Average customer rating:
- An understated masterpiece about an intensely intimate friendship
- One of my all time favorites
- Back when we were fab.
- Excellent writing, mildly interesting
- william maxwell's "the folded leaf"
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The Folded Leaf
William Maxwell
Manufacturer: Vintage
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Binding: Paperback
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The Chateau
ASIN: 0679772561
Release Date: 1996-10-01 |
Book Description
Here is a classic novel from one of our most honored writers--the author of such acclaimed works as So Long, See You Tomorrow and All the Days and Nights." The Folded Leaf is the serenely observed yet deeply moving story of two boys finding one another in the Midwest of the 1920s, when childhood lasted longer than it does today and even adults were more innocent of what life could bring.
Customer Reviews:
An understated masterpiece about an intensely intimate friendship.......2005-10-30
Long before he was editing the likes of Nabokov, Updike, Salinger, Welty, and Cheever at The New Yorker, William Maxwell had established himself as a moderately successful novelist and story writer. Although "The Folded Leaf" is not his most acclaimed or famous novel, it probably has the most devoted (indeed, nearly cult-like) following. Its charm is its utter simplicity; a coming-of-age story, it is also a passionate tale about love--between two men. Yet this is no classic of "gay fiction" (although it will certainly appeal to gay readers); instead, "The Folded Leaf" tells about the intensely intimate, innocuously physical, yet almost entirely platonic relationship between two boys who don't quite fit in with the crowd and who grow up to be very different men. Published in 1945, this is the type of novel only the bravest of straight male authors would be comfortable writing today--and, in a way, that's too bad.
Lymie Peters is the ectomorphic and studious introvert who meets Spud Latham, a dim yet muscular teenager who serves "as a kind of reminder of those ideal, almost abstract rules of proportion from which the human being, however faulty, is copied." Latham is new in town--his father has lost his job, and he lives with his family in a cramped apartment--and he inexplicably gravitates towards Lymie. At first Lymie's own feelings about Spud's attentions are ambivalent: "He couldn't help noticing the scales of fortune were tipped considerably in Spud's favor, and resenting it." What the boys have in common, though, is an undercurrent of barely suppressed fury that the people they know and the world around them aren't the stuff of their daydreams.
Maxwell is compelling in his ability to transform what should be two excessive stereotypes into recognizable and believable flesh and blood. Even though Lymie almost sycophantically fawns over Spud (even serving as his towel boy at the gym), Spud in return offers emotional protection, social acceptance, and true friendship; in spite of Spud's increasing popularity, it is a relationship of equals, and the pair is inseparable. Maxwell has re-created the ideal friendship, which many of us once had, if only briefly in our youth--or in our imaginations. Ultimately, however, as with any relationship this close, the snare of jealousy and the fear of being alone gradually introduce crises that build to a startling crescendo.
Although there is enough going on to move the story along, Maxwell's concern is psychological portrayal--and several of the pivotal scenes (even how the two boys meet) are completely left to the reader's imagination. But what makes this book memorable is Maxwell's lyrical and understated prose. This is a novel that invites hyperbole: the descriptions are disarmingly beautiful and the revelatory passages are quietly powerful. Lymie and Spud are so lifelike and, at the same time, so idealized that, when you've regretfully reached the last page, you'll be hungry to know even more about these two friends.
One of my all time favorites.......2004-08-22
This is the best William Maxwell novel I've read and one of the best novels I've ever read. I found the writing in this book to have the quality of a daydream and for the situations to ring true to life. The novel unfolds as life does and the details fall right into place. The characters themselves often engage in daydreams, which helps give it that life-like quality. Anyway, with most novels you get a sense of a strong authorial voice behind the words, as if someone is telling you the story. With Bellow or Cheever or Nabokov, for example, Maxwell's contemporaries, all of whom I like, you get a strong sense that their voice is theirs alone. With Maxwell, the authorial voice is much more gentle, almost as if the author were vanishing and his words were rising up off the page like vapor. It's interesting that Maxwell's voice seems somewhat different, novel to novel. There are some stunning passages in So Long, See You Tomorrow, but this is my favorite of the Maxwell I've read. It captures time and place so well. The midwest in the 1920's. It's very endearing - Sally says things like, "in a pig's ear" - yet still mysterious and, finally, heartbreaking. I've read it three times in the past nine months and it is a book I'm sure I'll return to again.
