REVIEWED ELSEWHERE [Vol. 1, #22]
“The Salty Wit and Wisdom of a Rural American Christian Pacifist”
A Review of Bill Kauffman’s Ain’t My America.
http://www.firstprinciplesjourn
“ ‘War: What is it good for? . . . I’ll tell you what it’s good for. It’s good for taxes; it’s good for day care; it’s good for year-round schooling; it’s good for the metric system; it’s good for Daylight Saving Time; it’s good for the Interstate Highway System; it’s good for divorce; it’s good for school consolidation and the space program and the IRS. In short, it’s good for nothing that a genuine conservative might cherish.’ This line opens a mere chapter of Bill Kauffman latest book, thereby hinting at the vast wealth of topics awaiting readers considering reading all of Ain’t My America: The Long, Noble History of Anti-War Conservatism and Middle-American Anti-Imperialism. In it, Kauffman delivers what his subtitle promises—a well-documented, historic account of American conservatives who have resisted empire building throughout the entirety of United States history—but, he provides so much more as well. Reading Ain’t My America will leave one informed, outraged, encouraged, and frequently sore from laughter. …”
Read the full review:
http://www.firstprinciplesjourn
Bill Kauffman.
Ain’t My America.
Hardback. Metropolitan Books. 2008.
Buy now from: [ Doulos Christou Books $20 ] [ Amazon.com ]
Mike Clawson reviews Debbie Blue’s recent book From Stone to Living Word.
http://emergingpensees.blogspot.com/2008/05/book-review-from-stone-to-living-word.html
“… This book is not so much a linear argument, but rather a series of examples of how to read the Bible as a living document that confounds our idolatrous systems of doctrines and easy answers. In fact, I get the impression that the chapters in this book could have been written as sermons for her church, in that each one of them not only stands alone, but the each also take a particular text of scripture and reflect on how it confounds our expectations about God and tears down the idols of our day to day lives.
If there is any overarching theme of the book it is idolatry, which as Debbie defines it, is pretty much anything that we use to tame life, control the uncertainty of existence, and bring stability to the chaos. …”
http://emergingpensees.blogspot.com/2008/05/book-review-from-stone-to-living-word.html
From Stone to Living Word: Letting the Bible Live Again.
Debbie Blue. Paperback. Brazos. 2008.
Buy now from: [ Doulos Christou Books $14] [ Amazon.com ]
“Up from Nutrition”.
A review of Michael Pollan’s IN DEFENSE OF FOOD.
http://www.hoover.org/publicati
“I had the good fortune, upon first moving to Washington D.C. after college, to room with a high-school buddy who had worked his way through George Washington University by waiting tables at a high-end restaurant and who was, by the time I arrived in town, managing the place. As a result, I spent not a few hours hanging around waiters and chefs, people who generally shared my enjoyment of good food and wine. Many of my free moments were passed at my roommate’s restaurant — usually at the bar, maybe reading a book, sipping a Rioja, and munching on duck confit.
It is probably safe to presume that 30 years ago most Americans hadn’t tasted Rioja and duck confit; it is far less safe to presume so today. The United States, long considered by Europeans a culinary wasteland, has in the past three decades become the world’s center for innovative, quality cuisine. And Americans, the evidence seems to suggest, are more concerned than ever before about what they eat.
The success of Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food is a testament to this. It has sat for weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, proudly proclaiming that Americans are no longer content to nosh on just whatever is placed in front of them, but now actually care about the food that occupies their plates. … ”
Read the full review:
http://www.hoover.org/publicati
In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto.
Michael Pollan. Hardcover. Penguin. 2008.
Buy now from: [ Doulos Christou Books $17 ] [ Amazon.com ]
