Flight Behavior

by Barbara Kingsolver

Harper Perennial     2012

433 pages     Fiction

Dellarobia Turnbow is the young mother of two preschool children living in a small house on the family farm in Appalachia. "...being a stay-at-home mom was the loneliest kind of lonely, in which she was always and never by herself." As Flight Behavior opens, she is on the way up the mountain to a small cabin to meet a man with whom she has been having a flirtation. She is on the cusp of throwing her life and marriage away when she has a Moses-like burning bush experience. Thoroughly freaked-out by the message she believes has come from God, she turns around and goes back down to her mundane life filled with guilt and promises to do better. 

She later discovers that her burning bush is in actuality a gathering of millions of monarch butterflies, and the discovery changes her life. The discovery of the monarch butterflies creates a media and scientific frenzy. The monarchs are not supposed to be there, but their winter habitat in Mexico has been destroyed. A biologist named Ovid Byron arrives from New Mexico to study the monarchs, and he brings along with him equipment, student assistants, and later, a job for Dellarobia.

Flight Behavior explores the relationships between Dellarobia  and her family, friends, and community. The book, however, is only in part about Dellarobia (I just love saying that name!). It is in large part an exploration of the relationship between the monarch butterflies up there on the mountain and the effects of global warming that brought them there in the first place. Kingsolver is not subtle in her feelings about global warming, nor is she subtle in the way she expresses those feelings. In some ways, this is a polemic about global warming in the guise of a novel. But, the book is redeemed by a cast of characters that is incredibly appealing. You learn a lot of science in amidst the family drama, and believe me there is plenty of drama. These are complex, fully developed characters for the most part, although some of the minor characters are caricatures. 

Kingsolver chooses to write novels that are not just a good read, but she wants to make a point regarding social justice. In an interview with Diane Rehm, she says: "That was my plan because novelists really aren't writing about climate change. Well, it's pretty rare for novelists to write about science, in general, so because I was trained as a scientist, I really like to write about science and about the methods of science. And part of the difficulty of this conversation, non-conversation, that as a nation we're having or not having about climate change, is that it's hard for people even always to understand the language of science." So, she has a message about global warming for the non-scientist, using Dellarobia as the foil. Dellarobia is a sponge for knowledge, and over the course of this scientific journey, Kingsolver dispenses her scientific knowledge, and Dellarobia, as well as her son, Preston, soak it up. In the end, it is the science of the monarch butterflies and global warming that causes Dellarobia to make major changes in her life.

Kingsolver's social justice point of view is obvious in two definitive scenes: the first involving an environmentalist who sets up shop on the mountain to tell the locals about how to behave responsibly about the environment. One of his solutions is to fly less, but of course none of the people in Dellarobia's family have ever been on a plane. The other scene is the shopping trip Dellarobia and her husband take to the dollar store to buy Christmas gifts for their children, and all they can afford is cheap, foreign made junk, and she despairs the idea that another generation of children are bound by poverty. 

One of the things that Kingsolver really understands is the relationship of religion to the lives of Appalachian people. Chapter 3 is a description of a southern church that I found to be worth the price of the book. Dellarobia was "what Hester (her mother-in-law) called a 911 Christian; in the event of an emergency, call the Lord." She goes to church because it is conventional; in her world view, everything is open to question, but that is not the style of the southern church. She has been kicked out of the Wednesday evening Bible study because she asked too many questions and made too many unorthodox observations.

The comment made by Ovid, the biologist, is Kingsolver's message. When he is describing to Dellarobia the diminishing coral reefs and dying insects, he laments: "What was the use of saving a world that has no soul left in it." 

My book club had a lively discussion about the book, probably evenly divided between those who loved it and those who thought it was only marginally successful. Frankly, I am in the marginally successful camp. I found the science part of the novel cumbersome and didactic. The ending, no matter how symbolic and breathtaking, was a bit cheesy. (Dare I say that about such a famous novelist.) 

On the plus side, Kingsolver is a compelling writer, and I found myself underlining some marvelous statements on nearly every page. She understands human nature extremely well, which makes Flight Behavior worth reading, even if it has less than glorious moments.

Kingsolver is committed to social justice, and her books reflect her views. Apparently, she has even established an award called the PEN/Bellweather Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. 