Back when we were fab........2003-06-10
The Folded Leaf is beautiful and lucid, a compelling read and useful for showing us what life was like for a young man in the 20s. Some of the story doesn't seem to add up- for example, I never was convinced that Spud was a compelling character but hey, maybe he just wasn't my type. And the ending is tainted with the histrionics that seems to characterize so much early gay fiction (and so much of it written now). But in the end, this may not really be a gay book, so much as a book about one boy who loves another, and how they both dealt with it.
Final analysis, the book is warm and generous and kind, beautifully written and quite bold. I can recommend it without hesitation to a general audience, and some should read it as a classic text (and you know who you are).
Excellent writing, mildly interesting.......2002-07-04
I agree that Maxwell wrote quite well, with very descriptive language, detail, and believable dialog. However, I found the story itself to be only mildly interesting. The relationship between the two main characters was unusual, of course, and complex in some ways, while lacking in breadth in many other ways. For example, there is neither significant action nor sophisticated philosophical discussion.
Some of the scenes are strong, especially when the adults participate more. I wish the girls had more character development, as Maxwell created some interesting individuals, but left them to relatively secondary roles where a longer book could have expanded their characters and interaction.
william maxwell's "the folded leaf".......2002-01-07
Personally, this book broke my heart. This is a story of an intense friendship, a kind of friendship that can only be had by the young, and the inevitable truth of life--that love eats friendship. The book ends on a somewhat upbeat note, but Maxwell's illustration of what you have to leave behind in childhood is so, so sad. Also interesting is the physical relationship that Spud and Lymie have with each other. It is completely innocent, but I know that it would never fly in today's homo-paranoia society.
Average customer rating:
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The Folded Leaf
Manufacturer: Harper & Brothers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IGB3IE |
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The Folded Leaf
Manufacturer: David R. Godine Publisher, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HNAFOQ |
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The folded leaf: Poems, 1970-1980
Ewart Milne
Manufacturer: Aquila
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: 0727502484 |
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The Folded Leaf
William Maxwell
Manufacturer: The World Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KJF6GE |
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The Folded Leaf.
William MAXWELL
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RJOFP0 |
Book Description
The return of a beloved classic,
from the bestselling author of The Princess Bride!
Once upon a time, the gondoliers of Venice possessed the finest voices in all the world. But, alas, few remember those days--and fewer still were ever blessed to hear such glorious singing. No one since has discovered the secret behind the sudden silence of the golden-voiced gondoliers. No one, it seems, but S. Morgenstern. Now Morgenstern recounts the sad and noble story of the ambitions, frustrations, and eventual triumph of Luigi, the gondolier with the goony smile.
Here, in this brilliantly illustrated exposition of the surprising facts behind this all-but-forgotten mystery, S. Morgenstern reveals the fascinating truths about John the Bastard, Laura Lorenzini, the centenarian Cristaldi the Pickle, Enrico Caruso, Porky XII, the Great Sorrento, the Queen of Corsica--and of course, the one and only Luigi. His tale will captivate you as much as his song!
Customer Reviews:
A great (if quick) read.......2007-04-01
While I was surprised at how quick a read this was (I got through it in two lunch breaks at work) it was still an enthralling read. Goldman has the ability to let you feel his characters in only a few lines and this is no exception. By the time I reached the end I felt as emotionally invested in the hero as I did when reading the Princess Bride. I have noticed other people have given this book low marks solely because it "isn't the Princess Bride". While I agree the Princess Bride is by far the better book I feel it is unfair to dismiss this book as poor based on the comparison. It would be like saying The Hobbit was a 1 star book because The Lord Of The Rings was better.
punchy prose style.......2007-01-03
Goldman writes this novella with the same irreverant style he used for "The Princess Bride." It's a cute little story about a man who loves to sing but is so horrible that the entire city of Venice pelts him with garbage.
