I Love to Read!

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman

2010-04-02T15:41:00.000-04:00

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down explores the differences between a small county hospital in California and a refugee family from Laos over the care of Lia Lee, a Hmong child diagnosed with severe epilipsy. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia but lack of understanding between them led to tragedy.

The book begins with the traditional birthing methods and traditions of the Hmong people. One of the most important traditions is burying the placenta. The placenta is to be buried in a spot under the homes dirt floor so when the person dies its soul can travel back to the placenta. Lia was the fourteenth child born to the Lees'. She was their only child born in the United States. She was born in a modern hospital in California's Central Valley, where may Hmong refugees have resettled. Lia's placenta was incinerated.

This is a very interesting book, often on the required reading list of many schools. You will learn of Hmong traditions and how they conflict with American traditions. It shows how the differences are complicated because of the understanding of each others beliefs. The language barrier is a very big part of many of the problems encountered.

I like this book and consider it a very good read, especially if you want to learn something as you and are ready for some deep thinking. It is not a quick and easy book to read.

Brother Odd by Dean Koontz

2010-03-14T11:46:00.001-04:00

Brother Odd features one of the fascinating characters created by Dean Koontz: Odd Thomas. Odd Thomas is just what his name implies. He is odd. “Oddie” is living at St. Bartholomew’s Abbey, a monastery that includes a sect of monks, a convent, and a refuge and school for children sharing various degrees of physical and mental disabilities. Odd Thomas is here after a horrific event (detailed in a previous Koontz volume, Odd Thomas)

A bit about Odd Thomas is in order. Odd Thomas is capable of seeing the dead. Those who have not gone on are visible to Thomas. His self proclaimed mission in life has become his assisting these departed souls find the peace within to move on from this plane. Odd, throughout the book, interacts with the ghost of Elvis Presley, who is not yet ready to move on. Odd is also able to see other apparitions, including what he names ‘bodachs’, sinister black flowing beings that swarm a location prior to unknown tragedy and loss of human life. The bodach invasion begins at the beginning of the book, with the evil beings attracted to the helpless children.

Other characters bring mystery, comedy, and emotion to the book. The monks are of varied backgrounds, including a former mafia enforcer, veteran combat medic, and Los Angeles newspaper crime reporter. In addition, one of the ‘monks’ is a former billionaire physicist who has donated his fortune to the Abbey, and has constructed a secret underground laboratory in which he continues his research. Also in the plot is a mysterious Russian, claiming to be a Librarian from Indianapolis. Odd Thomas does not believe the Russian’s story.

Koontz weaves a supernatural tale told through Odd Thomas’ eyes. His interactions with new, strange and frightening events make this book a true “can’t put it down” volume. The conversations between characters are delightful. Odd’s interaction with a few of the children open communication with Stormy, his former true love who was gunned down in a previous book. His interaction also will be the key to discovering the source of the deadly menace that threatens all of the monks, nuns, and children of the Abbey in a secluded area in the High Sierra Mountains of California.

Brother Odd is a scary read. It has malevolent creatures, ghosts, and evil and virtuous people. The story line will keep you turning pages. Plot twists will keep you guessing. You will not be disappointed.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

2010-01-08T13:43:00.000-05:00

Robert Langdon is back. The ‘hero’ of The Da Vinci Code, Brown’s blockbuster bestseller, is thrust into yet another romp through history, complete once again with horrific villains, Masonic secrets, art history, and a rapid paced thriller of a plot.

The story opens with Langdon traveling to Washington D.C., allegedly to present a lecture for his longtime friend Peter Solomon in the U.S. Capitol building. The key phrase here is ‘allegedly’. Langdon soon realizes that his travel to DC is just a ploy to immerse him into yet another plot to use his skills as a symbolist. Langdon is being interrogated by the CIA. The first of many clues has been left in the Capitol rotunda. His friend has been kidnapped, mutilated and tortured. Thus the story begins.

