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Song of the Vikings | Nancy Marie Brown

By on January 28, 2013 in Book Reviews, History 0

Have you ever wondered where Tolkien came up with the name Gandalf—or, for that matter, Bifur, Bafur, Bombor, Nori, Ori, and Oin? These all come from Norse mythology, the folktales of Iceland. If you want to learn anything about Norse mythology, you’ll end up studying Snorri Sturluson, the definitive scribe of these tales.

Despite the reputation of Islanders, Snorri was no archetypal Viking. He was a rather portly ruler who used political power to make a fine life for himself. Brown’s book is chiefly a biography of Snorri, with Norse myths sprinkled throughout to shed light on his character.

One of the most interesting (and tragic) elements of Islandic history in the 1200s was the heavy-handed influence of Christianity. Bishops from the mainland tried to rein in the excess of the island’s residents with little success. As a Christian, it’s difficult to read how closely Christianity was tied to the politics of the day. (A cynic may offer the same criticism today!)

Norse poetry is another curious topic that Brown covers in some detail. Rather than an aesthetic exercise, Snorri’s poetry was essentially a word-game where the reader was expected to mull over the phrases to ken what the poet was actually talking about.

This book is dense. At times it is difficult to follow the various unfamiliar names and places. Still, a close reading is rewarded with a solid understanding of the foundations of Norse mythology.

Disclaimer: A review copy of this book was provided at no cost through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer’s program.

Ordeal by Ice | Farley Mowat

By on September 3, 2012 in Book Reviews, History 0

Ordeal by Ice is the first book in Mowat’s The Top of the World trilogy. In these books, Mowat collects and edits the journals of the arctic explorers from first discovery to the modern era. This first volume provides the reader a window into the hard life of the explorers who searched for the Northwest Passage.

These explorers suffered through hardships with a fortitude I didn’t know was possible. Death by scurvy or other means was a constant companion. Winter sled trips where the sailors marched hundreds of miles were routine. Of course, frostbite was also an ever-present threat.

The explorers were not all paragons of virtue, though. Many of the explorers looked down on the local Inuit as savages and ignored the wisdom they could have gleaned. More than a few people died for their hubris. Mowat makes much of this theme in his editorial comments.

One great feature of this collection is the detailed maps. Every explorer is graced with a map of their route, complete with overland sled trips and wintering sites where applicable.

If you’re interested in seeing just what extreme circumstances can do to a man through that man’s own eyes, these collected and edited journals are a treasure.

The Gift of the Jews | Thomas Cahill

By on July 23, 2012 in Book Reviews, History 0

For the first 50 pages I was intrigued. The next 190 pages retold a story I know very well. The last 8 pages made me want to throw the book across the room in frustration. Let me explain.

In the Beginning.

In The Gift of the Jews, Thomas Cahill explains how the Jewish people changed the way Western culture thinks and operates. It’s an overlooked theme that deserves attention. During the first 50 pages, Cahill reconstructs the culture and thought life of the ancient Sumerians (the culture Abram was called out of).

Life in Sumeria was cyclical. Crops grew, died, and came to life again. The sun rose and set only to rise again. The rainy season came and went and returned. The ancient Israelites were the first culture to break out of this mindset. For Abraham and his lineage, life and history was more than cyclical—it had a purpose.

The Middle.

The bulk of the book is a summary of the Hebrew Bible. If you’re fuzzy on your Old Testament, this would be an interesting fast-forward through a lot of history. For me, it seemed like a somewhat patchwork retelling of Israelite history, picking and choosing what to focus on. At a few junctions, I wondered how well Cahill knew the Hebrew Bible.

When Cahill discussed the time before Jerusalem’s fall and the Babylonian captivity, he spoke at length about Isaiah while ignoring Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Another time he commented about how some of the books in the Hebrew Bible seem existentialist—only to describe Song of Solomon while completely ignoring Ecclesiastes! If you’re going to give any writer in the Bible a proto-existentialist award, it has to be the Qohelet!