It flashes back and forth through the decades of the twentieth century and tells a cute little story but never quite achieves the grandeur of Goldman's other works.
As a stand alone book it doesn't really hold up, it might have been better as an extra in yet another version of Bride. For my money I felt there should have been more.
A cute, quick read........2006-10-12
This is a cute little fable that's quick and easy to read. I was, however, a little disappointed. I expected something a little more like "The Princess Bride", considering that it was written by William Goldman (and that the S. Morgenstern device was used again). On its own, it's a nice little story. Just don't compare it to "The Princess Bride".
A great old-fashioned story.......2006-03-11
A classic book with an old-fashioned fairytale feel. If you love The Princess Bride as I do, you will instantly fall in love with Luigi and his "never give up" attitude. He is the unsong hero, the quiet guy in the background getting on with his life as best he can. He bears many similarities in my view to dear Wesley of The Princess Bride but in a more unassuming way. It is a really sweet book and I loved every page of it.
It's no Princess Bride.......2005-11-03
After reading The Princess Bride, few books will meet its standards...So, with HUGE expectations, I read The Silent Gondoliers. It was a big dissapointment! It would be an ok childrens book...but it lacked the wit and great storyline that I've come to expect from William Goldman.
Average customer rating:
- O sole mio, share this with your children
- A wonderful book by the author of the Princess Bride
- This book is almost as sweet as The Princess Bride.
- Why is this out of print?!
- This book is the funniest I've read in awhile!
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The Silent Gondoliers: A Fable by S. Morgenstern
William Goldman
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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The Silent Gondoliers
ASIN: 0345312791 |
Customer Reviews:
O sole mio, share this with your children.......2006-03-20
I read this book this morning for breakfast and will read it again later tonight for dessert.
This gorgeous little fable turns words so well it deserves to be read aloud, to your children, to your lover, whomever. I found it even more charming than "The Princess Bride."
Luigi is an affable every-man who simply has a dream. I fell in love with him, thinking about him in his gonodolier's costume poling down The Grand Canal with his godawful singing voice, the latter of which resonates personally for me. Also, like Luigi, I have a goony smile.
Hopefully I'll visit Venice someday, and until then, this book will take me there whenever I wish.
I found my copy yesterday in my favorite used book store, (shout-out to Book Castle in downtown Burbank) and it's in perfect condition. Even the dust jacket is as crisp as it was back in 1983. The illustrations are flawless and exactly what would excite a child's imagination.
I notice this version is only available used. Buy it and promise to read it aloud. It will not disappoint.
A wonderful book by the author of the Princess Bride.......2003-01-10
I've had this book forever and had no idea it was rare. I love it because it is clear at a younger age but doesn't get boring or repetitive, as one of those classic books that just get better. I think it is superior to the Princess Bride as the characters are beleivable. I highly recommend it!
This book is almost as sweet as The Princess Bride........1999-04-18
I found this book in a used bookstore and couldn't believe my luck. For a second I thought it proved the existence of Morgenstern...but the Goldman style is easy to recognize. This is a great book, but like ALL Goldman titles it is really hard to find. It's worth the effort!!
Why is this out of print?!.......1999-01-22
This is a great book, and it deserves to be in print! I stumbled across it in a university library (if you've ever searched for light reading in a library geared for research, you'll realize how lucky I was) and it was very good. I think in some ways I liked it better than THE PRINCESS BRIDE. I think that maybe have been because Luigi, the main character, wasn't perfect at all the way Buttercup and Wesley were. (Well, Buttercup was too stupid to be perfect, but otherwise . . .) If you can find a copy of it, read it!
