Book Reviews

By Stacy Schiff

Wow! I had no idea how important Samuel Adams was to the revolution and creation of our country. What an interesting man he must have been. He was the guy working the crowds in the bars and other meeting places…getting the carpenters, masons, and other folks like them informed and riled up.

The British liked working with the elite, but that is NOT who started our revolution. Samuel Adams’ father was a brewer and handed it down to Samuel but poor Samuel did not have a good handle on running a business. He was broke or poor most of his adult life. But he did know how to start a revolution.

He had a keen sense of right and wrong and was a prolific writer, under many names. The truth was not always his goal. Sometimes it was just to make a point and get the colonies to pay attention to how England was treating them. He was behind the Boston Tea Party but, like so many other things, he rarely left any fingerprints.

The author writes in a way that kept my attention every time I read it. Samuel has not received the credit he deserves until now. His cousin John Adams was with him many times but they both worked very differently.

If you want a good book about the revolutionary times and want to see a side of the revolution you probably have not seen before, read this one.

Reflections on Male Spirituality

I find Richard Rohr so calming. I first heard him on a Brene Brown podcast and just needed to learn more about him, so I read Eager to Love, and this one really caught my attention. I feel like we have done such a great job at encouraging women to leadership roles and to begin to “break the glass ceiling” but it seems there are a lot of lost men out there.

Richard approaches this topic from the view of a Franciscan Monk, a kind and thoughtful approach. If I ever were to take up organized religion again, it would be from this perspective. He talks about the need for men to have male role models and the importance of understanding that there are transitions we males must go through.

I have so much more to think about, but one point he makes is that pre-industrial age most boys spent an enormous amount of their time with their dad, on the farm, in the shop, learning a trade. This male relationship was strong. When the industrial age came, most dad’s ended up leaving the house to “go to work” and that relationship with the children changed.

Hmmm…never thought about that. I know the industrial age was the origins of “teenagers” because suddenly these young adults who used to work on the farm were now presented with lots of free time.

Richard says, “We don’t think ourselves into new ways of living, we live ourselves into new ways of thinking.” This aligns so much in my belief that action is how we create opportunities in our lives and action is where we can find our passions. We won’t find our passion by thinking about it.

Our local middle school had a special day for all the 8th grade girls which was great, but it left all the boys back at school with little to do. They could not have a regular class because half the students were missing. So the guidance counselors created a career day that I helped make happen at the community college. I loved it. But don’t the girls need career work?

The final concept that really struck me is that all men have four parts to our souls. The king or shadow king where we are benevolent and kind and mature or it develops into a shadow king that appears this way but really has ulterior motives. (I’ve simplified all these a bit).

The warrior or black knight side. When growing up most men are trying to physically be strong or grown men are trying to dominate and protect. Or it can develop to be more evil with the black knight side.

The magician has to do with awareness, consciousness, and growth. In his highest side, he is a prophet or truth speaker. The lowest form is the sorcerer’s apprentice and is more of a clown or a trickster.

The fourth side of our soul is the lover or the addict. The lover knows how to delight, appreciate, to enjoy that which is good, true, and beautiful. Where the addict can no longer enjoy and searches for instant gratification. Again, so much to think about.

If you are a spiritual person, (or former Catholic like me), and are looking for a thought-provoking book about men, this is a worthwhile read.

Local newspapers began doing articles on her and people were often looking to put her and her animals up. She started with one horse and her dog, Depeche Toi (French for “hurry up”), and then picked up another horse on the way to share the load.

I didn’t know that many local sheriffs would put people up in jail cells so they had a place to sleep and a meal. Annie stayed in a number of them plus many many homes were open to her. Some towns were so excited to see her that they put her up in their best hotels…free of charge. One person in Maine had a bunch of postcards made up of Annie, her horse, and dog, and told Annie to sell them along them way to make money.

This is a feel-good book that is worth the read.

By Richard Rohr

Here is one of my favorite quotes. “You must preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary use words.” In this book friar Rohr talks about the need for action more than the rituals that come with formal religions (not just Catholic) and how many people hide behind the religion and actual church structures to “prove they are good people” when actions are where it should happen.

“…in Franciscan spritiruality. It surpasses the boundaries of religion, culture, gender, ethnicity, era, class, or any measure of worthiness or education.” He respects all religions who believe in god and who do the right thing in life which is to love others.

“Love is a very real energy, a spiritual life force that is much more powerful than ideas or mere thoughts. Love is endlessly alive, always flowing toward the lower place, and thus life-giving for all, like a great river and water itself.”

I have much to think about after reading this book but can honestly say I connected with much of it.

By Patricia Cornwall