a Disastrophe with Hanitizer

   My sister recently shared with me the word malaphor, which apparently is the blending of idioms or cliches; her sharing included the example, "it's not rocket surgery." It's always nice to have another word for something you already know how to do. I mean this summer I had realized that you should 

Never count your chickens before they come home to roost!

  

  Having said that, I have for years been collecting words along the same line - serendipitous combinations of words that, merged together, picturesquely convey far more than the sum of their parts. Language Nerds (the main reason I've considered getting Instagram) had one this week: 

cupidity: the dumb stuff we do when we are in love 

   Here are some additional samples that I present for your use.  

hanitizer: the stuff we wash COVID off our hands with (credit: small human in Texas) 

himpered: when you feel both hampered and hindered in and from doing something

disastrophe: when a catastrophe gets disastrously worse

crimpled: the feeling of not being able to walk because you've been sitting all crumpled up

anticdote: 1. a story about one's own antics; 2. a humorous anecdote told in order to offer warning for others as an antidote to their foolishness (credit: unsuspecting theologian in a lecture)

clowsy: cloudiness that makes one feel drowsy (credit: brother-in-law)

waservoir: a place with a large accumulation of water held in reserve (credit: small human)

wuzzled: the state of a paper that has been crushed and wadded and was not supposed to be in that state Ex: Why is this all wuzzled up?!? (credit: father) 

Imagining the Creation before the World's Creation - The Silmarillion, Chapter 1

   If you've read my blog or we've talked much, you may recall some of my theological speculations (sample 1, sample 2, sample 3). There's lots of areas for wondering in Scripture, many things that are hinted at, but not detailed. It is along these lines that J. R. R. Tolkien's first chapter in The Silmarillion is so gripping. 

 Middle Earth is neither a Christian allegory nor even a theologically correct construct of 'the real world'. There are elements in it that differ from what we might call a 'biblical' worldview; however, it seems to me to be a thoroughly Christian worldview. Middle Earth is a place where the creative mind that has been saturated with the possibilities latent within the world we see and the revelation that has been given to us can run free. 

  Thus it is that in the first lines describing the dawning of the reality in which Middle Earth will later occur, we find Eru, the One. Then, follows a chapter filled with what the imagination can suggest happened before the Beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth. It is a consideration of what might have been when 'the morning stars sang together... for joy' or when a son of Dawn said, "I will make myself like the Most High" (Job 38:7; Isaiah 14:12-14). It is in no way an exposition or interpretation of those passages, simply a fantasy of what might have been before our own dawning. It considers how the One knew that a darker theme would enter the Story  through pride and increase the majesty within the music, never denying the Composer one iota of the glory of His composition. Instead, setting theme against theme, the Subverter would amplify the Creator's own harmonies.

  I'd highly recommend these 10 pages of a novel as a meditation for the Christian mind. Imagination is a gift from the Creator, and Tolkien was a gifted imaginer. 

on Prophets (and Miracle Workers) - with 3 trivia questions

 Three trivia questions: (answers at the bottom of the post)

 a. Who was the first miracle worker mentioned in the Bible?

 b.  Who is the first person who is called a prophet in the Bible?

 c. How many prophets are listed as such before the first prophetess is recorded? 

The Prophet as Intercessor

   Especially in the second instance, I would say that the answer is a person whom we do not often consider to be a prophet. Yet, the Lord calls him one. More interestingly, the logic of being a prophet is given like this, "Make this right, and he is a prophet, so he will pray for your healing." This is an interesting role for the prophet, the Prophet as Intercessor. This is the role that we often ascribe to the priest, and rightly so. However, here it is so, and maybe elsewhere? Incidentally, this prophet had just interceded for God's mercy on pagan cities two chapters before in Genesis 18. But maybe we find here that intercession is also a function of being a prophet. 

