Latest Reads

I'm always in the middle of multiple books at once to satisfy whatever mood I'm in, and in the last couple of months, I've finished two of them and recommend them with mixed reviews.

Upon the recommendation of several friends, I read The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, which turned out to be unlike any other book I've read. It was a Biblical fiction piece, taking the story of Dinah, Jacob's only recorded daughter, and imagining what her life would have been like during Bible times. The novel focuses on women and the cycle of life and death both through the monthly cycle (hence, the title) and the life cycle itself.

I'll start with the positive: my favorite part of the book is the way the author made me think about the reality of the culture during that time. Diamant is either Jewish or has significant knowledge about Judaism because, for example, she would write about meals that were prepared and refer to foods and ways of cooking that we know nothing about today. It's easy to read the Bible and overlook the more minor characters like Dinah, so placing her in a culture and making her the hero brought to life a time in history that I wouldn't have understood as well otherwise. I also thought the theme of life--bringing life into the world, longing for it, and going through the cycle of it--and of female friendships were poignant and touching--especially to a female reader.

While I genuinely enjoyed the book, I also can't say that I'd read it again. For one, the idea of Biblical fiction is a hard one for me. The author makes it clear that she's not trying to rewrite history, but I had a hard time separating what I knew to be true from the Bible with the story she wove throughout the book. On that note, the book, while such a beautiful statement on women's relationships, had quite a feminist bent. Only a handful of men (if that) had any integrity, which rubbed me the wrong way since so many of those men (Dinah's father and brothers), while glaringly imperfect, were also cornerstones of the Christian faith. In an effort to highlight women, who are often overlooked in the Bible, Diamant swings to the other extreme and completely annihilates men's positive characteristics.

After reading that bit of fiction, I was ready for some nonfiction, so I picked up a book my mother-in-law recommended called The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer. It tells the story of Moehringer, who grew up without a father and who was essentially raised by a group of men at the local bar. The book is well written (Moehringer has experience writing for the New York Times and has been a reporter for various newspapers) and uses intentional memoir tactics like showing instead of telling, ending chapters with punchy sentences, and inviting the reader into the story, making his writing lively and powerful. The bar becomes a family for him, a refuge, and yes, he would say, even a sanctuary--a holy place where he is accepted, celebrated, and understood.

I have to say that I really enjoyed the read (although beware of some language if you choose to pick it up). However, I did find the undercurrent of alcoholism sad. He never comes out and says "I was an alcoholic," but he doesn't have to; he lives at the bar night after night, describes the absent state of his mind, the hung-over-trying-to-work experiences the next day and we don't have to wonder. But I do feel sorry for him. Sorry that his life was so difficult. Sorry that he became so dependent on alcohol. Sorry that his father was absent. Sorry that he had to be raised in a bar. I imagine Moehringer wouldn't want me feeling sorry for him for all (or any) of those things. He would say his time in the bar was his growing up, his education on manhood. I just wish he could have gotten his education another way. That being said, I absolutely recommend this book if you like nonfiction. The story is easy to read, well written, and compelling.

On my bedside table:

• The Help by Katheryn Stockett
• Baby Wise by Ezzo & Bucknam
• One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp