Timothy J. Teed

Almost 5

Revisado: 06-01-22

I give this only 4 stars with great hesitancy because I love Karen Armstrong's work so much and because she contributes so greatly here to a more nuanced understanding of what scripture is and can be. I only dock a star because she has a few blind spots, in my view, that keep this from being an unreservedly excellent work. The primary issue for me is her very brusque and dismissive treatment of really the entire Protestant Reformation, which is treated perfunctorily like a straightforward pipeline to 20th century fundamentalism and little more. In fact, although the Reformers may well deserve a fair amount of criticism personally for their divisiveness and lack of charity, as Armstrong points out, their new emphasis on the role of scripture and push for its general accessibility arguably played a major role in several subsequent social movements of note. Armstrong wants to say that the focus became increasingly individualistic and overly focused on personal salvation alone. That is a very non-nuanced view of even the perspectives of the Reformers themselves, but more than that, it completely ignores Protestant pushes for greater social equality, later abolition and civil rights movements, etc., based at least in part on scriptural readings and reinterpretations. There are a few additional issues in my view, but the very crabbed interpretation of the Reformation and its outcomes is easily the most egregious. Armstrong's assertions in these sections seem to hint strongly at bias and are, frankly, unworthy of a respected scholar of her distinction. I rush to say that the book was otherwise almost uniformly excellent, and despite my reservations in this one particular, I highly recommend it overall.

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Always Character Depth in Leta Blake's Work

Revisado: 12-31-21

I gravitate to Leta Blake's books because her characters have depth beyond your typical LGBT romances. There are no perfect Prince Charmings or love solves everything tropes here. Her characters are real, with complicated backstories, complex motivations, and trauma histories that inform their decisions and interactions. And romance, rather than solving all issues, often presents problems and new challenges for her characters. In that sense, the relationships in her work are very like real life. Love, while healing, is also hard. It breaks you open and exposes your deepest vulnerabilities. Because Leta Blake gets this, her books are always a joy. And despite all that, you still get a happy ending. What's not to love?

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More like this needed

Revisado: 12-13-21

A joy and delight. Evans' nuanced perspectives and compassionate voice are so needed right now. Makes her loss even more tragic and poignant.

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Well Done, but Just Not My Thing

Revisado: 12-06-21

Great production and performance values, but at the end of the day, just not for me. Downloaded this on a whim as one of Audible's free offerings. I liked some of the episodes, despised others. Ultimately, the anthology-type nature of it was a barrier for me. In addition, I somehow failed to realize the connection to the DC Comics universe and its variety of characters. That's totally on me, as I realized afterward that it literally says "DC" on the cover. I feel you definitely need a bit of background with that universe in order to get a lot of the stories presented here. I often felt there were backstories that I was missing that impacted my understanding and therefore my enjoyment. This will work well for fans of this genre, but for me, this was a venture outside my comfort zone that I'll be unlikely to repeat.

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas

Great

Revisado: 05-29-20

Great m/m urban fantasy with mystery, good action, endearing characters, and solid world building. Look forward to future reads from this author.

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A book all white Americans should read

Revisado: 03-30-20

It is hard to admit that you're the problem. It is hard to acknowledge that you've hurt people by your actions and inactions. It is hard to recognize that you benefit from the current system of privilege. It is hard to realize that racism is deeper and more insidious than mere good/bad binaries. All of this is exactly what this book asks us to do. I found myself thinking about times that I had not stood up, ways that I have contributed to the racist system, over and over. It may be hard, but it is a. much less difficult than what we make African Americans endure on a daily basis, and b. the only solution to the problem. As white people, we are the problem. And we must change ourselves if there is to be a solution.

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A Hymn of Hope

Revisado: 02-12-20

A hymn of hope amidst the hatred of fundamentalism and the spitefulness so characteristic of our times. Megan Phelps-Roper makes a heartfelt and eloquent case for compassion, the efficacy of reasonable argument, and the possibility of love to grow, change, and warm even the hardest of hearts.

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Hamilton gets his due at last

Revisado: 01-29-20

This is a well deserved portrait of a Founding Father too often maligned or forgotten.

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