The Prophet as the Speaker of God's Word

  Further thoughts, I have been reading through the OT Historical Books, describing the first nation(s) of Israel from the death of Moses through their exile from their Promised Land centuries later. One of the fascinating features of these stories is a stream of references to 'prophets,' plural. Among the people that I have known who take Scripture seriously, I suspect many of us think of prophets as solitary and sporadic icons throughout biblical history; we'd quickly list Moses, Samuel, Nathan, maybe Gad, Elijah, Elisha, and then skip forward probably to the writing prophets like Daniel and Jonah and Isaiah, (probably also forgetting most of the prophetesses whom I wrote about a while back.) But that notion of the 'rare prophet' of Israel doesn't bear up under closer study of Scripture. Prophets were often relatively common, though not always (1 Sam 3:1). 

 The idea that prophets were rare probably reflects the relative space given to describing the activity of individual prophets. However, it does not reflect the actual nature of the prophetic role in Israelite society at that time. Now, springing to mind for some might be 'the sons of the prophets' who make appearances throughout Elijah and Elisha's stories: Obadiah hid 100 prophets in Ahab's time (1 Kings 18), and 2 Kings 2 records 'sons of the prophets' living in Bethel and Jericho, numbering at least 50. And indeed, there seem to have often been many prophets scattered throughout the society. 

- Pre-Samuel prophets/prophetesses: Exodus 7:1; 15:20; Numbers 11:25-29; Judges 4-5; Judges 6:8

- Saul meets a group of prophets after leaving Samuel and joins them in prophesying (1 Samuel 10:5-13)

- Saul and his messengers meet a company of prophets led by Samuel and join them in prophesy (1 Samuel 19:20-24)

- 1 Kings 13 has the odd story of two unnamed prophets who speak the word of the Lord, although one lies about this at one point. The purpose of this story seems to be to show the corruption of even true prophets during this time. But for our study, that is not key for now.

- Then, there are named prophets (and a prophetess) who are mentioned more briefly: many sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun who prophesied are mentioned (1 Chr 25:1-5); Asaph the seer (2 Chr 29:30); Shemaiah (1 Kings 12:22; 2 Chr. 12) Ahijah the Shilonite (1 Kings 11) and Iddo the seer (2 Chr 9:29), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14), Azariah, (2 Chr 15:8), Hanani the seer (2 Chr 16:7-10), Jehu, son of Hanani (1 Kings 16:1-7; 2 Chr 19:2), and Micaiah (1 Kings 22). (Organized roughly chronologically)

- 1 Kings 20 has 2 separate stories of unnamed prophets who deliver messages to Ahab, King of Israel.

- The sons of the prophets mentioned right before Elijah was taken up to heaven are mentioned again in 2 Kings 4, 5, 6, and 9.  

- 2 Chronicles 33:18 speaks of multiple seers speaking God's word to Manasseh.

- Many of the Writing Prophets are also mentioned within the Historical Books though their stories are often unrecalled because of the focus on the texts they left. Isaiah (2 Kings 19-20; a major prophet even without the book), Jonah (2 Kings 14:25), Haggai and Zechariah (Ezra 5:1-2; 6:14).

The Prophet as Scribe

 Interestingly, many of the prophets seemed to have a history-writing role, though whether these are the recorded Scriptures that we have is not necessarily as clear. 1 Chronicles 29:29 mentions Samuel, Nathan and Gad in this regard. Nathan, Ahijah, and Iddo are listed in 2 Chronicles 9:29; Shemaiah and Iddo are mentioned in 2 Chronicles 12:15; and Iddo is mentioned again in 2 Chronicles 13:22. Also, Isaiah is recorded in this light (2 Chr 26:22; 32:32).

 The history of prophets and prophecy in Scripture is much broader than we often think about, and this is before we even consider the NT implications. Likely there are many more Scriptures that could be added to this discussion, feel free to do so if they will enrich our understanding!

Additional passages: 2 Samuel 15:27 - a high priest called a seer; 2 Chronicles 24:27 - 'many oracles'; 2 Kings 17:13 - warnings to Israel 'by every prophet and every seer' to turn from wickedness; 1 Sam 9:9 - equates seers with prophets; Zechariah the son of Jehoida (2 Chr 24:20); Isaiah 8:3 (unnamed prophetess).

