Hercule Poirot's Christmas

By: Agatha Christie

Libby audiobook 6 hours

Read by:  Hugh Fraser

Published: 1938 (this version 2012)

Genre: murder mystery

 

How delightful to find an Agatha Christie that was not a Tommy and Tuppence and one I've not read before! It was delightful and I did not figure out the murderer before Poirot's "reveal" at the end. 

 

Thanks to Wikipedia (and many other sites that have detailed Christie lore), here's the character list:

Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective

Colonel Johnson, Chief Constable

Superintendent Sugden, the investigating police officer

Simeon Lee, an old millionaire

Alfred Lee, Simeon's son, who lives with his father

Lydia Lee, Alfred's wife

George Lee, Simeon's son and an MP

Magdalene Lee, George's wife

David Lee, Simeon's son, the artist

Hilda Lee, David's wife

Harry Lee, Simeon's son, called the prodigal son

"Pilar Estravados", Simeon's only granddaughter, really Conchita Lopez

"Stephen Farr", son of Simeon's former business partner, really Stephen Grant

Horbury, Simeon's valet

Tressilian, the butler

Walter, the footman

 

 My notes to add: 

• When I first heard the name of the murdered man, I heard "Simian" and pictured an ape. It was later that I realized it must be "Simeon." But it made me giggle.
• "Pilar" was the daughter of Simeon's only daughter Jennifer, who died earlier.
• I suspected Lydia of the murder . . . sorry if that spoils it for any other readers. I found it fascinating to have all the clues come together at the end. The diamonds, Tressilian's confusion, suspicious behaviors, . . . a wonderful murder mystery story with great vocal work by Fraser.

 

Jim and Casper Go to Church

By: Jim Henderson and Matt Casper

Libby ebook  400-plus pages

Published: 2007

Genre: non-fiction, Christianity, churches

 

This book was recommended at a session I went to at the Equip conference on reaching non-churched people. It kind of blew my mind . . . a Christian pastor found an atheist who was willing to go to different Christian churches with him and write a book together. They both sound like great guys. I have way too many bookmarks (again) and so may need to skip some and go with my overall impressions.

 

Introduction (I pay people to go to church):

We started our first church in a small town just north of Seattle that already had twenty-seven churches, but a multitude of churches has never stopped a dedicated Pentecostal from launching another one. We viewed most church people as needing our upgraded version of Christianity as badly as the unsaved.

 

This is an interesting statement. Not having grown up in a Pentacostal church, some of this still feels new to me. The sense that "we have the answers" is troubling to me. There's an arrogance that I find very unChristlike.At least Jim acknowledges that he held that view when he was planting a church.

 

Introduction (I pay people to go to church): In fact, what Jesus talked about looked more like Habitat for Humanity or Alcoholics Anonymous - a grassroots movement with no official hierarchy but lots of leaders; no offerings, but enough money to get the job done. Jesus called it the Kingdom of God.

 

What Jesus intended the church to be . . . is at the heart of this book. I appreciate that Jamie has often pushed back against people's notions of "doing church" and has asked some important questions of us as the church body.  

 

Introduction (I pay people to go to church): Barb kept reminding me that God is much bigger than I imagine, and that he is also kind to people who aren't interested in him. I ignored her for a long time, but eventually I was worn down by her love and her authentic relationship with Jesus.

 

Jim is talking about his wife and I love that they were in different places theologically (she was in a Catholic convent!) but that her "authentic relationship" with Jesus made a huge difference for him. Thank you, Jesus, that you can change us in powerful ways.

 

Included in this introduction is his The Map Church Survey and a link. I haven't checked out that website yet (and I'm not sure I want to . . . ) but I thought I'd make note of it here. I also want to note that the author included a nod to Joe Myers, who wrote Organic Community. I don't plan on reading it now, but perhaps someday. He also mentioned his blog: www.off-the-map.org/atheist/ . . . 

 

Introduction (I pay people to go to church): It was an honor to be given the opportunity to help people reimagine what it might mean for Christians to connect with non-Christians respectfully and authentically.

 

This is huge! There is very little civil discourse these days. Polarization and outrage are the norm. I just avoid "difficult" conversations rather than deal with the frothing at the mouth syndrome. To be able to communicate and disagree in respectful and authentic manners . . . wonderful.

 

I made note of yet another book that the author mentioned: The Evolution of Useful Things. I'm very interested in reading that one! The takeaway for Henderson is "Hidden in every new idea are the seeds of its demise." For various reasons, I'm just making this note here and hope to get this book and read it later.

 

Periodically throughout the book, Henderson has a section called "Defending the Space." 

 

Introduction (I pay people to go to church): Defending the space means we protect our relationships with non-Christians - they're real people to us, not targets. I think of it like this: They're just like me, except they're not currently interested in Jesus to the same degree I am.

 

He goes on to explain this in more detail, but I want to finish this blog entry and I'm only on the intro!

 

Rick Warren's Church: Saddleback: ". . . when it comes to music, I like it pure. Too much polish and you lose the heartfelt power, you lose the soul of the music, and you're not gonna move anyone."

 

Casper (I'll refer to him by his last name since that's how he's referenced throughout the book) is a musician and gives his POV on the music at each church service. At Saddleback, the professional set was off-putting for him. He compared it to American Idol.

 

 Rick Warren's Church: Saddleback:"What really moved me was talking over coffee with you."

 

Casper's honesty surprised Jim, but it makes sense. In having coffee and discussing the church service, they were two guys trusting one another and talking about life. This is relationship. And it matters.

 

Church, L.A. Style: Dream Center: "Well, it's right here, in the heart of the city. Amidst the poor and suffering. To me, that makes more sense than building a campus out in the middle of nowhere. Put your church where people need it most. I also like the fact that there appears to be a very solid mix of people heading inside."

 

Casper is making his honest "outsider" observations. Later in the book, he comments on how segregated most Christian churches are . . . but here he is recognizing a multicultural inner city church dynamic.

 

Church, L.A. Style: Dream Center:" . . . as far as I understand it anyway, Jesus never intended for the institution we call Christianity to form into a religion."

 

Jim kind of knocks Casper for a loop when he says this. He goes on to explain what and how Jesus taught. (And I'm thinking of how often Jesus had the harshest criticism for the most religious people of His day.) This book stirs up lots of questions.

 

Church, L.A. Style: Dream Center: ". . . a lot of what happens at church is really just cultural stuff."

 

There were times as I was reading this that I wondered about Jim's church experiences and his faith in Jesus. It seemed subsumed to learning Casper's opinions. But I agree that lots of what goes on in churches is cultural traditional stuff that may have no connection to the Gospel.

 

Church, L.A. Style: Dream Center: Frankly, most non-Christians have learned to see Christians as arrogant and unconcerned about their opinions. Offering an apology may in fact be the most effective way to get a conversation rolling.

 

Ouch, but true. So many people I know who are anti-church see Christians as arrogant, overbearing bullies. There are plenty of examples to look at in this current culture and climate . . . 

 

The Mayan and McManus: Mosaic: One thing I like about Casper and atheists in general is that due to their lack of reverence for our religion, they often see through things much more quickly than most Christians, and they feel free to tell me so.

