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calarco's Reviews (760)
Julia Rose here lays out methodology and case studies for engaging both museum staff and visitors about "difficult history" through Commemorative Museum Pedagogy (CMP).
While many of her case studies focus on American slavery, she does offer insights for CMP at other types of memorials for terrorist attacks, mass killings, and other human atrocities.
One of the greatest strengths of Rose's proposed CMP is that it focuses on the active learning process of difficult history interpretation, as opposed to preaching a simple, idealistic end-goal. Rose also explores the pitfalls of this process, including the mixed aftermath of her own fieldwork at Magnolia Mound Plantation.
While I personally found some components of the CMP to be too gentle when addressing uncomfortable individuals, I think this approach has a lot of merit in that it seeks to stimulate and facilitate complex conversations and dialogue.
While many of her case studies focus on American slavery, she does offer insights for CMP at other types of memorials for terrorist attacks, mass killings, and other human atrocities.
One of the greatest strengths of Rose's proposed CMP is that it focuses on the active learning process of difficult history interpretation, as opposed to preaching a simple, idealistic end-goal. Rose also explores the pitfalls of this process, including the mixed aftermath of her own fieldwork at Magnolia Mound Plantation.
While I personally found some components of the CMP to be too gentle when addressing uncomfortable individuals, I think this approach has a lot of merit in that it seeks to stimulate and facilitate complex conversations and dialogue.
This is a pretty solid Christmas read, which is both a recommendation and the context in which I experienced this book. For such a short novel, C.S. Lewis creates such a vivid world and captivating characters who are easy to become emotionally invested in.
While this is a children's fantasy book, it was hard not read it as a form of magical realism, with the events of Narnia mirroring similar circumstances in England during World War II. However, in Narnia, the children are able to take control of their lives and help people (and animals, magical creatures, etc.) in ways they wish they could in the 'real world.'
Overall, it was pretty great, I would recommend it.
While this is a children's fantasy book, it was hard not read it as a form of magical realism, with the events of Narnia mirroring similar circumstances in England during World War II. However, in Narnia, the children are able to take control of their lives and help people (and animals, magical creatures, etc.) in ways they wish they could in the 'real world.'
Overall, it was pretty great, I would recommend it.
Bleak and intense are the words I would use to describe this World War I German novel. Scenes in the trenches and military hospitals are vividly described, and not for the faint of heart.However, if you have a strong enough stomach, this novel is worth a read.
This account from the perspective of a young solider depicts many of the most unromantic realities of war that often get omitted from written representation. To add to the dread, this is written from the perspective of a 'loser.' History is often written by the winners, for the winners. Without the burden of writing to justify something as broad-reaching and incomprehensible as war, the author is able to explore inconvenient truths that surround mass human suffering.
The young soldiers' preponderances about why they are present fighting a war for the abstract notion of the 'nation,' is also an interesting idea. Benedict Anderson famously referred to nations as 'imagined communities,' and in the novel these young souls wasting away in the barracks wonder why they continue to fight for a cause that was decided by something so impersonal.
Scenes of the main character trying to reconcile who he once was, with the soldier he has become, are also quite striking. More than disillusioned, the jarring divide of who he was and is furthers his disillusion and perpetuates his suffering.
This account from the perspective of a young solider depicts many of the most unromantic realities of war that often get omitted from written representation. To add to the dread, this is written from the perspective of a 'loser.' History is often written by the winners, for the winners. Without the burden of writing to justify something as broad-reaching and incomprehensible as war, the author is able to explore inconvenient truths that surround mass human suffering.
The young soldiers' preponderances about why they are present fighting a war for the abstract notion of the 'nation,' is also an interesting idea. Benedict Anderson famously referred to nations as 'imagined communities,' and in the novel these young souls wasting away in the barracks wonder why they continue to fight for a cause that was decided by something so impersonal.
Scenes of the main character trying to reconcile who he once was, with the soldier he has become, are also quite striking. More than disillusioned, the jarring divide of who he was and is furthers his disillusion and perpetuates his suffering.
This work ultimately addresses the inherent lack of spiritual fulfillment that came with being a 1950’s housewife. Ultimately, Lindbergh’s approach to achieving inner harmony is quite Buddhist in nature, even though she is inherently Christian, which is interesting.
The author argues that the root of this unhappiness is that societal pressures of the time lead to women lacking the inner conviction for doing and wanting things for themselves. She poses numerous analyses for what she sees as a socially-ingrained problem.
This work in short, is a reflection by a woman on how to achieve her own inner peace and fulfillment. They are her own thoughts. I get why some people love it and others hate it; it really depends on whether or not the reader is in Lindbergh’s headspace or not, which will definitely effect how strongly her preponderances ultimately resonate.
I thought it was okay.
The author argues that the root of this unhappiness is that societal pressures of the time lead to women lacking the inner conviction for doing and wanting things for themselves. She poses numerous analyses for what she sees as a socially-ingrained problem.
This work in short, is a reflection by a woman on how to achieve her own inner peace and fulfillment. They are her own thoughts. I get why some people love it and others hate it; it really depends on whether or not the reader is in Lindbergh’s headspace or not, which will definitely effect how strongly her preponderances ultimately resonate.
