Growing Up in Working Class Youngstown — Cranberry Salad

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By Shadle (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

With Thanksgiving approaching I’ve been thinking about the great Thanksgiving dinners we used to have at my parents. There was always the turkey and dressing (mom made some of the best!) and the green bean casseroles and sweet potatoes and usually pumpkin and mince meat pies. But for some reason, I’ve been thinking this year of her cranberry salads–and wishing I had the recipe (if one of my siblings sees this and has it, I’d love a copy!). Big lesson here is make sure you ask your mom for all those great recipes while you can!

Here’s what I remember of her cranberry salads. I have no clue of quantities but they started with canned whole cranberries, I’m pretty sure a raspberry or cherry Jello, chopped walnuts, celery, and orange zest. But her secret ingredient that added that special something was 7-Up. That added a bit of a sweet tang that made it special.

I’ve seen similar recipes that add mayonnaise or whipped cream toppings. That was too much for her. She would simply serve a generous dollop on a piece of fresh lettuce, usually on the nice china salad plates we would only see on special occasions. And it was one of those dishes you could ask for more of without worrying about being stuffed.

I have to admit that this wasn’t as true as a kid when I was all about getting the big old drumstick and lots of dressing. But as I grew up I found myself enjoying that cranberry salad (some would call it a relish) more and more.

In the kitchen, I am not so much the cook as the assistant. I’m good (at least most of the time) at taking orders. But some time, I think I’d like to experiment and see if I can figure out how to make my mom’s cranberry salad. And if I do, I’ll let you know!

Meanwhile, I would love to hear your favorite cranberry salad or relish recipes. From what I see, there are lots of different ways people like to do this, and like so many other things, I suspect no one does it better than my fellow Youngstowners!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

The Formation of Public Intellectuals

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Jacques Barzun — A Public Intellectual (Painting by E.R. Morse, Public Domain)

I wrote yesterday about the question of how we get the “public” into “public intellectuals” and particularly the role such persons might have in the Christian faith community. But this begs the question of how does one become a “public intellectual”?

My short answer to this is that rather than one seeking such a role, I suspect many who begin to exercise this kind of influence would say the role has sought them as they have sought to exercise their gifts and sense of calling with diligence. That said, my own sense is that Christians who exercise this particular influence have life experiences that have formed and cultivated certain inherent qualities and gifts.

Formation of character: The danger of a role with the term “intellectual” in it is that it is possible to be smart and yet not wise. Intellectual gifts may be used in divisive or hurtful ways or in ways that foster insight, spiritual growth and human flourishing. Proverbs says that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” A healthy sense that one’s words and actions are carried out before One with whom we will reckon seems a vital requisite for the Christian public intellectual. Likewise, I would hope for someone who values all persons as made in the image of God, leading to the respect of anyone engaged, even the intellectual opponent. And lastly, though this is not sought, people who have experienced pain and failure, and have been formed redemptively through these experiences may be safeguarded from intellectual hubris and arrogance. Abraham Lincoln stands out to me as an example of such a person.

Formation of the intellect: Sheer intellectual gifts are not enough without intellectual discipline. C.S. Lewis writes about “the Great Knock”, his tutor W. T. Kirkpatrick, who forced him to reason rigorously and clearly. Public intellectuals are not dilettantes but careful thinkers as well as reflective cultural observers who appeal to us, not by sentiment or emotional appeal but through disciplined thought clearly expressed. Training in logic, the history of ideas, as well as one’s disciplinary focus are all important. Hand in hand with this goes intellectual curiosity. Jacques Barzun, pictured above, found baseball and classical music, as well as cultural history and educational philosophy of great interest. I think this curiosity extends to people as well, understanding what they think and the sources of their passion for life. And it probably goes without saying, but most of these people are insatiable readers!

Theological formation: Hand in hand with character and intellectual formation is the cultivation by the Christian intellectual of a profound, deeply embedded, and personally embraced understanding of the Christian faith. The idea is a faith that has become a way of seeing the world that brings unique perspectives and unique questions to any topic of conversation. The Christian public intellectual does not apply their understanding of the faith as a veneer over the general knowledge of a topic, trying to “Christianize” it, but rather understands any question within the framework of God’s purposes and ways in the world–whether we are talking about music, or educational philosophy, or community development, or emerging technologies.