 

I'm not sure why I marked this, except that I appreciated the relationship that the two men developed as they visited the different churches. They had open, honest conversations about belief, nonbelief, church, etc.

 

The Mayan and McManus: Mosaic: I could tell Erwin had not been through atheist training in quite some time and could use a refresher course in listening.

 

Listening is not my strength area . . . and something I'm really trying to improve upon. I'm so quick with my thoughts and my answers, but I truly need to work on listening to others. Erwin is the pastor who dismissed Casper's atheistic "beliefs" even after Casper insisted he has nonbelief.

 

The Mayan and McManus: Mosaic: ". . . I want to hear one answer to one simple question: What do you want me to do? I mean, we're talking about eternal salvation here, and if heaven is real, it can't be easy getting in."

 

When Casper has these genuine questions about faith, I am both surprised and relieved that Jim volleys back a question to him. Rather than "having all the answers," he digs to find out what and why Casper thinks.

 

The Mayan and McManus: Mosaic: Rather than talking down to people we're trying to influence, we'd be wise to remember that just because they don't have God, it doesn't mean they have no soul.

 

I just liked the way he wrote this.

 

Mega in the Midwest: Willow Creek: "The first thing that comes to mind is how much did this place cost to build? How much to keep it running? What are their electricity bills? And, maybe because of our 'mission,' the next thing I wonder is, is this what they think their God wants?"

 

As usual, Casper's first impressions raise some really good questions. I've never been to Willow Creek, but I've bought scripts from their drama department and have heard about what a big church it is.

 

Mega in the Midwest: Willow Creek:  "I mean, come on. People are being killed needlessly in every corner of the world, kids are starving, and people are praying for their pastor to meet a rock star? That's ludicrous."

 

I agree with Casper! And yet, I truly believe we can take *any* thought captive to the Lord and pray about anything in our lives, no matter how "insignificant." I don't think that the role of the church, though, is to lift up trivial concerns like this. Does it matter if Bill Hybels meets Bono? Perhaps to him, and he can pray about it. But to encourage a whole church congregation of several thousand to pray? Hmmm. Lots to discuss here about prayer.

 

Mega in the Midwest: Willow Creek: "No, Casper, all I have is faith - that's it - no proof. The fact is I can't prove one thing about what I believe to you. All I have is a hope, and the reality is neither of us will know who is right until we actually die."

 

I like how Jim lays it out. His honesty and forthrightness along with Casper's honesty about his observations and thoughts make this book very readable.

 

Mega in the Midwest: Willow Creek: For some reason, Christians continue to believe that we can talk people into following Jesus . . . Defending the space means we practice listening.

 

Again, listening is a skill for me to develop! And I already knew that it's pointless to try to "talk people into" following Jesus. But we are called to witness!

 

Helen, the Almost-an-Atheist, Takes Us to Church: First Presbyterian: "It's sometimes difficult to separate what's Christian from what's simply American."

 

Helen is talking about rituals like communion, confirmation, etc. More telling in this church visit was her observation that people didn't come up to the three of them and greet them. I like visiting other churches and seeing what they do . . . but I've not experienced church in another country (or culture). I have experienced traditional Roman Catholic Church, radical liberation theology Catholicism, United Methodist (two different churches, three different pastors), and Assembly of God. I've also attended Lutheran (ELCA) and Evangelical Free services . . .  Another site the author noted is Conversation at the Edge a blog for conversation for people with and without belief systems.  

 

Big Church or Church Big: Lawndale: Why are there such glaring discrepancies among churches regarding what it means to be a follower of Christ?

 

Sometimes Casper's questions to Jim lead Jim to raising pertinent questions. I've long been frustrated by the divisiveness between different denominations . . . it's simply not Scriptural to fight over some of the finer points of theology when we're told that Unity in the Spirit is key.

 

Big Church or Church Big: Lawndale: . . . what they call the Three Rs: relocation, reconciliation, and redistribution

 

This church is described as "missional" and rejects the stereotypical "Three Bs" (butts in the chair, bucks in the offering, building). I'm doing lots of paraphrasing and extrapolating here. I like it when churches really think about God's purpose for them instead of just "doing church."

 

Big Church or Church Big: Lawndale: In his book Real Hope in Chicago, Gordon put it this way: "I realized that 'get saved' evangelism was designed for suburban folk. It had little meaning in an urban context . . . People in the city are not encumbered primarily with feelings of guilt. Their deepest feelings are of hopelessness."

 

Hope is so important! I'm not sure I agree with this statement, but I'm guessing if I read Gordon's book, it would make a lot of sense. Evangelism is not just for suburbia . . . 

 

Big Church or Church Big: Lawndale: And I again thought how good it would be if pastors encouraged people to go visit other churches once a month.

 

Henderson (Jim) is making the point that seeing how others worship God is good, but it's also helpful for church goers to see how it feels to be an outsider. This makes a lot of sense to me. I love worshiping at different churches!

 

The Drummer's Church: Jason's House: That's what I want people to know about God - that God likes them and wants to hang out with them.

 

In this section, Casper goes to a musician friend's house for church. He'd been there before for barbecue and beer, but had a different experience when he went as a researcher for this book. A home church will naturally be more intimate, but the overwhelming takeaway for me was that his friend Jason lives his faith authentically - in how he treats people, in how he spends his free time. He "walks the talk." Cool!

 

Emerging Church Weekend: Imago and Mars: "Emerging church is a term used to describe a wide variety of churches that, for the most part, don't want to be like the traditional or mainstream megachurches."

 

I'm impressed that these two men were committed to visiting so many churches! I feel as though the megachurches are disproportionately represented.

 

Emerging Church Weekend: Imago and Mars: . . . another important distinguisher (sic) is that emerging churches are - again, for the most part - uncomfortable with the overemphasis on politics that has become a central identifier of the conservative evangelical movement.

 

I'm uncomfortable with it, too! Loving Jesus and striving to serve the Lord should *not* include political affiliation with the Republican party and especially not the big orange man in office!!!

 

Emerging Church Weekend: Imago and Mars:"As I see it, at places like Saddleback and Willow, you only have to say you're a Christian; following the teachings of Jesus seems optional. It's the same with this current administration. It's Christian talk, but then the bombs get dropped."

 

Amen! I'm with Casper on this one. How Christ-like is it to say and do the things our administration are saying and doing? What a joke.

 

Emerging Church Weekend: Imago and Mars: "Inbreaking is joining an existing community action, while outreaching is inviting them to join yours."

 

I love this distinction! As we've talked and prayed about being our local Jerusalem, we've talked about initiating things and inviting others to join versus seeing what's happening and joining in.

 

Emerging Church Weekend: Imago and Mars: "I understand how Christians disagree on a whole host of issues, like any group. I would say it is more the tone with which he approaches the topic. It's the I'm-right-and-anyone-who-disagrees-with-me-is-wrong vibe he gives off."

 

Yes! Again, I agree with Casper. When people have that particular "vibe," it's very off-putting. What's the point of trying to dialogue? 

 

Come as You Really Are: The Bridge: And yet I'm often tempted to act as if I know, when in fact I trust, and that is all that I really know for sure.