I thought it was okay.
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The final installment of Butler’s Xenogenesis trilogy ends strongly. With the first novel focusing on the female perspective, the second on the male, this third one finally allows the reader more insight into the Ooloi, the Oankali’s third gender.
Jodahs was a fascinating protagonist. Being a human-born Ooloi, it is innately powerful, yet so gentle in its desire to understand and be understood. Jodahs’ temperament ultimately makes for a compelling final view point when compared with Lilith’s.
It is also fascinating getting to see the social dynamics of this new earth a century from the start of events in “Dawn.” Butler’s storytelling is so captivating, largely because even when her characters are faced with aliens, she nails the human condition like no other.
I would recommend the Xenogenesis trilogy to any sci-fi fan.
Jodahs was a fascinating protagonist. Being a human-born Ooloi, it is innately powerful, yet so gentle in its desire to understand and be understood. Jodahs’ temperament ultimately makes for a compelling final view point when compared with Lilith’s.
It is also fascinating getting to see the social dynamics of this new earth a century from the start of events in “Dawn.” Butler’s storytelling is so captivating, largely because even when her characters are faced with aliens, she nails the human condition like no other.
I would recommend the Xenogenesis trilogy to any sci-fi fan.
I want to give this a simultaneous 2 star and 4 star rating. A 3 star rating seems entirely inaccurate, but I have to work within the confines of the website here.
Why does this book deserve a 4 star rating? Story telling and visual presentation. I was literally on the edge of my seat while reading this work. The building of suspense with both written and visual narrative were undeniably masterful in their execution. The little details given to worldbuilding from the cryptic cover art, to the primary sources at the end of each chapter, vividly surrounds the reader in a fully realized universe. This combined with the shifts through time made for truly exciting reveals.
Why does this book deserve a 2 star rating? The plot and characters. If only the details of the plot were as great as the manner in which they were presented. This work, to me, is a clear example of style over substance. While a number of different heroic approaches to serve the greater good are presented, essentially all of the characters are caught up in their own self-serving forms of morality, which render all purported arguments moot. Their colorful costumes fail to hide their own greater underlying vanities, and it is all but impossible to find any merit or meaning in the ideologies they choose to tout.
I would still recommend Watchmen. Enjoy the ride, but nothing revealed should be taken as a life-shattering 'truth bomb.'
Why does this book deserve a 4 star rating? Story telling and visual presentation. I was literally on the edge of my seat while reading this work. The building of suspense with both written and visual narrative were undeniably masterful in their execution. The little details given to worldbuilding from the cryptic cover art, to the primary sources at the end of each chapter, vividly surrounds the reader in a fully realized universe. This combined with the shifts through time made for truly exciting reveals.
Why does this book deserve a 2 star rating? The plot and characters. If only the details of the plot were as great as the manner in which they were presented. This work, to me, is a clear example of style over substance. While a number of different heroic approaches to serve the greater good are presented, essentially all of the characters are caught up in their own self-serving forms of morality, which render all purported arguments moot. Their colorful costumes fail to hide their own greater underlying vanities, and it is all but impossible to find any merit or meaning in the ideologies they choose to tout.
I would still recommend Watchmen. Enjoy the ride, but nothing revealed should be taken as a life-shattering 'truth bomb.'
To be clear, this is a review of the Bible as a piece of influential literature, not a theological assessment of any specific religious sect or their interpretation of the literature. As with any edited volume there is bound to be variation, so I first wanted to share my thoughts/notes book by book. Afterwards, I will provide my final analysis of the series as a whole.
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1. Genesis - The History of the World, Part I Book. This one has many of the Bible's greatest hits: Adam & Eve, Abraham, Noah, Jacob, etc. However, it also has an alarmingly large amount of rape and incest; I did not remember that in my children's bible growing up. I also could had done without the lengthy lineage lists, but that "covenant" business was pretty interesting.
2. Exodus - The Exciting Moses Book. For some reason I remember more time being spent on his time as royalty in Egypt (Charlton Heston has biased my memories), so I was disappointed at how short that was. Still, it's a solid emotional, character arc. This one has a lot of suspense and colorful characters.
3. Leviticus - The Rule Book. Moses gets his Ten Commandments from the burning bush, but damn do they come with a ton of addendum. It is alarming how women are truly only referenced as property, but at least God cracks down on the incest. Progress? The reader will also be introduced to the "tabernacle," super fun word to say.
4. Numbers - The How to Quantify People Book. The rules of inheritance, which follow a patriarchal structure, are laid out. Sadly the evaluation for how people's bodies and physical autonomies should be interacted with leaves much to be desired. This can be seen with the definitions/laws surrounding the "defiling" of women which equally equates to either adultery or being raped, further cementing perverse notions of feminine purity. Even in instances where "defilement" is out of the woman's hands, she is still held responsible for it. Men do not get the same strict reprimands unless they "defile" or "covet" another man's wife, aka: another man's property, because then the offense is made against another man. Not cool. People are also super annoyed with being in the dessert and really want that milk and honey.