Answers:

a. Moses (Ex 4:1-9 and beyond), as far as I can tell. Can you think of any previous instance where someone performs a miracle? Joseph's dream interpreting may be the closest, but dream interpreting seems like its own separate category. 

b. Abraham (Gen 20:7)

c. Two (Only Abraham and Aaron are named as prophets before Miriam. Deborah follows quickly as well with only Moses [Deut 18:15] and the incident in Numbers 11 intervening)

Related posts: The Odd Notion of 400 Silent Years; How Many Prophetesses are there in Scripture?

thoughts and quotations from Arrakis

   One of my weaknesses as a reader is my love for old friends and the preference for their company over that of unknown, potential friends. The Dune series has become such a friend during the last decade. Frank Herbert's stunning ability to mix all things social, political, religious, ecological and philosophical with a classic, expanding narrative is deeply engrossing. He's so good that the fact that he writes with an expansive, explicit agenda is often obscured by the depth and richness of the story. Of course, any powerful writer is likely to have an agenda of some sort or other, but Frank Herbert's agenda seems far broader and more educational than most. At the same time, he avoids the commonly used device of allegory to communicate his beliefs, and he escapes becoming preachy. Instead, he weaves something new. Below are some tidbits on various topics: several are on law and governing, one on the use of technology, and others on learning, dreaming, and atrocities. Each is worth thought and not simply acceptance or dismissal.

Heretics of Dune

Law always chooses sides on the basis of enforcement power. Morality and legal niceties have little to do with it when the real question is: Who has the clout?

God Emperor of Dune

In the perception of deeper needs, I must often ignore immediate ones. Not addressing immediate needs is an offense to the young. 

It takes a pretty dull policeman to miss the fact that the position of authority is the most prosperous criminal position available.

The devices themselves condition the users to employ each other the way they employ machines.

The law develops its own power structure, creating more wounds and new injustices. Such trauma can be healed by cooperation, not by confrontation. The summons to cooperate identifies the healer.

If there is a frontier, any kind of frontier, then what lies behind you cannot be more important than what lies ahead.

Children of Dune

Atrocity is recognized as such by victim and perpetrator alike, by all who learn about it at whatever remove. Atrocity has no excuses, no mitigating argument. [...] Atrocity merely arms the future for more atrocity.

Dune Messiah

To come under siege, he decided, was the inevitable fate of power.

Dune

It is shocking to find how many people do not believe they can learn, and how many more believe learning to be difficult.

What do you despise? By this you are truly known.

 

"Your Father, the Devil": Satan as a Father in the Bible

 As a father of growing and changing children, I want to keep growing in both my understanding and practice of fatherhood. Recently, I was thinking of the fact that Satan is discussed as a father in Scripture. So, it seemed worth exploring what characteristics are associated with devilish fatherhood.

 The images and metaphors associated with the devil are almost always violent or oppressive in some way whether emotionally (hatred, wrath, tempt, incite, furious), physically (contend, death, snare, take away, bound, devour), mentally (deceit, lies, schemes, disguise), or social (accuse, harass). 

Meanwhile, the images and metaphors associated with God may also at times be violent (Genesis 6:13; Exodus 15:3), but they are neither exclusively nor predominately so. Indeed, the names of God particularly associated with fatherhood are of a particularly different variety (Father of the fatherless, Holy Father, our Father in heaven, the Father of glory, the Father of mercy, the Father of lights, the living Father, etc.)  Along with their sources in the Bible, these can be seen in the 'Biography of God' that I posted some years ago.  

So...

In Scripture, what traits are associated with the fatherhood of Satan/the devil / the evil one? 

What qualities in a father are not sourced in the fatherhood of God?

-       John 8:34-47 (38, 41, 44) - The devil and his children...

o   lie, "the father of lies"

o   fight against truth

o   murder; seek to kill

o   cannot bear to hear the word of Christ

-       1 John 3:8-15 (8, 10, 12) - The one who is of the evil one...

o   Makes a practice of sinning; Does not practice righteousness

o   Does not love his brother

o   Hates and murders his brother

-       Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 (38-39) - the children of the evil (one)...

o   intermingled with those of the Heavenly Father and may be indistinguishable from those of the Father’s kingdom even to the angels. (cf 2 Cor 11:14)

-       Acts 13:6-12 (10) - This particular example of a 'son of the devil'...

