Last week, it was a quiet morning in the library and I was tidying shelves. A book in the biography section was calling out to me. Not literally, but close. I had bought the book about six months earlier and knew I should read it. It had received amazing reviews, was on bestseller lists, and was even being made into a movie. The problem was . . . the cover. I know, I know, you are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I do. (Hint to any publishers out there - so do most kids). I finally picked the book up and began to read. At lunchtime, I closed the door, turned out the lights and continued to read. . . it was that good.
I was reading the book The Soloist by Steve Lopez. Without spoiling the book, it is story of an LA Times columnist who comes across a homeless man playing a two stringed violin. On the ground are names written in chalk. One of the name is Yo-Yo Ma. As Lopes begins to talk to this man he learns that he was at Julliard at the same time as Ma. He is intrigued, thinks there may be a story with this violinist and thus begins the amazing journey with Nathan Ayers. The book is fascinating, heart wrenching and eye-opening.
As this book was written about a homeless man it seemed to tie in with my new quest to learn what it means to love like Jesus. As often happens, another book fell into my lap. . . Irresistible Revolution: living as an ordinary radical by Shane Claiborne. I am about 1/3 of the way through this book and it is not for the faint of heart. It will shake you to your spiritual core, causing you to question what your faith means and looks like to the world.
Not all my reading is this intense, in fact, most of it is not. I typically read to escape, but maybe this is what this is all about - I am reading this time to escape my own sense of complacency and spiritual apathy.
3 comments:
I'm keeping a running list of books I want to read. I've added Irresistible Revolution to the list. Now to find them...Your new blog is marvelous. Can you have a side bar of recommended books? Are you familiar with The Ring of McAllister or Tooth and Nail? I am told they are HS mysteries that emphasize SAT vacab. You had a book in your Lib that I think has Schwa in the title. It was about an illusive character who was demonstrating the qualities of the schwa sound in a word. Anyway I was looking for the title. Mom
I can't remember the title off the top of my head. It is a YA book - will get it for you tomorrow. The author just published a new book that got good reviews. I wish I knew how to do the side-bar thing - Em will have to show me at Christmas! :) Will add Tooth and Nail to my next order - sounds great. Keep the suggestions coming! G
Glad you included the author of The Soloist. I just reserved it at the library, and they listed 3 books all by different authors under that title!
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