Communication skills: Any public intellectual not only thinks about matters of public concern. They also express themselves publicly–through writing, through teaching, through public addresses and public conversations. They know not only how to make an argument but how to communicate in terms their particular audience will grasp. They can adapt communication to the occasion, from the rigor of an academic journal, to an informal pub conversation, to an op-ed, to a public dialogue. In this age, this probably includes the media savvy to communicate in various online fora.

In some sense, one never stops developing these requisite qualities and skills. Most will never become “Christian public intellectuals” on a national or international scale. It may be, as I discussed yesterday, that the local pastor who exercises this ministry within his or her parish, both within the church and in the broader community, may be doing the most important work. Likewise this applies to the local academic, the local journalist, the local business leader, doctor, or lawyer. Public intellectuals arise from all these professions–consider for example the role a person like Bill Gates exercises in global conversations, and the influence he and Mark Zuckerberg and even Oprah have when they share book recommendations.

How do people rise to prominence? There seems to be a philosophy today of “building one’s platform” on social media. I wonder if, while this may be a part of the equation, whether a more important piece is simply devoting oneself to the excellent exercise of one’s gifts in producing good work. With that comes the crucial requisite of engaging others in various public fora around that work, from town councils to academic symposia to publications in newspapers, magazines and journals. There is something of mystery why some gain increasingly large audiences who recognize the worth of their work. Sometimes, it seems simply a fortuitous convergence of opportunities. Sometimes, it is clearly the result of long and excellent hard work. What one hopes is that this never goes to one’s head, that one simply pursues this calling with a sense of amazement wondering, “why would anyone listen to what I say?” and even more amazement when that proves helpful to another human being or constructive in advancing the public good.

Getting Public Intellectuals Out of the Ivory Tower

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Who Are These People?

This week The Chronicle of Higher Education ran an article on “The New Intellectuals” (premium content that may be unavailable) that contended that the academic jobs crisis may be a boon for the growing of a new group of young public intellectuals. What was curious to me is that for most, their primary means of expression was in literary journals, concerned with progressive issues.

What occurred to me is that most outside the humanities probably don’t know the names of any of these people and probably have not heard of the journals for which they write. Most of the journals had subscription bases of 5,000 to 10,000 (or less). What all this suggests is that these “public” intellectuals are only talking to a select group, probably an “echo chamber” of their views.

I think there is a similar phenomenon in intellectual Christian circles. On the one hand, it is encouraging that there is a vibrant group of thoughtful Christians seeking to think Christianly about contemporary society and writing articles and thoughtful books (some of which I’ve reviewed here). Once again, my sense is that with rare exception, particularly with some of those covering religion for major news media, most of these people are writing in journals with circulations under 10,000 subscribers (Books & Culture, which recently published its final print issue never had more than about 11,000 subscribers).

There are a few exceptions, yet I suspect many in the wider American public, let alone the Christian community have precious little knowledge of these folk. I am thinking, for example of Alan Jacobs, who recently wrote an article in Harpers asking what became of Christian intellectuals. There are others, like Marilynne Robinson, whose work was heralded by President Obama. Russell Moore from the Southern Baptists has had articles in major news media. Yet I wonder how many in either our churches or the general public would recognize other influential thinkers and writers like Nick Wolterstorff, Yale philosopher, or Miroslav Volf, a Yale theologian, or Makoto Fujimura, artist and writer, or English professor and film critic Alissa Wilkinson, to name a few?

You might ask, why does it matter? Most of us seem to be getting along without knowing who these people (or other Christian thinkers and writers) are. Or are we? There are many charges currently being leveled at white evangelicalism for its political captivity to one political party, and the implications this has for a loss of credibility among youth, ethnic minorities, and the wider culture. While I think further analysis is going to reveal a more complicated picture, what is troubling to me is the lack of a theological and intellectual framework in most of our churches that speaks into both parties and into our national (and local) life, as some like Russell Moore, Robbie George, Richard Mouw, Thabiti Anyabwile and others have sought and continue to seek to do.

Why aren’t we listening to people like these? I suspect it is because most of them have never appeared either on PBS or Fox. Many of us do give time to various media streams, but many do not choose to include thoughtful sources from the Christian community. I would suggest beginning with sources like Englewood Review of Books, Christianity Today, or First Things. 

