I've had a busy semester. No posts on the blog in March and April. That's pretty bad. Anyway, I'm going through the final end-of-semester papers from seniors in my senior seminar, and I've been noticing the books these students reference. They must write a paper describing all the courses they took and what they learned in their undergraduate education, and some of them have listed books they found memorable or influential. I'll share a list of some of these sources I've pulled from the student reference lists. These are some of the books students in our program have encountered in recent years.
Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art: The Analytic Tradition: An Anthology (Blackwell Philosophy Anthologies). (2003). New York, NY: Wiley.
Aslan Reza. No God but God. The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam. New York New York: Random House, 2006.
Barnes, Susan. Computer-Mediated Communication. Boston: Pearson Education, 2003.
Bean, Thomas, et al. Content Area Literacy. Iowa: Kendall/Hunt, 2008.
Boddice, R. (2009). A History of Attitudes and Behaviours Toward Animals in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-century Britain: Anthropocentrism and the Emergence of Animals. Lewiston: Edwin Mellen Press.
Boyer, Ernest L. College, The Undergraduate Experience in America. First ed. New York: Harper & Row, 1987.
Cherlin, A. J. (2009). Public and Private Families: A Reader (6th Revised edition ed.). New York: Mcgraw Hill Higher Education.
Davis, M., Eshelman, R., and McKay, M. (2000) The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, (5th Ed.) New York: MJF Books.
Droegkamp, Jan. Liberal Studies Handbook. Springfield, IL: University of Illinois, 2004.
Eiseley, Loren C. The Star Thrower. First ed. New York: Random House, 1978.
Elbow, Peter. Writing with Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1981.
Feldman, Noah. Divided by God. New York, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005.
Fisher & Harrsison. Substance Abuse Information for School Counselors, Social Workers, Therapists, and Counselors. 4th Edition. Allyn Ed and Bacon Press.
Fisher, Louis & Adler, David Gray. American Constitutional Law, Seventh Edition. Durham NC: Carlina Academic Press, 2007.
Frye, Marilyn. “Oppression.” From The Politics of Reality: Essays in Feminist Theory. Turnsburg, NY: Crossing Press, 1983.
Gronlund, N.E. (2004) 7th Edition Writing Instructional Objectives for Teaching and Assessment. Paperback. Pearson.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1996.
Homer. The Odyssey, translated by S.H. Butcher and A. Lang. Vol. XXII. The Harvard Classics. New York: P.F. Collier & Son, 1909–14; Bartleby.com, 2001.
Hooke, Alexander E. Virtuous Persons, Vicious Deeds. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Co., 1999.
Indian Tales and Others by Neihardt, John G.. (1936). New York: Macmillan Company.
Jolly, Alison. Lucy's legacy : sex and intelligence in human evolution. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass. : 1999
Kellenberger, James. Introduction to Philosophy of Religion. First ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007.
Kellough, R.D. and Jarolimet, W. (2007) Teaching and Learning in the Elementary School, 9th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall
Kellough, Richard, and Jioanna Carjuzaa. Teaching in the Middle and Secondary Schools. New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2006.
Kidd, Thomas S. American Christians and Islam. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press, 2009.
King, T. (2006). Medicine River. Boston: Penguin (Non-Classics).
King, T. (2008). The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative (Indigenous Americas) (1 ed.). Minnesota: Univ Of Minnesota Press.
Kingston Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior. New York New York: Vintage Books, 1975.
Kolb, David A. The Kolb Learning Style Inventory. Hay Group, 1999.
Komives, Susan R., Nance Lucas, and Timothy R. McMahon. Exploring Leadership. Second ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2007.
Kymlicka, Will. Contemporary Political Philosophy, Second Edition. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Lenski, S.D. and Nierthermer, S.L. (2004) Becoming a Teacher of Reading: A Developmental Approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.
Lorde, Audre. “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House."
Macionis, J. J. (2007). Sociology (12th Edition) (MySocLab Series) (12 ed.). Alexandria, VA: Prentice Hall.
Macionis, J. J. (2009). Social Problems (4th Edition) (4 ed.). Alexandria, VA: Prentice Hall.
Marlowe, J.D., and Cummins, S. (2008) Evidence for Paralegals (4th Edition) Aspen.
McGinniss Joe. The $elling of the President. The Classic Account of The Packaging of a Candidate. New York New York: Penguin Books, 1969.
McIntosh, Peggy. “White Privilege and Male Privilege."
Mcluhan, M. (1997). Essential McLuhan. New York: Routledge.
Millman, Richard, and George Parker. Geometry. New York: Springer, 1991.
Momaday, N. S. (1990). The Way to Rainy Mountain (9th Paperbound Printing ed.). Albuquerque, CA: University Of New Mexico.
Momaday, N. S. (2010). House Made of Dawn (P.S.). New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics.
Moore, B. N. (2010). Philosophy: The Power of Ideas (8 ed.). Boston: Mcgraw-Hill College.
Morgan, Robin. Case Studies in Child and Adolescent Psychopathology. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1999.
Myers, Dee Dee. Why Women Should Rule The World. New York: HarperCollins, 2008.
Neihardt, J. G. (1991). When the Tree Flowered: The Story of Eagle Voice, a Sioux Indian (New Edition) (New ed.). Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.
Neihardt, J. G. (1998). The Giving Earth: A John G. Neihardt Reader. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.
Neihardt, J. G. (2002). A Cycle of the West: The Song of Three Friends, The Song of Hugh Glass, The Song of Jed Smith, The Song of the Indian Wars, The Song of the Messiah (50 Anv ed.). Toronto, Canada: Bison Books.
Nerburn, Kent. Letters to My Son. Novato, CA: New World Library, 1999.
Nozick, Robert. Anarchy, State and Utopia. Basic Books Inc. 1974.
Pence, G. (2007). Medical Ethics: Accounts of the Cases that Shaped and Define Medical Ethics (5 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill.
Platt, R. (2006). Crime Scene: The Ultimate Guide to Forensic Science. New York: DK ADULT.
Platt, R. (2008). Forensics (Kingfisher Knowledge). New York: Kingfisher.
Pojman, Louis P., and Michael Rea. Philosophy of Religion. Fifth ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson & Wadsworth, 2008.
Posner, George. Field Experience - A Guide to Reflective Teaching. New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2010.
Possin, Kevin. Critical Thinking. Winona, MN: The Critical Thinking Lab, 2002.
Powell, Sara Davis. Introduction to Middle School. New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2005.
