James Michener (1965). The Source. Random House.
Not my first time reading this book, but I found an old, weathered copy in a used books store and decided to revisit the story of a tell named Makor in the Middle East. Tells are ancient places made up of layers of civilizations over thousands of years. The word, tell, comes from Arabic ( تَلّ) which means "mound" or "heap of ruin." They are most common throughout the Middle East, with a few in South and Central America and North Africa. There may also be some in Asia, particularly in places where human habitation is known to go back thousands of years.
The book covers more than two millennia in a small fictional place in the northern Galilee region of modern Israel. It also tells the story of how Jews, God's Chosen people, have borne the brunt of cultural hate since Abram became Abraham. Makor, in all its iterations, had Jews at its heart, whether or not (usually not) they had influence in the town. Over and over, Makor was built, captured, destroyed, and rebuilt until the Crusaders destroyed it fully, not leaving a single stone in place.
Still, the Jewish people persisted, settling a nearby town where they lived at a relative peace during British occupation. When the British left (1948), the Arabs who had promised peace and who had been promised homeland, turned against the Jews, beginning decades of conflict still unresolved. Michener published the book in 1965, two years before the Six-Day War that sealed Israel's position as a strategic force in the Middle East. The tensions he included in the final pages of the book, however, point to the inevitability of perpetual conflict.
The narrative thread throughout the book is the story of the archaeologists in 1965. The characters are Jewish, European, and Arabic, with varying degrees of religious commitment. Judaism, Christianity/Catholicism, and Islam all play a role in how each discovery is understood, and the significance of the site promises to provide long term positions for those who keep digging.
The most important character in the book is the land itself and those who fought to preserve it as a holy land, promised to the descendants of Abraham. Michener wrote,
They were a tough, wonderful, exciting group of young people, and if they had surrendered formal religion, they had found a substitute equally demanding: they were dedicated to the creation of a Jewish state that should be called Israel and that should be founded in social justice…This was the real mystique of the group: the land will continue" (p.789-790).
And so it does.
John M Bowers (2019) Tolkien's Lost Chaucer. [Audible]. Narrated by Jennifer M Dixon. Tantor (2020)
I knew Tolkien the philologist. I knew Tolkien, the father of fantasy writing in the modern age. I knew Tolkien the Inkling, the Roman Catholic, the professor, and I think I had heard about Tolkien's role in the OED. I have a copy of Tolkien's *Beowulf* translation/commentary and Baugh's *Chaucer's Major Poetry.* Of course, it goes without saying that I still have my 1970s era *Hobbit/Lord of the Rings* collection.
HOWEVER, I did not know that Tolkien was a Chaucerian scholar who translated, compiled, and edited Clarendon Chaucer in the 1920s. Sadly, he never finished (rather the same way Chaucer never finished *The Canterbury Tales*) and his work was boxed up and shelved until rediscovered 2006. Bowers curated the notes, proofs, letters, and marginalia into a cohesive story of Tolkien's Chaucerian work, particularly his inability to be succinct. The book is a fascinating and deep look at Tolkien's linguistic mind and how he was influenced by his research into Middle English poetry.
I had no idea how much of Chaucer was in the *LoR.* Evidently even Tolkien didn't realize it until he read his proofs while preparing to teach the Pardoner's Tale.
Narrator Jennifer M. Dixon is excellent when sped up to 1.25%.
Susan Dolan (2021). Mass Confusion: Why I Rejected the Church for So Long and What Changed. [Audible]. Narrated by Susan Bennett. Lantern Audio.
This personal faith story offers a lovely reminder that God’s mercy is available even after we drift away. As the saying goes, if you no longer feel close to God, guess who moved.
Dolan touches on a number of things that influenced her own journey from and to her Catholic faith. She begins with the evident faith of her parents as they lived it out in imperfect authenticity. Their walking testimony was a foundation for her return after decades of looking for spiritual fulfillment outside her historical roots.
She shared how her husband’s rekindled faith inspired her to reconsider her decision to walk away from Catholicism.
Finally, Dolan allowed herself to listen to leading Catholic writers and speakers. Finding connection in their words, she found herself becoming a dynamic Catholic, devoted to Jesus and working out her faith in the Church.
Her journey, while specifically Catholic, will resonate with anyone who walked away from a childhood faith, Catholic or Protestant. She had some wonderful quotes throughout the book, most of them about the need to prepare in advance for Church services and to take notes throughout in order to hear the words that God has at any given time. Come to the feast hungry, she says. And Jesus replies,” Blessed are those who hunger and search for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Isabella Maldonado (2023) A Killer's Game [Audible]. Narrated by Almarie Guerra and Feodor Chin. Brilliance Audio.