I also wonder about the role of local congregations in our lives. At one time, pastors were considered a kind of public theologian or public intellectual. They fused biblical and cultural exegesis with a knowledge of their people with the aim that their people “be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of their minds” (Romans 12:2). I can’t help but think that pastors and other teachers in our congregations can do a huge job of bridging the gap between those serving the people of God as public intellectuals on a national scene and the people in our seats. Tools as simple as a Facebook page, a Twitter feed, or a podcast may provide a vehicle for posting articles augmenting weekly teaching in the church that provide a thoughtful Christian perspective–a third way of thinking transcending the polarized conversations in our culture. Inviting church leadership to read and discuss one or two stretching books (chosen carefully) can enrich the perspectives leaders bring to congregational mission.

It has always been vital for Christians to understand their times and how they should live. We need to give more thought as to who or what is shaping that understanding. In my own tradition, the scriptures illumined by the Spirit of God are paramount, personally reflected upon, and taught, studied and lived in our communities. I consider Christian thinkers as simply part of the “cloud of witnesses” who amplify and enrich the understanding being shaped in each of our communities, who also bring us into a broader conversation, set apart from the many other media voices clamoring for our attention.

*Left to right: Alissa Wilkinson, Makoto Fujimura, Miroslav Volf, and Nicholas Wolterstorff, all mentioned in paragraph 4 of this post.

[Tomorrow, I will continue on this theme, reflecting on the “formation” of a Christian public intellectual.]

Review: Roger Williams and The Creation of the American Soul

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Roger Williams and The Creation of the American Soul, John M. Barry. New York: Viking, 2012. [Publisher link is to paperback edition]

Summary: A study of the life of Roger Williams focusing on the intellectual influences upon Williams, his journey to Massachusetts, banishment and founding of Rhode Island, and his signal ideas of freedom of conscience and government by consent of the governed.

Questions of church and state, a “Christian” vision for America, and the battle to be free to believe as one wills and practice those beliefs are as contemporary as the most recent national elections, but trace back to our very beginnings in New England. Reading this account of the life of Roger Williams gives me a deeper appreciation of a figure who laid the groundwork of the protections of both religious liberty and from religious tyranny that we enjoy, and the recognition of the human right of freedom of conscience.

Many accounts of Williams’ life begin with his banishment from Massachusetts and his flight into the wilderness, taking shelter with the Narragansetts he had befriended, and then establishing the town that would become Providence, leading eventually to the chartering of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. This account begins by tracing his youthful apprenticeship with Edward Coke, one of the greatest legal minds of the age, and a steadfast resister of royal tyranny, whose resistance resulted in his going to the Tower of London. He also closely observed Francis Bacon, the great scientist, but also chancellor to King James, and from him developed a commitment to reaching conclusions by evidence that led later to his own independence in forming theological views, leading to his break with the founders in Massachusetts.

Like many Puritans, Williams, who for a time was sheltered as a “chaplain” to a distinguished family, faced the scrutiny of Bishop Laud, and like many, fled to America. The Massachusetts colony was established with a vision of being a “city on the hill” where Christian faith shaped every aspect of the colony’s life and where religious and governmental functions were closely enough aligned to be at one. Williams, exposed to this theocratic government concluded that government could enforce only those parts of the law (the second table) having to do with human beings relationships with each other. To try to enforce the first would be to intrude upon the individual conscience. Williams also reached conclusions that questioned the basis upon which colonists obtained the native people’s land. Eventually, the authorities, including close friends from England, banished him and even attempted at one point to seize him by force and take him to England, where he likely would have been executed. Only flight in mid-winter saved him, and led to the beginnings of Rhode Island.

From the beginning, Williams vision was to set up a place, not where anarchy ruled, but where conscience was free and people could believe and worship as they pleased (or not). At various points we see Williams fending off Massachusetts, Plymouth, and Connecticut from carving up Rhode Island, even as he also intercedes with Native tribes to avert war with the colonists.

Eventually this leads to a return of Williams to the England he had fled to obtain a charter that would formally recognize Rhode Island (and Providence Plantations–its full name) as a colony in its own right. Furthermore, Williams is proposing the radical idea of a colony with no state church. The account of how he does this, as well as a significant work he published during a second visit, The Bloudy Tenent is fascinating, and along with the early influences in his life, often overlooked.  In The Bloudy Tenent he argues both for freedom of conscience and for the idea that the state’s power to govern should derive from the consent of the governed. These ideas, via John Locke, shaped the thinking of the founders.

