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East to West
East to West
by Ravi Zacharias
A Life of Exceptional Experiences Dosed w/ Humility
When this book first came out, I wasn’t as interested as I was reading RZ’s other more apologetic books. This was more of a biography, very anecdotal, but the more I read it, I saw how so many of what he’s seen and experienced were just microcosms of so many worldviews. He himself was a huge cynic, but after his regenerative experience at the hospital, he was led to really explore who God was and His message through Jesus, as well as test the seemingly competitive other world views. And he quotes it accurately, saying the more he learned about other world views, the more beautiful Jesus became to him.
Sometimes his biography was comparable to Forrest Gump, with fortunate exceptional destiny, with the exception that Ravi had immense intellectual potential. But he has really humbly been appointedly woven into the lives of many other prominent theological giants, having also crossed paths with world leaders. It’s just amazing to realize all he’s been through, but only because of the grace of God…continually guiding His path, and using him, from great revivals to personal intimate testimonies.
And amidst all the glorious stories are his heartfelt intimate thoughts of his family and his closest friends, some who died of age, and some who died spreading the gospel. I’m not ashamed to say how much this book has moved me…it is probably one of the most personal books for me…
this book is definitely rich w/ great lessons, great experience, and great proof that God is really there in the shadows, slowly revealing and affirming His will in our lives at the duly appointed time.
it IS an exceptional life, a great book i sadly put down, wishing there was more to read.
Engaging Men – Lynda Curnyn
book, 1.5 stars
it was for basic flippant reading for me. it looked appealing because of its entertaining premise of a 31ish woman was pursuing marriage while her current state, on the opposite wasn’t so engaging.
i gave it a 1.5 because although i wanted to get to its conclusion and find out if Italian Angie finds love or not, it was still cliche and somewhat unproportional with character realism. everyone seemed to be bold and beautiful with very superficial conflicts. I almost remember rolling my eyes at numerous parts of the book.
it wasn’t bad…you’ll get through it without cringing and complaining…it’s indifferently entertaining, but it’s not in my “favorites” panel of choice.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Mark Twain
book, 3 stars
ok look.
i gave the book a 3 average because it’s deemed “the greatest american novel.” The sentiment is based on the heroic character of Huck Finn who obstinately rejects the norms of his society to comply with his own individual freedom in action and morals. It deconforms to organized religion, southern economic dependence to slavery, and even familial ties.
the story is symbolically saturated which makes me understand why the novel can be considered a graduate level book, because it has many layers through its imagery. the river itself being a symbol of freedom- both potentially good and bad, and the raft which serves as a common ground for Huck and Jim to be equal humans.
but in my opinion, which is also what i wrote my paper on, is that the second half of the book digresses in interest to complete the initial goal of the first half, and becomes just countless tedious moments of distractions for Huck, and probably the greatest annoyance towards the character Jim. We end up following Huck through his supposedly “adventures” when we fail in responsibility to concern ourselves with Jim- the one whose life is in ultimate jeopardy. Only in little instances do we see Jim’s face peek out from the marshes, and instead mainly see the heroic figures of Huck and Tom in the end.
my paper was on the irony of Twain’s character Tom, who he uses as the ridiculous hero, but i felt was just the obvious version of Huck as a hero. Huck was just like Tom, except he was more subtle in coming up and giving in to the distractions and forgetting the main clear direct objective in saving Jim. Twain lost the initial momentum and idea of heroism in Huck in the beginning, and ultimately turned him into the hero he mocked through Tom Sawyer.
ya…so i didn’t like the novel particularly.
Tartuffe: Moliere
book, 2 stars
written in the neoclassic period, Moliere resonated the era’s sentiment of letting “reason be your guide.”
Moliere wrote this play as a critique to let people be aware and warned of the hypocrites of religion. Many people of his time felt that his play was heresy and rejected religion, but in fact rejected hypocrites and drew them out through this satiric play.
There were bland characters like Orgon, who had to ulitmately use reason to believe that Tartuffe was a hypocrite who was using him to get to his wife. Of course, in that recipe, there are two lovers- the daughter of Orgon who is forced to marry Tartuffe, only to be saved by her mother who pretends to seduce Tartuffe while Orgon hides underneath the table. Of course in the end, Tartuffe is figured out and reason permits his undoing. simple huh?
overall, it was was it was…just a play…it wasn’t anything too challenging.
Memoirs of a Geisha: Arthur Golden
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden – book, 5 stars
i really thought that this book was brilliant and one of my favorite stories. whenever people ask me to recommend a book, this always escapes as one of my first ten that come to mind.
what’s most ironic about this book, is that it is written by a nonJapanese man, taking the first person narrative of a Japanese female.
it takes us along the journey of a young blue eyed fictional girl, Nitta Sayuri, who is sold into a geisha house, only to be treated with chastisement, unfairness, and all the aspects one can expect from a hierarchical society. She’s faced with rivals and friends, the novel being exquisitely rich with as colorful characters as the imagery itself. The reader is saturated with traditions, arts, culture, their life’s conditions, restrictions, rules, beauty, and discipline. The book heightens in many layers and subplots, with elements as love and illusion, appearance and deciet, truth and beauty. Overall, you are transported into the secret world of geisha, and realize that every action is an art of seduction, and an art of beauty…
it’s a really really great book.
Flowers For Algernon: Daniel Keyes
book, 5 stars
definitely one of my favorite books.
i read this when i was still in middleschool, and i remember being so moved after i read it. it’s an emotionally stirring critique on humanity, and the proportional understanding of it with one’s intelligence or ignorance.
it’s about this man, Charlie Gordon who is mentally challenged. In his perspective, man is good, but only because he fails to conceive their true nature through his ignorant condition. But this perspective gives him happiness. His life is then changed when he’s offered a chance to partake in an experiment, where he meets the lab mouse Algernon, who also had undergone the experimental procedure. After all his meds kick in, he progressively gains intellect (progresses on his reading and writing) but also in understanding and assessing everything around him- noticing that the world isn’t as wonderful as he remembered it to be. He’s fully capable of comparing his present state to his past condition, and remembers all his experiences, but only does he now fully “understand” all the deeper implications involved with his friends, with relationships, with his family, and instead of happiness through his new gained intellect, he realizes the ramification of “knowing” and begins to experience emotional pain.
i won’t tell you what happens in the end, but it is such a great book, filled with a lot of psychological debate, and deeper investigation to the ramification of intelligence, and an overall sad critique of the darkness of humanity, yet sheds quiet light on the great things such as the understanding of love, and even the pain it can bring.
ya…go read it.
Red Azalea: Anchee Min
book, 5 stars
this was mandatory read for my World Literature @ Rowan University. The reason why this book was a straight up five stars is because this was the book that opened up my mind to Communist China at the time that Moa ruled it. It fascinated me beyond my understanding, not that I turned communist…hahah…but because i started saturating myself with the history beginning from precommunism to the death of Mao. I memorized dates, timelines, political strategies, historical places, conflicts, and the country’s changing sentiment. This book began the next string of books that i read for leisure concerning Communist China, and even preCommunist china. It also opened my semi-dormant interest in movies that dealt with the same history.
It was a great opening book to how women strived in China at that time as well. The book is told by a first person narrative. It serves as an autobiographical novel of Anchee Min’s experiences from when she was a teenager, under a societal false consciousness during the cultural revolution headed by Mao’s mistress. It was a deep disturbing book…but really awakened a great interest in me…so much so that i still get stopped at B&N when i see a book relating to a similar topic.
this is one of two books that she’s written and i’ve read. i recommend the other one as well, about Mme. Mao.
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