The King of the Jews

This was a novel (?) I could not complete; but I tried. I tried because Tosches earlier book, In the Hand of Dante, was such a masterful blend of history and the present, that I was captivated from beginning to end.
This book, on the other hand, blends poorly presented historical facts, one fact piled on another, with the story of an early twentieth century gangster, who happens to be a Jew, in an equally boring manner. It is supposed to be a biography of Arnold Rothstein, notorious mastermind behind the fixing of the 1919 World Series, among many other shady deals. By page 73, the title remained the only item of interest to me, and so I packed it in. I must revisit the Dante book to see if I still consider it a masterpiece.

The Pagan Christ

In The Pagan Christ, Tom Harpur has presented an argument for a new and revitalized, more spiritual form of Christianity because, he claims, the literalist interpretations of the Gospels that characterize today's Christianity no longer stand up to scholarly research, and worse still, make it a divisive force in world politics by proclaiming to be the only real Church.

With his accounts of the Egyptian Jesus story and its many parallels to the New Testament, and Christianity's transformation from a spiritual religion to literalist Christianism supported by book burnings, excommunications and other acts of treachery by the Church of the second and third centuries CE, and of the place of evolution in his revised Christianity, he has brought to the layman knowledge that is indispensable to one's thoughts and conclusions about religion. In his view of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, as myth containing universal truths rather than history containing specific truths, he provides us once again with sumptuous food for thought. Its failing, if it can be called a failing, is that his arguments in the end provide no answers; they question today's orthodox beliefs, but they don't replace them with anything of true substance, except an individual's own spirit, his Christ within, and these universal truths.

Whatever his standing with the official Church, Harpur obviously has an audience with which to share his thoughts on religious matters. And he has had many such thoughts as his list of published books will attest. His credentials are validated by his accomplishments in the fields of teaching (University of Toronto), writing (9 bestsellers), and audio and visual media (from interviews to series he has conceived). Though many of these earlier endeavours may have been controversial, with The Pagan Christ, in which he questions the very foundations of Christianity and ends by recommending a new and better version, he is taking a very great risk. Or perhaps risks, because he faces different risks with different audiences: from his followers he faces the risk of abandonment for advocating a new and all too embracing Cosmic Christianity which reframes their own into one among many equals both from within and without orthodox Christianity; from his peers, that is, university professors and Biblical scholars, he faces the risk of ridicule for his over dependence on three researchers to whom many do not give the same recognition; and, from that non-Church-going group of doubters, he faces the risk of being the impetus for their final rejection of any and all religions for having revealed once again and in more detail the many historical inaccuracies, misinterpretations and falsehoods upon which many religions are based.

In the end, Harpur seems to have forgotten that those who see themselves as Christians, not Muslims or Jews, not Hindus or Sikhs, see their religion as offering a different (and in some cases, a superior) truth. And under that large umbrella of Christianity, it's the differences one from the other, that make them special. His book is worth reading; his effort is a noble undertaking. But it is naive on his part to think that by sharing this knowledge, he can bring about the kind of change he imagines.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Carson McCullers' first novel, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, was published in 1940, the year McCullers reached the ripe old age of twenty-three. Her talent was obvious right from the outset and was perhaps at its absolute height in Hunter. Her readers are thankful for this because her short, unhealthy and eventful personal life ended at the age of fifty.
Sadly, any current reading of Hunter probably comes about in one of two ways: 1) being included on the reading list of an American Lit. course, or 2) being a selection for a reading club (sadder still if it happens to be Oprah's). My reading came as the result of a reading club selection. Its effect on individuals was mixed, but on the group was remarkable; it led to the longest, most sustained discussion we have ever had covering setting, characters, themes and artistry.
Consider the setting. For McCullers, it is real time, her time; for today's reader, it is real time, her time, the time between two world wars with nascent ideologies of communism and fascism; for both author and reader a time full of dread and promise. Add to the era, the locale: the southern United States where rich and poor, black and white inhabited the same world but with a forced tolerance which bred resentment. All of these issues are addressed in Hunter, and handled with the care and concern of a much older woman, with an ideology certainly, but one tempered and shaped by the heart. They are explored through the struggles and the dreams of the novel's major characters.
Biff, the bar owner, cares deeply for his customers, seems to know more about them than they do themselves, but try as he may cannot connect with them. Jake, the drunk, cares for his fellow man, but seems more interested in leading him against his oppressors than in bettering his cause. That's why he and Dr. Copeland cannot get past their differences to work together in the cause of justice for the common man. While the former is out for revenge, the latter only seeks fairness for those of his race. Mick, a girl in early adolescence, facing the ordinary but difficult challenges of the typical teenager is further tested by the demands of her artistic interests. All these people, lacking in self understanding think they have found approval for their thoughts and feelings in their conversations with the novel's deaf mute who is unwittingly the foil, the sounding board for them all. His reassuring smile, his perfect hospitality and his silent (therefore unnoticed) confusion when presented with their problems and questions are always interpreted as his affirmation of their intentions. A lonely heart in search of a soul mate sometimes settles for a less than perfect match.
The themes, the essential loneliness of individuals, the pitting of capitalism against communism, the value of artistic expression and appreciation are given thoughtful treatment in this novel.
And lest readers think that the novel is nothing more than a political treatise (given the serious themes listed above), it is much more than this. It is a powerful novel that draws the reader into caring about the problems the characters face and into feeling their frustration. I have never shared an experience nor the emotions of a character to the same degree as I did when Mick listened to a radio broadcast of a Beethoven concert outside the window of a neighbour's house. And I shared the rage felt by Jake and Dr. Copeland. Only good writing captures a reader in this way.
Good book? Worth reading? No question. Buy it; read it; it's an experience not to be missed.