 

I love that Jim has those moments of recognizing his own failings through these dialogues with Casper. Confidence in Christ should not be a talisman warding unbelievers away.

 

Come as You Really Are: The Bridge: ". . . Jesus chose to have twelve disciples, not twenty thousand."

 

It's interesting that Casper is the one making the point that smaller groups have more impact on people's lives than the huge megachurches. Before this line, he says, "But it seems that those groups, which I know can be very effective, are taking second stage - literally and figuratively - to a massive light show for a sea of people in a sports arena or opera house." Jim pointed out that even large churches have small groups. The effectiveness of different ministries . . . how can one really tell? Being a Jesus follower is life-changing, but it looks different for different people.

 

Osteen Live!: Lakewood: . . . opinions that had been like wet cement suddenly hardened into deeply held convictions. Hunches formed over thirty years in ministry shifted like tectonic plates on the ocean floor of my soul.

 

First of all, I love his use of language here - the way the words flow is beautiful. Secondly, I'm not at all sure what his point is. I personally have a very strong dislike for Joel Osteen, but that's probably not fair of me. But does Jim Henderson admire him? Disagree with his methods? I don't want to re-read this section of the book, but I was genuinely puzzled by what opinions were hardened and what hunches shifted . . . 

 

Osteen Live!: Lakewood: "What I mean is that Joel Osteen and other TV preachers are not making appeals to the worst people, but to the worst in people.

 They make appeals to people's greed, selfishness, envy, pride: 'You're gonna get rich, you deserve abundance, you're better than nonbelievers.'"

 

Yet again, I agree with Casper here. It's such a turnoff to hear his spiel. I still remember his reluctance to let people shelter in his church after Hurricane Harvey. What a tool! Is he listening to Jesus or reading God's Word at all?! Yuk.

 

Keeping It Real: The Potter's House:  I agreed with Casper that the celebrity pastor thing is garish and pretty much a reflection of the church's adoption of consumerism and technology.

 

Yep. Sad. And part of why some people have no desire to go to church.

 

Keeping It Real: The Potter's House: "It's simple: If the Bible is really the Word of God, it's very, very important to not take it out of context. I mean, that's a rule that applies to most every phrase ever said, so you'd think it'd apply tenfold to the Bible! You can't look at Leviticus and say God hates gay people, then ignore Jesus' endless commands to love each other. You can't take a snippet of the Bible out of context and misuse it, or spin it, to support your particular pitch. That's twisted."

 

A lot of us tend to pick our "favorite" verses and focus on those . . . and I'm guilty of it, too. Casper goes on to talk about the Constitution and amendments to it, but I want to finish this blog entry and move on.

 

Keeping It Real: The Potter's House: "I guess I'd just like Christians and church leaders to be more honest. Not just with me, but with everyone in their churches. Stop treating faith as a fact. Call it a hope. Call it confidence, not certainty."

 

Henderson wanted someone to be honest with him, sharing an "outsider" perspective on church. He  got it!

 

Is This What Jesus Told You Guys to Do?: The same format repeated itself regardless of the setting. The greet-sing-preach-collect-present form played out in front of us with unrelenting predictability. And when it was all done, he would turn to me and ask, "Jim, is this what Jesus told you guys to do?"

 

What a great question! Getting together for a worship service once a week is not the most important thing Christ followers were told to do.  

 

Is This What Jesus Told You Guys to Do?:  That leads to my basic question for pastors and Christians of all kinds: Are we in the preaching business or the people-changing business?

 

Honestly, I think this is a little unfair. Most pastors I know do so much more than preach! They counsel, encourage, connect, serve, . . . and inspire their congregation to do so also.

 

Is This What Jesus Told You Guys to Do?:  We need to honestly admit that in fact, Jesus didn't care a whit about church services. He cared about loving and serving others and introducing people to a personal God who not only loves them but more important, likes them.

 

Loving and serving others. I like that. Succinct.

 

Casper's Closing Words: There are two rules we must all abide by to live healthy, happy lives with each other and with everyone on the planet:

1. Be open-minded. Learning is the best thing that can happen to anyone.

2. DO unto others as you would have them do unto you.

And though I've never met the man, I think Jesus would agree.

 

I think it's interesting that all these experiences and conversations left Casper content with atheism and okay with not knowing Jesus. I can't disagree with his two points, though.

 

Q & A with Jim & Casper: This is probably more of a reflection of Casper's personality, but I also think he expresses the postmodern mind-set. Many young people are tired of being sold and told, preferring instead to be invited and included.

 

Someone asked about Casper's dislike of brochures and bulletins. I think Jim's response is eye-opening. Having done the bulletin at church for several years, I was taken aback when the pastor decided to stop using them. It has taken me a while to understand that decision. The idea of not wanting to be "sold and told" also caught my attention. Young people are very different now from thirty years ago . . . 

 

Q & A with Jim & Casper: There is a difference between certainty, and confidence or hope. As followers of Jesus, we put our faith in a set of beliefs that we choose to think of as real. We cannot prove any of them - that is why it is called faith.

 

This theme came up over and over. I'm not sure why I highlighted it again. This blog entry (and reading the book in two separate chunks of checkout time) has taken me much too long!

 

 

 

 

A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore

By: Matthew Justin Davis

Hennepin County Library hardcover 269 pages plus acknowledgments, notes, and index

Published: 2025

Genre: non-fiction, history

 

It's a bit of a misnomer to call this a biography, but I really like this author's work. My friend Kathy told me about this book and how it's a South Dakota One Book title. I absolutely love the idea of community read books! I won't probably engage in any discussions on this book, other than with her, but I just got excited about the program. 

 

I marked lots and lots of pages. There was a lot in this book!

 

Page xv-xvii:  Through debates over American history and how to memorialize it, deep fissures in national identity were exposed, revealing a country unable - and in some quarters unwilling - to confront the darkness of our national past.

 

Davis is referring to President Trump's speech at Mount Rushmore in 2020 and the protests against him. There are many ways to look at history and this author does a great job of examining events from different perspectives.  

 

Page xvi-xvii: Every American generation faces unique challenges, but the American children of this pandemic era have been born into a fast-moving narrative whose current stakes are the future of our democracy. . . . To think about our past, how we represent that past in memorials, and to consider the United States we are developing for our children.

 

There's a lot to unpack here. What will the adults of the 2040s take away from their childhood about what it means to be American?  As an educator and a grandma, how am I helping to shape children's understanding about our country?

 

Page 5: The memorial appeared smaller in the space of my imagination, too. Seeing it, I felt as one does when encountering an object or place from childhood, when one realizes physical scales struggle to contain the outsized emotional influence of memory.

 

If you've never experienced this, it's wild how something was huge in your memory is far less impressive when revisited in your adulthood. The picture on the cover of this book made me think, "It looks so small from that perspective."

 

Page 8: She moved on to Rushmore and said four different groups offer interpretations of the symbolic sculpture we were staring at from the terrace.

