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January Book Reviews: Best Books of 2008 for the Church...

Labels: Book Review

posted by Chris Smith @ 4:50 PM 0 comments

December Book Review: William Cavanaugh's BEING CONSUMED

Labels: Book Review, The Economy, William Cavanaugh

posted by Chris Smith @ 4:39 PM 1 comments

November Book Review: Kathleen Norris's ACEDIA AND ME.

“Why are we so depressed?”

A Review of
Acedia and Me: A Marriage, Monks and A Writer’s Life.
by Kathleen Norris.

By Chris Smith.

Acedia and Me:
A Marriage, Monks and A Writer’s Life.
Kathleen Norris.
Hardcover. Riverhead Books. 2008.

I have long harbored an intuition that the desert fathers and mothers have provided humanity with some of the keenest insights into the depths of the human conidion. Kathleen Norris in her newest book Acedia and Me: A Marriage, Monks and a Writer’s Life, demonstrates a similar intuition, as she probes the little-known temptation acedia, which – although its usage has all but ceased in the English language – is alive and well in our consumer culture. What is acedia? Well, considering that Norris devotes a 40+ page appendix to laying out definitions and illustrations from historic and literary sources, one could say that acedia is hard to nail down. In brief, acedia comes from Greek roots that denote a lack of caring and could be described as a sapping of energy, motivation and focus that often leads to a restlessness culminating in “a hatred for the place, a hatred for [one’s] very life [and] a hatred for manual labor” (xv) – to use the words of the fourth century monk Evagrius. The desert monks found that acedia often set in during the heat of the mid-day hours, which also led some to refer to it as “the noon-day demon.”

Norris uses her own life, and particularly the story of her marriage to the late poet David Dwyer, as a framework to explore the multi-faceted temptations of acedia in the present age. Thus, her writing style follows in the pattern established in her previous autobiographical works including Dakota and The Cloister Walk. Her crystalline prose penetrates to the heart of the reader and her frequent illustrations from history (in this case, especially those from the monastic tradition) and literature draw the reader into a grand conversation about temptation, sin, desire, grace and hope – i.e., the fundamental elements of human nature. One of the key themes of this book is an exploration of the dynamics of the relationship between acedia and depression. From the definition given above, on can easily see the parallels, but Norris warns us early in the book that “It is an easy temptation to equate acedia and depression” (20). Thus, although frequently returning to her explorations of how the two interact, she is clear to draw the distinction between the spiritual experience (acedia) and the medical condition (depression). And therefore, she recognizes that sometimes one needs to treat the medical symptoms with therapy and/or pharmaceuticals in addition to addressing acedia with the three traditional monastic non-negotiables: community, stability and prayer. Norris’s wisdom here should be taken to heart: let us first recognize and address the temptation of acedia by being rooted in community, stability and prayer. If then, the symptoms of depression are still unbearable, then let us explore medical therapies. How often do we jump to the pursuit of the latter, when we are unwilling to work through the real or perceived challenges of the former!

[ continue reading this review ]

Labels: Acedia, Book Review, Kathleen Norris

posted by Chris Smith @ 5:46 PM 0 comments

October Book Review: THE CRAFTSMAN by Richard Sennett

“Working Well and Being Well”

A Review of The Craftsman,
by Richard Sennett.

By Chris Smith.

The Craftsman.
Richard Sennett.
Hardcover. Yale UP. 2008.
Purchase:
[ Local Bookseller Doulos Christou Books $22 ] [ Amazon ]

The monastic tradition of the Church, and particularly the Benedictine stream, has gifted the broader Church with a rich heritage that values working hard and working well. This heritage has also been reflected more recently in the writings of Wendell Berry and other writers associated with the new agrarianism. For those readers who are deeply rooted in this heritage, Richard Sennett’s new book, The Craftsman, is an eloquent gift. Sennett, an esteemed sociologist at NYU, sets out in this book to explore “the intimate connection between hand and head” (9). He notes, however, that in the Western world this connection has become strained. Sennett attributes this divide in large part to our use of technology that “we did not make for ourselves and that we do not understand” (7). In demonstration of this point, Sennett posits the example of CAD software. Despite its mathematical precision, CAD eliminates the intimacy that was had in previous generations between an architect and the space in which he was working. In this previous era, the architect would, through a cyclical process of drawing, walking around and experiencing the site, become intimate with the details of the space in a way that the standard use of CAD does not allow.

