Where I postulate freely that Mary Magdalene was both the disciple Jesus loved, and possibly the true author of the gospel of John. This is a paper from a truly exciting class on History and Literature of the New Testament, taught in 1993 by the amazing prof’s Buck and Luotto — thank you both so…
When I was a child… On the other hand, there were a few things I found perplexing, although it’s possible I found them so due to their being anachronistic (they are quite google-able for the curious, I may add). For example, who is Farinata? Why or how did Rousseau first reveal the supposedly “very human”…
Originally posted July 2005 To the librarians whose names I can’t remember now, who happily helped a small child find and devour each eagerly awaited, newly arrived Narnia book. Also to the tiny handful of wonderful, thought-provoking, and truly religious people who recommended this book to me. It took a while for me to get…
Originally reviewed April 2004 The Book If you’re looking for excitement and adventure in your reading, Beryl Markham’s autobiography West with the Night is an excellent choice. An English aristocrat raised in Africa, her life reads like a blood-stirring adventure novel. The fascinating adventure stories never stop, almost dancing from exploit to dangerous, hair-raising exploit….
by Barbara Ehrenreich & Deidre English A review of one of my textbooks: a tiny little pamphlet — less than 50 pages! – with a powerful message that’s both creepily and effectively illustrated with a few small woodcut reproductions. Operating under the premise that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it, the authors…
A dog amongst adoring sheep Unfortunately there was one other aspect of this book which I found profoundly irritating, and that was the almost feudal assumptions it made about people and their places in society. The women who appeared in the story were all supposedly intelligent, self-sufficient, and educated — yet ultimately they were all…
Originally posted May 2006 For the first time I’ve gotten a book club book which I found disappointing. I was surprised, since the book was part of a recommended series by a couple of authors who’ve worked together previously, so you’d think by now they’ve had gotten it right. However, as I noted already, I…
I’ve finished one of my required readings for class: Rita Gross’s fascinating Feminism & Religion. I wish I’d read this book years ago. One of the most critical points the book makes, which was a sort of “aHA!” moment for me when I read it, was that a religion which purports to welcome and offer…
It’s always entertaining to re-read old college papers, especially when you’ve learned more since then. In the case of Feminism & the Bible: Examining the Christian Myth of Creation, the handful of later realizations or learnings I had were interesting enough to me that I thought I’d relate them here. For example, most people know…
Originally posted April 2004 Thanks to George for making this a better review, as he always does. Books of historical fiction are based, in varying amounts, on the reality of the past. However, the lack of good record keeping, coupled with the problem of information conservation, has left us more often with mysteries than fact….