5. Deuteronomy - The Let's Pat Ourselves on the Back Book. There's a lot of recapping and grandstanding on God's part here, though I suppose it's warranted given what everyone's been through at this point. Escaping slavery cannot be easy. There are also many, many more rules dictated, including more disturbing ones including how a woman should marry her rapist. Ugh.
6. Joshua - The Circumcision Book. Moses is a tough act to follow, but Joshua does his darnedest as he wages war for the conquest of Canaan. This is the one where the walls of Jericho fall, so that is compelling. Even though the people of Israel are all children of God, some of them seem to get better inheritances than others, which is less cool. This one also mentions circumcision.
7. Judges - The Senseless Wars that Do Not End So Great Book. While only mentioned briefly, Jael is a pretty metal side-character, she literally hammers a metal tent-pin into Sisera's temple. This is also the one with Samson and Delilah; that business with the Philistines is a messy affair. Delilah's undercover, black-ops intel gathering is not exactly subtle or covert, Samson really should have seen that betrayal coming. Both the Tribe of Levi and the Tribe of Benjamin treat women horrifically, holy cow.
8. Ruth - A Woman Gets a Book. This whole drama could have been avoided if women could inherit property, just sayin. I like the message about taking care of your family though, that was cool.
9. 1 Samuel - The Better Not Call Saul Book. This is the one with a fight over the Ark of the Covenant. God also starts talking to his prophets at a younger age, and so we have Samuel. After the fight the people want a king, and so Samuel makes Saul the first king, but he doesn't perform his duties too good - drama. So goes tribalism giving way to statehood. Saul comes down with mania(?), doesn't do good in battle, and then falls on his own sword. Brutal.
10. 2 Samuel - The Bad Dad Book. Even though he is supposed to be better than Saul, David has multiple wives/concubines, murders a bunch o' people in war, commits excessive adultery, and abandons one of his daughters when she is rapped by one of his sons. This is hardly an upgrade in moral leadership; he is definitely a terrible father.
11. 1 Kings - The Solemn Man Book. Solomon, David's son from some earlier adultery, shows up in this one, and he is kind of an improvement(-ish). God gives him wisdom, which he uses to frighten mothers, but make kinda fair decisions. This wisdom and judgment does not save him from making many of the mistakes his father made, so is he even really that wise? His successors are less memorable. In this one there is also talk of being so sad one guy cannot eat his bread, that is pretty sad business.
12. 2 Kings - The My Kingdom Does Not Come Book. So this is the one where there is a famine so terrible, people start eating babies. Harsh. This is also the one where God is not having it with leaders (kings) not worshiping him exclusively, and so come the Babylonians, also harsh.
13. 1 Chronicles - The Samuel Recap Book. That's exactly what this is, a recap of 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel, but not before a ton of lineage lists.
14. 2 Chronicles - The Kings Recap Book. 1 Kings + 2 Kings = UGH. If this were a tv series, these books would be the filler episodes that were made because the production ran short on funds.
15. Ezra - A Babylon Book. This one features some famous rulers like Cyrus the Great, Darius I and Xerxes.
16. Nehemiah - A Persian Book. One highlight in this one is Nehemiah stands up for the poor, which is cool. The book ends with an argument against marrying foreign wives, which is rude.
17. Esther - The Chyaas Qween! Book. The story of an orphan turned queen, who saves her people by throwing a feast for her ill-tempered husband. She does the best she can with the resources/cultural currency available to her.
18. Job - The You Should Quit Your Job Book. In this one, God addresses the moral inconsistencies of his actions thus far by torturing poor Job. While Job's devotion to his moral convictions against the odds are certainly admirable, given the extent God goes to prove his point, it feels like Job is on the bad end of an abusive relationship.
19. Psalms - The Book Everyone Sings. This one has a lot of psalms for David especially, he should feel good about himself. This is a solid book, with some interesting insights into old Old World music.
20. Proverbs - The Book Everyone Quotes. This one was really a mixed bag of highs and lows for me. I loved the proverbs regarding the fallacy of pride, and the importance of taking care of your family and the weak. I could have done without all the ones regarding "whores." While this whole book is definitely from the male perspective and allows for men to have a choice between doing bad or good, this particular category of woman seems to be the very embodiment of sin, therefore lacking the will to make such choices, and has no obvious male counterpart. This is also certainly a reflection of the time period's overall societal views on sexuality, but wow is that repressive and hard to read.
21. Ecclesiastes - The King Solomon's Got Somethin' to Say Book. In this one, Solomon reflects on his vanity, and human vanity, which is humbling and I super appreciated it. I also did not realize that song, "Turn! Turn! Turn!" by The Byrds, borrowed lyrics from this book, which is a good reflection of the lyrical artistry. This one is stylistically excellent.
22. Song of Songs - The Most Sexual Book. I get that the, "my spouse, my sister" exclamations are almost certainly an old-school call for affection, but here we have a good example of something that does not translate well into a modern linguistic context. While I appreciate that this is easily the most "risqué" book of the Bible, it was annoying that the woman in question is only really valued for her physical beauty and her more passive characteristics.
23. Isaiah - The Fire and Brimstone Book. Okay, while fire and brimstone has certainly been mentioned before, it is a bit excessive here. In this one God is super angry, easily the angriest he's been yet, and he's here to pass judgement. It's pretty brutal.
