BookPikks

There are many authors who settle into a comfortable formula, and then crank out books year after year. These books are indistinguishable from one another, and only have slight variations in plot line and character names. As a reader, you may still enjoy reading books by this author, but once you’ve read one of the author’s books, you can fairly accurately predict how all the rest of his or her books will go.

John Grisham is not one of these authors. Although I haven’t always enjoyed his books (I couldn’t even finish Bleachers because it was so incredibly boring), I admire the fact that he takes a chance and writes something different from the formula that made him famous. Pelican Brief, The Firm, and A Time to Kill are some of the legal thrillers for which he is most well known. But then, he’s also written:

• Skipping Christmas, a humorous and thoughtful look at the excesses of Christmas
• A Painted House, which tells of a young boy’s struggle to protect his family, and yet do the right thing
• An Innocent Man, the true story of two men who were convicted of a crime that they did not do

Grisham’s most recent book, Playing for Pizza, takes yet another turn. Rick Dockery is a has-been NFL quarterback looking for a job. He finds one in the Italian football league (American football, not soccer.) Although there were too many detailed play-by-plays of football games for my taste, I enjoyed the book overall. Rick is a very real character, struggling to find his place in a competitive world, and Grisham’s descriptions of Italy were both charming and accurate.

I was eager to read this book, as I love mysteries, and the book description sounded interesting.  However, I was quite disappointed.  The characters were flat, and the mystery, which could have been exciting, lacked intensity.  Burke has won several awards for her books, so maybe I’m misjudging her writing, but based on this book, I won’t be reading more of hers.

The book jacket aptly describes this book as “gentle.”  Katy’s mother dies suddenly, and Katy, her father and two siblings must come to terms with the loss.  They all deal with their grief in different ways, but eventually the strength of their family allows them to begin healing.

When I picked up this book at the library, I had no idea of the controversy swirling around it. I don’t have the time or the inclination to address all of the charges leveled against this book. Many have done this already. However, I wanted to record a few thoughts:

• Pullman is a great writer. His book drew me in and kept my interest all the way through. The Golden Compass is a fascinating adventure.
• Pullman is most certainly not a Christian. In his own words, he says:

I don’t know whether there’s a God or not. Nobody does, no matter what they say. I think it’s perfectly possible to explain how the universe came about without bringing God into it, but I don’t know everything, and there may well be a God somewhere, hiding away.

Actually, if he is keeping out of sight, it’s because he’s ashamed of his followers and all the cruelty and ignorance they’re responsible for promoting in his name. If I were him, I’d want nothing to do with them.

• Pullman’s writing very obviously reflects the above stated belief. For example, he portrays the church as supporting attacks on innocent children. Pullman also feels free to re-write Genesis Chapter 3, this time including daemons (see below).
• Pullman’s characters all have daemons, which are animal counterparts that are part of their human’s soul and conscience. If a human is somehow separated from their daemon, they are viewed as incomplete. Daemons keep their humans from ever being really alone. As a Christian, this is what God is for me; Pullman obviously has a different answer to mankind’s longing to belong.
• It’s foolish to try and compare Pullman with C.S. Lewis. There’s just no comparison. It’s even more foolish of Pullman to criticize C.S. Lewis.
• I haven’t read the second and third books in this series, although I plan to. My opinions may change as I get further into the series.
• I have heard that the movie version of the book (coming out this Christmas) doesn’t include many of the anti-God elements that are found in the book. So please don’t judge the book by the movie!

In spite of all this, I would still let my child read these books. Pullman makes no secret of his worldview. He’s not trying to slip something past us and it’s pretty obvious that he’s not a Christian. His writing would be fuel for some great discussions about the origins of sin, the place of the church, and the presence of God in our lives. Honestly, I would have more of a problem with my child reading something like Ann Brashares’ Forever in Blue. In my opinion, Brashares’ worldview of “no consequences for sin” is much more subtle and difficult for children to detect than Pullman’s obvious anti-God themes.

This fictional account of Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller is based almost entirely on excerpts of letters, written by Annie to her housemother at Perkins School. The novel moves back and forth between Annie’s work with Helen, and Annie’s memories of her childhood. This is an interesting addition to the many books written about Annie and Helen.