Lightness of Being…

I have been reading a lot of good books and it feels selfish not to share. I am always reading a book, in those spaces between time, I just don’t have enough pauses in between to write reviews or discuss them. Nursing is an excellent excuse for dropping everything and using that twenty minute span to read guilt-free. I read after I put the kids to sleep and sometimes before they wake up. I read into their nap time and sometimes during those lazy evenings after the bustle of dinner and cleaning.

So here a few titles that I have enjoyed in the past three months or so:

“A History of God” by Karen Armstrong: I loved this book. It gives a sweeping historic overview of the idea of “God” and how it has progressed throughout humanity. It’s an ambitious project, but engrossing to the very end. This book clarified a lot of my misconceptions. It gave me insight into the historic evolution of atheism and how in the beginning it was mainly a reaction against the Judeo-Christian definition of God. It even clarified some aspects of Islam for me, where we have gone wrong historically (placing the institution of Islam before God), and the humanity of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him.)

“The outer reaches of Inner space” and “Power of Metaphor” by Joseph Campbell: I like the way he gathered wisdom on God from all corners of the globe and the way he distills wisdom into archetypes/metaphor. Reading both of these books has helped me even in my own reading of the Quran; it has helped me step back a little to see verses that I have always glossed over as “historic” and understand them from a timeless prism. I love the way he goes on and on about this Ineffable Reality that defies our own understanding. I don’t like the way he dismisses religions so quickly and his argument on the “Way of the arts” being the future was lost on me.

“The Collected spiritual writings of Flannery O’Conner”: I love this woman. I adore her. She is bold, witty, unapologetically religious and insightful. I could relate to so many of her observations, critiques (of both fellow believers and non-believers), and loved her humor. When I grow up, I want to be like her.

“Disappearance of Childhood” by Neil Postman: For parents or want-to-be-parents someday, this is a must read. Postman outlines the history of childhood and how the construct of children as a protected class started only recently in history (with the advent of the printing press.) Now TV/internet/mass media have given rise to the “adult-child”; selfish, whiny, emotional, immature adults who are behaving more like children (and running away from the twin responsibility of taking care of their own children and parents.) And on the flip side, jaded children who are growing up much faster for all the exposure to sex, violence and rampant consumerism. He did offer one consolation that is the last line of resistance is conscious parenting. It was affirming to read that some of the choices I have made for my own family are in line with “revolutionary” parenting.

“End of Education” by Neil Postman: Postman loves the public school system and this book is an attempt to salvage or save a dying institution. He is a lot more hopeful than I am, but the book has some really good suggestions on education and how to make it “work.” For those interested in education and critique read John Gatto’s “Dumbing us down” and Weiss’ “A well trained mind” both books offer excellent critique and alternatives to education.

“Last Child in the woods” By Louvs: Speaking of a generation of children growing up without adequate time and exposure to nature. The result is what he coins “nature deficit disorder”; self evident in children who need constant entertainment to keep them “arrested.” He delves into the spiritual significance of spending time in nature; if all the signs/messages around us are systematically bull dozed for the next super-wall mart what will happen to our relationship with the universe? with each other? and what happens to a generation of children who have never experienced that awe of being such an infinitesimal part of creation? He gives good tips on how to create meaningful outdoor experiences with your children and how to make “living with nature” a part of our daily experience and not simply a weekend or vacation excursion.

“Mystical Dimension of Islam” Annemarie Schimmel: I am still reading this one; but it came highly recommended from a dear friend of mine and a professor of world religions. It’s an intellectual read on the definition, history, path and stages of Sufism. It’s objective and I am enjoying the way she evenly points out the different dynamics of the movement and areas where orthodoxy has raised some concerns. I am still reading it, so I will save some more comments for later.

“The Quran: A new translation” by Thomas Cleary: I love, love, love this translation. No lengthy footnotes, index, introduction, nothing. The English is beautiful, fluid, and rhythmic. It looks like I got my copy right on time, for they have run out of prints and amazon has like three used copies left for a 100 bucks each. If anyone knows where I can get more copies for a reasonable price, please let me know.

“Message of the Quran” by Muhammad Asad: I have heard a lot about this translation and CAIR’s give-away prompted me to get my own. I ordered it on Amazon and the copy that was sent to me bore one of CAIR’s stamps (apparently some people turned around and sold their copies.) I am going through it systematically and have learnt a lot from his explanations and notes. He relies a lot on Razi and other intellectual (rational) luminaries. I like the intellectual approach to the Quran but sometimes I find his interpolations a little over the top as are some of his conclusions.

That’s enough to keep you busy for a while. We are all recovering from a nasty rounds of the flu, including my precious six month old Yusuf. I am just starting to get my energy back and my “needs” have gone beyond the “please let me be able to keep down a morsel of food…” It’s amazing how little else matters when we are struggling with our health.

May your days be full of grace. Amin.