Odorifous: Susan Isaacs
Posted by Troy | Filed under Books, Odorifous
I grew up in a particular Christian culture where it was considered sin to be angry with God. We also had no framework for Christian living that recognized sin as a part of our lives.
“Just stop sinning!” was the underlying theme. (well, that and “culture is evil”).
I don’t know if Susan Isaacs came up the provocative title for her book Angry Conversations with God: A Snarky but Authentic Spiritual Memoir
I remember seeing an ad when the book first released and thought, “I must read that book.” It took me a couple years to finally get to it, but I’m glad I did.
The perspective is unavoidably female, which might make the book seem un-relatable for some guys (not everyone is as sensitive as me), but her struggles are universal. She battles self-worth and identity; faith and doubt; relationships and honesty; and ultimately her view of God.
I especially related to Susan’s struggles to find herself in her art. She was always so compelled to fulfill her calling and find real meaning in touching the lives of those that encountered her work along the way.
(and of course she’s totally honest about her desires to be successful too – something I have a hard time with sometimes)
Even though I’d already had plans to read her book, I was especially interested in touching base with her about this interview when I saw that her acting career had landed her on some of my all-time favorite shows like Parks and Rec, Family Ties, My Name is Earl, Quantum Leap (!), Fresh Prince and movies like Planes, Trains and Automobiles (the one John Hughes classic that I unfortunately had to leave out of my recent JH poster series because I ran out of time).
When I saw she was also in one of my favorite eposodes of Seinfeld (the one with Jean-Paul and George taking the reps from Texas out on the town) I flipped.
Honestly though, it has been her writing that moved me the most. She is so honest and has come so far and so many women share her struggles with heartache and frustration and loneliness and impossible expectations that I must insist every woman I know read this book.
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Books: Mudhouse Sabbath
Posted by Troy | Filed under Books
I became mildly obsessed with Lauren Winner after hearing her lecture at Calvin College a couple years ago.
Then I became rather obsessed with her after reading Real Sex and hearing her various lectures/podcasts on that book that were floating around the interweb.
I finally finished reading Mudhouse Sabbath, and though it took a little more concentrated effort on my part than Real Sex or Girl Meets God, it was still incredibly insightful and offered more of Lauren’s unique perspective on how Christians have either lost touch with our Jewish heritage or in some cases adapted certain traditions.
While Girl Meets God unveiled the connectedness between the Judaism of Lauren’s youth and her new-found Christian faith by way of comparing the holidays over her years of conversion, Mudhouse Sabbath compares eleven Jewish customs and how they have found a place—in one way or another—in her life as a Christian.
Her chapter on prayer was (like its Girl Meets God counterpart) was especially challenging to me, and the section on food was great…
To consider how food connects us to God… where our food comes from, what God might think of our food, etc.
Really each chapter was perfectly concise and had just enough oomph to make you stop and consider.
While many of those Old Testament traditions have found a place in some way in western Christianity, it was her chapter on mourning that seemed to stand out as something in particular that we as Christian-ized westerners seem to have no construct.
We may succeed sometimes as a community supporting those widowed within the few week following their losses…
but then what?
Tags: arcade fire, Books, death, Faith, Lauren Winner