In this volume, Landon does not travel all over the world. His unfolding of the twists and turns take place within the Beltway of Washington. However, the smaller geographical setting does not diminish the intricacy of the plot. Symbols must be deciphered. The history of the Masons is once again brought to the forefront of the storyline.

The story is, ironically, predictable with its unpredictable twists and turns. Any reader of Brown’s work will feel a familiarity with the flavor of the plot development. Names and places are different, but the same ‘feel’ is present in this work, and is somewhat a letdown. I kept waiting for something new to be introduced.

What were most enjoyable to this reviewer were the detailed descriptions of portions of buildings in Washington D.C. not accessible by the general public. I would love to have access to the upper areas of the Capitol Building, complete with roof access. In addition, the details given about the Washington Monument were most fascinating.

A history buff will enjoy the book. A reader of thrillers will enjoy the book. A fan of Dan Brown will enjoy the book. I recommend The Lost Symbol, even though I was slightly disappointed.

The Instinct Diet by Susan B. Roberts, Ph.D. and Betty Kelly Sargent

2010-01-07T22:59:00.001-05:00

This review is contributed by my husband. He really likes this diet philosophy, and is doing quite well with his changes in eating habits.

This book comes complete with much praise from "professionals" in the field of diet, weight loss, and health. The authors have many, many years experience in clinical research, primarily conducted at Tufts University, and this volume is dotted with many anecdotal stories from persons involved in the clinical trials of the diet techniques.

One soon realizes that the foundation for the Instinct Diet is a self-searching analysis of your personal relationship with food and eating. The five instincts detailed most certainly give a new insight into current (and past) food consumption habits. The first section of the book deals with these instincts.

Instinct number one is hunger. The book details means of confronting hunger head-on, and insuring that healthy meals and snacks satisfy hunger cravings.
Instinct number two is availability, and covers rather simple direction for keeping your kitchen environment free from those food items that can and will sabotage your best efforts at control.
Instinct number three is calorie density. Now you begin to get an education in calories and not only their effect on your body, but also an expose of the volume of calories in certain foods. Tips are given on making low-calorie foods more appetizing. The "sandwiching" technique is clever, to say the least.
Instinct number four is familiarity. Routines and rituals are graciously bashed and condemned. Direction is provided to assist even the most die hard, stuck in a rut individual the means to alter their comfortable, non-healthy eating habits.
The final instinct is variety. The premise here is that a restricted variety of diet often leads to hindering weight control. Variety as a tool can be skillfully manipulated to reduce the intake of unhealthy foods, and increase the intake of healthy foods. Clever, indeed.

Once the reader has completed the first section of the book devoted to the five instincts, the authors turn to the meat and potatoes of the volume. Uh, excuse me, I mean the broiled fish and non-starchy vegetable portion of the book. Shopping guides are listed, with detailed descriptions of items to be purchased in order to start the diet plans. Recipes make up a large portion of the book, with a wide variety (remember instinct five?) of dishes presented.

The program outlined in detail is comprised of three stages: The initial two weeks, Stage "I", followed by six weeks of the Stage "II" Keep It Going diet plan, and the Stage "III" maintenance plan. All three stages are explained in great detail.

The authors bring real life examples of success stories, coupled with the feeling of genuine concern they feel for you, the reader. With my diabetes prompted dietary requirements, I have "tweaked" this program somewhat for my personal use. However, simply reading the sections about the five instincts provided for me, as one of the book's references stated, a real paradigm shift in my thinking concerning my eating habits. I strongly recommend this diet book for that reason alone.

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

2009-12-13T18:25:00.000-05:00

The novel, If Beale Street Could Talk, is primarily written from the perspective of a young pregnant female named Tish. So what’s the big deal? A lot of stories are written from the perspective of a female. This story is unique because the author is not a pregnant female, the author has never been a pregnant female, and most likely never will be a pregnant female. Mr. James Baldwin is all male. If Beale Street Could Talk is considered one of America’s classics, could this be because a male author is successful as writing female? Is Baldwin breaking the barrier between masculine and feminine writing? Can he be considered a genderless author? I think not.

