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Review: Irreverent Prayers

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Cover image of "Irreverent Prayers" by Elizabeth Felicetti and Samantha Vincent-Alexander

Irreverent Prayers: Talking to God When You’re Seriously Sick, Elizabeth Felicetti and Samantha Vincent-Alexander. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing (ISBN: 9780802882639), 2024.

Summary: Talking to God when you’re seriously sick is modelled in this book by honest, unvarnished prayers written during such illnesses.

Samantha noticed her leg was hurting and swollen. She was feverish. She went to the ER and was rushed into an ICU with a life-threatening case of MRSA. Samantha spent several months in and out of the hospital, wearing a wound vac to drain infection from her leg.

Elizabeth was diagnosed with breast cancer, and after treatment, with lung cancer, resulting in the removal of part of her lung and courses of chemo and radiation. And while writing, she was diagnosed with a recurrence of inoperable nodules, one on her aorta.

Both women are Episcopal priests and writing friends. And both faced the question of “how do you talk to God when you are seriously sick?” Serious sickness means tests, hospitalization, surgeries, pain, drugs, and feeling weak and lousy for extended periods of time. Friends and caregivers mean well and say unhelpful things. Meanwhile, death is sometimes a real possibility. How does one pray about all that?

For these women, the answer is blunt honesty, even if it seemed “irreverent.” They wrote these prayers down and grouped them under the following headings:

  • Pain and Anger
  • Blood and Breath
  • Waiting, Wondering and Wandering
  • Hospitals
  • Well-wishers and Caregivers
  • Aftermath
  • Relapse

Examples of the kinds of subjects for prayer include painkillers and cursing the nurses who wake one to administer Tylenol when it is not effective or needed. One prayer rejoices in hospital underwear. Another prays for help lying still during hours of scans or in dealing with the common adjunct to pain meds: constipation. There are lots of prayers about well-wishers, usually well-intentioned but unaware of how to accompany one with a long and serious illness.

Not only are the prayers bluntly honest. They are short and pithy, sometimes preceded by a verse of scripture. Here’s one example, a “Prayer When People Call Me Brave or Inspiring”

“Gracious God, help me to react graciously when well-meaning people call me brave. I’m not brave. I didn’t choose this and wouldn’t if I had a choice. All I do when I’m not in treatment is sit around or sleep, which is hardly inspiring. I should pray that you shield them from knowing that they would react as they must if they were in this situation too, but I would like them not to say stupid things in the future. So please sort it out, God. Amen.”

This book is helpful for the person of faith facing serious illness. It not only gives words to pray about all the things this entails. We may say to God what we think and feel! As well, the prayers help friends and caregivers imagine what it is like to face serious illness.

And I pray for Elizabeth, fighting inoperable cancer and wanting to live, echoing her prayer: “bring me peace, but not yet.”

____________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: The Waters of Siloe

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Cover image of "The Waters of Siloe" by Thomas Merton

The Waters of Siloe, Thomas Merton. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (ISBN: 9780156949545), 1979 (First published in 1949).

Summary: A history of the Trappist monks, from Cistercian beginnings to the reforms at La Trappe, foundations in America, and the contemplative life.

Thomas Merton entered the Trappist monastery at Gethsemani in 1941. Eight year later he penned this history of the Cistercians and the Trappist reform movement within that order. The title is a reference to the words of Jesus: “He that shall drink of the water that I shall give him, shall not thirst forever. But the water I give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into life everlasting.” It conveys the hope of the contemplative life, that in silence, prayer, and penance, the contemplatives shall find the thirst for God satisfied. It also is a reminder of the location of so many of the monasteries in valleys, by streams of water.

Merton begins with a prologue describing the attraction, sometimes visionary, of the monastic life. It is an ascetic life of straw mattresses structured around prayer, penance, vigils, fasting, and work. It is life in a silent community, united in the contemplation of the excellence of God’s love.

Merton then turns to the history beginning with the founding of the Cistercian order at the turn of the twelfth century. The Cistercians sought to reform the Benedictine order. But by the seventeenth century, they were in need of reform. Father Jean-Armand de Rance, abbot of La Grande Trappe (hence the name!) led this reform, a return to a rigor of contemplative discipline. Merton traces the spread of the movement through Europe, the efforts to suppress them in France, and the turning to America.