A review that finds Flight Behavior to be marvelous: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/books/review/flight-behavior-by-barbara-kingsolver.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

A review that finds Flight Behavior to be problematic: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2012/11/barbara_kingsolver_s_flight_behavior_reviewed.html

Interview from the Diane Rehm Show:  http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-11-08/barbara-kingsolver-flight-behavior/transcript

Barbara Kingsolver's website: http://www.kingsolver.com/

  

God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships

by Matthew Vines

Convergent Books     2014

213 pages     Spiritual

God and the Gay Christian is written by a young, conservative Christian gay man. Within the framework of Biblical exegesis, Vines takes on the scriptures that are traditionally used to speak against homosexuality. He looks at the verses and shows how they are taken out of context, or how they couldn't possibly have meant what the nit-picky Bible reader thinks they mean, or how the values portrayed in isolated verses of the  scripture have no meaning for today's world. This is a young man on a search for his own Christian faith, for his own values, and for his own understanding of who he is as a gay man. Frankly, a PhD Biblical scholar could not have done a better job.

Vines explains the historical context of the scriptures and offers an interpretation that helps the Christian form a new opinion about their gay Christian brethren. He calls those who decry homosexuality in Christ's name "non-affirming," but his primary attempt is to help his own family come to an understanding of their son and brother as a child of God. "While we are infinitely small in the grand scheme of things, we also have intrinsic value. This belief is shared in some form by many cultures and worldviews, and . . . it is deeply embedded in the Christian faith. The Bible teaches that, as human beings, we are made in the image of God, a doctrine that Christians have long understood to form the basis of our inherent value." If that is the case, then we are ALL formed in God's image. This is how we find our worth, and when we tell our homosexual brethren that there is something wrong with them, we are denying them their infinite worth. He says, "In the final analysis, it is not gay Christians who are sinning against God by entering into monogamous, loving relationships. It is WE who are sinning against them by rejecting their intimate relationships."

Much of what he discusses I learned long ago in seminary. However, often what preachers learn in seminary is not what they preach, and even if they learn the historical context of the scripture, they tend to take the scripture at face value when they preach from the Bible. After I read a positive review of the book on the Pathos website, which appears to be a progressive website, I then turned to a more conservative review, which of course, sought to downplay the book and threaten that Vines had perverted the scripture for his own gain. It was hard to concentrate on the negative review on The Christian Post website because of the Claritin, Tampax and toothpaste ads that blared loudly in the background. I had to wonder who was perverting the scriptures—Vines or The Christian Post.

Vines writes like a Biblical scholar—actually he is a self-trained Biblical scholar. His words are refreshing, and the time is right for the message of Bible to be looked at through fresh eyes. I commend his work to you. It could very well be that his book could turn the conversation around among conservative Christians. 

Recently, I went with several family members to a presentation of the video Seventh-Gay Adventists. While the screening was at a Quaker meeting house, most of the people in attendance were young Seventh Day Adventists. We were invited by our friend Beth, a deeply devout Christian woman who happens to be a Lesbian in a committed relationship. I was struck by the power of the documentary and the conundrum that the three people profiled found themselves in. They wanted to be part of the religious community, but the shortsightedness of the church confounded them. Of course, as the mother of a gay man, I just wanted to shake these people. "Can't you see?" my mind yelled at the screen. "These are children of God that you are rejecting because of your own stupidity." I would recommend this documentary as a companion piece to the book God and the Gay Christian.

Here is a link to the documentary: https://www.youtube.com/user/sgamovie

 For a summary of the chapters read the review on the Pathos website: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/2014/05/review-of-god-and-the-gay-christian.html

The review in the Christian Post: http://www.christianpost.com/news/evangelicals-review-matthew-vines-god-and-the-gay-christian-book-118386/

Matthew Vines website: www.matthewvines.com

Imagine There's No Heaven: How Atheism helped create the modern world

by Mitchell Stephens

Palgrave Macmillan    2014

336 pages     Nonfiction/Spiritual

It is all a mystery, and the longer I live the more I live in the Mystery. The book Imagine There's No Heaven by Mitchell Stephens contributes to the mystery. My husband and I read it aloud over several months and found it fascinating read.