This book is the funniest I've read in awhile!.......1998-12-13
I rarely laugh outloud at a book, but The Silent Gondeliers had me literally falling out of my chair. A fellow singing friend of mine happened to see me reading The Princess Bride at one of our rehearsals. I mentioned how much I loved that book, and he pulled from his bag, this great book! "Well, if you like William Goldman, you'll love this one!" As an opera singer, I could appreciate much of the humor. It's about a gondelier who cannot sing, and how his mishaps are the reason why today's gondeliers are silent. Wonderful book!
Amazon.com
Trouble begins when flashy boy-from-the-future, Theodore Pine Four, a seasoned recreational time-traveler, wins a contest that allows him to briefly visit a special, never-before-seen place and time with the brand-new, handheld TimeMaster JumpMan Pro. Unfortunately, contest director Quincy Blake gives Theo the wrong JumpMan prototype. He doesn't end up somewhere amazing like the Great Pyramids, but, to his dismay, in an incredibly boring bedroom in Mil3 (the 21st century), populated by a 14-year-girl named Genevieve and her childhood friend, Jules. Unfortunately, Jules has just mustered the nerve to ask Gen on a date. Budding romance is not the only thing Theo interrupts. If he breaks the one TimeJump rule--"don't touch anything"--he will change history forever.
Theo's perspectives on the 21st century are often hilarious. His commentary on many topics, including how Bill Gates is actually a TimeJumper from the future, will have readers looking at everything in a new light. The action is fast and furious as Theo, Jules, and Gen travel through time and try to get Theo back home in one piece. The question that simmers beneath it all is whether Jules can rise to the occasion to deal with Theo, get reacquainted with his recently-divorced father, and, of course, get the girl. Readers of all ages will devour this smart, funny, thought-provoking adventure, the first in James Valentine's bestselling Australian series. (Ages 9 to 13) --Karin Snelson
Book Description
Theo knows the Rule, just as every kid from the year fifteen billion and seventy-three does: When using your TimeMaster JumpMan for routine time travel,
DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING. And usually, when traveling to routine JumpSites like Three Seconds After the Big Bang or the Building of the Great Pyramid, this is no problem. But Theo's latest TimeJump is anything but routine. First, this Jump has put him in the early twenty-first century, of all places. Second, he has found himself visible to Genevieve and Jules, just as Jules is about to ask Gen out on a date. And finally, his JumpMan won't send him back to where he came from.
Will Theo get back to his own time, without disintegrating? Will the very fabric of space and time be torn to shreds? And most important...will Jules ever be able to ask Gen out on that date? Only time will tell in this roller-coaster ride of action, humor, and suspense from international best-seller James Valentine.
Customer Reviews:
Jumpman Review.......2006-12-01
Jumpman Review
The book that I am reviewing is Jumpman by James Valentine. This book Theo, of the year fifteen billion and seventy three, gets to try out his new jumpman and lands in 2004. The first rule of time travel is: Don't touch anything and you aren't supposed to be visible. He realizes that something was wrong when he appeared, visible in Gen's bedroom while Gen and Jules were talking. Jules and Gen have to help get Theo back to his time before he evaporates.
Theo had won a "worlds" wide contest to test out the new jumpman and to his surprise it was defective. You are not supposed to be seen when you jump because you are supposed to be ten seconds behind what you are looking at. Theo shows up visible in Gen's bedroom and something very bad happens. Theo is not a very good at keeping secrets because now that he's visible Gen and Jules know a lot about the future and find out so many things that could have changed their life if they didn't know. Gen gets irritated very easily with Theo for not telling her things about the future but she and Jules don't understand how important it is to not know these things. Theo tries very hard not to "Spill the lentils," or "Let the armadillo out of the trunk." That's future language for spilling the beans and letting the cat out of the bag. He can not resist just letting future secrets just slip out accidentally. Jules is very easy to get annoyed and jealous. He can't stand to be interrupted or bothered when he is doing something important. You can tell just by what has been told that this book is completely insane and fun.
Every good book has to have a problem and in this one Theo gets sick. He catches a cold from the future which makes his body parts disappear and move around the room. He has to send Jules to the future to get his parents. When he returns with Theo's parents Gen's and Jules's Parents get suspicious because they keep thinking they see someone else in the room besides Gen and Jules. When Jules returns with Theo's parents............. Well you'll see what happens.