The early efforts in America were driven by abbots who seemed knights on a quest. Consequently, zeal went ahead of strategic vision. A mission to educate conflicted with the silent, contemplative vision. The first foundation at Gethsemani was an example. The extreme rigors led to the early death of many.

However, a second foundation at Gethsemani led by Father Eutropius Proust was more successful and this work has continued down to the present. Merton traces this history under the different abbots and the growth of the work, resulting in new foundations. And he traces the upsurge of those entering the monasteries after the two wars. Even as these grew, there were others wiped out by the rise of communism. Particularly moving is his account of the martyrs of Yang Kia Ping.

The second and shorter part of the work paints a picture of the contemplative life. First he considers what this looked like under the twelfth century Cistercians and then more contemporary forms. There is a constant tension between external disciplines and allowing the inner space for contemplation. In this section, he sketches the lives of a number of contemplatives.

Merton’s account offers not only history but a word painting of the attractions of the contemplative life. The disciplines, the austerity, the silence all lead to a life available to God. As a result Merton not only informs but answers the question in the minds of many: why become a monk?

Review: The Other Side of the Wall

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Cover image of "The Other Side of the Wall" by Munther Isaac

The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope, Munther Isaac. InterVarsity Press (ISBN: 9780830831999) 2020.

Summary: A Palestinian Christian narrative of lament and hope, describing the situation from his perspective and offering hope for a shared land.

The Hamas attack upon Israel in October 7 and the subsequent invasion of Israeli forces in Gaza has occupied our national discourse in the United States since that time. It has torn apart college campuses as support for Palestinians competes for support of Israel and charges of Palestinian genocide and anti-Semitism rival each other.

Reverend Doctor Munther Isaac is a unique voice within the clamor. He is a teacher at Bethlehem Bible College and pastor of Christmas Evangelical Lutheran Church. In Bethlehem, part of the West Bank Palestinian Territories. Isaac wrote this book prior to the current conflict. It is “a Palestinian Christian narrative of lament and hope.” He writes as one whose daily reality is defined by the twenty-five foot high wall around his city. To enter Israeli territories, permits and long waits at checkpoints are required. These are the same checkpoints through which Christian visitors to Bethlehem must pass. He writes:

“This book is my invitation to you to step into the other side of the wall and listen to our stories and perspective. It is my humble request to you to allow me to share how Palestinians experience God, read the Bible, and have been touched and liberated by Jesus—a fellow Bethlehemite who has challenged us to see others as neighbors and love them as ourselves. . . . This book paints a picture of our story of faith, lament, and hope. And I invite you to join and listen, on our side of the wall.”

The book is first of all a lament. He begins by describing what the 1948 creation of Israel meant to Palestinians living in this land. It was the Nakba or “catastrophe,” the seizure of 530 villages in which 750,000 Palestinians became refugees. He laments the dehumanizing of Palestinians while American Christians celebrated the Jewish occupation of the land as a supposed fulfillment of a promise of God. And he laments the continued silence as Israel continues to move boundaries and build settlements. This includes taking away the home and lands of Palestinians. Finally, he laments the marginalizing of Palestinian Christian voices by American faith leaders, not including them in deliberations. Sometimes this includes disinviting them (including the author) from Christian conferences.

Isaac characterizes Christian Zionism, which has supported Israel’s injustices and legitimized its use of power, as “imperial theology.” He addresses the “land theology” Christian Zionists use to justify unqualified support of Israel. He argues, not that Israel was “replaced” by the church but that Gentiles and Jews were incorporated into a new, transnational people in which the promise to Israel is expanded to blessing to the nations and extended to the whole earth.

At the same time, Isaac denounces antisemitism (including the antisemitism latent in Christian Zionism!). Instead, he wants Jews to be safe everywhere, not just in a homeland. Rather than eliminating one group or another, he advocates a solution of Jews and Palestinians sharing the land. He also speaks of love for the Muslim neighbor and the call of Christians to be peacemakers, which includes seeking justice. While deeply grieved by the evangelical support of Zionism, he laments in hope rooted in the reality that the Savior of the world was born in Bethlehem and also subject to terror and flight. He comes to those who face similar realities.