Rachels, J. (1991). Created from Animals: The Moral Implications of Darwinism (Oxford Paperbacks). New York: Oxford University Press, USA.
Rachels, J., & Rachels, S. (2009). The Elements of Moral Philosophy (6th Revised edition ed.). New York: Mcgraw Hill Higher Education.
Rawls, John. A Theory of Justice. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 1979, 1999.
Reynard Charles, Valente Judith. Twenty Poems to Nourish Your Soul. Chicago: Loyola Press, 2006.
Sax, B. (1992). The Parliament of Animals: Anecdotes and Legends from Books of Natural History, 1775-1900. Fairfax: University Publishing Association.
Sax, B. (2002). Animals in the Third Reich: Pets, Scapegoats, and the Holocaust. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group.
Sax, B. (2004). Crow (Reaktion Books - Animal). New York: Reaktion Books.
Shedletsky, Leonard, and Joan Aitken. Human Communication on the Internet. Boston: Pearson Education, 2004.
Stevenson, L. (1988). Seven Theories of Human Nature (2 ed.). New York: Oxford University Press, USA.
Tannen, Deborah. “Wears Jumpsuit. Sensible Shoes. Uses Husband’s Last Name.” in The Meaning of Difference. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2000.
Taulbert, Clifton. Eight Habits of the Heart. First ed. New York: Penguin Books, 1997.
Taylor, Charles. Multiculturalism. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press, 1994.
Thio, A. (2009). Deviant Behavior (10th Edition) (10 ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Waldman, Steven. Founding Faith. How Our Founding Fathers Forged a Radical New Approach to Religious Liberty. New York New York: Random House, 2008.
Walzer Michael. Spheres of Justice. A Defense of Pluralism and Equality. Basic Books Inc. 1983.
Wharton, A. S. (2005). Working in America: Continuity, Conflict, and Change (3 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill.
Wren, J. Thomas. The Leader's Companion. First ed. New York: The Free Press, 1995.
Wright, Robert, The moral animal : the new science of evolutionary psychology. Pantheon Books, New York : 1994.
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Christians and Poverty
I've been looking for books that would exhibit some of the attitudes and beliefs of early Christian social work pioneers. Then, while I was doing that, I collected some other books that I thought might interest one of my advisees who will be doing an independent study with me on theology and service to the poor. I used RefWorks, a tool that is like EndNote, to collect the reference information for some sources that were available in Illinois (thank goodness for I-Share and the UIUC library!). I'm trying to encourage students to use RefWorks or Endnote to get their citations right, but now that I see the results here, I'm not so sure this is exactly what I wanted. Anyway, I'll share the list of books here:
Barnett, , & Barnett, H.,. (1972). Practicable socialism; essays on social reform,. Freeport, N.Y.: Books for Libraries Press.
Brace, C. L.,. (1885). Gesta Christ, or, A history of humane progress under Christianity. New York: A.C. Armstrong & Son. (chapters 9, 21, 29, 31, & 32)
Brace, C. L.,. (1967). The dangerous classes of New York and twenty years' work among them. Montclair, N.J.: P. Smith.
Brace, C. L., & Brace, E.,. (1894). The life of Charles Loring Brace chiefly told in his own letters. New York: C. Scribner's Sons.
Chalmers, T.,. (1821). The application of Christianity to the commercial and ordinary affairs of life, in a series of discourses. New York: S. Campbell & Sons.
Chalmers, T.,. (1821). The Christian and civic economy of large towns. Glasgow: Printed by J. Starke for Chalmers & Collins.
Chalmers, T.,. (1911). Dr. Chalmers and the poor laws: A comparison of Scotch and English pauperism and evidence before the committee of the House of Commons,. Edinburgh: D. Douglas.
Chalmers, T., & Masterman, N.,. (1900). Chalmers on charity; a selection of passages and scenes to illustrate the social teaching and practical work of Thomas Chalmers, D.D. Westminster: A. Constable and Co.
King, M. L., & Carson, C.,. (1998). The autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Intellectual Properties Management in association with Warner Books.
Schweitzer, A., & Campion, C. T.,. (1949). Out of my life and thought: An autobiography. New York: H. Holt.
Schweitzer, A., & Joy, C. R.,. (1967). Albert Schweitzer; an anthology. edited by Charles R. Joy. Boston: Beacon Press.
Sider, R. J., & Gay, C. M. (1997). Rich Christians in an age of hunger - revisited. U.S.: Christians Scholar's Review.
Taylor, G.,. (1913). Religion in social action,. New York: Dodd, Mead and Co.
Taylor, G.,. (1936). Chicago Commons through forty years. Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Commons Association.
Teresa, , & Benenate, B. (1997). In the heart of the world: Thoughts, stories, & prayers. Novato, Calif.: New World Library.
Teresa, , González-Balado, J. L., & Playfoot, J. N. (1985). My life for the poor. San Francisco: Harper & Row.
Tillich, P.,. (1966). On the boundary; an autobiographical sketch. New York: Scribner.
Tillich, P.,. (1971). Political expectation. New York: Harper & Row.
Tuckerman, J.,. (1838). The principles and results of the ministry at large: In Boston. Boston: J. Munroe.
Tuckerman, J.,. (1839). Christian service to the poor in cities, unconnected with any religious denomination a series of extracts from "the principles and results of the ministry at large" in Boston, U.S.
Tuckerman, J.,. (1971). On the elevation of the poor; a selection from his reports as minister at large in Boston. New York: Arno Press.
Barnett, , & Barnett, H.,. (1972). Practicable socialism; essays on social reform,. Freeport, N.Y.: Books for Libraries Press.
Brace, C. L.,. (1885). Gesta Christ, or, A history of humane progress under Christianity. New York: A.C. Armstrong & Son. (chapters 9, 21, 29, 31, & 32)
Brace, C. L.,. (1967). The dangerous classes of New York and twenty years' work among them. Montclair, N.J.: P. Smith.
Brace, C. L., & Brace, E.,. (1894). The life of Charles Loring Brace chiefly told in his own letters. New York: C. Scribner's Sons.
Chalmers, T.,. (1821). The application of Christianity to the commercial and ordinary affairs of life, in a series of discourses. New York: S. Campbell & Sons.
Chalmers, T.,. (1821). The Christian and civic economy of large towns. Glasgow: Printed by J. Starke for Chalmers & Collins.
Chalmers, T.,. (1911). Dr. Chalmers and the poor laws: A comparison of Scotch and English pauperism and evidence before the committee of the House of Commons,. Edinburgh: D. Douglas.