Williams did not remain unscarred in all the conflicts he faced. After his banishment, he took up briefly with the Baptists, but then never again joined or formed a church. He continued to believe, but his significant contributions would be in the learning of Native languages and his relations with Native peoples, his leadership in Rhode Island and politically savvy relations in England, and his political thought that laid the foundations for freedom of conscience, religious liberty and freedom from religious tyranny, which has also frustrated efforts to enforce a Christian conscience upon the nation that continues to this day.

Barry offers a narrative that helps us see the combination of intellectual influences and life events that shaped the thought and actions of Williams. It strikes me that the peculiar genius and grace of Williams was to create a space for the liberties and form of government he believed in without attacking those who attacked him. He worked skillfully and shrewdly and yet as a man of peace in the midst of warring factions in the colonies and civil conflict with bloody executions in England. It seems we could use more like him.

Review: J. C. Ryle: Prepared to Stand Alone

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J. C. Ryle: Prepared to Stand Alone, Iain H. Murray. Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 2016.

Summary: The biography of this nineteenth century evangelical Anglican, from his early student days, his conversion, the decision to enter ministry, and his growing national reputation and his different assignments, including his last years as the first Bishop of Liverpool.

Earlier this year, a reading group of which I am a part chose J. C. Ryle’s Holiness (reviewed here) for our book discussions. Having read English writers of this era like John Henry Newman, I was bracing myself for highly convoluted sentences from which I would ferret meaning. Instead, I encountered a writer who was plain-spoken and a man of gracious, but uncompromising conviction. So when I came across notice of this new biography of Ryle, I acquired a copy, wanting to learn more of this man.

Ryle grew up the affluent son of a banker. He was tall, a gifted player of cricket, and seemed bound for a successful career, possibly in politics. During an illness in his last year at Oxford, he began to read his Bible and came to a personal faith in Christ, having previously been influenced by the conversion of his sister and a close relative.

A second turning point came when his father’s banking interest collapsed and he found himself without the means to pursue the political career for which he seemed destined. Instead, he sought ordination in the Church of England, serving first at Exbury and then St. Thomas’s Winchester. This was followed by a pastorate in Helmingham, during which he married twice, losing both wives, leaving him with five children. He wrote of this time, “There are anxieties in such cases which no one knows but he who has gone through them; anxieties which can crush the strongest spirit.”

Yet during these years Murray describes the pattern of a ministry that was constant in pastoral care visiting people in their homes, saturated with study, of the scriptures and the best of the Puritans, marked by compelling preaching, and further propagated through the publishing of tracts and collections of sermons. It was a time when Newman, Pusey, Keble, Froude, and others were publishing Tracts for the Times and leading a movement toward Anglo-Catholicism emphasizing sacraments, ritual, and ties with Rome, that Ryle and others thought contrary both to the Thirty-Nine Articles and to an evangelical faith rooted in the scriptures and the saving work of Christ.

A move to Stradbroke in 1861 brought with it a third marriage that would last until Henrietta’s death in 1889 and an increasingly national reputation as a voice for the evangelical wing of the Anglican Church. There were further publications, including his commentary on the Gospel of John. In 1872 he became Canon of Norwich and in 1880, at age 64, he became the first Bishop of Liverpool. He remained in this post until shortly before his death in 1900, establishing 44 new churches and mission halls, and becoming beloved among the working people, if not among a Church of England growing increasingly sacramental and tolerant of theological heterodoxy that moved away from evangelical conviction.

He was not able to stem the tide despite his efforts, even with his own son Herbert, who became a leader in the “broad” church. They differed but always remained charitable toward each other. One telling observation made however is that J.C. Ryle’s work continues to be re-printed and read, Herbert’s has not.

This makes me wonder about the subtitle, “prepared to stand alone.” It appears that this may often have been the case for Ryle, especially later in life. Are there times when it may seem that many, even those most dear will desert “the faith once delivered?” Perhaps this is why some find the writing of Ryle of such comfort in a time where parts of the church are given over to political captivity and others to a latitudinarianism that considers matters of doctrine of little value. Ryle brings together in his life and preaching both clarity of conviction and charity toward those with whom he ministered as he sought to proclaim that transforming power of new life in Christ.