 

Davis is referring to a tour guide. The four groups are veterans (freedom and patriotism), National Park Service (same plus a celebration of ideals), Mount Rushmore Society (preservation, education, outreach), and the Indigenous community (disrespect).  The more I learn about the Black Hills being sacred to First People, the more disgusted I get by the greedy, sneaky tactics used to steal that land once minerals or other valuable things were found. Historically, white people have been incredibly awful to Native Americans. (My opinion.)

 

Page  19 - So many names! I couldn't track all of this. Tunkasila Sakpe Paha (the Six Grandfathers), Hinhan Kaga (Owl Maker), Harney Peak (Woman Killer), Igmu Tanka Paha, . . . I love that the author did so much thorough research, but I just kept reading. I still struggle with saying Minneapolis' Lake Bde Maka Ska.

 

Page 20: If you put a piece of paper by its mouth, you understand its eponymous origins: a breeze wafts in or out depending on atmospheric conditions. It feels like the earth is breathing.

 

Wind Cave is awesome! We took the boys there in 1999 (I think) and it was so incredible to experience. We also went to Jewel Cave. It's fun when reading a book to make a personal connection.

 

Page  22: . . . wrote the great Lakota historian, scholar, and writer Vine Deloria, Jr., in his book God Is Red.

 

I have too many library (and other) books to read right now, but I would love to check this one out!

 

Page 27: I have ample time to observe, stuck as I am behind a slow-moving red Dodge Durango SUV with a bumper sticker that reads: "You Choose: Gun Owner or Victim." I choose not to honk to move him along.

 

This made me laugh and reflect. Too many gun rights people are fanatical, in my opinion. Why the passion for firearms? I can't relate. Avoiding road rage is a great idea, though. I like the author's voice in this book.

 

Page 33: By bestowing mediocre gifts and misunderstanding leadership and tribal dynamics, Lewis and Clark had stepped into a complicated situation they tried to contain through threat of force. This combination of misunderstanding and excessive violence was to be a trend in Lakota-American relations for the next century as Americans began their rapid settling of the West.

 

Oh, our history in dealing with Native Americans is so, so awful. Greed, arrogance, and a false sense of superiority haven't faded in the intervening years . . . 

 

Page 36: The summer after Harney's campaign, Lakota leaders met near Bear Butte to discuss how to handle this increasing influx of Americans, wasicu, or "fat white men" as they called them.

 

It was nice to laugh at something instead of just being sad or appalled. I love that the Lakota had a term for this!

 

Page 41: The confusion is funny because it's believable - Americans, like many people, are often selective in the history they choose to understand.

 

Davis is referring to the town of Custer, SD. Because it's an homage to Custer's Last Stand, people think the battle happened there. His reference to history people "choose to understand" made me think about my lack of deeper understanding on many historical events. This is an area for growth for me!

 

Page 42: The military argued that the treaty gave license for government-sponsored personnel to move through Lakota land on official business, so the expedition was launched. But while the primary public rationale was militaristic, the unspoken reasons were largely economic.

 

The author has done extensive research. His notes and references cover more than twenty-five pages. There were letters that show exactly what the intentions were. Our government was underhanded, lying to and stealing from the American Indian tribes that we "negotiated" treaties with. 

 

Page 46: The impression, with the benefit of history, is of a young man who will say anything to get what he wants.

 

General George Custer seems to have been a bit of a "golden boy," but the kind of person who is a snake in the grass. 

 

Page 52: "Custer was depicted as a fallen Christian knight, a shining star of civilization cut down by demonic savages." 

 

This quotation is from a book by Joe Jackson, Black Elk: The Life of an American Visionary. So . . . talk about revisionist history. People at the time were lamenting his death and revering Custer as a "fallen Christian knight" while he had attacked and killed women and children. Ugh.

 

Part 1 was titled "Origins." Part 2 (page 67) was "Growth, Loss, and Hope (1877 - 1925)." Part 3 (page 125 was "The Making of Mount Rushmore." Part 4 (page 185) is "The Meaning of Mount Rushmore: An Exploration in Four Questions and One Event." Then there are over thirty pages of acknowledgments, notes, and index.

 

<I wrote the above on May 2. I have to return the book today June 9 because there's a waiting list and I've renewed it the maximum number of times. I'm on page 185 - the start of part 4. Ugh!>

 

Page 76: The choice upset southern Dakotans, who perceived their northern neighbors as living in a backwater, and it spurred them to push for two separate states divided at the Seventh Standard Parallel."

 

I didn't realize that there originally was only going to be one state called Dakota. History is not my strength area!

 

Page  82: It is a historical trauma many in this community believe is celebrated, or at least ignored, at Mount Rushmore.

 

The history of what white people have done to indigenous people in this country is truly horrific. Boarding schools and the destruction of children is only one huge example.

 

Page 90: In a crude way, these were twin policies: land policy and ownership for the adults; education for the children. Of course, underlying both these approaches were deep beliefs in the supremacy of the white race and stereotypes of the Native American as wild, lazy, unlearned, and dangerous.

 

Some people will argue that the people pushing these policies "meant well," but good intentions and evil practices don't balance. On the next page, I learned more about the Dawes Act. Oh my! There may be a reason I'm not a student of history. It saddens me that time and again, greed and selfishness win out over doing the right thing for the greater good.

 

I marked a bunch of pages in chapter 7 of part 2 . . . basically, Gutzon Borglum was very buddy buddy with the KKK. He worked on a stone carving in Georgia and was supported by (and supportive of) the KKK. A burning cross . . . the cross of Jesus Christ . . . used as a symbol of white supremacy and hatred. This stuff makes my stomach turn.

 

Page 107: Memorials and monuments are claims to a specific version of that past.

 

Ooh. There's a lot of room for discussion on this one! 

 

Page 117: In large measure because of their contribution to the war effort, the U.S. Congress finally gave citizenship to Native Americans - the last group in the United States to receive the designation, even though they were the first ones on the continent.

 

This is so sad. It makes me think of Joseph Bruchac's Code Talkers. How awful that the people who were here well before the first settlers were the last to be accepted as citizens!

 

Page 135: Borglum responded days later with a long, scathing letter about the people of South Dakota and painted himself as a martyr.

 

He sounds like a real gem.

 

Page 143-4: His preferred method of working was to be solely in charge - he wanted control of artistic direction, employment decisions, and financial spending. When he felt stymied in one or more of these categories, he lashed out, sometimes in person, but more frequently in letters.

 

Some people are just control freaks. Borglum was a bit of an egomaniac.

 

Page 149: If the effects of the Great Depression were widespread, they were particularly ominous for Native Americans. At Pine Ridge, the annual income in 1931 for a family of five was just over $150, about the equivalent of living off $3,000 today . . . " 

 

This author has done such an extensive amount of research, interviews, and analysis. I'm impressed. 

 

Page 161: When people first see Mount Rushmore, most are shocked by its size, though not in the way they expect. Most find it smaller than their minds had conceived . . . 

 

I love that there was a photo section in the book! So many wonderful historical photos. And yes, for a huge carving, it kind of looks small.

 

Page 166: The bosun chairs he designed never gave way or caused a man to fall, and in the sixteen years of Rushmore's construction, not a single man died on the job. (In contrast, ninety-six men officially died building Hoover Dam.)

 

This makes me curious to learn more about the building of the Hoover Dam. Kudos to Borglum that there weren't fatalities on his build site.