Chalmers, T., & Masterman, N.,. (1900). Chalmers on charity; a selection of passages and scenes to illustrate the social teaching and practical work of Thomas Chalmers, D.D. Westminster: A. Constable and Co.
Gurteen, S. H. (1883). How paupers are made; an address on the prevention of pauperism ... Chicago:
Gurteen, S. H., & Charity Organization Society of Buffalo. (1879). Hints and suggestions to the visitors of the poor. Buffalo [N.Y.]: Published by the Charity Organization Society of the City of Buffalo.
Hamlin, C. (2006). William Pulteney Alison, the Scottish philosophy, and the making of a political medicine. Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, 61(2), 144-186.
Katz, Michael B. (1996). In the shadow of the poorhouse, revised edition. New York: Basic Books.
Hamlin, C. (2006). William Pulteney Alison, the Scottish philosophy, and the making of a political medicine. Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, 61(2), 144-186.
Katz, Michael B. (1996). In the shadow of the poorhouse, revised edition. New York: Basic Books.
King, M. L., & Carson, C.,. (1998). The autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Intellectual Properties Management in association with Warner Books.
Niebuhr, R., & Robertson, D. B.,. (1967). Essays in applied Christianity: The Church and the new world;. New York: Meridian Books.
Schweitzer, A., & Campion, C. T.,. (1949). Out of my life and thought: An autobiography. New York: H. Holt.
Schweitzer, A., & Joy, C. R.,. (1967). Albert Schweitzer; an anthology. edited by Charles R. Joy. Boston: Beacon Press.
Sider, R. J., & Gay, C. M. (1997). Rich Christians in an age of hunger - revisited. U.S.: Christians Scholar's Review.
Taylor, G.,. (1913). Religion in social action,. New York: Dodd, Mead and Co.
Taylor, G.,. (1936). Chicago Commons through forty years. Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Commons Association.
Teresa, , & Benenate, B. (1997). In the heart of the world: Thoughts, stories, & prayers. Novato, Calif.: New World Library.
Teresa, , González-Balado, J. L., & Playfoot, J. N. (1985). My life for the poor. San Francisco: Harper & Row.
Tillich, P.,. (1966). On the boundary; an autobiographical sketch. New York: Scribner.
Tillich, P.,. (1971). Political expectation. New York: Harper & Row.
Tuckerman, J.,. (1838). The principles and results of the ministry at large: In Boston. Boston: J. Munroe.
Tuckerman, J.,. (1839). Christian service to the poor in cities, unconnected with any religious denomination a series of extracts from "the principles and results of the ministry at large" in Boston, U.S.
Tuckerman, J.,. (1971). On the elevation of the poor; a selection from his reports as minister at large in Boston. New York: Arno Press.
My student will actually be reading about half of these, and I guess I will too. Hopefully I can blog about some of these in the coming months.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
100 Books (not the BBC list)
On Facebook people have been counting how many books from a list put out by the BBC they have read. I've read 29 from the BBC list, but I have some friends who have read nearly 60.
I thought I'd create my own list of 100 books I have read or would like to read. There is significant overlap with the BBC list, since I used it as a starting point. I couldn't figure out the order of the BBC list; was it in order of popularity? My list is not in any particular order, although I have clustered books according to some similarities. Anyway, here is my list:
1, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
2, Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White
3, The Harry Potter Books (Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, Deathly Hallows), J.K. Rowling
4, The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
5, The Once and Future King, T.H. White
6, The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
7, The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
8, Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne
9, The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
10, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum
11, A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
12, Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
13, The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien
14, The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King), J.R.R. Tolkien
15, Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
16, War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
17, Dream of the Red Chamber, Tsao Hsueh-Chin
18, In Search of Lost Time (Remembrance of Things Past), Marcel Proust
19, Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace
20, Memory of Fire (Genesis, Faces and Masks, Century of the Wind), Eduardo Galeano
21, The Alexandria Quartet (Mountolive, Balthazar, Justine, Clea), Lawrence Durrell
22, The Cairo Trilogy (Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street), Naguib Mahfouz
23, The Magic Mountain, Thomas Mann
24, The Republic, Plato
25, The Inferno, Dante
26, Beowulf, Unknown Anglo-Saxon bard
27, The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer
28, The Guide of the Perplexed, Moses Maimonides
29, Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
30, Hamlet, William Shakespeare
31, MacBeth, William Shakespeare
32, Beyond Rationality, Kenneth R. Hammond
33, Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin
34, Goodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War, William Manchester
35, Hiroshima, John Hersey
36, The Star Thrower, Loren Eiseley
37, So Human an Animal, René Dubos
38, Blink, Malcolm Gladwell
39, Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
40, Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen
41, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
42, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
43, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe
44, A Death In The Family, James Agee
45, Moby Dick, Herman Melville
46, Ishmael, Daniel Quinn
47, The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
48, Little Women, Louisa M. Alcott
49, Catch 22, Joseph Heller
50, Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
51, On The Road, Jack Kerouac
52, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon
53, Turbulence (Fuzao), Jia Pingwa
54, The Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, and the Analects (The first three of The Four Books), Confucius
55, Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu
56, Journey to the West, Wu Cheng-en
57, Sadhana, Rabindranath Tagore
58, God’s Bits of Wood, Sembene Ousmane
59, Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie
60, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61, Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
62, The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
63, Dreams From My Father, Barack Obama
64, Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
65, In Dubious Battle, John Steinbeck
66, Babbitt, Sinclair Lewis
67, The Jungle, Upton Sinclair
68, Tales of Soldiers and Civilians, Ambrose Bierce
69, Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
70, The Trial, Franz Kafka
71, Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, Lafcadio Hearn
72, Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
73, It, Stephen King
74, Dracula, Bram Stoker
75, The Turn of the Screw, Henry James
76, Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
77, The Iron Heel, Jack London
78, 1984, George Orwell
79, Homage to Catalonia, George Orwell
80, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Philip K. Dick
81, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Robert A. Heinlein
82, Childhood’s End, Arthur C. Clarke
83, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller Jr.