Note that I said the story is PRIMARILY written from the female perspective. At one point Baldwin transitions and the fathers lead the story. I do not feel that Baldwin is a genderless writer, in fact, I feel that he is an extreme gendered writer, but unique in that he has mastered both very feminine ideas and masculine ideas. Let me explain with a few examples.

Tish is pregnant and the father, Fonny, is in jail. While Tish has a very supportive family she cannot help but feel alone sometimes. Whenever she feels alone she remembers her baby. Baldwin does an excellent job of describing how a woman physically feels when she is pregnant. “Then, it [the baby] turns, beating the water, churning, obviously becoming unspeakably bored in this element, and wanting out. We are beginning to have a somewhat acrid dialogue, this thing and I—it kicks, and I smash an egg on the floor, it kicks, and suddenly the coffeepot is upside down on the table, it kicks…” (pg, 158). Baldwin is able to explain how the baby is constantly interrupting Tish and by talking about the baby turning and “beating water” Baldwin seems to be describing something only the mother can feel, not someone on the outside feeling the belly. Baldwin takes a stand and makes it clear that he knows what is going on by using words like “obviously becoming unspeakably bored”. There is no playroom; he does not leave this section open for interpretation.

Like I said, and to prove my argument, Baldwin not only writes extremely well as a woman, he also writes extremely well for a man. There is a part in the book where Joseph (Tish’s father) and Frank (Fonny’s father) are sitting in a bar discussing what the two will do to help Fonny get out of jail. This part of the story is heavy dialogue between the two men. The story is still “in Tish’s view” but she does not play a role in what is happening, she is simply discussing events that she heard about later (122). Frank expresses his love for his son. He describes Fonny as “…a real sweet manly little boy, wasn’t scared of nothing—except maybe his Mama. He didn’t understand his Mama…I don’t know what I should have done. I ain’t no woman. And there’s some things only a woman can do with a child.” He expresses that women are supposed to be raising the kids because they can do something men cannot. Frank feels bad that he could not “save” Fonny from jail, so what does Frank do, he blames the woman. Patriarchy anyone?

Baldwin is able to take two sides, Tish and Frank, and be very feminine and very masculine. Baldwin can describe a woman’s physical feelings of being pregnant yet he can also portray a patriarchal idea. Even though he can do both, I would not call him genderless, but rather gender extreme, for both genders.

Cross by James Patterson

2009-08-28T10:42:00.002-04:00

Cross is the 12th offering by James Patterson showcasing Alex Cross, master forensic detective. You are presented with all the details of the horrific unsolved murder of Alex’s wife, which occurred years ago in the series timeline.

Cross is pulled into a search for a demented serial killer, known as the Butcher, by his former partner John Sampson. Having left the FBI and now building a private counseling service, Cross reluctantly joins in the search for Michael Sullivan, the Butcher. Lo and behold, Cross soon realizes that there is a tie between the Butcher and his wife Maria’s murder.

Patterson weaves a tale of mayhem and murder, with the story told from the viewpoint of both Cross and Sullivan. Rapid fire short chapters fill the book, as Patterson takes the reader back and forth between Cross and Sullivan. Graphic violence becomes, unfortunately in this case, more important than plot development. I was disappointed in the lack of character in this Patterson novel.

There is plenty of action in Cross, replete with Cross, the Butcher, FBI agents, and an assortment of mob characters who are ironically also after the Butcher. You may enjoy Cross as a quick read. Patterson however, has produced better quality stories.

Cross Country by James Patterson

2009-08-27T20:31:00.004-04:00

Cross Country is the 14th in Patterson’s series of mystery/thrillers featuring the brilliance of forensic Detective Alex Cross. Cross has seen it all: murder, mayhem, and madness at its worse. At least until this story was penned. The descriptions of human cruelty and depravity offered in this thriller present us with the most graphic, unsettling scenes yet portrayed by Patterson.