Over the course of the book, Sennett explores the craftsman, the craft and the nature of craftsmanship. In the book’s first part, a reflection on the craftsman, Sennett introduces the contemporary problem of division of head and hand. His chapter on the workshop environment in which the craftsman works and in which the knowledge of the craft is transmitted from one generation to the next, is a crucial element in his understanding of the craftsman. In his chapter on machines, Sennett traces the rise of industrialism in the nineteenth century, the progress of which served to broaden the chasm between head and hand, and in the words of C. Wright Mills to turn craftsmanship into “an anachronism” (118). Sennett’s exploration of the craft itself is presented in poignant chapters on the mechanics of the hand, recipes and the communication of a craft, “arousing tools” and the struggle against the resistance of materials and the place of ambiguity in craft. In the book’s final section – on craftsmanship – Sennett explores quality and the ability to become a craftsman. The latter of these questions is of particular note because he argues persuasively that anyone can become a craftsman. Indeed, even in the play of children, they are learning basic skills that prepare them for the development of a craft: viz., the “dialogue with physical materials, the discipline of following rules [and] the advanced complexity of making rules” (273).

In the book’s conclusion, Sennett reiterates his intent in exploring craftsmanship: “the craft of making physical things provides insights into the techniques of experience that can shape our dealings with others” (289). Although I bristle a bit at Sennett’s notion of relational techniques, I deeply appreciate his sense that we are fundamentally relational beings and that our labors in the physical world assist us in relating to our fellow-humans. Although Sennett did not explore this point, one wonders also if our inability to relate to others (e.g., the sort of isolation described by Robert Putnam in Bowling Alone), is connected to the terchnologically-induced gap between head and hand that Sennett names at the book’s outset? Although he does not use this theological language, Sennett’s work here seems to reinforce the Christian notion that physical human work has an essential place in the story of God’s reconciliation of all humanity. The Benedictine tradition has been defined by its strong sense of humanity’s dual vocation to prayer and to work. It is easy to see that in prayer we are submitting to God’s reconciling work, but also in our call to work – if we take Sennett’s work here seriously – there is a sort of submission to God’s reconciliation. In other words, to cast Sennett’s thesis theologically, in submitting to physical work of our hands, we are learning the disciplines that help us live more peaceably with all humanity, thus bearing witness to God’s larger work of reconciling all creation.

Labels: Book Review, Craft, Richard Sennett

posted by Chris Smith @ 9:33 PM 0 comments

New Indy Christian Feature... A Monthly Book Review!

• Reviews to be considered for posting on the 15th need to be received by NOON on the 1st day of that month.
• The book to be reviewed should have been published within the last 12 months.
• Your review should be between 300 and 1000 words.
• In your review, you should describe the book and convince us why church audiences should read (or not read) this book.
• The book may be fiction or non-fiction (If you review a fiction book, don't reveal the whole plot!)
• The book does not have to be a "Christian" book, but if it is not be sure to tell us in the review why you think it is relevant for Christians.
• All books and/or reviews should be consistent with IndyChristian's "Bible Believing" standard.
• Include with your review a one sentence bio.
• Submit the review via email to EnglewoodReview [at] gmail [dot] com. Include the tag IndyChristian Review in your subject line.
  
• You will retain the rights to your review, but your submission is taken as granting us permission to post the review on IndyChristian.com and/or EnglewoodReview.org.

Labels: Book Review

posted by Chris Smith @ 1:18 PM 0 comments