84, Empire Falls, Richard Russo
85, Watership Down, Richard Adams
86, The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
87, Les Miserables, Victor Hugo
88, The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas
89, Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert
90, Freedom from the Known, Jiddu Krishnamurti
91, The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis
92, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis
93, The Book of Certitude (Kitab-i-Iqan), Husayn-`Ali Nuri (Baha’u’llah)
94, The Hidden Words, Husayn-`Ali Nuri (Baha’u’llah)
95, The Four Gospels and the Acts of the New Testament (of the Bible), Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
96, The Imitation of Christ, Thomas à Kempis
97, Why I Am Not a Christian, Bertrand Russell
98, The Story of My Experiments with Truth (Gandhi’s Autobiography), Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
99, The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., Martin Luther King Jr., & Clayborne Carson
100, The Nature and Destiny of Man: A Christian Interpretation, Reinhold Neibuhr
I thought I'd create my own list of 100 books I have read or would like to read. There is significant overlap with the BBC list, since I used it as a starting point. I couldn't figure out the order of the BBC list; was it in order of popularity? My list is not in any particular order, although I have clustered books according to some similarities. Anyway, here is my list:
1, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
2, Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White
3, The Harry Potter Books (Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, Deathly Hallows), J.K. Rowling
4, The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
5, The Once and Future King, T.H. White
6, The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
7, The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
8, Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne
9, The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
10, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum
11, A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
12, Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
13, The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien
14, The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King), J.R.R. Tolkien
15, Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
16, War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
17, Dream of the Red Chamber, Tsao Hsueh-Chin
18, In Search of Lost Time (Remembrance of Things Past), Marcel Proust
19, Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace
20, Memory of Fire (Genesis, Faces and Masks, Century of the Wind), Eduardo Galeano
21, The Alexandria Quartet (Mountolive, Balthazar, Justine, Clea), Lawrence Durrell
22, The Cairo Trilogy (Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street), Naguib Mahfouz
23, The Magic Mountain, Thomas Mann
24, The Republic, Plato
25, The Inferno, Dante
26, Beowulf, Unknown Anglo-Saxon bard
27, The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer
28, The Guide of the Perplexed, Moses Maimonides
29, Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
30, Hamlet, William Shakespeare
31, MacBeth, William Shakespeare
32, Beyond Rationality, Kenneth R. Hammond
33, Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin
34, Goodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War, William Manchester
35, Hiroshima, John Hersey
36, The Star Thrower, Loren Eiseley
37, So Human an Animal, René Dubos
38, Blink, Malcolm Gladwell
39, Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
40, Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen
41, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
42, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
43, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe
44, A Death In The Family, James Agee
45, Moby Dick, Herman Melville
46, Ishmael, Daniel Quinn
47, The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
48, Little Women, Louisa M. Alcott
49, Catch 22, Joseph Heller
50, Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
51, On The Road, Jack Kerouac
52, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon
53, Turbulence (Fuzao), Jia Pingwa
54, The Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, and the Analects (The first three of The Four Books), Confucius
55, Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu
56, Journey to the West, Wu Cheng-en
57, Sadhana, Rabindranath Tagore
58, God’s Bits of Wood, Sembene Ousmane
59, Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie
60, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61, Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
62, The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
63, Dreams From My Father, Barack Obama
64, Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
65, In Dubious Battle, John Steinbeck
66, Babbitt, Sinclair Lewis
67, The Jungle, Upton Sinclair
68, Tales of Soldiers and Civilians, Ambrose Bierce
69, Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
70, The Trial, Franz Kafka
71, Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, Lafcadio Hearn
72, Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
73, It, Stephen King
74, Dracula, Bram Stoker
75, The Turn of the Screw, Henry James
76, Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
77, The Iron Heel, Jack London
78, 1984, George Orwell
79, Homage to Catalonia, George Orwell
80, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Philip K. Dick
81, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Robert A. Heinlein
82, Childhood’s End, Arthur C. Clarke
83, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller Jr.
84, Empire Falls, Richard Russo
85, Watership Down, Richard Adams
86, The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
87, Les Miserables, Victor Hugo
88, The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas
89, Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert
90, Freedom from the Known, Jiddu Krishnamurti
91, The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis
92, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis
93, The Book of Certitude (Kitab-i-Iqan), Husayn-`Ali Nuri (Baha’u’llah)
94, The Hidden Words, Husayn-`Ali Nuri (Baha’u’llah)
95, The Four Gospels and the Acts of the New Testament (of the Bible), Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
96, The Imitation of Christ, Thomas à Kempis
97, Why I Am Not a Christian, Bertrand Russell
98, The Story of My Experiments with Truth (Gandhi’s Autobiography), Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
99, The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., Martin Luther King Jr., & Clayborne Carson
100, The Nature and Destiny of Man: A Christian Interpretation, Reinhold Neibuhr
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
I was recently looking for some good books on the major political issues of the day. If someone wanted to become familiar with the big issues in economics and politics and the environment, what should they read? In particular, I wanted books that would help college students understand how institutions might be changed to solve various economic and political problems.
I came up with the following list (with Brookens Library call numbers as part of the listing, to help students find these books in our university’s library):
Alperovitz, Gar (2005). America Beyond Capitalism: Reclaiming our Wealth, Our Liberty, and Our Democracy. Hoboken, NJ: J. Wiley. JK1726 .A428 2005.
Bolton, Giles (2007). Poor Story. an insider uncovers how globalisation and good intentions have failed the world’s poor. (HC 800 Z9 P6238 2007)
Bonilla-Silva, Eduard. (2003). Racism without racists: color-blind racism and the persistence of racial inequality in the United States. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. E184.A1 B597 2003.
Bornstein, David. (2007). How to change the world: Social entrepreneurs and the power of new ideas, updated edition. New York: Oxford University Press. HN18 .B6363 2007.
Brown, Sherrod. (2004). Myths of free trade: why American trade policy has failed. New York: New Press. HF1455 .B733 2004.
Edwards, Andres R. (2005). The Sustainability Revolution: Portrait of a Paradigm Shift. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers. (Not available at UIS Library).
Greenhouse, Steven. (2008). The big squeeze: tough times for the American worker. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. HD8072.5 .G74 2008.
Hamilton, Lee H. (2004). How congress works and why you should care. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. (not available at UIS Library).
Hawken, Paul. (2007). Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Social Movement in History Is Restoring Grace, Justice, and Beauty to the World. New York: Viking. GE195 .H388 2007.
Jones, Jeffrey D. (2007). The unaffordable nation: Searching for a decent life in America. New York: Prometheus Books. (HD6983 .J66 2007)
Lakoff, George. (2002). Moral Politics: How liberals and conservatives think (Revised Second Edition in Paperback). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (The earlier first edition of this book is available at the UIS library: HN90.M6 L351996)
Lichtman, Allan J. (2008). White Protestant Nation; The rise of the American conservative movement. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press. JC573.2.U6 L53 2008.
McKibben, Bill (2004). Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future. New York: Holt. (Not available at UIS Library). (paperbook version was published in 2008).
O’Rourke, P. J. (1991). Parliament of Whores: A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press. JK34 .O741991
O’Rourke, P. J. (2007). On “The Wealth of Nations”. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press.
