Book Review: Letter to a Christian Nation (2006)

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Brian Wright

Addressing the faithful of the US in more familiar terms
by Sam Harris Alfred A. Knopf, 96 pages

Letter to a Christian Nation follows shortly after The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason, and it should be considered a humanitarian-outreach appendix to that groundbreaking work.

Among fellow naturalistic humanists, I’ve seen a resurgence of “atheist and proud” assertiveness. I find that refreshing for many of the same reasons Sam Harris uses to suggest that atheism is not a philosophy, rather a moral testimony to one’s loyalty to reality, life, and reason:

“…atheism, is a term that should not even exist. No one ever needs to identify himself as a ‘non-astrologer’ or a ‘non-alchemist.’ We do not have words for people who doubt that Elvis is still alive or that aliens have traversed the galaxy only to molest ranchers and their cattle.” — pg. 51

Harris states atheists simply want those who assert God to provide some evidence. Moreover, we’d like some indication the dude is friendly, “given the relentless destruction of innocent human beings we witness in the world each day.” Continue reading →

Book Review: The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (2006)

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Brian Wright

Clever notions mildly diminished by an occasional foul word
by Bobby Henderson
2006, Villard, 166 pages

In the wonderful The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins mentions Bertrand Russell’s parable of the celestial teapot:

If I were to suggest that between the Earth and the Moon there is a china teapot revolving about the sun in an elliptical orbit, nobody would be able to disprove my assertion provided I were careful to add that the teapot is too small to be revealed even by our most powerful telescopes. But if I were to go on to say that, since my assertion cannot be disproved, it is intolerable presumption on the part of human reason to doubt it, I should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense.

If, however, existence of such a teapot were affirmed in ancient books, taught as the sacred truth every Sunday, and instilled into the minds of children at school, hesitation to believe in its existence would become a mark of eccentricity and entitle the doubter to the attentions of the psychiatrist in an enlightened age or of the Inquisitor in an earlier time. — Russell, Is There a God? (1952) Continue reading →

Book Review: The Light of Alexandria (2005)

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Brian Wright

The first 1,000 years of science and how it helped to shape Greece, Rome, and the world, by James Maynard. 2005, Lulu, 171 pages

It’s a real kick for me to review this fine work of art by a new friend of mine in the Free State. In fact, James is the one who suggested I investigate publishing my own book, New Pilgrim Chronicles, using the independent publisher Lulu.

Although Light reaches a general audience of any educational level, say, beyond junior high school, it’s going to be more appreciated by those of us who went through some college prerequisites. Back when I was a freshman and when CliffsNotes was young, I recall the Socratic dialogs. Continue reading →

Book Review: The Shape Shifter (2006)

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Brian Wright

by Tony Hillerman
2006, Harper Collins, 276 pages

Tony Hillerman started writing his series about Navajo tribal policeman-detective Lt. Joe Leaphorn with The Blessing Way in 1970. Later Leaphorn, the “Legendary Lieutenant,” retires and Hillerman replaces him with an equally deeply refreshing character, Officer Jim Chee.

The principal setting for the Leaphorn/Chee crime novels is the Four Corners, a large area of high plains and mountainous terrain encompassing NE Arizona, SE Utah, SW Colorado, and NW N. Mexico. This area is home to the Navajo reservation, the Hopis, and other American Indian nations.

Over the years, Mr. Hillerman, winner of several awards for mystery writing, has attracted a dedicated following; each new novel appears regularly on the New York Times bestseller list. The Shape Shifter is no exception. Continue reading →

Book Review: The Rise of the Creative Class (2002)

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Brian Wright

by Dr. Richard Florida

2002, Basic Books, 325 pages

“If America continues to make it harder for some of the world’s most talented students and workers to come here, they’ll go to other countries eager to tap into their creative capabilities—as will American citizens fed up with what they view as an increasingly repressive environment.”
— Dr. Richard Florida,
The Flight of the Creative Class

From this quote you can see immediately the sort of society Dr. Florida wants. Me, too. What’s puzzling is he doesn’t explicitly attach his shiny new cart of creativity to the thoroughbred of peace and political liberty.

In particular, you’d expect him to lambaste the Neocon Usurpers for launching expensive wars for isolated benefit of the Carlyle Group. Is he pulling his punches so Rush Bimbaugh won’t accuse him of Bush-bashing? In general, why doesn’t Florida boldly oppose the bonecrushing machinery of government per se? Continue reading →

Book Review: A Cat Named Darwin (2002)

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Brian Wright

How a stray cat changed a man into a human being
by William Jordan

2002, Houghton Mifflin, 187 pages

This book caught my attention as a loaner from a special lady friend via my mom, both cat lovers. I thought it would make a nice change of pace from works on political morality or economy, and I was right.

Like the author, Bill Jordan, I have a long history of relative disconnection from animal planet, whether the wide variety of wild fauna or domesticated pets. (My dear late brother Forrest was the true animal lover in the family; he possessed a rare sensitivity to all living things. He provided the family with the impetus to acquire dogs, cats, goldfish, and so on, and the inclination to care for them.) Continue reading →

Book Review: The Appeal (2008)

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Brian Wright

A novel by John Grisham

Mr. Grisham is a big time writer and when you read this book on what happens when the corporate power buys justice, you’ll appreciate more why. Nobody can produce the authenticity of life at the top (how the 1% live: executive boardroom machinations; posh parties; help from sleazeball US senators; billionaire stock manipulation; and making clean, ever so stylish getaways in luxury automobiles, fast jets, and oceangoing yachts) and life among the long-suffering people without access to privilege (the most unfortunate of the 99% who are continually injured and killed by corporate criminals) better than Grisham.

The previous time I started a Grisham legal-beagle story, I remarked to myself haughtily, “My gosh, he’s writing this book as if it were already a screenplay, to facilitate tapping into the big money of Hollywood. How gauche.” Well, I forgot the name of the book I then suspended reading. Continue reading →