July and August Reads

Body Piercing: Inside the Phenomenon that is Christian Rock – Andrew Beaujon
If you are a fan of music or have had an experience grappling with the question, "What makes music Christian? or Why does there have to be "Christian" music?" you will be a fan of this book. Beaujon is a senior editor of Spin magazine and a self proclaimed atheist which is why I was caught off guard by the precise observations he made about the Christian music industry in his short time researching. I think he has a great balance of being encouraging and questioning what happens in Christian music. He is neither fully against or fully supportive of the idea of “Christian” music. Obviously no one can be completely objective but he writes this with journalistic style that is hard to match calling out the ironies of Christian music but also giving praise where it belongs. READ THIS BOOK.

The Red Badge of Courage – Stephen Crane
This could have been a book I was supposed to read in junior high but either was never inspired to follow through or was never actually assigned it once again reminding me that I got ripped off in my public school education. Went for 13 years and never read more than two books. Anyway, this is obviously Stephen Crane’s most famous and for good reason seeing that it really recreated the genre of war/battle stories. I’m not sure he could have squeezed in one more detail about the battle, which isn’t bad for someone who was never in any sort of battle. The scene was the Civil War and young Henry is our pseudo-hero. I honestly did not care for the detail or the battles that were repeatedly described over and over again. By the end I thought I was rereading the same battle 7 times and it just rattled around my brain. It reminded me a little of the book/movie Jarhead where these kids sign up to fight and get frustrated because there is no fighting, but unlike Jarhead you just have to wade a few more pages in to find the battle. A lot of the battle that is actually going on is in the head of young Henry and the other soldiers and the mental challenges a soldier faces. Great idea for a book and a good contribution to literature but not all that enjoyable or enlightening. I’m sure many people will probably disagree but that’s where I stand.

Maggie; Girl of the Streets – Stephen Crane
I gave Stephen Crane the benefit of the doubt and thought I would give him another shot with what might be considered a short story. Sounded like a good premise for the book. A young girl, living on the streets of New York City in her childhood facing the challenges many faced in young America. Once again, Crane let no detail get past the reader and frustrated me to no end. He does a phenomenal job writing with the early New York accent in mind, no question about it. But he does a poor job of actually developing any interest in these characters whatsoever. I could have cared less for Maggie of her brother and was pretty disaffected by it by the end of the novel. I was actually glad to have it over with. I tried to read a few other short stories in the book but was to bored to continue. I have no doubt that Stephen Crane impacted literature but it’s not the kind of literature that you really care to read in your spare time. I’ll leave this one to English majors.


Travels with Charley – John Steinbeck
If you are a John Steinbeck fan in the slightest you MUST read this account of his three month journey to discover America. I have been a massive Steinbeck fan since I read East of Eden and Of Mice and Men. This guy is the master of American Literature in which I have seen no one compare. It was so refreshing to see Steinbeck’s personal, witty, and humorous take on people and the unique areas of the country. He also does an amazing job painting the picture of southern racism during this period. He came to a powerful, but not overbearing conclusion. Steinbeck writes in such a way that you really want to listen to him. Steinbeck journeys with his pet poodle Charley, to whom he was somehow able to give an endearing personality that you would love to come into contact with. That’s one amazing writer. Imagine having three months where you could go out and hit the road with no destination in mind and having the freedom to go anywhere on a whim. That is the thing of dreams. I was surprised at Steinbeck’s colorful sense of humor based on the novels I have read but this is a genuinely funny character. Like I have already said, this is an absolute must read!

To a God Unknown – John Steinbeck
Okay, well I already gave Steinbeck a glowing review so I don’t feel bad for saying that this book was frustrating, slow moving, and not necessarily all that enjoyable. The premise was excellent. A young man leaves for the west to claim his own land with his father’s blessing that he would be with him wherever he goes. In the next year his father dies and his brothers come join him in California to work the farm. For one reason or another the main character (can’t even remember his name) starts to believe that his father IS with him, but in the mode of the huge tree that is in his front yard. He talks to the tree, gives the tree sacrifices of sorts and such and this not only freaked his brothers out a little but drove one holy brother to kill the tree and stop the idolatry. Unfortunately after this coincidently or not disaster strikes the land in the form of a drought and disaster befalls him. Great premise right? I still want to enjoy this book because it sounds so fascinating but it just doesn’t deliver. Reminds me of Edith Wharton’s tragic writing but isn’t quite as moving or developed.

Call of the Wild – Jack London
Yet another book that a teacher never thought I should read. Kelli and I both read this one in the past week. Barnes and Nobles was having a 50% off sale of their classics while we were in Morton and my mom decided to buy us about 12 of them! Awesome! I never thought a book from a dog’s perspective could be so captivating. London is not afraid of the gritty, violent details of life in the wild and makes no effort to cover up the brutality of nature. Obviously, very influenced by Darwin’s survival of the fittest, London writes about the life of a dog named Buck who was transformed from a household pet to a wild beast learning to survive in one of the most difficult environments nature has.