My absolute favorite part of this book was when Theo, Jules and Gen were talking about the people of the future who broke the rules of time travel. In this part they say Bill Gates came from the future and brought all the future technology and invented a lot of things to our time. The Code Cops couldn't fix the damage so he just stayed here. I think this part is hilarious because it they're talking about someone in our time that is so smart that it would make sense if he was from the future.
I think this book is so great because it's thrilling and leaves you hanging after every chapter. There are so many surprises in this book I recommend you read this book if your into sci-fi and/or realistic fiction. I would personally give this book five stars because I had a great time reading it and never ever wanted to put it down. I would not recommend this book for people who like historical fiction but if you do choose to read it I hope you read the second one also!
Jamies Review.......2006-11-21
I read an awesome book titled Jumpman Rule 1: Don't Touch Anything by James Valentine. The books setting are in 2 places: In year fifteen billion and seventy three on earth and earth around now.
The main characters are Jules Santorini and Gen Corrigan, and Theodore Pine Four from the future. His nickname is Theo.
The main problem occurs when Theo appears and he is visible. He is supposed to be invisible. And he is only supposed to stay for 5 minutes, but he is there for much, much longer...
My favorite part was when Theo actually appears. It was just funny to think that there was Jules and Gen, and then Theo coming out of nowhere. I like this part because it is where it all starts and problems begin.
I really enjoyed this book because I enjoy futuristic stories such as these. I would recommend this book to people who like Sci-Fiction and like reading books of the future.
Gabriel's Review.......2006-11-21
JumpMan is about Theo, from the year 15 billion and 73 (time is measured from the Big Bang) who is test-driving a new, revolutionized `TimeMaster JumpMan PRO'. He wins the contest, out of every kid on Earth, Mars, and the Moon. He is going to go to the most exciting JumpSite ever, and by some weird mistake, he ends up in a boring bedroom. For Jules, it isn't boring at all, because he was just about to ask Gen Corrigan out. Except, that weird `Theodore Pine Four' shows up right when he is going to ask her.
Theodore is an excellently described character, with the Coat, a talking coat that changes color at a person's command. His hair is described as `a broad stripe of yellow with red and green lightning bolts flashing on either side' and is characterized by being slightly rude, joyful, and confusing at the same time. Jules is an average high school kid who acts slightly dumb because his brain fails to really comprehend a futuristic guy showing up right before his eyes with a talking Coat, and flashing hair.
Gen is a sort of attitude type of person and thinks that the whole universe is weird, except for her friends. She would spend two hours looking at herself in a mirror, though she has an unusual twist on her attitude, which I am not going to reveal.
The problem in this book is... well there are really a couple problems. The first one is that Theodore needs to get back to 15 billion and 73. They have to fix the JumpMan before they do that, though they have to make sure the entire incident is covered up. Jules also has to ask Gen out, though that is slightly mediocre compared to the rest.
My favorite part in this book is when Theodore was to go to school under the alias of Jules's cousin. He acts like a futuristic boy, instead of the modest, meek, kid he is supposed to be. This is funny because it shows what could happen if the knowledge of now and the future combined.
I would give this book four stars as it was a great read, though the plot was slightly confusing. There is a lot of suspense, and that's why I spent four hours reading it straight.
Rebecca's Book Review.......2006-11-21
I read a good book titled JumpMan Rule #1: Don't Touch Anything by James Valentine. It is a science fiction book set in the past, present, and future.
The main characters in this story were Jules, Gen, and Theodore. Theodore was a teenager from three thousand years in the future and Gen and Jules were present day teenagers. The story was about a teenager who won a contest in the future and for the prize he got sent back to a girl's bedroom which he thought was a mistake. He also found out he was visible which is never supposed to happen.
The main problem in the story occurs when Theodore gets trapped in the present and is not able to get his JumpMan working. Will Theodore ever get back to the future?