 

Page  169: In other words, nothing like Mount Rushmore will ever be built again. This is both a little sad and oddly comforting.

 

Page 171: ... though many made suggestions, he never seriously considered other faces on the memorial.

 

Borglum's work at Mount Rushmore is finished. I remember in the 1980s hearing people talk about adding Reagan's face to the monument. And now our current POTUS seems to think he deserves to be there. Just no. 

 

Page 180 had a pretty balanced look at Borglum - the good and the bad. Again, I appreciate this author's work and the fact that he can see things from more than just his own point of view.

 

<All of the above was written May 2 and June 9. Below is what I'm adding on 7.15.2026.>

 

Page 185: In 2013, Kibbe McGaa Conti, whose hungry relative was incinerated in the boiler room of the Rapid City Indian Boarding School (RCIS) while trying to heat up a stolen potato, was asked to spearhead the seventy-fifth anniversary of the opening of the Sioux Sanatorium . . . 

 

Conti is a key person in the ongoing saga of telling the truth about the past and recognizing that different people tell these stories from very different perspectives. Another amazing person is Amy Sazue, the first executive director of the Remembering the Children Memorial.

 

Page 188: ". . . I want my decisions to be sound and to be building something good and not contributing to the chaos that already exists here."  Sazue told me that Lakota people are supposed to think seven generations behind and seven generations ahead.

 

I love that concept! Seven generations ahead and behind - how different our decision-making might look! I don't even know who were my ancestors seven generations ago . . . I could trace it with my maternal grandfather, but . . . now I'm curious! I love family tree stuff. And I really have trouble imagining seven generations from me. Joshua and Benjamin are two generations away from me . . . will they marry and have children? Will they become grandparents, great-grandparents? That's hard for me to picture! (Just because the future is so open and so many things can happen. They are little kids right now.)

 

Page 190: She realized that, like her grandfather, she negotiates her role as executive director and community leader . . . by being a diplomat. Her audiences are multiple and conflicting: elders who want to protect the graves; activists who want land back from treaties; politicians, police, and local business leaders whose support she wants and needs; the non-Native community that can feel threatened by the perceived righting of historical wrongs.

 

Sazue has a lot on her shoulders! Reading about this made me really want to go in person and see the memorial to the children who died in the boarding school.

 

Page 192: The Remembering the Children sculpture he manifested with the Lakota elders will be cast collaboratively with Indigenous artists. Tiwahe, "family" in Lakota, is set to be installed on the memorial site next year. 

 

I can understand why Indigenous people would be upset that a non-Native (artist Lamphere) was chosen to sculpt the memorial, but I think Sazue navigated that issue tactfully and wisely. I put a link to the website, but haven't spent much time digging around there. I'd really rather go see in person!

Page 192: . . . it's very likely that Crazy Horse - who refused to have his picture taken during his lifetime - would be aghast at having his face carved into the Black Hills.

 

Twenty-some years ago when we visited the Black Hills, I was a champion of the Crazy Horse carving (to counteract the Mount Rushmore theme) . . . but the more I learn about the complicated history of the relationships between whites and Indigenous people, the more my head swims. I'm fascinated by the "land back" movement . . . and should learn more about Red Earth, where our lake place is.

 

Page 194: At its conclusion, Abraham Lincoln ordered the hanging of thirty-eight Dakota men on December 26, 1962, still the largest mass execution in American history.

 

Oh. I knew about the horrors of the thirty-eight. But I didn't realize it was Abraham Lincoln who ordered it. That makes me unspeakably sad. He's one of my favorite U.S. presidents. What was he thinking? (And why am I just learning this historical connection in my sixties?!)

 

 Page 213: His groundbreaking career culminated in 2004, when he became the first Native American superintendent of Mount Rushmore.

 

The author's time and interviews with Gerard Baker are one of my favorite parts of the book. What a fascinating man! It sounds like he was just what that community needed at the time, though he certainly ruffled lots of feathers. (On page 218, there's a story of him being told there's no room available at a hotel. When his white wife, Mary Kay, goes in, the room is rented to her. "This type of casual racism was maddening, though unsurprising.")

 

Page 215: The opening of the 212-foot Garrison Dam flooded that community and the surrounding area. All told, 94 percent of the reservation's agricultural land was flooded, and 80 percent of families living on the reservation, including the Bakers, were displaced. It wasn't simply that the dam drowned crops and homes; it flooded graves, historical sites, and generational memory.

 

Again and again, white people in power positions make decisions to benefit themselves and harm the people who were here before all us immigrants! And I feel as though with our current POTUS, we're going further back into this mentality - money for me and my kind is more important than other people's lives, especially if they have darker skin . . . it makes me want to scream.

 

Page 229: Land Back - both the phrase and the mission - has become a clarion call for many Native communities across the country, especially in the lands of the Lakota Nation, . . . 

 

Again, this is a concept and movement I want to learn more about.

 

Page  233 had an error (?) that drove me crazy! He goes from "Mark" to "Nick" without explanation. I read and re-read the paragraphs before and after, looking to see what I'd missed. Ken Tilsen is the dad. Nick is the son who is referenced a LOT after this. But look at what I'm talking about:

 

 

 

 

Who the heck is Mark Tilsen?! And why did I waste so much time pointing this out? I really need to just finish this over-long blog entry!

 

Okay, I had never before heard of the Monument Lab doing the "National Monument Audit" for the Mellon Foundation (page 238). I would definitely love to check this out! Fascinating stuff.

 

Page  245: "What can burn?" Trump asked. "It's stone!"

 

Ugh. Kristi Noem and Donald Trump. Fireworks at Mount Rushmore. Arrogant attitudes and disregard for the environment, Native peoples, etc. I'm not surprised. Just disappointed that he keeps getting what he wants. And how does he not realize that there are other considerations? (Trees and grasses can burn, fireworks debris littering the ground, etc.) There was so much more about Governor Noem and the reservations . . . but I need to move on.

 

Page  255: "Keystone that day was a full-out Trump rally. People were running up to our cars, telling us to go home. Screaming at us! And we were yelling back like, 'WE ARE HOME!'"

 

Sazue is pointing out that the Native people (who had lived there for millenia) were being told by MAGA-type people to get out of their homeland. How ironic! She compared the "Trump rally" atmosphere to the feeling of being at a "Ku Klux Klan rally." Ugh.

 

Page  261: About a month after President Trump's visit to Mount Rushmore, the New York Times reported that in the previous year, 2019, before the coronavirus and the protests over American history that would coalesce at Mount Rushmore, a "White House aide" had reached out to Governor Noem asking about the process of including more presidents on the memorial. 

 

His arrogance has no bounds.

 

Page 263: For as artistically adept and technically innovative as Mount Rushmore is, for as moving and powerful it can be for veterans and lovers of liberty and democracy, for as fun as it can be to bring the family to see the faces and enjoy an ice cream, I just don't think that Mount Rushmore belongs on the mountain of Rushmore.