Murray’s new biography explores the “long obedience” of this evangelical leader who never left the Church of England. He also includes two appendices, one with quotes from Ryle, and the other a brief profile of Herbert Ryle, his son. I’ll close with one of those quotes, on the “new birth,” a terminology that has undeservedly fallen into disrepute:

“The change which our Lord he declares needful to salvation is evidently no slight or superficial one. It is not merely reformation, or amendment, or moral change, or outward alteration of life. It is a thorough change of heart, will, and character. It is a resurrection. It is a new creation. It is a passing from death to life. It is the implanting in our dead hearts of a new principle from above. It is the calling into existence of a new creature, with a new nature, new habits of life, new tastes, new desires, new appetites, new judgments, new opinions, new hopes, and new fears. All this and nothing less than this is implied, when our Lord declares we all need a ‘new birth’…. Heaven may be reached without money, or rank, or learning. But it is clear as daylight, if words have any meaning, that no one can enter heaven without a ‘new birth.’ “

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher . I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

 

Recovery: Week Four

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Cast number two. You can even see my straightened big toe as well as the wheel chair and walker that are my constant companions!

 

As a number of you know, I’ve been sidelined with foot surgery to address a foot infection and orthopedic problems in my right foot. The surgery took place four weeks ago today. Since then I’ve had my foot in a cast, actually now two casts, have been on an intravenous antibiotic, and not allowed to put weight on the right foot except on the heel as I transfer from one seat to another. Thought I’d share some random musings that describe something of how I’m doing:

  • As far as I can tell, everything seems to be coming along fine physically.  The swelling as gone down a good deal on my big toe and the bottom of my foot.
  • I’m tolerating the antibiotic (the only med I’m on) and we’ve gotten the routine down of doing daily infusions. Fifteen more to go. Eating two yogurts a day helps with the digestive side effects–a holding action at best. It has affected blood counts, which they watch through weekly blood draws.
  • I’ve described this as a process of going slow to heal faster. I do have a few exercises the physical therapist has given me to keep muscles in my right leg from atrophying, but aside from these, it is a matter of keeping my foot up and waiting. That gets tougher as the weeks go by, but all that I’ve heard says that trying to rush things only prolongs them. My motto has been, “one and done.”
  • I’ve thought about a verse that I read today at various times, Psalm 46:10 that says, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” I’ve needed this word at various points in my life as I’ve taken too much upon myself and trusted God too little. This may be one of those seasons. It is certainly a time for stillness, and I have had to trust God’s presence and work in situations where I cannot be physically present. I need to think about what this means as well for when I am back on my feet.
  • I’ve been sitting and watching beautiful autumn days, clear blue skies, and falling leaves from my front window. I love being out and working in the yard in this kind of weather but have had to leave this to my wife, and a wonderful high school student who is our next door neighbor. That’s been one of the toughest things.
  • There has been a lot of time to read–right now I’m reading biographies of J.C. Ryle and J.R.R. Tolkien, an account of Roger Williams and the idea of freedom of conscience, and as I wrote about recently, Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. The latter is a fascinating study of temptation, of the voices tangible and in our heads warning “you could destroy all you hold dear” and the allure of the forbidden when married love has grown prosaic. And 180 pages in and Levin and Kitty still haven’t gotten together!
  • I’ve been practicing the choral parts in Part One of “Messiah” along with my friends in Capriccio. Not sure I will get to join them on a December 11 performance of this work but I want to be ready if I am able, and if not to sing choruses like “For Unto Us a Child is Born” is wonderful preparation of my heart for Advent and Christmas to follow.
  • I’ve been looking for words that don’t just add to the competing “echo chambers” of discussion around the election. Mostly I’ve decided at this point to refrain and listen and pray, something that does not seem to be happening much. I’m grieved that protests have sometimes turned violent although I have many friends who have been part of peaceful ones. I’m disturbed at attacks on ethnic minorities, immigrants, and LGBTQ persons. It feels to me a bit like the turmoil of the late sixties or the spring of 1970 around the time of the Kent State shootings.
  • Rather than safety pins or Facebook statements, I’ve begun to reach out personally to friends who voice fear and anger. It is not explanations or arguments that are needed but simply to convey, “I care.” I’m also wrestling with the deeper question of what will I do if their safety really is in jeopardy and a Facebook post or march is not enough. I struggle for some, such as those friends who are ethnic minorities for whom this is already an issue whenever they encounter law enforcement.
  • I’m working from home. We’ve been having people come to me, as our whole team did a couple weeks ago for meetings. We had a full house but got some good work done. I’ve been on hours of video-conferences, including a very exciting symposium this past Saturday where Christian graduate students and faculty from eight campuses met online to talk about how we may have better conversations about faith and academic life.

