The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth

Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a fascinating book. The sub-title is a great summary of the contents: "The Life and TImes of Jesus of Nazareth". Dr. Aslan presents a thorough, well researched, and excellent survey of the subject in an accessible and readable way. He overlays the major dimensions of the period during which the historic man we have come to know as Jesus lived. By dimensions I mean religious, sociological, political, geographical, historical, customs, etc. All these dimensions are overlaid with one another in an organized and logical manner to provide an interesting and enlightening study of much of what we know to be historically true about the man Jesus. I learned much from this book, even after being associated with "Christian" churches for much of my life. It is extremely interesting to me to see the vast number of facts about which the "church" is ignorant, or chooses to misrepresent, or to downright lie about. The dynamics of the life and death of Jesus, and the resulting groups of followers, are not as neat, tidy, and consistent as are presented in sunday school, or in so-called seminaries which take the Bible at face value, or even as literal, and ignore real history. And once again, I am fascinated at how many people who claim to be followers of Jesus don't know the critical facts about who he was and the times in which he lived. The last 100+ pages are thorough footnotes, which while not reading as easily as the main text, provide extensive references and explanation of the material in the main chapters. And unlike many authors, Dr. Aslan presents references to opposing views as well as his own. This book is a very worthwhile read if you care anything about this man who is called Jesus.


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words - beautiful and perfect

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"The Book Thief" is one of the most beautifully written stories I've ever read. Of the multitude of great books I've read, only a few merit reading and savoring every single word, every pause, every punctuation mark. This is one such book. Ironically, given the theme of the story, I don't have the words to describe the beauty of this story, and the meticulous care and love with which it was written. That such a horrible time in western history could be brought to life in such a beautiful manner fills me with awe. I feel that I have lived through both the happiness and the horrors of this place and time. Needless to say, the story is very moving emotionally, especially at the end. But from start to finish, it is filled with everything of Life, including Death, by whom the story is told. Brilliant, thoughtful, deep, and beautiful. Liesel would be very fond of the words that make this story so beautiful and perfect.

ps. love the The Book Thief Glossary

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NC Fresh Catch Winter Oyster Tour Durham event

Immigrants

some insight

The Golden Hat: Talking Back to Autism by Kate Winslet
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book provides a short account of the genesis of the Golden Hat Foundation ( http://www.goldenhatfoundation.org/ ),

"a non-profit organization dedicated to changing the way people on the autism spectrum are perceived, by shining a light on their abilities and emphasizing their great potential."

The proceeds of the sales of the book go to support the foundation.

Additionally, it provides some insight in to the challenges faced by people who communicate non-verbally due to autism, by sharing some of their first communications. The focus is primary on Keli, the son of one of the co-founders of the foundation. The additional insight is welcome and appreciated.

see also "Mother's Courage, A: Talking Back to Autism" and "The Reason I Jump".

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