The Empathic Civilization by Jeremy Rifkin

Well -- the only way I'll ever get through this book is to give myself permission to read it a little bit at a time -- an ongoing historical romp while I continue to read my novels and less intimidating books along with it.

Rifkin's stated purpose it to rewrite the history of human civilization through the lens of empathy: "...In short, it is the extraordinary evolution of empathic consciousness that is the quintessential underlying story of human history, even if it has not been given the serious attention it deserves by our historians."  And in a mere 615 pages, Rifkin will  lay out his thesis -- "...Empathy is the very means by which we create social life and advance civilization."

This could take awhile!!!

A Memoir of Wayfinding

I wrapped this book up by skimming the last few pages pretty quickly.  Nothing new -- no unique wisdom beyond the middle of the book.  

I had hoped to find this book inspiring and maybe a little motivational.  But it really was just a story of a middle-aged woman learning to live on her own by finding her way through the woods - literally.  I can only read about so many hikes and scrapes with being lost in the woods.  

I did appreciate her tenacity and problem-solving skills.  The one take-away -- we're never to old to learn!  But then, I suspected that already!!!

Moving on through my list.  Next up -- I think it'll be The Empathic Civilization

Straying from the list

It's time to fess up.  I haven't been reading as much as normal -- and not anything from my TBR list!  I've decided not to review the few books I've read during the last few weeks -- but I'll list them here:

Gray Mountain by John Grisham -- ok, but not his best
Missing You by Harlan Coben -- awful, should have abandoned  it
Somewhere Safe With Somebody Good by Jan Karon --  standard Mitford Series.  Simple plot and easy to read, but enjoyable characters 
An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine -- halfway through it now.  It's terrific!

Time to get back to the challenge!  Still working through Game of Thrones -- but might not make it through the whole series!!!

I was looking forward to reading this since it's been on my shelf for so long. Alas, I'm just not at all impressed with Wallace's 1972 best seller. The subject, publishing a New Testament Bible, is intriguing...but the writing style and characters are completely boring. I found myself saying, "Blah, blah, blah, and skimming ahead. So after 80 pages I've decided I've got lots better books to tackle and will not plod through the remaining 500 pages. Big relief to take this one off my shelf! So, Janice, you can roll the dice for my second list.

THE GRAPES OF WRATH  by John Steinbeck

I wish Mr. Steinbeck was alive today to continue his assessment of the marginalization of the economically oppressed in our society. Instead of reading this classic, I listened to an abridged audio production. It was delightful to hear the different voices of each character, although I'm sure in doing so, I missed some powerful and emotional passages. The message is no less important today than it was 75 years ago, in fact, it is perhaps of greater importance since the gap between the haves and the have-nots continues to widen.

The plight of the Joad family as they traveled from Oklahoma to California looking for a better life, was filled with hope and despair. From Ma Joad, who always believed that one should never lose hope, to Rose of Sharon, the pregnant and abandoned daughter-in-law, who never was able to see a way out. However, Steinbeck created a bizarre twist at the end of the novel that gives the reader a sense that there is always something that can be done to make life a little better.

The Death of Adam: Essays on Modern Thought by Marilynne Robinson

This book is a gift for the mind!  I always enjoy reading Marilynne Robinson -- I love her thinking!  And this collection of essays was food for my own thinking -- it challenged, affirmed, and enlightened!  These essays push boundaries -- warning off complacency by encouraging engagement in our world -- a world with its myriad challenges!  

I guess my biggest takeaway is the importance of staying informed -- of receiving information from primary sources and not accepting sound bites that diminish meaning.  She warns us that the ideas which informed and emboldened our founders and shaped our nation have been diminished and erroneously summarized through the years. We should not trust the conventional wisdom we learn of thinkers like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Jonathan Edwards but we should take responsibility by reading what they actually had to say!  Robinson bemoans our willingness to abdicate responsibility for the health of our environment as well the spiritual health of our citizens.

"The assumption of present responsibility for the present state of things was a ritual feature of life in this culture for two and a half centuries, and is entirely forgotten by us now."

I'm always stretched by the thinking of Marilynne Robinson -- and I'm especially happy that I  found my way back to this book via our TBR challenge!!!

"If you must err, do so on the side of audacity."

Sue Monk Kidd has a talent for dredging up the rawest of emotions, both in her characters and in this reader. How come I had never heard of the Grimke sisters, two abolitionists from the early 1800's? They were among the forefront of the movement to free the slaves. Call it what you want...audacity, courage, fierce belief in their cause...these two Southern white women faced unbelievable odds. Not only did women not have the vote, they barely had a voice. I wanted to stand and cheer when I read what Sarah told her male colleagues: "Do what you have to do, censure us, withdraw your support, we'll press on anyway. Now, sirs, kindly take your feet off our necks." I'm sure there were several dropped jaws and rolled eyes in the room. 

Hetty, aka Handful, was my favorite character in Kidd's novel. Although she did exist as a real slave to Sarah Grimke, Kidd created a longer life for Hetty in the novel. When Sarah taught Hetty the basics of reading, I knew their bond would be lifelong. Their relationship is depicted well in this quote from Hetty,

"People say love gets fouled by a difference big as ours. I didn't know for
sure whether Miss Sarah's feelings came from love or guilt. I didn't know 
whether mine came from love or a need to be safe. She loved me and pitied me. 
And I loved her and used her. It never was a simple thing. That day, our hearts
were pure as they ever would get."

In my reading of other accounts of America's history of slavery, both fiction and non-fiction, I don't recall feeling such compassion as I did with Kidd's, The Invention of Wings. Maybe it was more powerful because she did such an excellent job of depicting the painful truth of the time in all walks of society, both in the South and in the North. 

I also loved her metaphor of the quilt as a story of life, and the black triangles depicting birds' wings. I read in a review of the book that Kidd broke down in tears after she had written the last sentence in the novel. I understand why.

"When we left the mouth of the harbor, the wind swelled and the veils round us flapped, and I heard the blackbird wings. We rode onto the shining water, onto the far distance."