Nevermore: Paleo Living, Bible Culture, Angel's Game, and more

The Cultural Handbook to the Bible by John J. Pilch prompted some lively discussion at the Nevermore Book Club.  The basic premise is that the Bible is often read and interpreted without an historical/social context of the time. Our modern understanding of some concepts is very different.  Even some physical observations of events would have a different meaning for us than it would for those living at the time the ancient texts were recorded.  The writing is lively and accessible.

Similarly, Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us About Sex, Diet, and How We Live by Marlene Zuk examines the currently popular notion that many human problems can be resolved by returning to the ways of our distant ancestors.  Zuk points out that many of the assertions of how humans are meant to live are based on the idea that humans haven’t evolved in thousands of years, but offers evidence to the contrary.  For example, in earlier humans the ability to digest milk was limited to unweaned children.  Adults were all lactose intolerant until changes in a gene enabled adult humans to continue to consume dairy products.  This trait has spread rapidly through the human population. The book will be of special interest to those interested in some of the changes humans have undergone, and who want to read about same in an entertaining way.

Cruel Harvest by Fran Elizabeth Grubb is a heart-breaking memoir of growing up as the abused daughter of a migrant farm worker.  She tells her story in simple terms, but the themes of surviving, overcoming and ultimately forgiving are powerful. Our reviewer found it painful to read but ultimately uplifting.

Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth is another memoir, this one of a young woman’s work as a midwife in London’s East End in the 1950s.  She was one of a group of midwives who worked with the nuns of the area to provide medical and social services to a disadvantaged population.  Worth has a gift for bringing characters and events to life. Our reviewer raved about book, finding it both moving and humorous.  She highly recommended it.  (Note: the book was so successful in the UK that Worth produced several sequels.  It has since been dramatized as a TV series which ran on PBS here.)

Finally, one member wanted to recommend a book she found light and fun:  The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Daniel is a young writer in Barcelona in the 1920s who makes a bargain with a mysterious publisher who wants him to write “a book which will change hearts and minds.”  Before long, he begins to believe that he has made the most dangerous deal of his life.  The book is a gothic fantasy, darker than his first, Shadow of the Wind, to which Angel’s Game is a sort of prequel.

Nevermore: Jefferson, Boy Kings, and More

History seemed to be Nevermore’s theme this week.  The first book mentioned was Your Inner Fish:  A Journey into the 3.5 Billion Year History of the Human Body by Neil Shubin.  Our reviewer found it a fascinating look at how various human organs and structures have their beginnings in very different forms of life:  a fish, a sponge, or a fly.  Shubin is a paleontologist and professor of anatomy, but the book is written so that a layperson can understand it.  Another member decided to read it as well.

A Cultural Handbook to the Bible by John J. Pilch is a collection of essays which tries to expand our understanding of the Bible by explaining the culture at the time.  Our reviewer wasn’t certain that was relevant; that it was written so that it would be applicable no matter the time or culture.  Other members found it to be both entertaining and enlightening.

Two new books about Thomas Jefferson also drew comments. In Master of the Mountain:  Thomas Jefferson and His Slaves,  author Henry Wiencek makes a compelling case that Jefferson had realized that agriculture was not the way to wealth.  Breeding and selling slaves was far more profitable.  Our reviewer noted that this is not the picture we like to see of Jefferson, but it’s important that people see historical figures in full context.  Jud mentioned the award-winning YA book Jefferson’s Sons by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, which dealt with Jefferson and his relationship to his slaves in a fictionalized way, but fiction backed up by much research.  Jon Meacham’s Thomas Jefferson:  The Art of Power is a more conventional portrait, emphasizing the intelligence, the passion for the new nation, and the appreciation for fine things, like books and wine.  Our reviewer called this the traditional view, seeing Jefferson as a product of his time.

Stranger to History:  A Son’s Journey Through Islamic Lands by Aatish Taseer is a book that’s both personal and global.  Taseer’s mother was Sikh, but his father was a Pakistani Muslim.  After his father’s assassination, Taseer embarked on a tour of Islamic countries as a way to try to understand his father and his father’s faith.  Taseer offers some fascinating insights into the various cultures and beliefs. The author is a journalist who has written for Time, The Financial News, and Esquire.

Our last reviewer was impressed by Domingo Martinez’s memoir of growing up Mexican in Texas in the 1980s.  In Boy Kings of Texas, the reader is introduced to a macho culture that often lures young men into traps, causing them to repeat mistakes.  Even with the same country of origin, the Texas Mexican community is far different than its California counterpart, but both struggle with identity as both Mexicans and Americans.  The book serves as both a coming of age story and a sociological examination of a culture.