o   opposed God's messengers and sought to turn another person away from the faith 

o   was an enemy of all righteousness

o   was full of all deceit and villainy

o   made crooked the straight paths of the Lord (cf. Luke 3:3-5; the opposite of John the Baptist) 

  Other references that seem vaguely relevant but not really: Matthew 23:15; Ephesians 2:2-3; 5:6;  John 17:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; 2 Peter 2:14

  If you have any thoughts or passages or disagreements to contribute, I'd be interested to hear them on here or in person.

final tidbits from Yeaxlee on education & knowing Truth

  While it may not be the common purpose of a blog, I have found that as much as sharing ponderings and readings with others, a primary benefit of this blog is to be a repository for my thoughts and for what has affected my thinking. It allows me to collect my ideas, form them, and - vitally - to review them based on topics or themes that I may return to. In that spirit, I wanted to share some final thoughts from Basil Yeaxlee, especially pertaining to knowledge of truth, education, and a bit more on parenting.

Religion and the Growing Mind - Basil Yeaxlee

Knowledge of Faith & Truth

    "Dr. A. B. Macaulay, in discussing the nature of religious dogma and its relationship to science and philosophy, points out very aptly that if religious faith must be integrated with scientific knowledge, so also must scientific knowledge with religious faith. We must agree if we hold that both are natural functions of reasonable man living in a rational universe." 

(pg 113, citing The Death of Christ, pp. 31ff.)

"What we are emphasizing here is that the very nature of religion, as this is discoverable in the growing mind, is to make demands upon historical reality, and through it upon a Reality beyond space and time, yet personal." (pg 114).  

"...some truth cannot be told except in poetry." (pg 116)

"The Kingdom of God is not simply a gradual transformation of the kingdoms of this world but a mighty creative power which from beyond this world is ever breaking in through men and women who, in their day and degree, are creative and other-regarding as Jesus uniquely was in the days of His flesh." 

(pg 136, citing Rudolf Otto's The Kingdom of God and the Son of Man) 

Education

"...we must save ourselves from the risk of confusing education with instruction..." (pg 179)

About teachers... "In truth it may be doubted whether anybody in whom the parental instinct is not strong will ever make a first-class master or mistress." (pg 201)

"All good teaching is interesting teaching, but it is not thoroughly educative unless it stimulates children to discover fresh interests for themselves." (pg 213)

Parenting

"At the same time it is their [parents'] function to bring children gradually into contact with the larger world, so that the children can accept the good and throw off the evil for themselves." (pg 185)

Parents, God, and Babies

  Several years ago, I came across the name of Basil Yeaxlee as an educator and scholar who had an early interest in the idea of 'lifelong learning' and had, in fact, written a book on the topic. I also found that he had written on the connections between education and faith, focusing on the Christian faith. Now, I'm finally getting around to the book that I picked up by him called, Religion and the Growing Mind (1939). 

 

 A fifth of the way through the book, I have appreciated some of his insights on the nature of religion as well as about understanding others. But, it is a comment from the section on an infant's growth which I want to share here. More accurately, Yeaxlee's thoughts on the role of parents strikes me as crucial.

"... by his experience of such [Godlike] qualities in his parents as real, and as answering his vital needs, the tiny child is prepared for a true understanding of the existence and nature of God when later his mental development enables him to grasp these intellectually, as well as to respond to them emotionally - though even his earliest states are not for him devoid of an element of meaning. Furthermore, it becomes evident that in these most elemental and natural early relationships the parents are not merely making or marring the child's character, as Dr. Emanuel Miller so clearly demonstrates. They are actually interpreting or misinterpreting God to the child in the only medium possible, though often the parents have not the faintest notion that religion enters into the matter at all, whether they account themselves religious or not."

~ Pg 43-44 (1945 ed. Great Britain: Nisbet.) Emphasis added. 

  Think of it, parents are actually interpreting or misinterpreting God to the child in the only way they can to a child. May each of us as parents of young child interpret a true view of the LORD who became human to our children who cannot know him yet in other ways.

Addendum from pages 80 and 87 about older children...