Obama, Barack (2004). Dreams from my father: a story of race and inheritance. New York: Times Books. E185.97.O23 A31995.
Orfield, Myron. (2002). American Metropolitics: New Suburban Reality. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press. HT334.U5 O72 2002.
Rank, Mark. (2004). One nation, underprivileged: Why American poverty affects us all. New York: Oxford University Press. HV91 .R363 2004
Redman, Eric (1973). The dance of legislation. New York: Simon and Schuster. KF4980 .R4.
Reich, Robert B. (2007). Supercapitalism: the transformation of business, democracy, and everyday life. JK275 .R45 2007
Sen, Amartya (1999). Development as Freedom. New York: Knopf. HD75 .S455 1999.
Stern, Andy (2006). A country that works: getting America back on track. New York: Free Press. HD8066 .S74 2006.
Stiglitz, Joseph E. (2006). Making globalization work. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. HF1359 .S753 2006.
Vollmann, William T. (2007). Poor People. New York: Ecco. HV4028 .V65 2007.
Wolff, Edward N. (2002). Top heavy: the increasing inequality of wealth in America and what can be done about it. New York: New Press. HJ4120 .W65 2002
I was concerned that this list of books didn't seem to have enough views from conservative or libertarian viewpoints. I'm pretty liberal or radical in most political questions (although I hold a few reactionary or conservative views here and there on particular issues). So, I started looking for conservative reading lists. I figured that the various well-funded conservative think-tanks such as the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute, and the Cato Institute would have some good books, and so I started with their websites.
The Cato Institute has never impressed me with the scholarship of the work they present. In fact, it's usually easy to find serious problems in any report issued by the Cato institute, but sometimes they make some valid points or present some interesting data, and their stuff is always thought-provoking, even if it's substantially weak. As I look at the books they have recently published, I notice several that I might consider adding to my list. One thing I notice, however, is that every book from the institute seems to carry a certain Libertarian position against big government. If you compare the list to the books and reports published by a more liberal or moderate think-tank such as the Brookings Institute, the Rand Corporation, or the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, you can (I think) sense a real difference in the focus and quality of publications. The more non-partisan or liberal think tanks produce work that address a wider variety of issues and problems, and the policy recommendations generally seem (to me at least) to come from reasoned evaluation, rather than a consistent ideological position. The Heritage Foundation has a few books that aren't grinding that same ax against the government and taxes. The American Enterprise Institute actually seems to have a broader set of publications that apparently take a more scholarly and analytical position.
What about book clubs and what they are suggesting people read? The Conservative Book Club doesn't seem to feature any of the better books from scholars at the conservative think-tanks. Instead, it has books by the likes of Ann Coulter and Jonah Goldberg. You can get books from them such as "The Case Against Barack Obama" or "Conservative Comebacks to Liberal Lies" or "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades)." These books seem to me to be motivational books written by in-group leaders for their faithful to read as part of a faith-and-intuition-based identity movement around "conservatism," but I don't think these books really provide much intellectual or analytical foundation for sound conservative political philosophy. At least, I don't see how a book like "If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans" is going to encourage critical thinking and reasoned debate based upon empirical evidence and logical propositions. The Conservative Book Service seems slightly more sophisticated. They offer us "Black Belt Patriotism" by Chuck Norris. Oh yes, they carry Ann Coulter books, and have a whole section of books on the Clintons.
I compare this to the books offered by the Progressive Book Club. They also carry some books by authors on the silly fringes of the left (I doubt I could stomach Jim Hightower's "Swim Against the Current" even if I agreed with most of what he says in it). Yet, most of the books seem to be more thoughtful and scholarly. I would really like to read Richard Hofstadter's "The Paranoid Style in American Politics," and I've already read and can recommend Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma."
Why aren't there more conservative counterparts to the sorts of books carried by the Progressive Book Club or the reports issued by the liberal and moderate think tanks? Why are the conservative book clubs and think tanks so frustratingly dependent upon shallow books by people who can write opinion, but have poor skills in presenting good information? I wish the conservatives had more intellectual voices and more convincing books. Can anyone recommend some really good conservative books on current issues that I could add to my list? Aside from P.J. O'Rourke, who is a sort of intellectual conservative humorist (and a great writer), but not really a scholar by any means, I don't really have any solid conservative authors in my list.
I came up with the following list (with Brookens Library call numbers as part of the listing, to help students find these books in our university’s library):
Alperovitz, Gar (2005). America Beyond Capitalism: Reclaiming our Wealth, Our Liberty, and Our Democracy. Hoboken, NJ: J. Wiley. JK1726 .A428 2005.
Bolton, Giles (2007). Poor Story. an insider uncovers how globalisation and good intentions have failed the world’s poor. (HC 800 Z9 P6238 2007)
Bonilla-Silva, Eduard. (2003). Racism without racists: color-blind racism and the persistence of racial inequality in the United States. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. E184.A1 B597 2003.
Bornstein, David. (2007). How to change the world: Social entrepreneurs and the power of new ideas, updated edition. New York: Oxford University Press. HN18 .B6363 2007.
Brown, Sherrod. (2004). Myths of free trade: why American trade policy has failed. New York: New Press. HF1455 .B733 2004.
Edwards, Andres R. (2005). The Sustainability Revolution: Portrait of a Paradigm Shift. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers. (Not available at UIS Library).
Greenhouse, Steven. (2008). The big squeeze: tough times for the American worker. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. HD8072.5 .G74 2008.
Hamilton, Lee H. (2004). How congress works and why you should care. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. (not available at UIS Library).
Hawken, Paul. (2007). Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Social Movement in History Is Restoring Grace, Justice, and Beauty to the World. New York: Viking. GE195 .H388 2007.
Jones, Jeffrey D. (2007). The unaffordable nation: Searching for a decent life in America. New York: Prometheus Books. (HD6983 .J66 2007)
Lakoff, George. (2002). Moral Politics: How liberals and conservatives think (Revised Second Edition in Paperback). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (The earlier first edition of this book is available at the UIS library: HN90.M6 L351996)
Lichtman, Allan J. (2008). White Protestant Nation; The rise of the American conservative movement. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press. JC573.2.U6 L53 2008.
McKibben, Bill (2004). Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future. New York: Holt. (Not available at UIS Library). (paperbook version was published in 2008).
O’Rourke, P. J. (1991). Parliament of Whores: A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press. JK34 .O741991
O’Rourke, P. J. (2007). On “The Wealth of Nations”. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press.