The story really begins when a gang of ruthless teenagers invade a home, then proceed to terrorize and kill and entire family of five. Cross is called to the scene by his lover/fellow Detective Brianna Stone (Bree) and discovers that the mother of the massacred family is none other than his first romantic involvement from college days, Eleanor Cox. More grisly murders occur in the Washington DC area, all connected by one thread: All victims and their families were investigating the crime syndicate controlled by the Nigerian warlord Tiger. In addition, Cross discovers that his first love, killed by the gang, was recently in (you guessed it) Nigeria, Africa. “Ellie” was working on a book exposing the rampant crime in central Africa. Cross fishes for information from the CIA, but comes away with nothing but the feeling that there is more to the story than the CIA is willing to admit.

Cross heads to Nigeria in pursuit of the Tiger, having come up short in the pursuit of the warlord in the U.S. In true Alex Cross style, he immediately finds trouble in Nigeria. Corrupt officials, unspeakable crimes, and graphic violence meet and follow him across Nigeria. He ends up in an African prison, where for three long days he endures torture until the CIA finally springs him. By the time Cross is deported, the body count has reached horrific proportions.

Back in the States, tables are turned when Cross realizes that the Tiger is back, hunting Cross. The story becomes typical Patterson and the ending does not disappoint. However, this yarn is more action than the usual psychological fare Patterson’s readers usually expect. Warning: Not kidding about the graphic nature of the material.

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

2009-07-29T15:23:00.005-04:00

Reviewer’s note: Please have read the previous three, Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse before you dive into this novel. Regardless of what you have heard, if you do not have the background of the others, Breaking Dawn will be disappointing and confusing. Caution, this review has spoiler potential.

Breaking Dawn, the final chapter in the Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, treats the reader to a whirlwind of emotions: heartbreak, loyalty, family bonds, fears, grief, and hope but to name a few. The story is definitely one of Bella’s and Edward’s eternal love. It is clear that nothing can break the bond between the two. Oh, yes, did I mention that Bella became pregnant with Edwards’ child after marriage but pre-vampire change? This child (you have to read yourself to see if the half-human/half-vampire is a boy or a girl) will frankly take you on a roller coaster ride, both during and after the pregnancy.

And what about Jacob, that pesky werewolf who haunts Bella in the previous entries in this series? Fear not, Jacob plays a part, nay; he plays a pivotal part, one I defy you to try to guess.

Bella, our dear Bella, finally comes to realize that she does in fact have a power all to her own. Having lived in the shadow of both Edward’s and Jacob’s supernatural powers, her gift, alluded to and quite frankly a large part of previous volumes comes to the front to the amazement of all parties. Even the Volturi, who we met in Italy, have to come to grips with Bella’s gift in Breaking Dawn. No more will Bella be viewed, as some have stated, as a woman who lacks an independent spirit or power of her own.

The final confrontation brings you face to face with an amazing cast of characters: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Hang on, dear reader.

And least I forget: Shaman alert… Jacob and his fellow tribal pack mates turn out to NOT be werewolves.

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

2009-07-29T10:22:00.004-04:00

If by some chance you have not already read Twilight and New Moon, the first two installments in the Twilight saga, you best go back and study up a bit, at the minimum. Author Stephenie Meyer, in Eclipse, the third book, doesn’t “catch you up” on the ongoing storyline. Without some background, you will be thinking “What?” if you read this vampire novel first.

That said, and assuming you have read the first two novels, here goes my take on Eclipse. Ok, Edward and the Cullens are back in Forks, Bella’s high school graduation is coming up, Bella is planning on becoming a vampire after graduation, Jacob is now a werewolf, Edward loves Bella, Bella loves Edward, Jacob loves Bella, Bella loves Jacob as a brother (much to Jacob’s chagrin), the vampires hate the werewolves, the werewolves hate the vampires and well, you get the idea. Oh yes, there are now bloodthirsty vampires running amok in nearby Seattle, with a rising toll in violent human deaths.