24. Jeremiah - The Babble On Book. This one is a bit meandering in terms of story presentation, but mainly focuses on Babylon. Judah has a tough time here...
25. Lamentations - A Sad Book. Jerusalem has fallen, and in this one folks deal with their sadness with some sad poetry. It's sad. There is a sort of blame the victim theme here though, which seeks to understand, but mostly justify, people's suffering because they have "sinned." I'm all for personal responsibility, but innocent women and children shouldn't be blamed for having their city ransacked. Seriously.
26. Ezekiel - The Justification Book. This one features an analysis justifying why Jerusalem fell. It also features some horrifying accounts of women being murdered for being sexually promiscuous. That was pretty extra.
27. Daniel - An Apocalyptic Book. This one features visions of a fiery furnace, a lion's pit, beasts of the sea, a ram, and also some more war. Both bleak and brutal.
28. Hosea - The Gomer's Just Not That Into You Book. Hosea's wife, Gomer, commits adultery and is afterwards referred to as a "whore." Hosea takes her back, and I get this is supposed to be symbolic of the politics going down at the time, but those two really should go their separate ways. Also in this book, God denounces "the children of whores," which is super harsh because those kids did not do anything except be born.
29. Joel - The Plague Book. This one has some more brutal environmental anomalies.
30. Amos - The Social Justice Book. In this one God stands up for the poor people, that is cool.
31. Obadiah - The Heathen Book. Hill people are bad, apparently.
32. Jonah - God is Fickle in this Book. The part at sea is cool, being swallowed by a fish is pretty metal.
33. Micah - Also a Book. This one has some moral musings about the future.
34. Nahum - Another Book of Fire and Fury. Burning chariots, locusts, you know the drill. If The Byrds could borrow lyrics from Ecclesiastes, a death metal band could easily pick up lyrics from this one.
35. Habakkuk - The Rise! Book. The Chaldeans show up in this one.
36. Zephaniah - Another Book about the Lord. This one has more on God's judgement and omnipotence.
37. Haggai - The Rebuilding Book. Temples are important.
38. Zechariah - Another Book with Prophecies. Satan gets rebuffed in the history portion.
39. Malachi - The Old Testament's Last Book. Some conflicts get reflected upon.
40. Matthew - The Jesus Christ Superstar! Gospel. This one features the life and death and life of Jesus, and boy is it exciting. In terms of narrative, this one ranks up there with Moses' coming-of-age story, but that will go for all of the gospels. In terms of the overall biblical text, the shift of morality to focus on care for the weak and impoverished is quite refreshing. If it weren't for the explicitly harsh condemnation of women and sexuality, I would view this one more favorably.
41. Mark - An Alternative Jesus Gospel. This is another look at the saga of Jesus. While not as epic as Matthew, this one does contain more elements of suspense, especially when leading to the crucifixion.
42. Luke - The Even More Jesus Gospel. Of the gospels, this one by far has the richest language-use/prose overall. I would argue it is stylistically the strongest.
43. John - Yet Another Gospel Truth. Of the four gospels, John's is the most straight forward with depicting events. Now having finished the four gospels, it is interesting to reflect back on the different points of view and forms of storytelling each account took. Overall, the major themes seem to remain fairly consistent, but then other details like the characterization of Pontius Pilate vary quite a bit.
44. Acts - The Cliffhanger Book. There is a lot of tension between traditional Jews and new Jesus Christian converts here. There’s also a lot of guilt in this one. Paul travels and then has some legal issues that are vaguely similar to that biblical fanfiction Ben Hur, but the volume ends before learning his fate.
45. Romans - The Book that is a Letter, aka an Epistle. Paul says some things, the first of many things. This one seems to address that aforementioned tension between traditional Jews and new Jesus Christian converts.
46. 1 Corinthians - The Hair Epistle. In this one there are even more gender inequalities, with men being the glory of God so he must work to please God, and women being the glory of men so they must work to please men. There also musings on hair: men cannot have long hair, but women should. The reflections on the nature of the “body,” both as a physical entity and as a collective are interesting. The importance placed on charity is cool.
47. 2 Corinthians - Paul’s 2nd Shout Out to the Corinthians. In this one, Paul has some concerns about Satan. He thinks it important to be humble, which is cool. But he also wants people to repent for “fornication,” which is pretty extra.
48. Galatians - The Morally Ambiguous Epistle. In this one, the nature of morality in terms of following the law is explored. Specifically, the law of God is prioritized as more important than the law of the land. What Paul considered to be moral in terms of the treatment of women and children in bondage is quite abhorrent, no sugar coating. Circumcision is now obsolete.
49. Ephesians - The Epistle the South Used to Justify Slavery in the Civil War. This one examines husband-wife, parents-children, and master-slave dynamics. In each case the first party holds power and the second must submit. Only the parent-child part made any ethical sense.
50. Philippians - Another Pitch. Paul sends out another epistle detailing why Christianity and God are super. It’s not one of his more memorable pitches, but it’s not his most offensive either.