"The truth about God may be obscured or distorted in the experience of a child if his parents are in themselves and in their relationships with him weak, unwise, inconsistent, sentimentally indulgent, harsh, overbearing, selfish, careless or indifferent, whatever beliefs about God, they may profess or try to teach the child. On the other hand, despite all their limitations or failings, if they are in any sense true parents they will inevitably mediate to him (and not simply illustrate) the fact that God is, and the meaning of the power and love of God the Father everlasting."

"It is only when that experience [of 'Father'] is largely contrary to what Jesus taught us to understand by 'Father' that the child may be made to stumble. Even then, as actual instances have proved, the child of an unworthy father clings to those few elements of good that persist in the most brutalised, callous, or indifferent parent, and in his fantasy world he will create a picture of fatherhood which is inspired by those elements of good, even if reinforced by what he sees and envies in the lives of happier children. It will be a picture of a father who commands reverence and evokes love - the kind of Father whom Jesus made known to men, and who is no fantasy." 

(This chapter was about the power and benefit of fantasy in the child's mental growth.) 

Frederick Douglass & a quote on fantasy

This plan never seems to have existed at more than the level of fantasy—

but then the level of fantasy is one of the most important levels at which things can exist.

~ in an article about Frederick Douglass, by Adam Gopnik (source)

  This gem of a quote came up, as I expanded my reading about Frederick Douglass; I have been slowly reading "Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom" since last year. The biography has been well worth the time, but the above quote is worth some thought for completely different reasons. 

Bougainvillea: a joyful family weakness

  Bougainvillea is, apparently, a family weakness. I was talking to my parents the other day, and it came up that they are 'disputing' the respective values of the tangerine and bougainvillea trees that are beside each other in their yard. The (perfect) shaping of the two seems mutually exclusive. Being shown the competing plants from a distance, I had to agree that the bougainvillea did seem to have the better claim to more space. (Of course, my opinion did nothing to sway the tangerine supporter.)

   Last year, my first bougainvillea gave great beauty and joy as it flourished, as depicted below.

As you can see in the next picture, this winter was not particularly kind to it. I have not been able to revive it to its normal vivacity, even though it is not without color or bloom. Even this picture has a certain pleasing symmetry, doesn't it? 

This next bougainvillea is much smaller (same one as the first picture) and was a gift on my last birthday. It is a really lovely, bright red. I don't recall ever seeing one in quite this shade. It is thriving, as the next 3 pictures show.

 

My final bougainvillea spent the winter outside because it is in a large, unmovable pot. Although it was a mild winter, a late cold snap almost doomed this one. It is finally putting out new leaves and promises to shed a different sort of beauty this summer than previously.

You can also see the ivy in the foreground here, as well as vaguely others in the background - wandering jews and a hardy, frequently-blossoming plant whose name I don't know. From a different perspective, you can see the other plants that share this final bougainvillea's pot... a spider plant and a little ground-cover plant that produces blue flowers.

Other plants (ferns, an avocado, aloe plants, long grass, and more) are sprinkled around the terrace, but these are the ones that are thriving at the moment.

exploring new book-worlds

 As we continue through this unusual time of being at home, I have found myself with unusual mental space for new reading material. When my mind is cluttered by what is going on around or within me, I typically resort to re-reading books I have read with value or enjoyment before. This provides something of an escape and a space for considering daily goings-on from a different perspective.
 These days, however, while I do not necessarily have a lot more time for reading, I have found myself with a less cluttered mind. Thus, I can more easily read from new sources. Today I started David deSilva's book Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture. It's been on my wishlist for 2-3 years, but it went on a significant sale, so I decided to sample it (on my Kindle). The sample led me to buy it. There's a lot to consider in it. Some of you may have noted my interest in honor-shame dynamics within both Scripture and culture over the last several years.

   I'm about 10% of the way through the book, and, so far, deSilva has done a good job describing the ancient world and then showing the connections to both the Scriptures and the practical daily contexts of their world and ours. I will include just one quote since most of the other parts that I have appreciated need more context to be meaningful. See if you can hear the resonance with Paul urging the Roman believers to 'outdo one another in showing honor' (see post "The Honor Competition.") 