Munther Isaac represents voices many of us in the United States have not heard because they are on “the other side of the wall.” He challenges the complicity of American support of Zionism and the complicity of silence of the rest of the church. As a result, this is a challenging book. But will we listen to this fellow believer?

____________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Faith Embodied

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Cover image of "Faith Embodied" by Stephen Ko.

Faith Embodied, Stephen Ko. Zondervan Reflective (ISBN: 9780310151692), 2024.

Summary: Bringing physical and spiritual health together, a physician/pastor connects senses and bodily functions with our worship of God.

“Most of us treat our bodies as separate entities from our spirits, related in only minor ways–if at all.”

Stephen Ko opens his book with this observation. And he is qualified to do so. He is a physician who has worked as a pediatrician as well as a public health officer. And he is the senior pastor of New York Chinese Alliance Church, the largest Chinese Alliance in New York City. He’s seen the separation in his own life, divorcing devotions and exercise. We watch questionable material on Netflix and then say our nighttime prayers. We offer our lives as spiritual sacrifices in worship and then gorge on an unhealthy lunch.

Ko wants us to bring the two together. This involves making incarnational health choices and understanding how our embodied life is often an object lesson in living healthy spiritual lives. The book reflects this intention. First, Ko considers the wonder of our five senses of sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing, what can go wrong with each of these senses, and how they connect to our spiritual lives. For example, our sense of smell can detect both perfume and poison. When we lose it, food tastes off. Fragrance, such as the burning of incense, are often a part of worship. Likewise, our lives are a fragrance of God and an aroma to the world.

Second, Ko considers five bodily functions: breathing, movement, creative endeavors, rest, and our hearts and their link to love. Similarly, he explores the wonders of our bodies in all these functions and ways these link to our spiritual lives. He writes about breathing as life and ways we use our breath in prayer and our voice to advocate for the vulnerable. He observes how essential movement is to our health, and how it fits us for spiritual service over the long run. And fundamental to the Great Commission is going!

Each chapter includes questions for personal or group reflection as well as references. The strength of this book is that it views our bodies as integral to spiritual life. The are neither irrelevant, nor evil distractions. My observation is that God’s people do not pay attention to physical health, except in our prayers for the ill. At the same time, others do follow the health guidance Ko offers and still suffer, sometimes chronic pain, and at others, acutely. Despite all, they get sick, sometimes desperately so. I recognize this is a large subject, perhaps beyond the scope of this work, But Ko might have acknowledged this, and perhaps touched on what it means to live an embodied life of faith under these circumstances.

Our bodies are not mere vehicles to convey our minds or souls around. Ko, as physician and pastor, brings together physical and spiritual health. He offers both precepts and examples for living fully toward God in our bodies. In so doing, we anticipate our resurrection hope, in which we will more fully than ever embody our worship and love for God.

____________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Blood Hollow

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Cover image of "Blood Hollow" by William Kent Krueger

Blood Hollow (Cork O’Connor Number Four), William Kent Krueger. Atria Paperback (ISBN: 9781439157794), 2009.

Summary: A murder is pinned on Solemn Winter Moon, but Cork thinks otherwise, confronting resistance and wounds from the past.

Fletcher Kane’s daughter Charlotte is missing after taking off on a snowmobile during a New Year’s Eve party. Aurora turns out to search but no trace. Cork persists as a blizzard approaches. Crossing a lake, he falls off his snowmobile and can’t find it. Then a wraith-like something guides him and he finds the snowmobile and makes it to shore.

Four months later, some hikers come across her body. Evidence at the scene, including a beer bottle and a wrench used to murder the girl, connects back to Solemn Winter Moon, nephew of Sam, whose hamburger place Cork and his daughters run since Sam’s tragic death. Chillingly, the murderer ate and drank while waiting for Charlotte to die. Sheriff Arne Soderberg, a political climber, is shaken to confront such a murder, but he is sure Moon has done it. But Moon is nowhere to be found. Cork finds him at Sam’s cabin hideaway and he and Jo persuade him to turn himself in. But when the sheriff ambushes him with the evidence, he bolts.