51. Colossians - Not My Favorite Epistle. In this one Paul talks more about God’s omnipresence. He also details more about how people should politely operate within established social hierarchies and power structures, with wives serving husbands, and servants working for masters. While all people are capable of going to heaven, it seems this can only be achieved if people accept the status quo they are born into, even if that reality is unjust.
52. 1 Thessalonians - Paul Wrote So Many Epistles. Here he shares some assurances. He talks again about the raising of the dead.
53. 2 Thessalonians - Paul’s 2nd Shout Out to the Thessalonians. It’s really just that.
54. 1 Timothy - A Mixed Epistle. In this one, Paul says women cannot have power over men in the church, and blames Eve. He also has some thoughts on the treatment of widows. The one thing of merit he denotes, is that money is the root of all evil.
55. 2 Timothy - Another Timothy Epistle. Paul talks some more about the raising of the dead. He says some nice things about more delicate forms of kindness.
56. Titus - The Sober Epistle. Paul wants folks to be sober in temperament. It’s a theme.
57. Philemon - Paul wrote a lot of letters about Christianity.
58. Hebrews - The Recap Epistle. This one has a lot of Old Testament throwbacks.
59. James - The Put Your Money Where Your Mouth is Epistle. In this one, Paul emphasizes that faith means nothing without ‘works’ (aka: charitable deeds) to back it up. I can dig it.
60. 1 Peter - So Many Epistles. There’s more here about being a good person, BUT within the confines of established social hierarchies. There is also some more recap of past moral musings; God will take care of people if they put their faith in him.
61. 2 Peter - A Harsh Epistle. Here we see the repetition of another common theme: warnings of false teachers and heresies. Even angels that sin are not exempt from hell. Obviously Sodom and Gomorrah get referenced.
62. 1 John - The Dichotomy Epistle. This one is very heavy with the light v. dark and Christ v. Anti-Christ.
63. 2 John - The Diss Track Epistle. This one mentions love and following the commandments. Deceivers and anti-Christs get called out, again.
64. 3 John - Another Epistle. This one seems personal.
65. Jude - The Smiting Epistle. This one really lays into how God will smite non-believers, and cements the argument with Old Testament references.
66. Revelation - The Apocalypse, Four Horseman-Style. While bleak, this one is super exciting, very metal. Unlike earlier prophecies of fire and the end of days, this one has a meandering, dream-like quality to it. This makes for a remarkably vivid hay fever-esque, nightmare filled with compelling creatures and lore. There are dragons!
.....
This anthology series is complex in scope and remarkably diverse in content. It had some incredibly breathtaking prose and some of the most tedious. It had some truly great stories and some truly terrible ones. It features great themes such as selflessness, taking care of your family, charity, and being humble. It also features some terrible themes, such as incest, rape, bondage, and misogyny.
My favorite volumes of the Bible included Exodus, Esther, Ecclesiastes, the Gospels, James, and Revelation. My least favorite volumes of the Bible included Job, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and most of Paul’s Epistles (dude, chill).
My largest criticism with this collection, lies with the treatment of women and people of lower social stratum.
For starters, the penalties for women who sin are undeniably more severe than for men who sin. Moreover, a theme that remains from the Old to New Testament is that women must please God by honoring the men in their life. Women rarely get to be agents of their own destinies. This is compounded by little being presented from the female perspective, and there being so few notable and named female characters.
Much of the morality presented, also hinges on people adhering to and acting within established social hierarchies and power structures. It should be noted that being a good person largely includes doing charitable works, and the Gospels make clear that, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." But a major unifying theme of the overall series is that people accept the unfair situations and trials they are given, because there is an underlying meaning that will inevitably be revealed (e.g., Job, Ephesians, Colossians, etc.).
Being so vast in content, the prose is super variable in quality. There is a great deal of repetition, and in-text citations, especially of Old Testament events in the New Testament. Different authors make different arguments and have their own variations with storytelling (the Gospels are a great example). But when it's good, it's good (e.g. Ecclesiastes, Revelation, etc.).
Thematically, there is a striking tonal shift from the Old to New Testaments. While there is mention of apocalypse and people rising from the dead throughout, things are considerably less fire/brimstone in the New Testament. Even God mellows with age.
Overall, given how variable this collection is, I feel ridiculous giving it any rating. It was written over hundreds and hundreds of years, assembled nearly two thousand years ago, and varies stylistically with each author, most of whom are anonymous. Ultimately, I settled on 3 stars, because “I liked it,” as the website denotes.
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1. Genesis - The History of the World, Part I Book. This one has many of the Bible's greatest hits: Adam & Eve, Abraham, Noah, Jacob, etc. However, it also has an alarmingly large amount of rape and incest; I did not remember that in my children's bible growing up. I also could had done without the lengthy lineage lists, but that "covenant" business was pretty interesting.
2. Exodus - The Exciting Moses Book. For some reason I remember more time being spent on his time as royalty in Egypt (Charlton Heston has biased my memories), so I was disappointed at how short that was. Still, it's a solid emotional, character arc. This one has a lot of suspense and colorful characters.
3. Leviticus - The Rule Book. Moses gets his Ten Commandments from the burning bush, but damn do they come with a ton of addendum. It is alarming how women are truly only referenced as property, but at least God cracks down on the incest. Progress? The reader will also be introduced to the "tabernacle," super fun word to say.