Obama, Barack (2004). Dreams from my father: a story of race and inheritance. New York: Times Books. E185.97.O23 A31995.
Orfield, Myron. (2002). American Metropolitics: New Suburban Reality. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press. HT334.U5 O72 2002.
Rank, Mark. (2004). One nation, underprivileged: Why American poverty affects us all. New York: Oxford University Press. HV91 .R363 2004
Redman, Eric (1973). The dance of legislation. New York: Simon and Schuster. KF4980 .R4.
Reich, Robert B. (2007). Supercapitalism: the transformation of business, democracy, and everyday life. JK275 .R45 2007
Sen, Amartya (1999). Development as Freedom. New York: Knopf. HD75 .S455 1999.
Stern, Andy (2006). A country that works: getting America back on track. New York: Free Press. HD8066 .S74 2006.
Stiglitz, Joseph E. (2006). Making globalization work. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. HF1359 .S753 2006.
Vollmann, William T. (2007). Poor People. New York: Ecco. HV4028 .V65 2007.
Wolff, Edward N. (2002). Top heavy: the increasing inequality of wealth in America and what can be done about it. New York: New Press. HJ4120 .W65 2002
I was concerned that this list of books didn't seem to have enough views from conservative or libertarian viewpoints. I'm pretty liberal or radical in most political questions (although I hold a few reactionary or conservative views here and there on particular issues). So, I started looking for conservative reading lists. I figured that the various well-funded conservative think-tanks such as the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute, and the Cato Institute would have some good books, and so I started with their websites.
The Cato Institute has never impressed me with the scholarship of the work they present. In fact, it's usually easy to find serious problems in any report issued by the Cato institute, but sometimes they make some valid points or present some interesting data, and their stuff is always thought-provoking, even if it's substantially weak. As I look at the books they have recently published, I notice several that I might consider adding to my list. One thing I notice, however, is that every book from the institute seems to carry a certain Libertarian position against big government. If you compare the list to the books and reports published by a more liberal or moderate think-tank such as the Brookings Institute, the Rand Corporation, or the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, you can (I think) sense a real difference in the focus and quality of publications. The more non-partisan or liberal think tanks produce work that address a wider variety of issues and problems, and the policy recommendations generally seem (to me at least) to come from reasoned evaluation, rather than a consistent ideological position. The Heritage Foundation has a few books that aren't grinding that same ax against the government and taxes. The American Enterprise Institute actually seems to have a broader set of publications that apparently take a more scholarly and analytical position.
What about book clubs and what they are suggesting people read? The Conservative Book Club doesn't seem to feature any of the better books from scholars at the conservative think-tanks. Instead, it has books by the likes of Ann Coulter and Jonah Goldberg. You can get books from them such as "The Case Against Barack Obama" or "Conservative Comebacks to Liberal Lies" or "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades)." These books seem to me to be motivational books written by in-group leaders for their faithful to read as part of a faith-and-intuition-based identity movement around "conservatism," but I don't think these books really provide much intellectual or analytical foundation for sound conservative political philosophy. At least, I don't see how a book like "If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans" is going to encourage critical thinking and reasoned debate based upon empirical evidence and logical propositions. The Conservative Book Service seems slightly more sophisticated. They offer us "Black Belt Patriotism" by Chuck Norris. Oh yes, they carry Ann Coulter books, and have a whole section of books on the Clintons.
I compare this to the books offered by the Progressive Book Club. They also carry some books by authors on the silly fringes of the left (I doubt I could stomach Jim Hightower's "Swim Against the Current" even if I agreed with most of what he says in it). Yet, most of the books seem to be more thoughtful and scholarly. I would really like to read Richard Hofstadter's "The Paranoid Style in American Politics," and I've already read and can recommend Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma."
Why aren't there more conservative counterparts to the sorts of books carried by the Progressive Book Club or the reports issued by the liberal and moderate think tanks? Why are the conservative book clubs and think tanks so frustratingly dependent upon shallow books by people who can write opinion, but have poor skills in presenting good information? I wish the conservatives had more intellectual voices and more convincing books. Can anyone recommend some really good conservative books on current issues that I could add to my list? Aside from P.J. O'Rourke, who is a sort of intellectual conservative humorist (and a great writer), but not really a scholar by any means, I don't really have any solid conservative authors in my list.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Reading in preparation for Spain
I’ve been doing some reading in preparation for our trip to Spain, and I thought I’d take this opportunity to share some reflections on the books I’ve been consulting.
I found Miranda France’s Don Quixote’s Delusions: Travels in Castilian Spain (2001) at the Lincoln Library (call number 914.62 FRA). This book offers an interesting mix a few a different types of narrative. Miranda France is about my age, or maybe a couple years older, and she describes her time in Spain as a university student (in 1987-1988). This part of the book is a personal memoir, and she shares what it was like to be a young person in Spain during this time when Spain was experiencing the post-Franco exuberance. She had an interesting assortment of friends and house mates, and I think her reflections on what these people did and what motivated them is quite good. There is psychological insight and plenty of anecdotes to illustrate both the universal human condition and the particular aspects of life she had at that particular time and place. There are also many chapters about Don Quixote and its author, Cervantes. These are examples of literary criticism and philosophical musings on the meaning of Cervantes. Other chapters of the book describe her travels in Spain, both during her student days and then more recently when she returned a decade after leaving Spain. She’s a good travel writer. Finally, there are chapters and sections in which she explores Spanish history and culture. I found her views to be reasonable and intelligent, and I liked her perspective on history. She is a person who loves Spanish culture and cares about her subject, but she is at the same time critical and analytical. Her life as a student reminded me of my own experiences in many ways. However, she was probably more closely associated with the seedy and underground aspects of Spanish life than most writers on Spanish culture, and this gives her a unique perspective. I highly recommend this book.
Gaudi, a biography, by Gijs Van Hensbergen (Lincoln Library, call number 720.92 GAU) offered me some insight into one of my favorite architects. It was a fine biography, with much attention to the political and economic conditions in Barcelona and more widely in Spain during Gaudi’s life (1852-1926). I was glad to read the defense of both Gaudi as a person and also his architecture, which many people find vulgar, silly, or crackpot (it is not: it is brilliant). Two other Gaudi books were Essential Gaudi (by John Gill, published in 2002, call number 720.92 GAU) and Gaudi (by Ignasi de Sola-Morales, published in 1983, call number 720.92 GAU). The second of these is a fairly straight-forward picture book with a biography and several pages of photographs devoted to each of Gaudi’s projects. I loved the sketches by J. Matamala of what he remembered Gaudi’s ideas were for a skyscraper hotel in New York City (images 142-146, see example posted as part of this blog). The Essential Gaudi had a nice format I would probably use if I were making a book about our upcoming trip to Spain. As you opened the book each two page spread had a text article on the left and a full page photograph on the right. This was a book that paid far more attention to architectural considerations. Both these books were a delight to browse through in anticipation of going to Barcelona and seeing the originals for myself.