I see my doc on Tuesday for a follow up, and if all goes well, I have two more weeks off my feet. Then I can begin putting weight on my right foot. Not sure what the re-hab process will be like from there–one of the things I’ll talk with the doc about this week.

I’ve been blessed most of all by a wife who has taken great care of me. If you remember, pray for her, because all this has meant an extra load on her. The friends from church and others who have brought meals have been a blessing and it is all good! A son, daughter-in-law, and pastor who have helped with groceries, transport, and getting to doctor visits have been such a help. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers a number of you, even those I don’t know personally, have sent my way. They mean more than you can know.

Growing Up in Working Class Youngstown — Wick Park

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Wick Park in the early days. Public Domain

A park with walkways, a pavilion, playground, picnic areas, shaded with abundant trees. Around the perimeter on three sides some of the grandest homes in the city. On the fourth, an auditorium in neoclassical style, and in later years a senior facility. That was, and still in significant measure is, Wick Park. In the boom years of the first part of the twentieth century, this area was home to many of Youngstown’s most affluent citizens, sheltered away from the mills and factories that made their fortune. This Metro Monthly article gives you a good idea of what some of the homes were like back then.

My first encounters with Wick Park were during a summer when I volunteered with a children’s ministry working in a more urban part of the North side. They offered a summer program and I helped volunteer, helping organize games and activities for the children at the park. I loved the combination of shelters, open spaces and an abundance of trees and shade that made this a delightful recreation spot for the children who were both a delight and challenge and left me beat at the end of every day.

Later, while I was in college, I took a physical conditioning course and one of our regular activities was to don our running clothes and do laps around Wick Park. Each lap, as I recall, was about a mile. When I started, I barely made it up Elm Street to the park and had to walk-run even one lap. Eventually I reached the point where I could do three or four laps easily, and the Park was a favorite place to run with a buddy or two whenever I needed a study break.

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A view of Wick Park across Fifth Avenue from Park Vista (c) Robert C Trube, 2011

In recent years we would drive past Wick Park when we would visit my mom and dad during their last years when they lived in Park Vista, across the street. One of the nicest features of where they lived is that the front windows of their dining room looked out over the park.

The larger Wick Park district extended all the way over to Wick Avenue running north of Youngstown State. Wick Avenue at one time was Youngstown’s version of “millionaire’s row.” Apart from the restored Pollock Mansion and the Arms Museum of the Mahoning Valley Historical Society, most of these are gone, replaced by many vacant lots. Auto dealerships like State Chevrolet, where my wife bought her first car, are long gone. Going up Wick Avenue, one of the few businesses left is the Golden Dawn, where a number of us would go after volunteering at a free clinic next to campus in one of those mansions owned by First Christian Church at the time.

Many of the large homes were broken up into apartments, which eventually led to decline in their condition. Vacant homes that were eventually demolished are a reality here as elsewhere in Youngstown. But from what I’ve read and heard, there are some neighborhood organizations collaborating with others to renew the area. According to Metro Monthly efforts by the Wick Park Neighborhood Association and the Northside Citizens Coalition has led to everything from urban gardens, farmers markets, property divestment that has brought new residents in and rehabilitation of a number of the grand old houses. Efforts by Youngstown CityScape has led to improvements of the park including new signage, sidewalk repairs, accessible parking near the pavilion, a new playground, and security gates.

It seems that one thing every Rust Belt city is discovering is that you re-build neighborhood by neighborhood, business by business, institution by institution. It takes scrappiness, perseverance, and collaboration of city leaders, businesses, neighborhood leaders and residents–over a long period of time (think what it takes just to renovate one home!). The Wick Park Historic District is one of the jewels of Youngstown. I’m glad to hear there are people thinking, talking, and working hard to both recover past glories and build toward a new future in this area, and providing models for other neighborhoods in the city to follow.

I’d love to hear both about memories of the Wick Park area, and from those who are working to revitalize this area!