Besides all the picking-and-choosing (which, I admit, had to be done in such a condensed retelling), I had a few other frustrations. Cahill’s use of unfamiliar spellings (Avraham for Abraham and Moshe for Moses, for example) felt a bit pretentious. His viewpoint on miracles was also inconsistent. Cahill has no problem with a person hearing the voice of God, but he tried to offer rational foundations for other miraculous events such as the crossing of the Sea of Reeds (low tide). I would respect a consistent anti-supernatural position, but you can’t have it both ways.

The End.

You’re probably wondering why I wanted to throw this book across the room. Here’s why:

It is no longer possible to believe that every word of the Bible was inspired by God. Fundamentalists still do, but they can keep up such self-delusion only by scrupulously avoiding all forms of scientific inquiry. … But even without resorting to modern scientific methodology or noticing what an inconsistent palimpsest the Hebrew Bible can be, we must reject certain parts of the Bible as unworthy of a God we would be willing to believe in. … If God is to be God the Creator of all, he must be utterly beyond our comprehension—and, therefore, awfully scary. More than this, I, for one, am willing to give God the benefit of the doubt in certain dubious cases—even in an episode as grotesque as the near-sacrifice of Yitzhak [Isaac—see my earlier critique]. He had to jump-start this new religion, and he didn’t always have the best material to work with. (245-6)

Where should I start? I could critique Cahill’s ignorance about what “inspired” means—anyone can beat up a fundamentalist straw-man. I could point out the obvious: yes, God “must be utterly beyond our comprehension” … unless he chose to reveal himself to us in history which is precisely what your entire book is about!

No, the thing that drove me crazy was the modernist arrogance. Cahill and the rest of us moderns are somehow qualified to determine what God can and cannot do because our societal norms dictate what’s right and wrong.

Clearly a God that doesn’t meet our enlightened ethical understanding isn’t “worth believing in” (246).

The Lessons of History | Will & Ariel Durant

By on February 21, 2011 in Book Reviews, History 0

When you need advice about your car, you talk to a mechanic. If you need financial advice, you speak with a banker. What should you do if you want to learn from history? Read this essay from the husband and wife duo that produced a massive 10 volume history of civilization!

The Lessons of History meanders through a variety of topics: religion, morality, war, and race to name a few. While I obviously don’t agree with all of their conclusions—the chapter on race was unnerving, and they viewed religion as a purely natural phenomenon—they approached each topic with respect and a wealth of illustrative knowledge.

In the last chapter, the authors questioned whether or not progress is real. While the point could be argued both ways, each age is richer for having that much more history to explore.

The Mother Tongue | Bill Bryson

By on February 14, 2011 in Book Reviews, History 0

Have you ever wondered why Bill Bryson is such an interesting author? Maybe it’s because of his encyclopedic knowledge of the English language. In The Mother Tongue, Bryson takes the reader on a tour through the formation and the use of the most common language in the world.

Every page—I’m not exaggerating here—had something on it that made me either laugh or think. If you’re a fan of trivia, this book is especially geared toward you. Here’s my favourite tidbit: the “k” in knight was not originally silent. Do you realize what that means? The French Knight in England in Python’s Quest for the Holy Grail is actually historically accurate in calling down those English kuh-ni’-gets. Awesome.

Any English speaking person should enjoy this substantial treatment of our mother tongue.

Canada: The Foundations of its Future | Stephen Leacock

By on February 7, 2011 in Book Reviews, History 0

In Canada: The Foundations of its Future, Leacock wrote an informative and entertaining tale of the history of Canada. He began the account before humans walked the continent and ended at World War II.

This book was published during WWII, partially as propaganda to evoke patriotic pride in our nation. The final chapter contains some wildly wrong predictions such as the need for one superpower to rule the European continent following the war. If you keep the context of its publication in mind, the book is mildly entertaining as well as informative.