None of this looks good for Moon, who has been in and out of trouble since his youth. It turns out he fled to Henry Meloux, a sage who has guided Cork many times. Solemn returns from a vision quest as Cork goes to Henry and tells a strange story. He saw and talked to Jesus, dressed in north woods gear. Understandably, Cork has no idea what to think. But something has transformed Solemn. He is ready to face arrest and whatever follows.

But he is not the only one who faces a hard road. Solemn asks Jo to represent him. In turn, she needs a good investigator, and who better than Cork. But Cork faces challenges from his past. Fletcher Kane, Charlotte’s father is one. Fletcher’s father committed suicide when Cork’s father investigated sexual irregularities with one of his patients. And Charlotte’s school counselor intimates that Charlotte showed signs of sexual abuse by a family member. No love lost there. And then Arne Soderberg isn’t happy with the former sheriff investigating his case.

Solemn, who had broken up with Charlotte disavows the murder, or the sex that had preceded it. Slowly, evidence accumulates to point to someone else in this tight knit community, someone people would never think capable of murder. Cork must suspect people who are friends…or not, like someone wearing the badge.

Cork revisits two decisions in his life. When turned out of office after Sam Moon’s death, he made his peace with running Sam’s business with Jen and Anne. But the search for Charlotte’s murderer calls out all in which Cork excels as a lawman. And Solemn’s claims to have talked to Jesus and subsequent events challenge him to reconsider the faith he had turned from. Can he believe again?

In addition to Charlotte’s death, which has more twists than I can reveal here, Krueger develops the slowly healing relationship between Cork and Jo and the evolving relationship he has with two teenage daughters and his son. His connection with Henry Meloux is a high point in every story. And there is a subplot with Rose, pointing to the development her character. This makes me want to read further, not only for thrilling mysteries but also growing characters and evolving relationships.

Review: My Heart Overflows

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Cover image of "My Heart Overflows" from Paraclete Press

My Heart Overflows: A Treasury of Readings, Poems, and Prayers on Gratitude, Compiled by the editors at Paraclete Press. Paraclete Press (ISBN: 9781640609617), 2024.

Summary: A treasury of reflections on gratitude, a compilation of poetry, quotations, readings and art on thanksgiving for blessings, others, and God.

Paraclete Press excels in publishing works of devotion combining depth of content and graphical material. This work is one more example of that excellence. Organized around the theme of gratitude, this compilation of quotations, readings, and poetry, and prayers offers ample material for reflection. The text is complemented by reproductions of art that may be used as visio divina on gratitude.

An example of the mix of art, quotes, and readings in ":My Hear overflows"
An example of page layouts and ribbon bookmarkfrom publisher’s webpage

We proceed on a way of gratitude in three movements. Firstly, we consider the little blessings that fill our days. We move from a prayer of St. Francis of Assisi to a meditation on Walden Pond from Henry David Thoreau. A prayer of Carl Sandburg is accompanied by Van Gogh’s View of Arles, Flowering Orchards. All of this reminds us of the wonder of the world around us, captured in William Cutter’s poem “The Value of Little Things.”

Secondly, we reflect on our gratitude for others. On facing pages, we view Joseph Stella’s striking Apotheosis of the Rose, a quote by Alexander Duma expressing gratitude for the good done by another and a reflection by Margaret Visser on how “gratitude for” means accepting our dependence on another. George Washington’s Farewell Address is another treasure in this section. But perhaps the best example of gratitude is “The Many People Who Have Urged Me on and Helped Me Learn.” Certainly, all of us could profitably reflect on the many people who did this in our lives!

Finally, God is ultimately the one we thank for every good thing. I loved Edward Payson Powell’s observation that we should be thank-full, faith-full, and truthful, a “trinity of character.” Another set of facing pages in this section also caught my attention. G.K. Chesterton tells us all the things beside meals for which he says Grace. Opposite is Jan Sluyters’ luminous Morning Glory, below which is this Kahlil Gibran quote:

"You pray in your distress and in your need; 
would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy
and in your days of abundance."