 

The author is pretty clear in his opinion and in sharing both the positives and negatives of this place. I appreciate that. There is more that I bookmarked (and removed). Why do I feel a need to comment on everything?! This book was a more challenging read - lots of history and information. Like I said, I don't think I'll be part of a discussion group. But it does make me want to learn more. I will probably be coming back to this entry to revisit some of the things that most piqued my interest.

 

 

 

 

  

The Choice: Embrace the Possible (A Memoir)

By: Dr. Edith Eva Eger

with Esme' Schwall Weigand

Hennepin County Library hardcover

Published: 2017

Genre: memoir

 

This book was amazing! She has such a powerful story to tell. I had sooooo many post-it notes in this book, but I needed to get it back to the library. There was a waiting list and I sent it home from the lake with my son. Here's a look at what I had to remove:

That's a lot of post-it notes. I grabbed a few screen shots to get at some of what stood out to me.

 

The book had the following parts:

Prison

Escape

Freedom

Healing

 

 

 

Page 19: Maybe every life is a study of the things we don't have but wish we did, and all the things we have but wish we didn't.

It took me many decades to discover that I could come at my life with a different question. Not: Why did I live? But: What is mine to do with the life I've been given?

 

This makes me think of the famous quotation about life is 5% what happens to you and 95% how you respond. I just looked it up . . . and it's Charles Swindoll who said 10% and 90% . . . but the idea is the same, right? There's only so much we can control. (Her helplessness in the face of Hitler's and Mengele's evil was out of her control.) But we can all look at what we CAN do. Sometimes there aren't many options. Other times, we think ourselves into a box canyon.

 

 

Page 34: I lean against my mother for comfort. I wish my parents would reach for each other instead of sitting as strangers. My mother doesn't say much. But she doesn't moan either. She doesn't wish to be dead. She simply goes inside herself.

"Dicuka," she says into the dark one night, "listen. We don't know where we're going. We don't know what's going to happen. Just remember, no one can take away from you what you've put in your mind."

 

"Dicuka" is the author's nickname. Her mother lived with the grief of having lost her own mother at a fairly young age. She often tells Edith that it's good she's smart, since she's not pretty. Edith's sister Magda is with her throughout their concentration camp experiences. Their other sister Klara is a talented violinist. Her mother's advice - that they can't take away what's in her mind - is something that she remembers along the way. In this scene, they're crammed into a train car with lots of other people and almost no food and water.

 

Page 38(?): The truth? She looks like a mangy dog. A naked stranger.  . . . any lie would hurt too much and so I must find an impossible answer, a truth that doesn't wound. I gaze into the fierce blue of her eyes and think that even for her to ask the question, "How do I look?" is the bravest thing I've ever heard. There aren't mirrors here. She is asking me to help her find and face herself. And so I tell her the one true thing that's mine to say.

"Your eyes," I tell my sister, "they're so beautiful. I never noticed them when they were covered up by all that hair." It's the first time I see that we have a choice: to pay attention to what we've lost or to pay attention to what we still have.

 

I hate that so many people were treated so poorly during the Holocaust . . . shaving girls bald, having them stand naked in front of leering guards, and so much worse. Reading about this breaks my heart. There are so very many reasons to lose hope, to give up in the face of such a powerful, evil enemy.

 

Her recovery after liberation was another big part of her saga. Her early years in America sound challenging as well. For her to have gone back to school while raising a family and becoming a psychologist . . . well, she was an amazing woman. And she just died a few months ago! How had I never heard of her before? This book is incredible and I would gladly read it again. Even the difficult parts are a reminder about why we can't be complacent about evil dictators. Her story has power. 

Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved

By: Kate Bowler

Libby audiobook 5 hours

Read by the author

Published:  2018

Genre: memoir 

 

This was a very interesting book. I mostly got it because it was an available audiobook with some intriguing themes. From the official blurb: "Kate Bowler is a professor at Duke Divinity School with a modest Christian upbringing, but she specializes in the study of the prosperity gospel, a creed that sees fortune as a blessing from God and misfortune as a mark of God’s disapproval. At thirty-five, everything in her life seems to point toward “blessing.” She is thriving in her job, married to her high school sweetheart, and loves life with her newborn son.

Then she is diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer."

 

I confess that as I was "reading" / listening to the book, I stopped to do a Google search to see if she was alive or dead. That question confirmed, I continued on to hear her perspective. My notes are random, since I was mostly listening while driving.

 

". . . the tyranny of prescriptive joy . . . " made me think of a phrase I've heard about relentless optimism. I'm not sure what the actual phrase is - aggressive optimism? The idea that someone with "positive thoughts" can actually be discouraging to someone in a bad place (mentally, physically, spiritually, etc.) is an important one. I'm trying to be more compassionate, a better listener, but I know that I sometimes miss the mark. 

 

Her litany of how people react to and give advice on her news of colon cancer - ouch! I almost wanted to re-read that section to see how NOT to try to express concern or sympathy! I definitely say things without thinking at times . . . 

 

The idea that a woman's medical concerns are not being taken seriously just makes me so angry! She was given Pepto-Bismol for months when she complained of intense, months-long stomach pain. She had stage IV colon cancer and was given pink crap to drink!

 

There were so many interesting parts of this book that I didn't make notes about. The fact that she had written her thesis (which became her first book) on prosperity preaching . . . and how those people reacted to her cancer . . . very interesting.   

The Codebreaker's Daughter

By: Amy Lynn Green

Hennepin County Library hardcover 371 pages plus author's note and discussion questions

Published: 2025

Genre: Christian historical fiction

 

This was a delightful book set during both WWI and WWII. Lillian (Lily) and her daughter Dinah are the main characters. 

 

Page 38: "War isn't romantic."

 

I loved this curt comment by Lily to young Maud back in 1917. It reminded me of Stephen Crane's Red Badge of Courage.  I think young people are especially prone to having mistaken notions of the heroism, glory, and "romance" of war.

 

Page 42: Lillian tried to work up a convincing smile. "That was . . . thoughtful of you."

 

Oh, my heart went out to her! Her mother-in-law had rearranged her kitchen and done her baking for her! Good intentions but awful results. I don't think I could have forced / faked that smile.

 

Page  67: But sometimes, life was so very far out of one's control, and there was no one to appeal to but God.

 

When Lillian offers to pray for William to get better soon (1944), Elizebeth's heartfelt reaction surprises her. It's interesting how your mindset can change when you become accustomed to turning to the Lord in times of trouble and others are surprised or grateful for the grace that comes with trusting God.

 

Page  77: "On the contrary. I'm a journalist first, Miss Kendall." . . . "As such, I believe truth is the most powerful force on this earth."

 

It was interesting that one of the discussion questions dealt with if the reader would prefer working in the codebreaking unit or the Morale Operations (basically, making up lies that sound realistic to demoralize the enemy troops). Like Mr. Agnew's character, I value truth. So how could he effectively do his job at MO? I liked Mr. Agnew. He was a well-written character.

 

Page 88: Mama's terrors were back again, surfacing, as they often did, in moments of stress or exposure to the unknown.

 

Lily is such a sweet, tortured young woman in 1917. I loved that she had Elizebeth and Margot as friends. I loved that she learned to take deep breaths to calm herself down. I loved that she taught herself to focus. This author did a very nice job dealing with issues of mental illness.