Veterans Day in Books

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In Flanders Fields, Robert Vonnoh (Public Domain)

Today is Veterans Day in the United States. The day traces back to Armistice Day when fighting ceased at the end of World War I, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. It was re-named Veterans Day in 1954 and is intended to honor the service of all military veterans, whereas Memorial Day honors particularly those who died in the service of their country. The day is special to me as I think of my father, who served in the Army in World War II. He was so proud of his service to the country, and we shared this in the military salute he was given when he was laid to rest a few years back. Thank you, Dad, and so many others who have answered the country’s call and honorably served.

I was fortunate to come of age just at the end of the Vietnam War and did not serve. But over the years, I’ve read the history of many of our country’s wars. The truth is, as Sherman said, “War is hell.” The accounts of war are always a mixture of strategic brilliance and failure, bravery and sacrifice and the horror of mangled bodies, the tragic ends of the lives of young men with loves, families, and future hopes, and sometimes the numbing tedium of life between battles. Most of the time, it isn’t the happiest of reading, yet I think important both to more fully honor those who served and to think carefully about what is involved in committing the lives of our young men and women to battle, something never to be done rashly.

Here are some of my favorites, one for each of our major wars up through Vietnam. I have to confess that I haven’t read accounts of some of our more recent conflicts, particularly in Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan. I would love it if those reading this post who have recommendations would share these to add to my list.

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  1. 1776, by David McCullough. A great, readable overview of our War of Independence by one of the great history writers of our time.1812
  2. 1812: The War that Forged a Nation by Walter R. Borneman. Again, an overview of this early conflict that nearly wiped out our young nation but served to launch the careers of Winfield Scott and Andrew Jackson, among others.a-country-of-vast-designs
  3. A Country of Vast Designs by Robert W. Merry. An account of President James K. Polk, our involvement in the Mexican War, and how Polk expanded the boundaries of the nation through this war.battle-cry-of-freedom
  4. Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPherson. There are so many great Civil War books but this is my favorite one volume account of the war.wwi
  5. The First World War by John Keegan. He shows the breakdowns of diplomacy that led to this war, the terrible bloodshed amidst the stalemate and how the end of the war shaped the world as we know it today.49250
  6. D-Day, June 6, 1944 by Stephen Ambrose. This is just one battle but Ambrose gives a compelling account of the bravery of American and British troops attempting to gain a beachhead on the shores of Normandy.korea
  7. The Coldest Winter by David Halberstam chronicles what is often called our “forgotten war” in Korea. Halberstam brings the journalistic brilliance of all his other books to this account of a war that never has really ended.vietnam
  8. Vietnam by Stanley Karnow. One of the best and most balanced histories of the conflict. Halberstam’s The Best and the Brightest was also good in showing how the elite brain trust of the Kennedy’s wasn’t smart enough to avoid getting us deeply involved in the conflict.

Again, my apologies to those who served in more recent conflicts. I deeply value your service–just haven’t read any books about these conflicts and would love to get recommendations so that by next Veterans Day or the one after, I can recommend books that acknowledge your service as well.

Our nation’s armed forces have fought in a number of conflicts in our 240 year history. Many have died. Others have returned, some with wounds on their bodies, some with wounds on their psyches, few unchanged. I’ll leave to the historians to debate whether all these wars should have been fought. What cannot be debated is that those who have served and those who are actively serving even now are worthy of honor. To say “thank you” is one way of honoring. To listen to their stories is another. To advocate for their care is vital. To read the history of their service is fitting. Perhaps today would be a good day to begin.

We remember.

On Reading Really Long Books

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anna-karenina

After a warm autumn, the November winds have arrived and the rain and wind have brought cooler and damper weather. Time to retreat to the indoors, a comfortable reading chair, your beverage of choice…and a good long book.

Some time back I wrote about “Books I Read Too Soon” and one of the books I mentioned was Anna Karenina. Supposedly I read this in high school. Thinking back, I’m not sure if I ever read all of it, or just enough to fake it. I know Anna commits adultery and comes out a lot worse than the man. In my post I wrote, “It did awaken me to the double standard between men and women at a time women of my generation were talking of women’s liberation.” Truthfully, this book was miles away from my dorky life back then, I was just hoping there would be girls interested enough to even go out with me!