4. Numbers - The How to Quantify People Book. The rules of inheritance, which follow a patriarchal structure, are laid out. Sadly the evaluation for how people's bodies and physical autonomies should be interacted with leaves much to be desired. This can be seen with the definitions/laws surrounding the "defiling" of women which equally equates to either adultery or being raped, further cementing perverse notions of feminine purity. Even in instances where "defilement" is out of the woman's hands, she is still held responsible for it. Men do not get the same strict reprimands unless they "defile" or "covet" another man's wife, aka: another man's property, because then the offense is made against another man. Not cool. People are also super annoyed with being in the dessert and really want that milk and honey.
5. Deuteronomy - The Let's Pat Ourselves on the Back Book. There's a lot of recapping and grandstanding on God's part here, though I suppose it's warranted given what everyone's been through at this point. Escaping slavery cannot be easy. There are also many, many more rules dictated, including more disturbing ones including how a woman should marry her rapist. Ugh.
6. Joshua - The Circumcision Book. Moses is a tough act to follow, but Joshua does his darnedest as he wages war for the conquest of Canaan. This is the one where the walls of Jericho fall, so that is compelling. Even though the people of Israel are all children of God, some of them seem to get better inheritances than others, which is less cool. This one also mentions circumcision.
7. Judges - The Senseless Wars that Do Not End So Great Book. While only mentioned briefly, Jael is a pretty metal side-character, she literally hammers a metal tent-pin into Sisera's temple. This is also the one with Samson and Delilah; that business with the Philistines is a messy affair. Delilah's undercover, black-ops intel gathering is not exactly subtle or covert, Samson really should have seen that betrayal coming. Both the Tribe of Levi and the Tribe of Benjamin treat women horrifically, holy cow.
8. Ruth - A Woman Gets a Book. This whole drama could have been avoided if women could inherit property, just sayin. I like the message about taking care of your family though, that was cool.
9. 1 Samuel - The Better Not Call Saul Book. This is the one with a fight over the Ark of the Covenant. God also starts talking to his prophets at a younger age, and so we have Samuel. After the fight the people want a king, and so Samuel makes Saul the first king, but he doesn't perform his duties too good - drama. So goes tribalism giving way to statehood. Saul comes down with mania(?), doesn't do good in battle, and then falls on his own sword. Brutal.
10. 2 Samuel - The Bad Dad Book. Even though he is supposed to be better than Saul, David has multiple wives/concubines, murders a bunch o' people in war, commits excessive adultery, and abandons one of his daughters when she is rapped by one of his sons. This is hardly an upgrade in moral leadership; he is definitely a terrible father.
11. 1 Kings - The Solemn Man Book. Solomon, David's son from some earlier adultery, shows up in this one, and he is kind of an improvement(-ish). God gives him wisdom, which he uses to frighten mothers, but make kinda fair decisions. This wisdom and judgment does not save him from making many of the mistakes his father made, so is he even really that wise? His successors are less memorable. In this one there is also talk of being so sad one guy cannot eat his bread, that is pretty sad business.
12. 2 Kings - The My Kingdom Does Not Come Book. So this is the one where there is a famine so terrible, people start eating babies. Harsh. This is also the one where God is not having it with leaders (kings) not worshiping him exclusively, and so come the Babylonians, also harsh.
13. 1 Chronicles - The Samuel Recap Book. That's exactly what this is, a recap of 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel, but not before a ton of lineage lists.
14. 2 Chronicles - The Kings Recap Book. 1 Kings + 2 Kings = UGH. If this were a tv series, these books would be the filler episodes that were made because the production ran short on funds.
15. Ezra - A Babylon Book. This one features some famous rulers like Cyrus the Great, Darius I and Xerxes.
16. Nehemiah - A Persian Book. One highlight in this one is Nehemiah stands up for the poor, which is cool. The book ends with an argument against marrying foreign wives, which is rude.
17. Esther - The Chyaas Qween! Book. The story of an orphan turned queen, who saves her people by throwing a feast for her ill-tempered husband. She does the best she can with the resources/cultural currency available to her.
18. Job - The You Should Quit Your Job Book. In this one, God addresses the moral inconsistencies of his actions thus far by torturing poor Job. While Job's devotion to his moral convictions against the odds are certainly admirable, given the extent God goes to prove his point, it feels like Job is on the bad end of an abusive relationship.
19. Psalms - The Book Everyone Sings. This one has a lot of psalms for David especially, he should feel good about himself. This is a solid book, with some interesting insights into old Old World music.
20. Proverbs - The Book Everyone Quotes. This one was really a mixed bag of highs and lows for me. I loved the proverbs regarding the fallacy of pride, and the importance of taking care of your family and the weak. I could have done without all the ones regarding "whores." While this whole book is definitely from the male perspective and allows for men to have a choice between doing bad or good, this particular category of woman seems to be the very embodiment of sin, therefore lacking the will to make such choices, and has no obvious male counterpart. This is also certainly a reflection of the time period's overall societal views on sexuality, but wow is that repressive and hard to read.