Hence Isocrates advises his student to “consider it equally disgraceful to be outdone by your enemies in doing injury and to be surpassed by your friends in doing kindness” (Ad Dem. 26), that is, to take pains to win when presented either with negative or positive challenges, so that his honor will remain undiminished.

deSilva, David A.. Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity (p. 31). IVP Academic.

 Anyways, that's one example of some of my new reading. Since the beginning of the year, I've also been reading P. G. Wodehouse's books and short stories that are available free on Kindle. A friend has been recommending them for years, and I finally decided to try them. They've been fun and relaxing, and very different from anything else I read. 

 I'm also borrowing Pearl Buck's The Good Earth from the library currently. We'll see whether or not I can read it before it disappears from my Kindle. If not, it'll have to wait a bit longer, especially if my mind becomes cluttered with other things for any reason... 

Trying to use words, and every attempt...

This bit of poetry by T. S. Eliot has stirred my thoughts often recently. It applies to being a husband, a father, a global nomad, a teacher, and being fully human - engaged in this world and yet sensing the incompleteness.

The entirety of "Four Quartets 2: East Coker" is worth reading and pondering - with the parts involving 'the wounded surgeon' and 'in my beginning is my end' also being poignant.

Chutzpah vs. Chutzpah

 My favorite living storyteller is Malcolm Gladwell; his books are the only books that my wife and I have consistently listened to together. I am looking forward to listening to his most recent book soon. Recently I listened to an episode from his podcast, Revisionist History. It was fabulous, just like I hoped; Gladwell is basically peerless in his ability to weave a narrative together.

 Due to changes in the way I commute, I have started to listen to stuff on my way home. This was quite rare until the last 18 months and still sporadic until the last several months. Because I am just trying this out, there's a lot of experimentation involved... I've tried audiobooks (Chesterton's Orthodoxy has been fantastic so far), podcasts, and lectures (English in America: A Linguistic History by Natalie Schilling was very informative, especially as an English teacher).

 Anyways, this episode of Revisionist History "Chutzpah vs. Chutzpah"was fantastic. It included the mafia and The Godfather, which I've never seen, but which my students assure me is the greatest movie ever made. It included Hogan's Heroes which our family secretly enjoys, while hoping it doesn't offend our German friends! It included a wonderfully winding story about the meaning(s) of 'chutzpah' practically (There is some inappropriate language from an interviewee.) It includes discussions of shame and shamelessness, Abraham's intercession for Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18, cross-cultural differences and acculturation, immigration, and more!

 It also includes insight on modern culture, particularly American culture. Online and from a distance, I see increasing acknowledgement that the brokenness in American politics reflects the society, not causes the society's polarization. This episode essentially avoids the specifics in order to deal with the larger picture. The question it suggests  is "Have we confused [America's] chutzpah with [Israel's] chutzpah?"

All in all, this episode touches on a ton of areas that are important to me! I highly recommend it!

PS Even the ads are interesting and informative since even they are interviews done by Gladwell with business executives.

The Gifts of a True Friend, with Gratitude

  For the last 4-5 years, I have received a gift, once or twice a year, from a friend. It is a book. That is, in itself, in no way unusual. In fact, throughout my life, I have probably been given more books than any other single item. And I always have a list of more books that I could learn from or enjoy besides all the ones that I re-read. This friend is unusual though: she doesn't check my wishlist or preferences, and she doesn't simply give her favorite books. Every year, she selects a book or two for me, and selecting a book for a person is much harder than you might think. Furthermore, her selections are almost never in the same categories as previous gifts - modern or classical fiction, biography, biblical study, and devotional books have all been selected. 

 Naturally, I make a point to read the books since she chooses them to share specific wisdom and insight which I can benefit from. Each book has the real potential to expand my horizons in some way based on the conversations we have shared. In other words, these are rare gifts! I do not know how much time or thought or effort it takes for her to decide on each book, but I am thankful for it and for the true friendship it reflects. 

************

 At the moment, I am reading The Chosen by Chaim Potok, a book that I started and put down in high school, but which she re-recommended (and loaned) to me. Again, it has been worthwhile companion. Somewhat more than halfway through it, I see it as an exploration of friendship through both similarities and differences; it is also about fathers and sons. We'll see what the rest of the book holds, but for now I will end with a(n unrelated) quote from it.