It was difficult to stomach Leacock’s inherent disdain toward the “Indians” which lived here before the European colonists arrived. Here’s the sort of  thing I’m referring to: “There could have been many compensations and more civility [from the surveyors dividing the North-West]. A cigar goes a long way, even with an Indian.”

The book stands out because of the high production value. The pages are printed in two colours, with light brown footnotes in the margin beside their relevant references. The binding is sewn well, and the covers are cloth bound with a beautiful crest of the Dominion of Canada in full colour. My edition (that I picked up second hand somewhere) came in a slip-case to protect the work.

If you can still find a copy somewhere, it’s well worth picking up.

5 Cities that Ruled the World | Douglas Wilson

By on November 5, 2009 in Book Reviews, History 0

This book is a rare find: a history that’s interesting to read. Wilson stands in the company of Thomas Cahill in his ability to make centuries of history read like a gripping plot.

The book’s title is self-explanatory. Wilson surveyed the history of five major cities, with particular attention given to the major innovation each one offered the world: Jerusalem’s spiritual freedom, Athens’ democratic ideal, Rome’s wrestling with law and justice, London’s literary prowess, and New York’s free-enterprise spirit.

Although Wilson’s field of expertise is Christian theology, he seems equally adept discussing the battle of Salamis as he is the history of Second Temple Judaism. It’s important to note that his worldview is thoroughly Christian. The epilogue explains the marriage of the city of God with the city of man in the incarnation.

My only qualm about this book is its Western bias. It could be more aptly titled “5 cities that ruled the West” since Jerusalem is the only semi-eastern city on the list. Mumbai, Honk Kong, Muscow, and Tokyo have also made a solid mark on the world.

That said, it’s an excellent survey of the history of Western Civilization as represented in five major cities. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I received this book as a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program.

The Search for God and Guinness | Stephen Mansfield

By on October 12, 2009 in Book Reviews, History 1

Where do you go after writing best-selling books about the faith of George W. Bush and Barack Obama? To beer, of course! This fascinating volume delves into the history of the most iconic family in brewing.

After a chapter on the history of beer and civilization (hint: it’s far more important than you suspect), Mansfield traced the various branches of the Guinness family tree. He found a family that made wise decisions, gave liberally to the poor, and practiced their god-given talents in the pursuit of the perfect stout.

I’ll be honest: as an evangelical believer, I snagged this  book for the shock value of the title. I was happily surprised to find a work of history—not some overworked religious diatribe on the morality of drinking.

My only qualm was a slight misbranding on the cover. The subtitle should read: “a biography of the family who changed the world”. The book’s more about people than beer.

Read and enjoy this great story about how one family used their god-given talents to the utmost, while simultaneously caring deeply for the poor.

. . .

Disclaimer: I received this book as a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program.

Patterns of Settlement in Southern Ontario | R. C. Langman

By on December 29, 2008 in Book Reviews, History 0

This book is pretty obscure. So obscure, in fact, I couldn’t find an image of it anywhere online. Since I’m currently moving and my scanner is packed, there’s no picture on this post to refer to. If that’s a problem, just imagine a brown and yellow schoolbook from the early 70s with some abstract art on the cover.

I found this volume by accident while looking through a stack of books at Willow Books in Uxbridge. It’s volume 21 in a curriculum series from 1971. I bought it because one of the case studies is my hometown: Bancroft.

I found a lot of fascinating demographic data along with a few pictures of my hometown. The other main study in the book is on Chesley, Ontario.

This book isn’t for most people, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Catholic Church | Hans Küng

By on December 15, 2008 in Book Reviews, History 0

I bought this book to fill some gaps in my knowledge of church history. It did the trick!

Küng’s a loyal rebel in the church, which endeared him to me immediately. He reminded me of Charles Wesley, calling for Anglican reform from within. This book is not only a compelling look at the history of the church, it talks about contemporary church issues as well. Küng’s call for reform in the spirit of Vatican II is visionary.

If you’ve ever wondered about doctrines like the infallibility of the Pope, or enforced celibacy for priests, this book is for you.

It was four nights of reading well spent!

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