21. Ecclesiastes - The King Solomon's Got Somethin' to Say Book. In this one, Solomon reflects on his vanity, and human vanity, which is humbling and I super appreciated it. I also did not realize that song, "Turn! Turn! Turn!" by The Byrds, borrowed lyrics from this book, which is a good reflection of the lyrical artistry. This one is stylistically excellent.
22. Song of Songs - The Most Sexual Book. I get that the, "my spouse, my sister" exclamations are almost certainly an old-school call for affection, but here we have a good example of something that does not translate well into a modern linguistic context. While I appreciate that this is easily the most "risqué" book of the Bible, it was annoying that the woman in question is only really valued for her physical beauty and her more passive characteristics.
23. Isaiah - The Fire and Brimstone Book. Okay, while fire and brimstone has certainly been mentioned before, it is a bit excessive here. In this one God is super angry, easily the angriest he's been yet, and he's here to pass judgement. It's pretty brutal.
24. Jeremiah - The Babble On Book. This one is a bit meandering in terms of story presentation, but mainly focuses on Babylon. Judah has a tough time here...
25. Lamentations - A Sad Book. Jerusalem has fallen, and in this one folks deal with their sadness with some sad poetry. It's sad. There is a sort of blame the victim theme here though, which seeks to understand, but mostly justify, people's suffering because they have "sinned." I'm all for personal responsibility, but innocent women and children shouldn't be blamed for having their city ransacked. Seriously.
26. Ezekiel - The Justification Book. This one features an analysis justifying why Jerusalem fell. It also features some horrifying accounts of women being murdered for being sexually promiscuous. That was pretty extra.
27. Daniel - An Apocalyptic Book. This one features visions of a fiery furnace, a lion's pit, beasts of the sea, a ram, and also some more war. Both bleak and brutal.
28. Hosea - The Gomer's Just Not That Into You Book. Hosea's wife, Gomer, commits adultery and is afterwards referred to as a "whore." Hosea takes her back, and I get this is supposed to be symbolic of the politics going down at the time, but those two really should go their separate ways. Also in this book, God denounces "the children of whores," which is super harsh because those kids did not do anything except be born.
29. Joel - The Plague Book. This one has some more brutal environmental anomalies.
30. Amos - The Social Justice Book. In this one God stands up for the poor people, that is cool.
31. Obadiah - The Heathen Book. Hill people are bad, apparently.
32. Jonah - God is Fickle in this Book. The part at sea is cool, being swallowed by a fish is pretty metal.
33. Micah - Also a Book. This one has some moral musings about the future.
34. Nahum - Another Book of Fire and Fury. Burning chariots, locusts, you know the drill. If The Byrds could borrow lyrics from Ecclesiastes, a death metal band could easily pick up lyrics from this one.
35. Habakkuk - The Rise! Book. The Chaldeans show up in this one.
36. Zephaniah - Another Book about the Lord. This one has more on God's judgement and omnipotence.
37. Haggai - The Rebuilding Book. Temples are important.
38. Zechariah - Another Book with Prophecies. Satan gets rebuffed in the history portion.
39. Malachi - The Old Testament's Last Book. Some conflicts get reflected upon.
40. Matthew - The Jesus Christ Superstar! Gospel. This one features the life and death and life of Jesus, and boy is it exciting. In terms of narrative, this one ranks up there with Moses' coming-of-age story, but that will go for all of the gospels. In terms of the overall biblical text, the shift of morality to focus on care for the weak and impoverished is quite refreshing. If it weren't for the explicitly harsh condemnation of women and sexuality, I would view this one more favorably.
41. Mark - An Alternative Jesus Gospel. This is another look at the saga of Jesus. While not as epic as Matthew, this one does contain more elements of suspense, especially when leading to the crucifixion.
42. Luke - The Even More Jesus Gospel. Of the gospels, this one by far has the richest language-use/prose overall. I would argue it is stylistically the strongest.
43. John - Yet Another Gospel Truth. Of the four gospels, John's is the most straight forward with depicting events. Now having finished the four gospels, it is interesting to reflect back on the different points of view and forms of storytelling each account took. Overall, the major themes seem to remain fairly consistent, but then other details like the characterization of Pontius Pilate vary quite a bit.
44. Acts - The Cliffhanger Book. There is a lot of tension between traditional Jews and new Jesus Christian converts here. There’s also a lot of guilt in this one. Paul travels and then has some legal issues that are vaguely similar to that biblical fanfiction Ben Hur, but the volume ends before learning his fate.
45. Romans - The Book that is a Letter, aka an Epistle. Paul says some things, the first of many things. This one seems to address that aforementioned tension between traditional Jews and new Jesus Christian converts.
46. 1 Corinthians - The Hair Epistle. In this one there are even more gender inequalities, with men being the glory of God so he must work to please God, and women being the glory of men so they must work to please men. There also musings on hair: men cannot have long hair, but women should. The reflections on the nature of the “body,” both as a physical entity and as a collective are interesting. The importance placed on charity is cool.
47. 2 Corinthians - Paul’s 2nd Shout Out to the Corinthians. In this one, Paul has some concerns about Satan. He thinks it important to be humble, which is cool. But he also wants people to repent for “fornication,” which is pretty extra.
