Cosmic
Book Reviews
by ANN ULRICH MILLER
© 2012 (all rights reserved)
An article from the AUGUST 2012 issue
of THE STAR BEACON.
Not your grandmother’s Jesus... hymnandme
hymnandme
by Barbara Buck, ISBN 978-0-9853346-0-4,
Onesong Publishing, 2012, ppbk 257 pages,
$14.95, eBook available at Amazon Kindle
Review by Ann Ulrich Miller
Rarely have I found a novel
that is this spiritual and so fun to read. Barbara Buck’s first book about a
grown boy in L.A. who happens to meet Jesus on the street and brings him home is
a journey in self-discovery and deep meaning.
The main
character's name in her novel is never revealed, which makes reading this book
even more personal. Then there is the obvious "language flaw" in his telling of
the story that charms you from the very first page. Buck's use of Malapropisms
not only is entertaining but hammers in the "true" meanings of the phrases in a
clever way.
For those who
didn't pay attention in English class, a Malapropism, according to
Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is "the usually unintentionally humorous misuse
or distortion of a word or phrase; especially: the use of a word sounding
somewhat like the one intended but ludicrously wrong in the context."
Jesus, or "JC" as
they refer to him, just shows up and doesn't really have a clue what's happening
in today's world. Yet his wisdom infects all of those around him, which includes
all of the residents of The Ark, the name of the building next to any alley
(where "Alley Guy," a homeless man, also takes part in discussions).
Each of the
characters in The Ark have unique parts to play in this unfolding of JC's
teachings, which wreak havoc on some, especially John Noman, the self-proclaimed
street preacher, and the various belief systems residing in the apartment
complex alone.
I guarantee this
is a read worth getting. Even those who consider themselves to be fairly
enlightened will get a heap more out of hymnandme, and will be delighted
with "blastfoamy," "false profits," the "Be Attitudes," and "Mary Magnavox," to
mention only a few... there are hundreds!
The title of the
book, hymnandme, is explained in this passage about one-fourth of the way
through the book:
So, we're sitting
in this humongous church and I look down and there’s this book called HYMNAL and
it’s full of songs about being all thrilled that JC got strung up, for Christ’s
sake. I leaned over and asked him what that meant, HYMNAL. He said it was about
getting all excited to know God and wanting to sing about it.
"Make a joyful
noise unto the Lord, all the earth," he said. "Serve the Lord with gladness --
come before his presence with singing." He said it with a smile, but his eyes
were sad.
I just kept
staring at the word. HYMN-AL. Then, all of a sudden, I got it! HYMN must have
been some old-fashioned way to say "him."
The book
hymnandme can be ordered through CreateSpace.com or at Amazon.
The Journey of a Skeptic
The
Journey of a Skeptic, by Dan Gnos
Review by Ann Ulrich Miller
Dan Gnos owns a gym in Pagosa
Springs, Colo. He wrote the book, The Journey of a Skeptic, about an
experience he had that was very hard to accept. After 53 years of what he calls
a "regular" life, something happened that caused a tremendous change.
I was present at a lecture where Dan
told his story to us in person. The book is just as powerful and has an impact
on everyone who reads it.
"This is not about a religious
experience, you know," he writes. "Science probably has a ball with it and all
the things I am experiencing and that's okay. It is for you to find out and
decide; believe or not to believe, that is the question."
The book, published in 2010, is not
very long (81 pages), but the content is powerful... if you allow it. His hope
was to inspire others in a positive way.
The Journey of a Skeptic by Dan
Gnos can be ordered for $9.95 on Amazon.com. ISBN 978-1-45373-070-6
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