This novel is a double story, a police/FBI procedural and a deadly game of revenge. Slow to start, the narrative hits its stride when the killer's game actually begins. Multiple narrators were confusing at the beginning as well, but once the game began, they were necessary to keep track of the various locations.
Without giving too much away, the police procedural is an murder investigation of a Senator's staffer that leads to uncovering years of corruption by the Senator. The hit on the staffer is the connection to the game, a contest of contract killers in a deadly game with only one possible survivor. The game includes a maze and a series of puzzles. The ciphers were not terribly original or hard, but combined with time limits and deadly consequences for missing the clues.
Then, near the end, a twist. I'll say no more about that.
My primary complaint is that the protagonist's siblings were too perfect. No squabbling, no judgements, and both on full-ride scholarships to prestigious schools? Yeah, that was over the top for me--beyond my ability to suspend reality. Still, I extended my walk by an hour to finish the book, so that says something.
Benjamin Hall (2023). Saved: A War Reporter's Mission to Make it Home. [Kindle]. Harper Collins
Ever wondered how television news gets its behind-the-front-lines stories? Benjamin Hall was one of the reporters who braved the unknown, broke through the front lines, and took immeasurable risks to bring war news to the world. He began as a freelancer but ultimately worked for Fox News out of London. He covered Iraq and ultimately the war in Ukraine. In 2022, Hall, with two of his crew and two Ukrainian soldiers, was bombed by the Russians. The car was completely obliterated; he was the only survivor.
The book begins with how Hall became a war correspondent and turns to the first stages of recovery and his return to his family. The story is riveting and raw, as one would expect from a journalist. He lost an eye, a leg, most of a foot and much of a hand, yet Hall's optimism is infectious. In watching interviews after reading the book, his gratitude for all the people who participated in his rescue and recovery is inspiring.
2023 Heroes of Military Medicine Ambassador Award: Benjamin Hall Tribute
Inside Benjamin Hall's road to recovery following Ukraine blast | Fox Nation
'I Am Now Much Closer to God': Fox Reporter Benjamin Hall on Life After Deadly Russian Bombing
Daniel Bergner (2016) Sing for Your Life [Audible] Narrated by Ryan Vincent Anderson. Hachette Audio
Promethean Artists —Ryan Speedo Green
This remarkable story about Ryan Speedo Green, opera singer extraordinaire, alternately inspires, infuriates, and instructs. Born into a home where violence dominated, Ryan spent his childhood either running or threatening. Finding himself in a facility of last resort at 12, something in him reached for greatness, and by the time he was 24, he had completed college and won the prestigious Metropolitan Opera National Council (now the Laffont) Competition at the Met. His magnificent bass-baritone was ill-prepared for the hardships of learning how to navigate the mostly white world of opera. From diction and pronunciation to producing the timbre required for different characters, Green was far behind his operatic peers, most of whom had been in voice training their whole lives.
I absolutely loved this book and the narrator was first-rate. Bergner included enough of Green's childhood and time in lock-up for the reader to understand just how far Green grew. Green's frustrations with the expectations of the elite (and mostly white) wealthy class, particularly over singing "Old Man River" showed how culture still has much to learn about being Black in America. I will never, ever, ask any Black artist to sing or play that song unless they offer. I had always considered it a beautiful piece expressing perseverance, but I learned that it is actually a song of giving up, forever the slave, never free. And still, there is hope throughout the book. Meritocracy is an important concept in accomplishing the things Green has done. A little compassion, a second chance, and words of wisdom from teachers who saw his potential built a foundation upon which Green could construct a career.
And his VOICE. The sections of the book that described how he had to work to make correct vowel sounds took me back to voice lessons where I wasn't allowed to sing any song until I could perfectly place each vowel sound in a different place in my mouth. The tricks and visuals singers lean on to make their voices reach without screeching or find sonority without swallowing the tone. I hoped the audiobook might include clips, but it didn't. However, they aren't hard to find on YouTube and on his page with Promethean Artists. Now in his mid-30s, Green's voice is reaching its full maturity as this clip from a 2022 Florida State performance illustrates:
Ryan Speedo Green "Die Frist ist um" from Der Fliegende Holländer
Deeply personal, this biography doesn't avoid the hard and dark parts of Green's life, but it exudes both appreciation and affection for a big man with a powerful voice who has much to accomplish as his career reaches the heights he never would have imagined as a child.