A large portion of the book follows the tumultuous triangle of relationships between Bella, Edward and Jacob. Bella wants to be changed into a vampire after graduation, even though it will mean a self-imposed quarantine from all human contact for, uh, years. If a new vampire wants to become “vegetarian” they must get over their lust for human blood, we are told. Well, as you can imagine, Jacob is going berserk over Bella’s desire, and Edward’s insistence that Bella marry him before she is changed adds fuel to Jacob’s fire. Suffice to say that the emotions run high, and are dealt with in agonizing detail by the author. Keep in mind that this series was written with a teen/young adult target audience.

Remember the mob of vampires running amok in Seattle? You guessed it; here they come to Forks, driven by a vampire out for revenge, with Bella as the target. Can it be that the Jacob and his family of werewolves and Edward and his family of vampires can become uneasy allies in a battle of supernatural proportions?

Eclipse is both a romantic novel, bordering on soap opera, and vampire/werewolf adventure novel. You will want to read the final book after you are done with Eclipse. You won’t be able to help yourself.

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

2009-07-29T08:15:00.004-04:00

New Moon, by Stephenie Meyer, continues the saga of Bella Swan and her ‘star-crossed’ love for Edward Cullen, mysterious and gorgeous vampire with whom she is hopelessly in love. The serious nature of her desire to be with Edward, and by proxy, his family of vampires, becomes evident in the second of the series. A lavish party to celebrate her 18th birthday is hosted by the Cullens. Bella, known for her clumsiness, manages to break glass, cut herself, and bleed profusely. This triggers a feeding frenzy in Jasper, one of Edward’s family.

Soon after this narrow escape from disaster, Edward, in his need to protect Bella, leaves Forks to keep Bella from continuing a life around vampires. His rather harsh pronouncement of his decision to never want to see Bella again, coupled with the entire Cullen family departing, crushes Bella.

Bella’s withdrawal into a lonely and heartbroken existence soon takes its toll on her friendships with her human friends. She begins to follow a path that leads to dangerous activities. Still haunted by her love for Edward, she imagines that she hears his voice as she partakes of activities best described as dangerous.

Enter Jacob Black, her friend from the Quileute tribe nearby. Jacob gleefully assists Bella in her new adventures. He is a co-conspirator in her quest to repair and ride a motorcycle, something that Bella’s dad Charlie frowns upon. As if involvement with a vampire isn’t enough, we soon learn that members of Jacob’s tribe have a history of becoming werewolves. And, of course, Jacob is one who is cursed with this heritage. Bella once again is thrust into a relationship with one who loves her, and is supernatural as well. Bella’s first person narrative reveals her anguish, and she even refers directly to her perceived life as a parallel to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Did I mention that werewolves hate vampires, and vice versa?

New Moon somewhat drags along, without the continuous fast pace of Twilight. However, Alice Cullen returns near the end bringing news of Edward’s impending doom. Only Bella can save his life, a daunting and virtually impossible task that must be played out in Italy. Meyer does not disappoint the reader with the fast-paced climax of this, the second in the Twilight series.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyers

2009-07-25T13:45:00.004-04:00

Well, I finished Twilight. Here is my “formal” Review:

The story is of one Bella Swan, a 17 year old who moves from her mother’s home in desert Arizona to her dad’s place in Forks, a small, gloomy and boring town in the ridiculously rainy Pacific Northwest. A new school must be attended, new friends must be made, and she must rebuild a relationship with her dad, Charlie, the local police chief. Enter Edward Cullen, who, with his family, also are considered “outsiders’, two years after moving to Forks as well.

You probably know or have guessed the storyline: Edward is a Vampire. So is his “family”. Bella falls in love with Edward. Intermixed are all of the interpersonal relations that Bella builds (and sometimes resists) with her school mates. Edward, knowing that his interest in Bella is star-crossed, valiantly tries to resist to no avail.