But that is the way the world is. If a person has a contribution to make, he must make it in public. If learning is not made public, it is a waste.

~ Chaim Potok, The Chosen

2019 Reading

 This year was another diverse year of reading, like most are. I wrote my MA thesis which provided some of the books on the list. Then after that was finished, I dove into reading a number of things that I had been saving up "for when I had time."

Academic ESL Writing (my thesis topic)

Eli Hinkel's Effective Curriculum for Teaching L2 Writing - If one wanted a one-stop book on designing a curriculum for Academic Writing for English Learners/Newer Users, this would have to be it. Hinkel combines a fabulous amount of research with pointedly practical comments on what should be included in such curricula.

Suresh Canagarajah's Critical Academic Writing and Multilingual Students, meanwhile, describes a beautiful approach to teaching writing (and English, in general), considering how to balance the global and local demands of language learning and how to respect local cultures while also working with Western academic standards and culture.

Meanwhile, Peter Elbow writes more generally about teaching writing; I use selections from him in my teaching because it provides a useful orientation to a philosophy of education which many students may not have encountered previously. This year, I'd mention his Everyone Can Write and Writing with Power. I haven't read anything of his without benefit yet.

Historical Books

Last fall, a student recommended The Other 1492 by Teofilo Ruiz to me. I listened to the audiobook, and I'd recommend it to any and all who have an interest in history. Around the same time, one of my daughters did her summer research project which used the Maestros' excellent short history of "The Exploration and Conquest" of the Americas. Now it's on loan to a student who asked for something about American history. These two books shared themes and ideas but at quite different levels.

My wife's grandfather fought on Iwo Jima, and he is obliquely mentioned in Iwo by Richard Wheeler, so I'd wanted to read it for a long time. It was sobering; I hadn't read about WWII for quite a while.

Nelson's Trafalgar by Roy Adkins was a fascinating read due to my long enjoyment of the Hornblower series of books about the Napoleonic wars. It shed a lot of light on what was going on throughout navies of the world around that time as well as graphically describing the way an individual battle (Trafalgar) could play out, over hours. Not exactly deep, but quite in depth.  

Christian 

Fool's Talk by Os Guinness has so far been an excellent challenge in thinking about how a follower of Christ ought to interact with those who have different beliefs, especially in a world hostile to its key beliefs.

Fiction

Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra - C. S. Lewis - I had never read any of Lewis' Space Trilogy till this year. It was insightful and enjoyable, as nearly everything Lewis wrote seems to be.

They Shoot Canoes, Don't They? - Patrick McManus - On the very light end of things, McManus provided entertainment, as he never fails to do. I am always reminded of close friends when I read McManus due to the context in which I was introduced to him.

Christopher Williams's Restoration series was surprisingly engaging, especially since I'd previously enjoyed his space trilogy. How many authors can switch genres that successfully? The first book in the series is free.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad was a gift from a friend. It is a remarkable piece of literature with many insights into humanity, and yet, it is not exactly an enjoyable read and is certainly not a simple one. One thought that it clarified for me was that a part of the awfulness of evil is its purposelessness. As Conrad speaks of the darkness, he never bothers to discuss the details. Rather he depicts darkness in its shadowiness and its echo heard within ourselves, which he expresses in striking elegance. The book is also fascinating to me as the work of a non-native speaker of English who mastered a new language as an adult and became a master in its literary works.

A favorite adventure novel from my youth which I re-read this year was The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne. He has long been one of my favorite authors, even though I only appreciate about half of what I have read of his works. On the other hand, with greater learning and experience over the years since I have read this book, I found this year that I have unexpected critiques of it. The racial biases both subtle and more direct that while they might have seemed acceptable (or even enlightened?) at the time of writing are a clear mark against the book. As well, while the amalgamation of flora and fauna on Lincoln Island is certainly creative, it seems less believable than one might wish.

To go along with those, I've started the engaging book How to Read a Book, re-read old favorites like The Lord of the Rings, and almost all of the Sherlock Holmes stories, and read The Janissary Tree, and interesting mix of detective novel and recipe book set in Ottoman Istanbul.


Recommendations from years past: 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011