48. Galatians - The Morally Ambiguous Epistle. In this one, the nature of morality in terms of following the law is explored. Specifically, the law of God is prioritized as more important than the law of the land. What Paul considered to be moral in terms of the treatment of women and children in bondage is quite abhorrent, no sugar coating. Circumcision is now obsolete.
49. Ephesians - The Epistle the South Used to Justify Slavery in the Civil War. This one examines husband-wife, parents-children, and master-slave dynamics. In each case the first party holds power and the second must submit. Only the parent-child part made any ethical sense.
50. Philippians - Another Pitch. Paul sends out another epistle detailing why Christianity and God are super. It’s not one of his more memorable pitches, but it’s not his most offensive either.
51. Colossians - Not My Favorite Epistle. In this one Paul talks more about God’s omnipresence. He also details more about how people should politely operate within established social hierarchies and power structures, with wives serving husbands, and servants working for masters. While all people are capable of going to heaven, it seems this can only be achieved if people accept the status quo they are born into, even if that reality is unjust.
52. 1 Thessalonians - Paul Wrote So Many Epistles. Here he shares some assurances. He talks again about the raising of the dead.
53. 2 Thessalonians - Paul’s 2nd Shout Out to the Thessalonians. It’s really just that.
54. 1 Timothy - A Mixed Epistle. In this one, Paul says women cannot have power over men in the church, and blames Eve. He also has some thoughts on the treatment of widows. The one thing of merit he denotes, is that money is the root of all evil.
55. 2 Timothy - Another Timothy Epistle. Paul talks some more about the raising of the dead. He says some nice things about more delicate forms of kindness.
56. Titus - The Sober Epistle. Paul wants folks to be sober in temperament. It’s a theme.
57. Philemon - Paul wrote a lot of letters about Christianity.
58. Hebrews - The Recap Epistle. This one has a lot of Old Testament throwbacks.
59. James - The Put Your Money Where Your Mouth is Epistle. In this one, Paul emphasizes that faith means nothing without ‘works’ (aka: charitable deeds) to back it up. I can dig it.
60. 1 Peter - So Many Epistles. There’s more here about being a good person, BUT within the confines of established social hierarchies. There is also some more recap of past moral musings; God will take care of people if they put their faith in him.
61. 2 Peter - A Harsh Epistle. Here we see the repetition of another common theme: warnings of false teachers and heresies. Even angels that sin are not exempt from hell. Obviously Sodom and Gomorrah get referenced.
62. 1 John - The Dichotomy Epistle. This one is very heavy with the light v. dark and Christ v. Anti-Christ.
63. 2 John - The Diss Track Epistle. This one mentions love and following the commandments. Deceivers and anti-Christs get called out, again.
64. 3 John - Another Epistle. This one seems personal.
65. Jude - The Smiting Epistle. This one really lays into how God will smite non-believers, and cements the argument with Old Testament references.
66. Revelation - The Apocalypse, Four Horseman-Style. While bleak, this one is super exciting, very metal. Unlike earlier prophecies of fire and the end of days, this one has a meandering, dream-like quality to it. This makes for a remarkably vivid hay fever-esque, nightmare filled with compelling creatures and lore. There are dragons!
.....
This anthology series is complex in scope and remarkably diverse in content. It had some incredibly breathtaking prose and some of the most tedious. It had some truly great stories and some truly terrible ones. It features great themes such as selflessness, taking care of your family, charity, and being humble. It also features some terrible themes, such as incest, rape, bondage, and misogyny.
My favorite volumes of the Bible included Exodus, Esther, Ecclesiastes, the Gospels, James, and Revelation. My least favorite volumes of the Bible included Job, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and most of Paul’s Epistles (dude, chill).
My largest criticism with this collection, lies with the treatment of women and people of lower social stratum.
For starters, the penalties for women who sin are undeniably more severe than for men who sin. Moreover, a theme that remains from the Old to New Testament is that women must please God by honoring the men in their life. Women rarely get to be agents of their own destinies. This is compounded by little being presented from the female perspective, and there being so few notable and named female characters.
Much of the morality presented, also hinges on people adhering to and acting within established social hierarchies and power structures. It should be noted that being a good person largely includes doing charitable works, and the Gospels make clear that, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." But a major unifying theme of the overall series is that people accept the unfair situations and trials they are given, because there is an underlying meaning that will inevitably be revealed (e.g., Job, Ephesians, Colossians, etc.).
Being so vast in content, the prose is super variable in quality. There is a great deal of repetition, and in-text citations, especially of Old Testament events in the New Testament. Different authors make different arguments and have their own variations with storytelling (the Gospels are a great example). But when it's good, it's good (e.g. Ecclesiastes, Revelation, etc.).
Thematically, there is a striking tonal shift from the Old to New Testaments. While there is mention of apocalypse and people rising from the dead throughout, things are considerably less fire/brimstone in the New Testament. Even God mellows with age.
Overall, given how variable this collection is, I feel ridiculous giving it any rating. It was written over hundreds and hundreds of years, assembled nearly two thousand years ago, and varies stylistically with each author, most of whom are anonymous. Ultimately, I settled on 3 stars, because “I liked it,” as the website denotes.