To sum up, I could go on with the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins, Emily Dickinson, and the readings and art of many others. But I will stop and simply commend this treasury of reflections on gratitude to any wanting to cultivate a thank-full heart.

____________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: The Confession of Brother Haluin

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Cover image of "The Confession of Brother Haluin" by Ellis Peters.

The Confession of Brother Haluin (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, 15), Ellis Peters. Open Road Integrated Media (ASIN: B00LUZNWTU), 2014 (First published in 1988).

Summary: From deathbed confession to arduous journey, Brother Haluin’s miraculous recovery results in a journey of penance accompanied by Cadfael.

In mid-December of 1142, heavy snows wrought heavy damage to the tile roof of the guest hall. Rather than risk worse damage by waiting until warmer weather, crews of monks climbed the treacherous roof to remove snow and make repairs. One of these, Brother Haluin, got caught in an avalanche of snow and tiles. Severely injured by a forty foot fall, with his feet and ankles a shredded mess from the tiles, No one expects him to live.

Brother Cadfael does his best. But the brother, sensing death near, calls for the abbot. And he confesses the terrible sin that drove him to monastic vows. Not only that, he betrayed Cadfael’s trust. His love for a girl resulted in pregnancy. Then he used Cadfael’s pharmacy to give the mother a compound to abort the girl. Sadly, he learns the girl and her child died in the process.

Contrary to all expectations, Brother Haluin recovers. But the fall irreparably crippled him. On his deathbed, he vowed to take a journey of penance. He would confess his sin to the mother and then pray a night vigil at the tomb of the girl, Bertrade. All attempts to dissuade him cannot stand against his vow. Abbot Radulfus assigns Brother Cadfael to accompany him.

To begin with, the journey to Lady de Clary’s takes several days. After the initial shock of encountering her daughter’s former lover, she absolves him of his sins. But she shares difficult news. Bertrade is not buried there but in Elford, in the family tomb, a much further journey. And so Cadfael and the crippled man, refusing mounts, must make their way. They observe Lady de Clary and two of her men ride ahead. They arrive in Elford, where Lady de Clary’s son lives. While afforded hospitality, it is clear they want the brothers to fulfill their errand. And so, Brother Haluin fulfills his vow and prays at the tomb through the night.

A young man, Roscelin, slips in and helps Haluin, stiff from his nights labors. Roscelin is serving Audemar, the lady’s son, sent away inexplicably, by his father Cenred. A snowstorm forces the brothers to stay at Vivers, Cenred’s manor. Haluin, who is an ordained priest, is asked to officiate a wedding. Cenred’s sister’s daughter Helisende is to marry a young landowner. But this does not sit well with Edgytha, a governess to both Roscelin and Helisende. She witnessed their growing love, forbidden by their close relationship. This is why Roscelin was sent away and is not present.

Then Edgytha disappears on an errand in the snow and does not return. Cadfael, among the searchers, finds her body on the road back to Elford. An assailant stabbed her and the snow beneath her suggests she was on her way back from Elford. Then Helisende disappears. With the wedding off, the brothers continue home, only to make a series of discoveries that explains the murder of Edgytha and changes the lives of Haluin, Roscelin, and Helisende.

This was a very different Cadfael. The murder occurs late in the story, which takes pace far from Shrewbury. In some ways, the murder was incidental to the story. Unlike most of the stories, there is little interaction between Hugh and Cadfael. Instead, Cadfael is the wise friend helping Haluin find peace. While incidental to the plot, the exercise of hospitality runs through the story. Through it all, Peters explores the question of finding forgiveness for grievous sin, far more crippling to Haluin than his physical injuries.

Review: Towards an Incarnational Spiritual Culture

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Cover image for "Towards an Incarnational Spiritual Culture" by Gordon E. Carkner

Towards an Incarnational Spiritual Culture, Gordon E. Carkner (Foreword by Iain Provan). Wipf & Stock (ISBN: 9798385203772), 2024.

Summary: The Incarnation and our quest for identity, addressing the rootless identities of modern gnosticism and expressive individualism.