Bella learns of the history of the “cold ones” from a local member of a nearby Native American tribe. Jacob, her tribal friend, tells the story of the feeding habits of the Cullens. Politically correct, the Cullens only hunt animals, not humans. “Vegetarian” vampires! Now that’s a twist, enabling the Cullens to be good guys, and to have a shaky treaty with the tribe. You will also be introduced to ‘bad’ vampires as well, not to worry!

This romp into the world of teen love, vampires, supernatural abilities, and Native American lore will keep you fascinated. The 1st person presentation through Bella’s eyes is sometimes frustrating, as you will long for more details from other characters’ viewpoints. You will learn more in the other three books in the series. I am glad my daughter recommended this novel to me.

What I'm Reading

2009-07-24T09:29:00.003-04:00

I am reading "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer, the New York Times best seller which has been into a movie. I have already seen the movie, don't worry, it doesn't spoil reading the book. While I enjoyed the movie, the book is much more detailed and explains more about the powers of the Vampire's. I'm only half way thru the book and am enjoying it. I'm to that can't put it down point.

The book is good for any age that likes to read. My 14 year old grandson really liked it. My 21 year old daughter liked it. Hubby couldn't put it down. I'm listing it as a good read, may change as I get further into it.

Player Piano - by Kurt Vonnegut

2008-08-01T21:29:00.002-04:00

When my daughter brought home the book “Player Piano” and said it was for her English Class book report, I couldn’t believe it. A high schooler reading Kurt Vonnegut!! It wasn’t until I was in college that I had to read a Kurt Vonnegut book, and even then I didn’t understand it. “Cat’s Cradle” was my assignment and I just couldn’t get into the book. So, that turned me off of any of Vonnegut’s writings.I’m an avid reader, my daughter doesn’t like to read, so I was quite surprised to see her so intrigued with this book. When she was finished, I picked up the book and started reading. When I get desparate I’ll read anything. Much to my surprise this book is good. In fact, it is really good. Almost, not quite, an I can’t put it down type book.It was written in 1952 and it explains a life in the future,only the future it describes is what is now becoming our future. How could he possibly have known that we would depend so much on computers? On dishwashers and microwave ovens? I thought Microwave ovens were something fairly new, not something thought of in 1952. He includes humor in his books and they aren’t nearly as difficult to understand as I had thought. This is definately a good read and have rethought my thoughts on Kurt Vonnegut.My daughter also had to include some history of Mr. Vonnegut in her report. It was very interesting studying this with her. He has lived through so much, which make his books very real. I’m now looking forward to getting “Cat’s Cradle” and rereading it, to see if it now makes sense to me. I have a feeling it will.If anyone, out there, needs a book report on “Player Piano” reply to this and I will get a copy of my daughters to give you some ideas to use.

