The work is inspiring, the writing and editing leave some things to be desired. Convinced my book group, which is made up of a bunch of organizers, toThe work is inspiring, the writing and editing leave some things to be desired. Convinced my book group, which is made up of a bunch of organizers, to read this, but we're definitely not reading all the chapters, as many of them are fairly redundant. Wish the 2023 update had considered the flow of the chapters a little more carefully, cut out more of what isn't necessary, and included more on what's happened in the work since 2019....more
Tightly covers and puts into practical forms so much of a really diverse body of thought on relationships and emotional and mental health more generalTightly covers and puts into practical forms so much of a really diverse body of thought on relationships and emotional and mental health more generally. Gift this to every young person you know (and maybe some of the not-so-young ones too)....more
Fun to see some of the critical texts I read for my own MA of religious studies transformed into the podcast-style chattiness of the two authors. But Fun to see some of the critical texts I read for my own MA of religious studies transformed into the podcast-style chattiness of the two authors. But for such a short book lots of it felt surprisingly repetitive (how many times can one really read the phrase "white Christian nationalism"?) If you haven't thought much about the racialized power dynamics of how religion is practiced or how we even think of what religion is, though, it's a good introduction....more
What can it look like to step outside one's comfort zone, and try to help in some way, however small, in alleviating the pain caused by violent immigrWhat can it look like to step outside one's comfort zone, and try to help in some way, however small, in alleviating the pain caused by violent immigration policies? Bowden's book is about making the choice to open up rather than harden herself to the suffering near where she lives close to the border in Arizona, and follows her first year as a volunteer in Nogales, Sonora, and what she learns about the lives of the many people trying to cross. I really enjoyed the first half of the book, but things get a little repetitive as it goes on, and some of the calls for immigration policy reform already feel a little dated, given that it was written several presidential administrations ago....more
The Living is a novel for the poets and the naturalists; a novel for the historians and the philosophers; and, more incidentally, a novel for those whThe Living is a novel for the poets and the naturalists; a novel for the historians and the philosophers; and, more incidentally, a novel for those who want to learn a lot about nineteenth century hats. Plug hats, derby hats, slouch hats, bonnets, bicycle caps, workers caps鈥攖hey're all just one route to remembering Dillard's dedication and attention to physical detail, which is on full display throughout....more
Useful info and concepts sadly smothered in too much leftist academic jargon. There are fun ways to wield that vocab but here it's just dry 鈥� the lastUseful info and concepts sadly smothered in too much leftist academic jargon. There are fun ways to wield that vocab but here it's just dry 鈥� the last thing one wants from a book with this many seafaring references. I call for a sequel, done in the spirit of the collectively sung sea shanty: how's about "way hey, blow The Man down"?...more
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