 

Page 127: "You see . . . mental neurosis runs in William's family as well. Two of his brothers have sought treatment for debilitating melancholic moods, with varying success. It's a rather difficult subject, isn't it?"

 

It was great that both Elizebeth and Lily had someone to talk with about their struggles related to living with someone with mental illness.

 

Page 158: "He's a religious fellow - aren't you, Kendall?" the captain asked, a note of derision in his voice. "Can't stomach the idea of lying, or even withholding the truth."

 

I loved this scene! And right from the get-go, I really liked Lieutenant Roger Kendall. What a wonderful man! I'm so glad he and Lily got together.

 

Page 164: "But I guess I'm old-fashioned. My father taught me that when you're not sure what's right, do the most honest thing you can and let God sort out the rest. So that's what I aim to do."

 

I liked that even though Roger's philosophy was "simplistic," it worked well for him. As Lily was tormented by whether or not to tell the Friedmans what she had overheard, Roger was straightforward and unconflicted. (I don't care that that's not a real word. It says what I want to say.) Nice.

 

Page  184: No one glancing at the photograph would realize the rows of students and teachers spelled out a secret message - alternating side and front views of their faces arranged carefully to form, in a bilateral cipher: "Knowledge is power."

 

I love that these smart codebreakers did this! The codes, ciphers, crossword puzzles, . . . I loved it.

 

Page 193: "For the next generation," Elizebeth always said, though Margot insisted the next generation would be so sick of war they wouldn't dream of starting another.

 

That's a lovely idea. I wish we would get sick of war and learn to work together. How sad that so many of those who haven't had to risk their own lives are the ones eager to fight them? I can't imagine having lived during both world wars, especially when so many people called WWI "the war to end all wars."

 

On page 253, when Lily shared (though obliquely) that she had been sterilized at age 14 along with her mother, Roger is horrified that anyone would do that to a child. I loved that he remained 100% on her side. She was so worried that he would reject her because she couldn't have children. (On page 285, we get more info on what happened to her.)

 

Page 267: "But our lives and all of history are made up of small things done by small people."

 

I love that Elizebeth is helping Lillian accept that her role as mother and wife is just as important as a job breaking codes. So many of us feel that our worth is diminished if we aren't doing "big" things.

 

Page  371: The future was a cipher for everyone, really, a jumble of unknowns.

 

Yes! There were a number of places in the book that I thought about the dangers of putting too much trust in our own plans for the future. There are so many unknowns we may face.

 

There were lots of other post-its I decided not to blog about. I liked the character of Winora, though I thought she and Dinah were a bit foolish to play detectives the way they did. I was so glad that Lillian and Dinah finally had a good conversation about their relationship after too many years of strain. I loved Mrs. Agnew and her sneaky way of helping Dinah! This was a delightful book. 

 

Save Me a Seat

By: Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan

Libby audiobook 4 hours

Read by: Vikas Adam and Josh Hurley

Published: 2017

Genre: Juvenile realistic fiction

 

The protagonists Ravi and Joe are fifth graders. Ravi ("Rah-VEE") is newly arrived from India and used to being one of the popular kids. Joe is big, blond, and has APD (auditory processing disorder). It seemed to me that he was a bit autistic. A third child, Dylan Samreen is a bully. Ravi initially admires him and wants to be his friend even though he's an ABCD (American-born Confused Desi - an Indian who's more American). 

 

The vocal work for each character was wonderful. I didn't enjoy this book as much as I typically would have . . . though there were many good qualities about it. The relationships between ten-year-old boys and their parents was interesting. The fact that they are fifth graders and Ravi is not yet interested in girls made me chuckle. (As did the fact that an 11:30am lunch was ridiculously early to Ravi.)

 

Dylan being a bully was hard for me to listen to . . . even though Mr. Barnes had told Joe in fourth grade that "the world is full of Dylan Samreens," (true), it seems that Dylan's treatment of other students was never really addressed. Did the adults in that school not see and understand what was happening? When he yanked out Joe's earbud and crushed it underfoot . . . Joe didn't report him. His calling Joe "Puddy Tat," "Pud," and other names (and other students picking up the nicknames) just because his last name was Sylvester.

 

Honestly, Dylan's awfulness was what I noted the most about this book. Report him! Challenge him! Save evidence! Record incidents! I struggled with his horrible behavior continuing (and the fact that he'd been treating Joe this way since kindergarten . . . heart breaking.)

 

When Ravi finally realized who Dylan really was AND that he himself had been the Dylan of his school in India . . . that was a nice turning point. The observation by Joe that he and Ravi were the zebras and Dylan was the crocodile was nice.

 

The school *would* have contacted Ravi's parents about the injury he got in Phy Ed. If you go to the school nurse with a painful bruise (whether it was an accident or Dylan's abuse), they would have contacted home.

 

I did NOT like how Ravi's grandma kept trashing her daughter-in-law! Her cooking, her parenting, her decisions . . . I get that there's a cultural element here, but it was awful and maybe didn't make a lot of sense in a book for elementary aged children.

 

There was a glossary at the end of the book. Of course, most of the Indian terms were helpful for me to hear (who knew that coriander is dried cilantro? Not me!). But I liked that there was also a glossary of Joe's terms. 

 

 

The Picture of Dorian Gray

By: Oscar Wilde

Libby audiobook 8 hours

Read by: Simon Vance

Published: 2008 (this version)

Also the Libby ebook shared via Project Gutenberg (2010)

Originally published: 1890 (as a novella) / 1891

Genre: Gothic novel, historical fiction now! also a bit paranormal. . .  

 

This is one of those "classic" books I've often seen referenced but wanted to read for myself. I mostly listened (and Vance's vocal work is excellent) but almost wish I'd read all the text. You just get more and different meaning by looking at the words.

 

My initial reaction was that the book was mostly about the artist, Basil Hallward. Then Lord Henry met Dorian Gray and the story just spiraled. Lord Henry's philosophies ran toward the glory of hedonism and his comments on the "hideousness of age" impacted Dorian's sense of self-worth. His beauty was more precious than anything. When Basil presented him with the painting of himself, Dorian wished that he would keep his youthful looks and the portrait would age. Ugh. Deal with the devil . . . 

 

Dorian turns on his young love, Sibyl Vane, when she is so distracted by her love for him. His cruel rejection of her starts his downward trajectory in life. His portrait shows his moral downfall while Dorian stays youthful in appearance for years. Wikipedia has an excellent summary of the story.

 

As I listened / read, I came to see Lord Henry as more and more of a villain. Yes, Dorian is responsible for his own choices, but what an awful "friend" Lord Henry Wotton is! He definitely gave poor advice, always encouraging Dorian to be selfish and wicked.

 

*** Stop Here to Avoid Spoilers!!!***

 

When Dorian runs into Basil before his trip to France, I had hoped that it might be a turning point for the young man. Instead, he ends up murdering his former friend. Then he coerces another former friend into helping him get rid of the body. That friend is later dead from suicide. I actually was glad that Dorian killed himself when he finally tried to stab the picture. His choices led him from one evil to the next. Yuk!