We expressed it as “finding ourselves” in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. But the quest for identity didn’t end with Baby Boomers. Over the course of my life, I’ve witnessed a succession of “quests” to find identity in acquisitiveness, political causes, one’s ethnicity, sexuality and gender, and in a kind of designer spirituality cobbling together beliefs and practices drawn from diverse source into a personal enlightenment package. Yet, as Charles Taylor has observed, the fragility of our identity is evident in the ways we wall ourselves off from others as “buffered selves.” We find ourselves at times alienated even from our embodied life let alone an objectively existing Transcendent.

Gordon E. Carkner, drawing on the insights of Taylor, Christopher Watkin and others identifies this fragile identity as rooted in modern forms of Gnosticism and articulates a robust alternative rooted in the Incarnation. He begins by contrasting both ancient and modern forms of Gnosticism with spirituality rooted in the Incarnation. He notes the disdain of Gnosticism for the body and for the Transcendent entering our embodied existence. It is an attempt to achieve a spirituality both apart from the body and a God who created bodies.

Carkner proposes instead that identity may be rooted in a God who has spoken, in an I-Thou relationship brought to its height in the incarnate Christ, marrying the spirit and embodied life. Thus, he gives dignity to our embodied lives. Going on, he explores the idea of Christ as the Wisdom of God. Jesus embodied wisdom, the fulfillment of our quest to live well. Specifically, Carkner draws on the work of Hans Urs Von Balthasar in elaborating six pillars of incarnational wisdom. He points to James Davison Hunter’s idea of “faithful presence” as an example of how Christians incarnate that wisdom in culture.

Whereas Gnosticism is evident in a “will to uniqueness” or “expressive individualism,” Incarnational spirituality leads to embodied communities, expressed in “one-anotherness.” The quest for autonomy truncates the self, leaving people open to manipulation while embodied communities provide stability, perspective, and resilience. And finally, the Incarnation brings a Transcendent connection to our ethics and understanding of goodness, rather than the individual defining and sourcing their ethics within themselves.

In summing up, Carkner has distilled extended philosophical discussions into a vision for incarnational spirituality. Consequently, every sentence is loaded with meaning, requiring close reading. He offers an alternative to the fragile and fragmented identities of post-modernity. All of this is rooted in the ancient Christian belief in the Incarnation. Carkner frames our contemporary quest for identity in terms of the classic contrast between Gnostic and Incarnational spirituality. That God became man addresses our alienation from ourselves, from others, and the Transcendent. And it provides a basis for community and the pursuit of the good.

____________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend

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Cover image for "Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend" by James S. Hirsch.

Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend, James S. Hirsch. Scribners (ISBN: 9781416547914), 2011.

Summary: Willie Mays’ authorized biography, his passion for every aspect of the game, and his greatness on and off the field.

When Willie Mays died earlier this year, my friend Matt recommended this as a great book about his life. Matt was right. I read a baseball book every summer and this became my book for 2024. Mays was my childhood hero. I tried (and failed) to master the basket catch. We all took to wearing our gloves with the index finger out.

James S. Hirsch persisted over several years to secure Mays’ permission to write this story and won his trust and help with interviews, documents and images, and connections with others who could help the story. And Hirsch turned all of that into a meticulously researched biography that ranks, along with Mays himself, among the greats in baseball history.

Beginning with Mays’ family, he traces the rise of Mays, learning from his father “Cat,” playing in the Negro Leagues for the Birmingham Barons, and his quick journey from Minneapolis to the New York Giants. He describes the support of owner Horace Stoneham, the mentoring of Leo Durocher, and the protection of Frank Forbes, who kept him out of trouble. And of course, there was the talent: speed, fielding, throwing, hitting and power. Throughout, Hirsch recounts the big moments, including “the catch” against Vic Wertz in the 1954 World Series. We’re reminded of the clutch hits and homers, but also of his savvy on the bases, helping others advance. In addition, Hirsch portrays Mays’ passion for the game including his exacting study of every hitter, every pitcher.

But being Willie Mays was about far more than skill and competitiveness. For example, his quick presence of mind may have saved the career of hot-tempered Orlando Cepeda, who went after a pitcher with his bat. Mays tackled him. When opposing catcher John Roseboro was in a fight with Juan Marichal, Mays got a bleeding Roseboro off the field.. He mentored younger players. One of his great loves was kids, and it was not uncommon to find him playing stickball in the Harlem streets.