The Da Vinci Code

2008-02-02T19:10:00.001-05:00

The Da Vinci Code tempts the reader from the first time he or she reads the title. Da Vinci is known, if even in name recognition only, by the majority of the populous of Western civilization. The �Code� in the title brings to mind secrets, espionage, intrigue, adventure, and recently, reference to religion, e.g. the Bible Code books and associated controversies surrounding them. In addition, the book jacket features a detail of the Mona Lisa, a painting that has, through the years, always evoked questions.That stated, one has only to open the book to discover a page titled Facts:. This page introduces the reader to the Priory of Sion, a secret society founded in 1099, among whose membership includes Sir Isaac Newton and Leonardo da Vinci. Also listed is the Vatican prelature Opus Dei, a Catholic sect, rife with controversy, that has recently completed a $47 million Headquarters in New York City. Even more intriguing is the author�s statement that �all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents and secret rituals in this novel are accurate�. This description of the factual nature of the novel is always in the reader�s mind as he/she progresses through the book.
The book opens with the murder of Jacques Sauniere, curator of the Louve in Paris. Before he dies at the hand of an assassin, he leaves several cryptic messages designed to keep a secret from being lost forever. Enter Robert Langdon, Harvard professor, in Paris for a lecture series. Langdon is a symbology expert. He teams with Sophie Neveu, a cryptology expert with the French police. Langdon and Neveu find many clues at the murder scene, and subsequently escape from the scene with the French police believing that Langdon and Neveu are in fact responsible for the murder.Thus begins a fast paced adventure, exciting, interesting, and often hard to put down. As Langdon and Neveu follow clues and decipher codes, the reader is subjected to an almost dizzying array of characters, mysteries, plot twists and turns, as well as an in depth description of art, art history, architecture, and the influence of more than one �secret society� whose members will stop at nothing to achieve it�s goals.The main characters, Langdon and Neveu, soon are crossing Paris from site to site following the clues that Jacques Sauniere left for them. By the way, the reader has found that Sophie Neveu is the estranged granddaughter of Sauniere! Langdon is amazed that Sophie was taught cryptology by her grandfather, who raised her from an early age after her parents, brother and grandmother were killed in an auto accident.A trip to a Swiss bank enables Langdon and Neveu to retrieve a cryptex left by Sauniere. A cryptex is a device invented by Leonardo da Vinci to transport secret messages. Rotating dials, similar to a modern bicycle chain combination lock, allow the cylinder to be opened. If it is forced, the papyrus inside is destroyed by a vial of vinegar that would break if the cryptex is forced open.Langdon and Neveu go to an old friend of Langdon�s, Sir Leigh Teabing, a British Lord living on a large estate near Versailles. There Sophie learns that the great secret being kept by the Priory of Sion is the truth of the Holy Grail. It is at this point in the novel that the reader is exposed to the da Vinci Code. Neveu is told that the Holy Grail is not a cup or a chalice, as most believe, but rather that the Holy Grail is in fact a person. Da Vinci�s paintings are then explained, showing the person of Mary Magdelene as the Holy Grail. She is portrayed in da Vinci�s arguably most famous painting (fresco) �The Last Supper�. Further explanation of the Holy Grail, i.e. Mary Magdalene, is given. This information is staggering to Neveu, and implicit is the fact that this information would turn the Christian world upside down, for this says that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, had a child with Mary, was not the Son of God, and that He wanted Mary to carry on the building of the Church, not Peter. In addition, details are given as to the history of the Catholic Church�s changing of the true story, controlling the Bible with omissions and additions, and other scurrilous actions dating back to the Council of Nicea, called by Constantine in 325 AD.The remainder of the book traces the perilous journeys that Langdon and Neveu make across France and England, all the while pursed by the French police, Interpol, British police, Opus Dei, the Prior of Sion, and the assassin. The mystery of Neveu�s family is revealed. The true villains are exposed. Perhaps as interesting is the fact that the end of the novel leaves ample openings for a sequel.While political and economic themes are briefly touched upon or suggested, the most striking themes in the novel concern, of course, the religious and social ramifications. Social implications would be the reactions of society to the news that would be revealed if the secret of the �true� account of Jesus� life came to light. By far the most important theme of the novel is religious. In fact the premise put forth in this novel is contrary to mainstream Catholic and Protestant teachings and beliefs. The effect of the �Holy Grail� as described in the novel would shake the entire Christian world.This book has three main components, all intertwined. The first component is the story of the adventures of Langdon and Neveu. The second component is the series of clues and puzzles that they must solve. Often the clues have double and sometimes triple meanings. The third component is the secret of the Holy Grail, as told in the narrative. This secret, as previously mentioned, challenges the most basic ideas and theology of Christianity. One comes away from the book with many questions:1. Is the information left by the daVinci Code to be believed?2. Are only a portion of the theories true?3. If the theories are in fact true, should they be revealed to the world?4. How much of the history you have been taught during the years can be believed?5. What does the author really believe?This novel is a good read, as well as a fascinating romp into the world of cryptology and religious symbolism. The premise of the �secret� really makes you think about your exposure to history.

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

2008-02-02T19:06:00.000-05:00