 

I had thought that I might get the movie version to watch after reading the book. The 1945 version interests me . . . but I may just skip it. The love of debauchery isn't really my thing. 

 

<Above posted 6.22.26. Below added 7.8.26.>

 

I decided to finish reading the ebook and of course, I highlighted several passages . . . 

 

Chapter 1: "You never say a moral thing, and you never do a wrong thing. Your cynicism is simply a pose."

 

Basil is having words with his friend Lord Henry. This is before he has introduced him to Dorian (and Basil never wanted them to meet).

 

Chapter 1: "I make a great difference between people. I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their characters, and my enemies for their brains. A man can't be too careful in the choice of his enemies. I have not got one who is a fool. They are all men of some intellectual power, and consequently they all appreciate me. Is that very vain of me? I think it is rather vain."

 

Again, I see Lord Henry as a most nefarious person. Here he is philosophizing to Basil. He had rather arrogant opinions on almost everything.

 

Chapter 1: "An artist should create beautiful things, but should put nothing of his own life into them. We live in an age when men treat art as if it were meant to be a form of autobiography. We have lost the abstract sense of beauty." 

 

This is an interesting perspective from Basil, who has told Lord Henry that he will never display the portrait of Dorian Gray because it has too much of Basil himself in it.

 

Chapter  9: He had mad hungers that grew more ravenous as he fed them.

 

As Dorian does evil things, he creates a cycle of wanting to do more. His downfall is more of a tidal wave. I highlighted a lots of parts that I'm skipping. His external beauty and charm continued to draw people to him, but his twisted sense of "right" blighted his soul, which reflected in the picture he kept hidden in the attic. 

 

As I was reading, there were so many places that seemed new (i.e. not part of the audiobook). Was the audiobook abridged? Had I spaced out in my listening while driving? There was a whole section on Dorian's study of jewels with lots of detail. I don't remember that.

 

Chapter 9: . . . he was unchanged. No winter marred his face or stained his flower-like bloom.

 

It was absolutely unnatural how his physical form showed no evidence of aging. Some people saw that as part of his charm and beauty. Others knew that he was rotten on the inside. 

 

Chapter 9:  His great wealth was a certain element of security. Society, civilized society at least, is never very ready to believe anything to the detriment of those who are both rich and charming.

 

Ugh. Yes, money and power combined with beauty can give someone a pass . . . sometimes life is truly unfair.

 

Chapter 9:  . . . those strange terrible figures that had passed across the stage of the world and made sin so marvellous (sic) and evil so full of wonder. 

 

What can I say? I'd rather be a child of the light than find delight in sin and evil.

 

Chapter 9: Dorian Gray had been poisoned by a book.

 

To say that I dislike the character Dorian Gray is an understatement. Besides all the horrible things he did and the lives he ruined with impunity, he kept blaming someone or something else for his life. The book that Lord Henry gave him was the cause of it all! It was Basil's fault for painting the picture. It was never his own fault for his poor choices and weak moral reasoning.

 

Chapter 10:  "And mind you don't talk about anything serious. Nothing is serious nowadays. At least nothing should be."

 

When Basil finally connects with Dorian to ask him about the horrible things he has heard, Dorian directs him thusly. He wants only frivolity and fun. But Basil addresses him directly, leading to his murder.

 

Basil asks him what happened to his previous servant. I wondered about that . . . since he was worried about anyone finding out his secret (that his sin was aging the picture, not him). 

 

Chapter 10: "I love scandals about other people, but scandals about myself don't interest me. They have not got the charm of novelty."

 

Again, Basil wants to refute the rumors he has heard. He wants to believe only the best of Dorian. Dorian, however, makes light of it.

 

Chapter 10: "Dorian, Dorian, your reputation is infamous. . . . Don't be so indifferent. You have a wonderful influence. Let it be for good, not evil. They say that you corrupt every one whom you become intimate with, and that it is quite sufficient for you to enter a house, for shame of some kind to follow after you."

 

As Basil goes on to plead with Dorian, the younger man gets fed up with him and invites him to take a look at his soul. Bringing him to the attic to show him how the painting looks is the first time anyone except Dorian has seen it since it was painted almost twenty years earlier.

 

Chapter 11: An exclamation of horror broke from Hallward's lips as he saw in the dim light the hideous thing on the canvas leering at him. There was something in its expression that filled him with disgust and loathing.

 

Basil cannot believe that what he is looking at is the painting he made so many years ago. His shock leads him to beg Dorian to pray for forgiveness.

 

Chapter 11: "The prayer of your pride has been answered. The prayer of your repentance will be answered also. I worshipped (sic) you too much. I am punished for it. You worshipped (sic) yourself too much. We are both punished." 

 

Basil is genuinely a good guy. Sadly, Dorian has convinced himself that he is the victim and Basil is the one who caused all this.

 

In chapter 12, there's a whole poem in French! Again, did I not hear this in the audio version? Or did I not listen? And now I'm too lazy to translate it . . . It starts "Sur une gamme chromatique, Le sein de perles ruisselant . . . " Perhaps later I'll look it up.

 

Chapter 13: They have had my own divorce-case, and Alan Campbell's suicide. Now they have got the mysterious disappearance of an artist."

 

Lord Henry is chatting about gossip and scandals with Dorian as though none of it really matters. Yes Alan's suicide is really due to Dorian's actions. And of course Basil Hallward's disappearance is 100% Dorian's fault, though he plays the innocent.

 

Chapter 13: "Death and vulgarity are the only two facts in the nineteenth century that one cannot explain away."

 

As always, Lord Henry makes proclamations about things as though he is the be-all and end-all of human knowledge and wisdom. I really, really dislike him and his pomposity.

 

Chapter 13: To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, or be respectable.

Okay, this is actually funny . . . except that it's Lord Henry saying it to Dorian.

 

Chapter 13: When they entered, they found hanging upon the wall a splendid portrait of their master as they had last seen him, in all the wonder of his exquisite youth and beauty. Lying on the floor was a dead man, in evening dress, with a knife in his heart. He was withered, wrinkled, and loathsome of visage. It was not till they had examined the rings that they recognized who it was.

 

Unexpected ending (to me) but so satisfying! When Dorian decides to destroy the picture that is the "cause" of his pain, he end up stabbed. All the ugliness of his soul that had only shown up in the picture returns to his physical form and the picture is back to its pristine beauty. A fitting end, I guess.

 

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country's Foremost Relationship Expert

By: John Gottman

Hennepin County library paperback 284 pages plus index

Published 1999 (this revised, updated edition from 2015)

Genre: non-fiction, relationships, marriage

 

I didn't actually read this book, but I skimmed it. I had heard about it during the Equip conference and contemplated buying it for two nephews who are getting married in 2026. It looks interesting and even valuable for someone interested in enhancing their marriage. 

 

I've decided not to buy copies of it as gifts because I'm not sure if these couples are readers. It's kind of pointless if it isn't used. The seven principles start on chapter four and each of the sections includes questionnaires and activities. 

 

I'm blogging it because then I can do an easy search if I change my mind about buying it. We're celebrating our fortieth wedding anniversary and get along well, so I didn't feel a need to read it carefully. There was a waiting list and I'm still playing catch-up on all my library books.