with enough charge and content to reasonably make a good movie out of (actually, it's easier to fit a whole short story into a movie than a novel nowadays). I did not see the movie, however, though I am an admirer of the director, Ang Lee. I have this weak stomach thing and rarely see R-rated movies, but I'm just a big pacifist, so back to the book.

The book is pretty bare-bones, but beautifully descriptive of the area. It is about two cowboys who end up beginning an affair on "Brokeback Mountain" when they are herding livestock there together. The book manages to explore themes of love and social expectations which have relevance beyond just LGBT fans. It was a very moving piece of fiction, and even if (or perhaps especially if) you don't want to watch the movie, I recommend the book; it will give you a greater understanding of a great piece of literature and culture. I cannot recommend highly enough immersing yourself in understanding the LGBT culture especially if, like me, you identify as straight.

Julie and Julia by Julie Powell

Okay, I will admit that I started this book mostly because my mother-in-law said that the level of language in it was "foul." A) I like books with language, and B) I like doing things my mother-in-law disapproves of. With that confession out of the way, let's move on.

This book was fantastic. Real, honest, funny, down-to-earth, and completely delicious. I devoured this book, almost literally. For the several days it took me to read it, it literally went everywhere with me; I read it on the bus, waiting in line, sitting at the doctor's office (hell, I'll even admit to reading it when my husband was talking to me and thought I was listening to him; yes, I am a little ashamed, but it was a really damn good book). I finally finished the book at about two in the morning. My husband had gone to bed and I was sitting up by candlelight, reading feverishly (I shit you not, I really did that; and no, I don't do that often, I am not a throwback to the dark ages, that's my mother-in-law, remember).

In fact, this book helped remind me of how much I love food, why I love food, and that I can be a modern woman (not a fifties housewife) and still love to cook without having to give up my modern ideas of what it means to be a "woman" (which, I'll be honest, I'm still figuring out what the hell that means; but I know it doesn't mean cooking, cleaning, and baby-making/rearing).

So, if you can handle a little language (well, let's be honest, a lot of language) and you have any love of food at all, to any degree, this is a fabulous, fabulous, fabulous read (and it is about so much more than cooking too). I highly recommend this book.