My favorite part of the book was when Theodore gets to the present and he realizes he is visible and that Gen and Jules can see him. This was my favorite part because it was really funny to see Gen and Jules reaction to a kid just suddenly appearing in their house.
I really liked this book because it always kept you in suspense. You always wanted to read more and you can not put this book down.
I would recommend this book to people who like fiction because there were a lot of exiting things that happened that could not happen in real life.
Jumpman Review.......2006-11-17
Jumpman, a Nutmeg book by James Valentine, is a science fiction story about traveling in time.
The time of the story is more important then the place. The exact time in which the story takes place is not specified, but we do know that the main characters travel in time-between the past, present (21st century), and the future- the 15 billionth and 73rd year. James Valentine never specifically tells the reader where the story takes place, although, we do learn that the main characters travel between their bedrooms, their school, and places like ancient Egypt with its pyramids, the beginning of the universe called the "Big Bang", and future places like the Making of Fire with Sparky the Neanderthal in the 14 Billionth year.
The main characters in the story are Jules, Genevieve, and Theodore that is from the future. Jules is a 13 year old average teen, solid, brave, calm. He goes to school with Gen. Genevieve is a 14 year old black haired girl who is nice, happy, gentle, and has been friend with Jules for a very long time. Theo on the other side is 13 years old, weird, panicky curious, and willing to take risks.
The book opens with Jules coming over to Gen's house for a barbeque. Suddenly, they have an unexpected guest, Theodore. They learn that their guest comes from the year 15 billion and 73 and he is misplaced in time because the JumpMan, his time traveling device, failed. This brand new equipment was supposed to take him for a brief, exciting journey. It took him instead to the 21st century, a time considered to be the worst of all. Jules and Gen do not believe Theodore that he is from the future. To prove it, Theodore takes them for many outstanding time travel trips. Unfortunately, he gets sick and loses parts of his body. Is he ever going to get better to go back to his house in the future?
My favorite part of the book is when Jules travels to the 15 billion and 73rd year using the JumpMan device and meets Theo's parents. I like this part of the book because it would be a dream of mine to time travel.
I really recommend this book to all science fiction story lovers. It will take you for an exciting adventure through time. This book is fast paced and it will capture your attention throughout the story. It will also bring you some very interesting facts about different places on Earth. In my opinion, I would give Jumpman 5 stars.
Book Description
Anti-Catholicism has a long history in America. And as Philip Jenkins argues in The New Anti-Catholicism, this virulent strain of hatred--once thought dead--is alive and well in our nation, but few people seem to notice, or care. A statement that is seen as racist, misogynistic, anti-Semitic, or homophobic can haunt a speaker for years, writes Jenkins, but it is still possible to make hostile and vituperative public statements about Roman Catholicism without fear of serious repercussions. Jenkins shines a light on anti-Catholic sentiment in American society and illuminates its causes, looking closely at gay and feminist anti-Catholicism, anti-Catholic rhetoric and imagery in the media, and the anti-Catholicism of the academic world. For newspapers and newsmagazines, for television news and in movies, for major book publishers, the Catholic Church has come to provide a grossly stereotyped public villain. Catholic opinions, doctrines, and individual leaders are frequently the butt of harsh satire. Indeed, the notion that the church is a deadly enemy of women, the idea of Catholic misogyny, is commonly accepted in the news media and in popular culture, says Jenkins. And the recent pedophile priest scandal, he shows, has revived many ancient anti-Catholic stereotypes. It was said that with the election of John F. Kennedy, anti-Catholicism in America was dead. This provocative new book corrects that illusion, drawing attention to this important issue.
Customer Reviews:
Informative and scholarly.......2007-05-18
I recommend this book to those who are open to the possibility of anti-Catholic prejudice. Those who might be characterised as anti-Catholic themselves might dislike its contents. However even the latter group may enjoy reading it to afford the opportunity to rationalise their position much as an intellectual who harboured strong negativity toward another race would never accept the possibility that their society was racist but would enjoy the challenge of rationalising away clear evidence.
