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The Adventures of Augie March
Title: The Adventures of Augie March Author: Saul Bellow Published: New York: The Viking Press, 1953 I am an American, Chicago born – Chicago, that somber city – and go at things as I have taught myself, free-style, and will make the record in my own way: first to knock, first admitted; sometimes an innocent knock, sometimes a not so innocent. But a man’s character is his fate, says Heraclitus, and in the end there isn’t any way to disguise the nature of the knocks by acoustical work on the door or gloving the knuckles.[1] And that my friends is how Bellow begins The Adventures of Augie March. It truly is an American story. One that captures the hopes, dreams, and disappointments that many may experience. The characters are alive and believable. There is a little bit of Augie in each of us I believe. We want to do our own thing and make the best of life, but very often we are carried along by the current. It is almost as if the inevitable has a way of grabbing us by the coattails and dragging us along. The experiences and encounters that Augie experience are very wide in what…
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The Everlasting Man
Title: The Everlasting Man Author: G. K. Chesterton Published: Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1974 (Originally 1925) There are two parts of this book, “On the Creature Called Man,” which points out how special mankind is in relation to all other creatures, and the second part, “On the Man Called Christ,” which points out how special Christianity is to all other religions and myths. Now I believe Chesterton did not write this with the aim of instructing those that are already enlightened and members of the Christian way. But rather, he had in mind those lost souls who were bored, confused, or perhaps even intolerant of Christianity. He understood that they may be too close to the issue and their senses had become deadened and that they no longer were able to feel wonderment at what is truly wonderful. It is also written to the crowd that may have been caught up in Darwinism or those that just couldn’t see mankind as special anymore. So, he provided a path by starting outside and looking in. If one is having trouble understanding something it is usually best to try a different angle or paradigm. On reading this I thought I would have…
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Grendel
Title: Grendel Author: John Gardner Published: New York: Vintage Books, 1989 I’m back. For the last three hours I have been Grendel. Caught up in the story by John Gardner. From its opening page it held me spellbound. My heart is racing. I am caught up in the story. I close the book, lean back in my recliner and take a deep breath. Slowly my breathing returns to normal. I hear the clock ticking on the wall. The sounds of birds outside. The faraway sound of highway traffic. Reality returns to me. Gardner weaves a spellbinding story of the creature Grendel from the story of Beowulf. From the first page I was hooked. The many anachronisms just seemed to naturally fit and become part of a mystical weave that Gardner created. It is a philosophical work, one that is sure to bring questions. I wrestled with Grendel as he struggled to understand and give a meaning to his life. He covers a wide scope of Western philosophy over the ages. I feel it would be a good conversation starter for a class of students. Let them all read it and discuss what they identified with, what they struggled with, and…