In recent years, I’ve heard great things about the new translation of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. So when a copy turned up at my local Half Price Books, I snapped it up and it has been sitting on my TBR pile for a while. I’ve been reading “around” it because it is too fat to take on trips. But I don’t have that excuse since I’ve been grounded because of foot surgery, so I’ve just settled down to begin my journey through its 838 pages. The translators have a helpful but brief introduction and notes on translation. So often, it seems to take a few days to get through the introduction. Not so here, something I like!

Also requisite for a Russian novel is a list of major characters so I can keep track of all those Russian names. The translators even tell us how they are related to each other!

Initial impressions? At first the book seems to be about the adultery committed by Anna’s brother Stepan and the romantic aspirations of Levin with Kitty (his encounter with Kitty on the skating pond is all the stuff romances are made of!). I remember this book being more profound than simply a Russian version of the affairs of the rich and famous. Haven’t gotten there yet but the reading so far is straightforward. I find myself wondering, does adultery run in families? My high school impression of the double standard does seem to bear up. Stepan seems more to regret being caught and the fallout of this than anything.

So I’ve begun. One of the questions knocking about in my head is why this is considered one of the great Russian novels, other than simply because of its length. I like Levin, who reminds me a bit of my bumbling teenage self (maybe that’s why we read it!). I wonder if I’ll like Anna. So far, I just know she is out there.

We’ll see which comes first, finishing Anna Karenina or getting the cast off my foot, which doesn’t happen for nearly three weeks yet. Seems we’ll be traveling companions for a while, so to speak. I may share a few “travel updates,” especially if I’m encouraged! And I’d love to hear if there are any long books you are hoping to lose yourself in as the days grow short and cool, and the nights grow longer.

Review: Lila

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lila

Lila, Marilynne Robinson. New York: Picador, 2014.

Summary: The story of the unlikely marriage between Lila, a homeless drifter, and Rev. John Ames, a widowed older pastor.

“And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to cleanse thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. No eye pitied thee, to do any of these things unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, for that thy person was abhorred, in the day that thou wast born. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee weltering in thy blood, I said unto thee, Though thou art in thy blood, live; yea, I said unto thee, Though thou art in thy blood, live.” (Ezekiel 16:4-6, American Standard Version)

These verses and the remainder of Ezekiel 16 are ones to which Lila is strangely drawn when she begins reading the Bible she took from the pews of John Ames church. The verses, really a parable of Israel, seem to parallel her life, and perhaps more than she knows.

Lila was a neglected toddler, stolen away from her family by Doll, which probably saved her life. They fell in with other drifters on the road during the Depression and became fiercely loyal to one another. Eventually Doll is in a knife fight where she kills a man, possibly Lila’s father, nearly dies, but eventually escapes custody and disappears. Lila drifts to St. Louis, works for a time in a house of ill repute, and then flees the city with a woman returning to Iowa and ends up in a shack near Gilead, Iowa. One Sunday, she wanders into the church of Rev. John Ames, an older, widowed pastor. And so begins a relationship, a searching dialogue between the two with questions like “why do things happen the way they do?” He and the church help her out and give her work. She asks him to baptize her. She tends the grave of his wife, cultivating roses. At one point Ames thanks her for caring for the grave and wishes there were something he could do for her. She says, “You ought to marry me.” and he answers, “Yes, you’re right. I will.”

And so begins a most unusual marriage, where Lila, who has never trusted anyone but Doll, must somehow believe this man really loves her. The beauty of the story is that he does, and yet gives her the room to believe it for herself. And in the midst of it all, she finds herself pregnant with his child. Much of the story is her reflections on being the motherless child, and her life on the road as the months of her pregnancy progress, interwoven with the careful, tender love of Ames, never forced, but ever present; fearing she might leave, yet never compelling her to stay, but simply offering his love, his home, and himself.

Robinson uses the device of telling the story of her former life as memories Lila reflects upon as she embarks on this new life with Ames. She muses on the strange, dangerous, and sometimes unseemly life she has lived even as she wrestles with the possibility of having really found a home, a love with this man, and that she can be the mother she never had apart from Doll. The answer to her question of why things happen they way they do must remain somehow with the sovereign God, but the working out of the way things happen is a story of grace, the discovering of an incomprehensible but unwavering love.

The third of the “Gilead” stories, Lila explores the deepest questions of existence and the searching question of how far may grace reach. Can it reach Lila? Doll? And what about us the readers? It’s worth reading to find out.