That said this is certainly a scholarly review with a wealth of examples both recent and historical that show clear anti-Catholicism and its continuity from past to present. Bigotry is plainly distinguished from fair criticism. Where necessary he expands on historical incidents that are a forgotten part of our past subject to soundbyte rumours. The author is not Catholic and not anti-Catholic and writes accordingly.
As a Catholic I appreciated his objectivity but struggled with the 'warts and all' approach of a non-Catholic putting the issue under the microscope and not missing the opportunity to cite examples where he considered Catholics contributed to the prejudice. I would probably feel more comfortable reading a similar book from a Catholic author who accepts Catholic beliefs. However, as difficult as it might be in places, I do not shrink from recommending it to Catholics as it is useful to see the issue viewed from a different perspective not coloured by prejudice but not viewed through rose coloured glasses either.
It is clear that Mr Jenkins considers our religion to be overly extreme in respect of contraception and a tad sexist. Not that he joins the bigots even when discussing those issues. Indeed he even condemns anti-Catholicism demonstrated by improper actions based on views which he apparently shares and seeks to tone down misrepresentations relating to such issues. Such objectivity even in the face of his own biases is valuable in this type of discussion and should widen its appeal.
He takes pains to carefully document the internal issues within the Church and its implications. This is a wise approach as it confronts the Church with the fact that Catholics themselves exacerbate the problem and make it easier for bigots to make excuses. At the same time it sends a clear message that simply because some Catholics abandon large parts of the religion citing that is an excuse not a reason to be prejudiced against Catholicism.
Mandatory Reading.......2007-03-18
This book should be mandatory reading for all the politicians, activists, reporters and countless others that criticize the Catholic Church. The Church is certainly not above criticism, but the critics should at least make an attempt to get their facts straight. This book will help them do so, and puts many of the alleged offenses of the Catholic Church in a proper historical perspective, uses research and empirical evidence to debunk many of the alleged failings of the Catholic Church that are accepted as fact in our culture, and clearly explains the difference between legitimate criticism and illegitimate prejudice with respect to the Catholic Church. The author demonstrates (supported with research, unlike many of the critics of the Church) that many political organizations, members of the media and others, usually careful not to offend anybody because of race, religion or gender, seem to ignore these courtesies when it comes to Catholics.
The author gives numerous examples of the attacks on the Catholic Church by gay activists and writers, including vandalizing Churches, shutting down masses and the desecration of the communion wafer, and rightfully calls these acts bigoted. The book certainly make you wonder what would happen if these activists and writers attacked Muslims or some other religion in the same vicious and consistent manner? Given the Muslim view of homosexuality, one would think that the same gay activists and writers that savage the Catholic Church would do at least the same to Islam. All major Islamic sects disapprove of homosexuality and it is considered punishable by execution in six Muslim nations (Saudi Arabia, Iran, Mauritania, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen) and with prison, fines, or corporal punishment in other Muslim nations, such as Bahrain, Qatar, Algeria, Pakistan the Maldives, and Malaysia. The Catholic Church does not approve of acting on homosexual desires, but the Roman Catholic Catechism specifically states that homosexuals "must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition".
The book is at its best in debunking the many alleged evils of the Catholic Church that are simply accepted as true by many uninformed Americans, such as the conduct of Pope Pius XII during WWII (an excellent discussion of what actually happened), the Crusades (given that Christian Syria and Palestine were seized by the Muslim sword in the seventh century and that is viewed as acceptable, the author points out that it cannot be argued that it was wrong for Christians to reclaim those lands in the crusades, and he points out that ignoring such historical perspective would be like saying D-Day was an Anglo-American aggression against a peaceful continent) and the Inquisitions (clearly wrong, but claims of hundred of thousands of deaths are ludicrous - the best estimates for the Spanish Inquisition range between 3,000 to 5,000 deaths over a period of three hundred years).