Hirsch explores how Mays dealt with race. He was criticized by Jackie Robinson and others for not being more vocal. Yet Mays persisted in buying a home in an exclusive San Francisco neighborhood when residents opposed it and made threats. He let his excellence and physical toughness speak. Rather than confront, he invested in youth programs, and opened doors for others.

At the same time, Hirsch is forthright about Mays’ flaws. He chose badly in his first marriage and Marghuerite’s expensive tastes as well as Willie’s carefree generosity put him in financial straits for many years. Only late in his career did several people helped him pay off debts and manage and invest more wisely. Only later in his life in Mae did he find a partner who understood his love of the game. And then there is the intensity at which Mays played, landing him in the hospital with exhaustion several times.

Hirsch’s account leaves us wondering about some might-have-beens. What if Mays did not serve for nearly two seasons in the military and play half his career in Candlestick Park, robbing him of home runs? Might he have surpassed Ruth and rivaled Aaron? And what could he have earned were it not for baseball’s reserve clause?

Mays played before performance enhancing drugs. He was able to play hard because he didn’t live hard. In this biography, Hirsch portrays Mays’ love for the game that gave him the platform to care for kids, mentor others, and bring joy to fans. The “Say Hey” kid was one of a kind.

Review: Scales of Justice

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Cover image of "Scales of Justice" by Ngaio Marsh.

Scales of Justice (Roderick Alleyn, 18), Ngaio Marsh. Felony & Mayhem (ASIN: B00Q3JQMJ0), 2014 (First published in 1955).

Summary: A giant trout beside a murdered aristocrat from one of four families, all having motives or opportunity for murder, in a small rural village.

Nurse Kettle is walking home along the River Chyne when she spots Colonel Maurice Carterette on his side, hat over his head, with a huge trout by his side. Removing the hat, she discovers Colonel Carterette is dead, his skull smashed and pierced by a pointed object. After summoning the local authorities, Lady Lacklander, scion of the leading family in the small village of Swevenings, draws on class ties to summons Roderick Alleyn to investigate.

The murder takes place about halfway into the story, the first half setting up the context in which members of each of the families may be implicated in the murder. The Lacklanders are the leading family. Lady Lacklander’s husband has recently died a troubled death. He entrusted his memoir to Colonel Carterette. One chapter contained explosive material that would be damaging to the whole family if Carterette followed through with publication. Then there is Octavius Danberry-Phinn. He is Carterette’s neighbor and rival in the attempt to catch the Old ‘Un, the huge trout found by the body. Each had access to parts of the river and constantly accused the other of encroaching. Octavius’ son Vic served under Lacklander, committing suicide when accused of passing secrets to the Germans. He may not have wanted Lacklander’s memoir to be published.

Meanwhile, George Lacklander, the son of Lady Lacklander and Kitty Carterette, the Colonel’s second wife are flirting with an affair on the golf course. Yet another possibility is Major Syce, who once was in love with Kitty. He, she, and Colonel Carterette were all in Singapore. He introduced her to Carterette, and upon his return to the village found them married to each other. He’s know for shooting arrows at targets, or when he is under the influence, more widely. Nurse Kettle is treating him for lumbago, enjoying her attentions and stretching out the treatments. Finally, the younger generation is not exempt. Mark Lacklander wants to marry the Colonel’s daughter, a move not universally approved by the two families.

This is the tangled web of close relations and animosities Alleyn finds himself trying to unravel. In the second half of the book, he combines police investigation of clothing, boots, and possible murder instruments with interviews of all the suspects. And a book by Carterette on trout scales gives him one of his most important clues!

I thought this one of Marsh’s best. Not only does she give us an extensive cast of suspects. She also connects them all with each other in the intertwined life of the village aristocracy. Nurse Kettle helps connect the families in the narrative. While Alleyn conducts his measured investigation, he also handles the explosive memoir with care that both protects and restores reputations. Using a classic mystery trope, murder in a small English village, Marsh spins one of her best stories.