The book that gave me the most pleasure was Al-Andalus: The Art of Islamic Spain (edited by Jerrilynn D. Dodds, published in 1992, call number 709.46). This book contained a catalogue (pages 190-391) of an exhibition given at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The first 189 pages of the book offered well-illustrated essays about the Islamic history and culture and artistic trends during the age of Islam in Spain (mostly 711-1492). I'm trying to get my history straight. The history of Islam in Spain is usually divided into six periods. The initial conquest and the rule of Umayyad Governors runs from 711-756. This is followed by the Umayyad Emirate from 756-929, the Umayyad Caliphate (929-1031), the Taifa Kingdoms (1031-1086), the Almoravid and Almohad rules (1088-1232), and finally the Nasrid Kingdom in Granada (1238-1492).
The best history book I came across was Spain: The Root and the Flower by John A. Crow. I found the third edition, expanded and updated, published in 1985, although the first edition came out in 1963. Crow mixed cultural insight and popular history with the normal accounts of the politics and kings and wars. I liked his opinionated comments on various aspects of Spanish history, and his emphasis on artistic and intellectual developments, and particularly the Spanish literature. This was available in the Lincoln Library, but I got the most recent edition from my university library at call number DP 48 C8 1985.
The book I read to learn about current events in Spain was Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and Its Silent Past by Giles Tremlett (both the Lincoln Library and UIS library have this, and the call number at the UIS library is DP 233.5 T74 2007.) This book had some interesting details about Spanish attitudes and popular culture. There was a lot about sex. For example, Spanish men pay for sex more than other Europeans. Miranda France had also commented on the highly visible sex worker business. There were stories about scandals and corruption, and some stories about popular figures like famous Flamenco singers and so forth.
Another art biography I highly recommend is Goya, by Robert Hughes (Call number 759.6 GOY at the Lincoln Library). I like Robert Hughes, and I like Goya. This book helped me to make sense of Goya’s fascination with witches. It also explained to me much about the politics and culture of Spain in the late 18th century and early 19th century. The book is very well illustrated.
Stories of the Spanish Artists until Goya by Sir William Stirling Maxwell (published in 1938, and available in the Lincoln Library at call number 759.6 M46s) gives some background on the artists whose work we’ll be seeing in the art museums. The stories were sometimes interesting. This was a good bedtime book.
For fun, I picked out a 122 year old book from the UIS library, The Story of Spain by Edward Everett Hale and Susan Hale, part of The Story of the Nations series, published in 1886. The call number is DP 68 H16. I don’t think the history was particularly accurate, and the authors' attitudes were very dated, but the book itself offered some historical insight into what Americans or English people might have read about Spain when my great-great grandparents and great grandparents were in their prime. The book concentrates on the very early history of Spain, and legends or myths about its history. The chapter on Ferdinand and Isabella (late 15th century) doesn’t come until page 298, it’s chapter 20 out of 25. The book did offer this advice, “...the student of modern Spanish history must remember all along that Spain is the prey of unceasing partisan dissension....” That seems to be still the case, according to what I read in Tremlett’s book. I've shard a couple illustrations from this old book here in the blog.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Shopping for God
I've been reading Shopping for God by James B. Twitchell over the past few weeks. It's sort of a bedside book I've been enjoying. As many people know, the Southern Baptists, the Church of God in Christ, and the Mormons have been enjoying some growth over the past years, while the United Methodists, Presbyterians, and Episcopals have been losing members.
A few points stick in my mind. One, the most powerful way to get people to make an initial visit to a church is to use a word-of-mouth invitation. Second, much of the long-term trend in growth among evangelicals and decline among mainline Protestants comes from the different birth rates. The mainline Protestants have been having fewer children. I wonder if this also would partly explain the 30-year trend toward conservative ideology in the United States. Providing members opportunities to bond together is another key attribute that determines whether people come and stay, or drift away.
The tone of the book is not too flippant. It's not especially respectful either, but I wasn't offended, and I think most liberally-minded religous folks who are interested in social science or marketing would enjoy the book.
As a Baha'i, I found the book had some interesting ideas about marketing a religion that seem to be partly understood by the elected leadership in the Baha'i Faith. The current emphasis on Baha'is getting out and being friendly and caring with people around them is certain a good step, both in terms of ethics and in term of marketing. We need to work more on giving people a good experience when they start to participate in the Baha'i community. I think we probably drive people away sometimes with the quality of our community life. But, there are bright spots, and in the long run, I think Baha'u'llah gave humanity some suggestions that will lead to very satisfying communities of Faith, whether those communities call themselves "Baha'i" or are merely influenced by the Word Baha'u'llah revealed.
A few points stick in my mind. One, the most powerful way to get people to make an initial visit to a church is to use a word-of-mouth invitation. Second, much of the long-term trend in growth among evangelicals and decline among mainline Protestants comes from the different birth rates. The mainline Protestants have been having fewer children. I wonder if this also would partly explain the 30-year trend toward conservative ideology in the United States. Providing members opportunities to bond together is another key attribute that determines whether people come and stay, or drift away.
The tone of the book is not too flippant. It's not especially respectful either, but I wasn't offended, and I think most liberally-minded religous folks who are interested in social science or marketing would enjoy the book.
As a Baha'i, I found the book had some interesting ideas about marketing a religion that seem to be partly understood by the elected leadership in the Baha'i Faith. The current emphasis on Baha'is getting out and being friendly and caring with people around them is certain a good step, both in terms of ethics and in term of marketing. We need to work more on giving people a good experience when they start to participate in the Baha'i community. I think we probably drive people away sometimes with the quality of our community life. But, there are bright spots, and in the long run, I think Baha'u'llah gave humanity some suggestions that will lead to very satisfying communities of Faith, whether those communities call themselves "Baha'i" or are merely influenced by the Word Baha'u'llah revealed.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Halloween Reading
This weekend I checked out some books about death from the Lincoln Library, which is the public library here in Springfield. It’s a rather nice library, although not as big as the one in Urbana, Illinois. It’s aptly named, as the Lincoln house is only a block away from it, and my usual practice is to visit his home and the library every week or two. I’ve been listening to an unabridged audio book of Lincoln’s Melancholy during my drives between campus and home, and his musings on death and the tragic aspects of life seem most applicable these days, as Halloween approaches.