This books may soften even the most diehard Catholic bigot. If after reading this book, you still think think that there is no such thing as a bias against Catholicism and this book is off base, I would point to a recent incident - the New York Times refused to publish the Danish Muslim cartoons, saying that such refusal "seems a reasonable choice for news organizations that usually refrain from gratuitous assaults on religious symbols." The NYT is certainly entitled to take this position, but then why did they publish an image of a work of "art" portraying the Virgin Mary adorned with elephant dung and cutouts from pornographic magazines, and why had they earlier published an image of "Piss Christ," a photograph by artist Andres Serrano showing Christ on a crucifix submerged in a vat of urine, both of which they knew were extremely offensive to Catholics. Apparently, for the New York Times, respect for religion and religious symbols does not extend to Catholics.
Contrast with other countries.......2006-10-09
I would have been fascinated to read a comparison of how Protestants are treated in, say, Italy, Spain, Portugal or France. What's that you say? There Are no Protestants in those countries!? They were tortured, murdered, driven out of their homelands or forced to convert to Catholicism many centuries ago!? Wow. I guess in comparison, American Catholics should consider themselves extremely lucky to be allowed to immigrate to a land founded by Protestants, to practice their faith, to get rich if they work hard, and to share every freedom that people of other denominations enjoy. And, being so grateful for this freedom, I have no doubt that they all work hard to ensure that Protestants in Catholic countries have the same rights and privileges, right? uh... Right?
A 'Thinking' Book.......2006-05-19
This is not a book that you will speed through. It is an honest, well-written book about the prejudice against Catholics that seems to be everywhere these days.
Responses Prove The Point.......2005-04-06
Though I haven't finished this book yet, I hold Jenkins in very high regard, as one of the few writers on religion who knows what he's talking about and consistently tells us little-known truths. The pervasiveness of anti-Catholicism in American elite culture is one of those truths. The incidents catalogued in this book are a real eye-opener.
The hostile reviews of this book illustrate the problem this book is about; the authors exhibit the characteristic symptoms of prejudice--a willingness to blame the victim combined with a willful distortion of facts. To take a few examples: the Church does not condemn gays (or anyone) as "hellbound" nor "attempt to frustrate their efforts to reach an accomodation with the larger society" ["accommodation" is hardly the word for the current effort to publicly redefine sex and marriage as having nothing to do with procreation, a view that directly attacks the very notion of human society as the Church understands it], freedom of conscience is not a "dead letter" in the Church (and it is grotesque to compare the contemporary Church to the Soviet Union--the Church is more tolerant of dissent on political matters than the University of Washington, where I have studied), Catholics do not believe or tend to believe in subverting the US Constitution, and I have never known any Catholic to "engage in seditious activity against fellow citizens" or advocate anything that "denies the democratic nature of the United States, as well as the rights of every individual". I defy anyone to produce a single contemporary example of Catholics, as such, engaged in sedition or subversive political activities.
Consider for a moment whether anyone could make comparable blanket accusations about Jews, or Muslims, or any other human beings, and go untainted by the accusation of religious bigotry, especially when no evidence is cited in support of these claims. If someone said that certain Jews were engaged in sedition and subversion of the Constitution (and we have heard such claims, of course), giving no evidence to support the accusation, what would you think of them? What if someone says that Islam is incompatible with democracy and Muslims are enemies of America? If a Jew or Muslim complains about such things, does anyone argue that this is asking "special reverence" for Judaism or Islam?
Jenkins' book is an impassioned plea for simple justice, on behalf of a religion routinely singled out for vilification in ways no-one would dare apply to any other group of human beings without fear of public obloquy. Please heed it.
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Straining to present a religion under siege.(Book Review): An article from: Conscience
David Myers
Manufacturer: Catholics for a Free Choice
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
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ASIN: B0008DW9EO
Release Date: 2005-07-31 |
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This digital document is an article from Conscience, published by Catholics for a Free Choice on June 22, 2003. The length of the article is 1357 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Straining to present a religion under siege.(Book Review)
Author: David Myers
Publication:
Conscience (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2003
Publisher: Catholics for a Free Choice
Volume: 24
Issue: 2
Page: 42(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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