First it must be said that it is not a polemic against religion, but the book is a history of the fascinating figures who contributed to the atheistic thinking of the last many centuries and certainly contributed to the current lack of religious enthusiasm in Western culture. He begins with the Greeks and ends with Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and  Richard Dawkins, and explains how each generation of disbelievers helped move society and science forward. 

This is a history that most of us haven't read because it has been relatively under the radar. One reviewer says that it has "usually been downplayed or outright denied by conventional histories." Certainly I didn't read about any of these people in all the courses I took on religious history. Quite frankly, my only exposure to modern atheism was a woman at my small country church who would stand up at church with a petition against Madalyn Murray O'Hair. She'd wave the petition in her hand and announce "Madalyn Murray O'Hair is at it again!" My husband and I would chuckle, because we were all for free speech and freedom of (or from) religion. 

There are many fascinating characters in the book (and one has to imagine these were all "characters" as they bucked the system) including Voltaire, Diderot, Marx, and Camus, among many others. They all reflect the five types of disbelief that Stephens outlines.  The first is skepticism—"how could that possibly be?" The second is just the mandate to live joyously and concentrate on living in the now. The third type of disbelief comes from knowledge of a better answer. The fourth is that religion is often a tool of repression and thought control. And the fifth is that when the mind is open to all sorts of ideas, it is difficult to concentrate on one set religious beliefs. 

Life is frankly a lot easier when there is a set religious doctrine to believe in and to provide comfort and answers to questions. Although this is not my personal concern, I understand the concept of "just tell me what to believe." I was very intrigued about a movement in the Catholic church to ordain women. This is a dissident Catholic movement, and a woman in Kalamazoo was ordained over the weekend. The Bishop of West Michigan issued a warning that anyone who attended the ordination service risked ex-communication. Other than the obvious, the interesting thing to me was that the decision of the bishop was questioned by the press.They asked questions like "What difference does it make if Catholics went to the ordination?" These kinds of questions are indicative of the kind of intellectual indifference to religion that is permeating society.

Because Stephens is writing an historical look at Atheism, he leaves the readers with no conclusions—which I guess in itself is a free-thinking style of ending. He mentions that "we have just begun to tackle the question of how to find meaning without relying upon some external dispenser of meaning." Individuals who throw off their religious identities are free create their own lives. 

There is much more that I could write. My spiritual faith wasn't threatened in any way, although I do have to say that I have long been dealing with issues about organized religion. At any rate, my husband and I had a great experience reading the book. Sometimes we had to force ourselves up from the breakfast table to begin our day.

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

John Lennon

The review in The Humanist: http://thehumanist.com/arts_entertainment/books/book-review-imagine-theres-no-heaven-how-atheism-helped-create-the-modern-world

Brothers Forever

by Tom Sileo and Col. Tom Manion

Da Capo Press     2014

268 pages     Nonfiction

The Shortlist

It is soon to be Memorial Day weekend and it is fitting that we look at a book about two brave Americans, Travis Manion and Brendon Looney, who are buried together in Arlington National Cemetery.

During the Christmas break in 2001, my daughter and her friends gathered for a meal at our kitchen table. Everyone had been at college for a year now, and their lives were beginning to take shape. One young man told the rest that he was going to quit college and join the Marines because he felt a patriotic call to serve his country and respond to the World Trade Center attacks of September 11. I looked with horror at the young man that I had known for several years and realized that his life was taking a turn that scared me. Although his friends were proud of his decision, they were also scared for him as well. 

The book, Brothers Forever, documents the journey of two young men in the years following the attacks of September 11. They met at the U.S. Naval Academy in their freshman year, and became fast friend. Travis Manion became a Marine officer and served two deployments in Afghanistan. Brendon Looney trained as a Navy SEAL and was stationed in Iraq. Both were killed in battle. They are buried together in Arlington National Cemetery. The book  narrates the power of their friendship as well as the honor and horror of their war experiences and of their ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Brothers Forever is written with great love and pride by Travis' father, Col. Tom Manion, USMC (Ret.)

with the help of professional author, Tom Sileo. Although a tragic narrative, it is also inspiring. It would be an excellent choice for an ex-military father for Father's Day.

The publicist for the book also sent me a video link to the book's trailer. It is worth watching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLntSAcb0po 

This is an interview with Col. Tom Manion: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2014/05/12/dom-giordano-talks-to-col-tom-manion-about-his-book-brothers-forever/