It’s not just Halloween and the Day of the Dead that inspired my interest in these books. A little over a month ago we lost our unborn son, who was, after all, only twelve weeks along in his growth into a person, and so by some accounts he wasn’t even yet our son or a person or human at all. But that’s not what I felt when Jeri went into labor and held him on her hand, still somewhat bloody. I know that I don’t usually think of a 12-week old fetus as being something beautiful or lovable, but when it is your own baby, and you have been excited and full of happy anticipation, the little one does touch your heart, especially the well-formed hands and feet.
Well, anyway, these books I was reading Sunday are really quite good. The first was Michael D. Bailey’s Magic and Superstition in Europe: A Concise History from Antiquity to the Present. I was particularly interested in the third chapter, on the varieties of magic in the high and late middle ages. The Church, in opposing the practice of using ceremonies and rituals that would trigger an encounter experience with an entity that seemed to be a dead person, had to stress that these were not in fact the souls of the dead returned to converse with the living. After all, according to Christian theology the dead were up in heaven or down in hell or perhaps in purgatory, and they could hardly leave to appear in our reality just because someone called them. Another book I read was Reunions: Visionary encounters with departed loved ones, by Raymond Moody and Paul Perry. I own Moody’s Life After Life, which I think I inherited from my step-father’s mother when she died in 1995. Moody doesn’t come out and say that the apparitions are the dead. They could be (and probably are) projections of our subconscious minds. The interesting thing to me is that given the right preparation and the right setting he claims that in more than half of cases a subject can have an encounter experience, and these experience are always good, therapeutic, and comforting. He suggests that the experience must come as part of a day in which the subject may spend a few hours walking and sitting while remembering the dead person, and talking about their relationship to the dead person. His subjects spend considerable time looking at objects that memorialize the dead (articles of their clothing, photographs, and so forth) while recalling all sorts of memories. After the preparation, the subjects sit in a comfortable chair, and look at a giant mirror on a wall, mounted in such a way that they can not see their own reflection in the mirror. This takes place in a room with only a 15-watt bulb for illumination, and a dark curtain and other props are used to block out light and sound and any other distracting things that would reflect in the mirror.
The most interesting book of the three I read was The Buried Soul: How humans invented death. This 2002 book is by Timothy Taylor. I found the book very compelling. He describes and discusses in detail some of the earliest graves or burial sites of human and proto-human history and prehistory. There is discussion of the continuing practice of ritual child sacrifice, a great deal about cannibalism, and a very touching discussion of Ibn Fadlan’s account of the pagan ship burial of a Rus chieftan. I like Taylor’s rejection of moral relativism when he describes the rape and brutal murder of the slave girl who volunteered to accompany the Rus (Viking) chief into the after-world, or the torture and massacre of children whose tears were collected to satisfy the Aztec rain god Tlaloc, or the sadistic ritualized killing of children for muti, ritualized objects used as charms by some southern Africans. I remember a Botswanan classmate of mine in graduate school who was very concerned about the practice of wealthy businessmen hiring witch doctors (sangomas) to procure young girls for human sacrifice to help their businesses prosper, but I hadn’t thought much about muti since.
Anyway, these were good books, especially Taylor’s book. I recommend them.
It’s not just Halloween and the Day of the Dead that inspired my interest in these books. A little over a month ago we lost our unborn son, who was, after all, only twelve weeks along in his growth into a person, and so by some accounts he wasn’t even yet our son or a person or human at all. But that’s not what I felt when Jeri went into labor and held him on her hand, still somewhat bloody. I know that I don’t usually think of a 12-week old fetus as being something beautiful or lovable, but when it is your own baby, and you have been excited and full of happy anticipation, the little one does touch your heart, especially the well-formed hands and feet.
Well, anyway, these books I was reading Sunday are really quite good. The first was Michael D. Bailey’s Magic and Superstition in Europe: A Concise History from Antiquity to the Present. I was particularly interested in the third chapter, on the varieties of magic in the high and late middle ages. The Church, in opposing the practice of using ceremonies and rituals that would trigger an encounter experience with an entity that seemed to be a dead person, had to stress that these were not in fact the souls of the dead returned to converse with the living. After all, according to Christian theology the dead were up in heaven or down in hell or perhaps in purgatory, and they could hardly leave to appear in our reality just because someone called them. Another book I read was Reunions: Visionary encounters with departed loved ones, by Raymond Moody and Paul Perry. I own Moody’s Life After Life, which I think I inherited from my step-father’s mother when she died in 1995. Moody doesn’t come out and say that the apparitions are the dead. They could be (and probably are) projections of our subconscious minds. The interesting thing to me is that given the right preparation and the right setting he claims that in more than half of cases a subject can have an encounter experience, and these experience are always good, therapeutic, and comforting. He suggests that the experience must come as part of a day in which the subject may spend a few hours walking and sitting while remembering the dead person, and talking about their relationship to the dead person. His subjects spend considerable time looking at objects that memorialize the dead (articles of their clothing, photographs, and so forth) while recalling all sorts of memories. After the preparation, the subjects sit in a comfortable chair, and look at a giant mirror on a wall, mounted in such a way that they can not see their own reflection in the mirror. This takes place in a room with only a 15-watt bulb for illumination, and a dark curtain and other props are used to block out light and sound and any other distracting things that would reflect in the mirror.
The most interesting book of the three I read was The Buried Soul: How humans invented death. This 2002 book is by Timothy Taylor. I found the book very compelling. He describes and discusses in detail some of the earliest graves or burial sites of human and proto-human history and prehistory. There is discussion of the continuing practice of ritual child sacrifice, a great deal about cannibalism, and a very touching discussion of Ibn Fadlan’s account of the pagan ship burial of a Rus chieftan. I like Taylor’s rejection of moral relativism when he describes the rape and brutal murder of the slave girl who volunteered to accompany the Rus (Viking) chief into the after-world, or the torture and massacre of children whose tears were collected to satisfy the Aztec rain god Tlaloc, or the sadistic ritualized killing of children for muti, ritualized objects used as charms by some southern Africans. I remember a Botswanan classmate of mine in graduate school who was very concerned about the practice of wealthy businessmen hiring witch doctors (sangomas) to procure young girls for human sacrifice to help their businesses prosper, but I hadn’t thought much about muti since.
Anyway, these were good books, especially Taylor’s book. I recommend them.
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