The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton

9/10

A rare during school-session post.

I read this book in the summer of '04. But not at the Five and Dime. Because that would be weird. But, this actually was the very first book that I read upon my return from the mish. And it was a wise choice. Probably because I was still so close to the Spirit and correct choices flowed forth during this glorious period.

It is based on an actual robbery that occurred in 1855 in England. Most of the book is this Pierce fellow planning this robbery and mastering the timing of all the elements of the robbery and ironing out all the intricate details to pull it off. It is very Ocean's 11. But instead of 11 guys there are only 5 members of the crew I think. So Pierce's 5 then.

There are several fantastic moments in the book. One of my favorites is when Pierce recruits "Clean Willy," yes, Clean Willy, and helps him escape from a very secure prison. It is epic. And then of course the happenings on the day of the robbery. Many unexpected occurrences lead to on-the-fly alterations and last-minute problem solving. I will not specify how it all goes down, but there is more than one plot twist, that much you can bank on.

Plus, this was written in 1975 and one of Crichton's earliest novels. So it was fun to read a book he wrote before he got all big time and all.

I place my stamp of approval accordingly.

An Approach to the Book of Mormon by Hugh Nibley

8/10

I forewarn that this is going to be a long one.

I read this book about 7 years ago. It was, apparently, originally designed for a Book of Mormon course that Nibley taught. It is pretty solid scholarly stuff. There are those silly people out there who love to fight against the LDS church and the Book of Mormon. These people always think that Mormons don't know any of their doctrine or anything about their church (why else would they belong to it? We are just brainwashed to believe what our parents forced upon us, etc.) and that the "evidence" against the Book of Mormon far outweighs its support. What they don't realize is that we do know our doctrine and we think that anyone who sincerely reads the Book of Mormon (not, as Neal A. Maxwell puts it, "scanning while doubting" which leads only to "flippant conclusions") will also come to know the truth of the book and that there is no way that a young boy could have written such an inspired record.

Anyway, much of Nibley's works (not just this) are for the purpose of showing that there are some physical "proofs" to Mormon doctrine and that we don't just sit around on our hands and blindly believe. Or, as Nibley puts it in the book's Forward: "False arguments which in the past have prospered against [the Book of Mormon] are shattered by the material of this course." Unfortunately, I bet about .00000001% of those silly people who fight against the church that were referenced in the above paragraph have actually read this book or anything similar. They just stick to their own slanted anti books and, ironically, blindly accept those as fact. The person trying to disprove something has "the burden of proof" as it were, and, therefore, should be the person disproving "proofs" from books such as Nibley's.

Nibley talks about many things, some of my favorites are:

(1) A breakdown of the names of Lehi's 6 boys. The first two are Arabic names given during a time of Lehi's involvement in the Arabian caravan trade, the next two were given Egyptian names during a time of his prosperity, and the last two are given the humble names of Jacob and Joseph during the tribulations in which they were born. "[I]t was certainly the custom of Lehi's people to name their children with a purpose";

(2) Quoting some random (non-Mormon) scholar who wrote that way back in the day (which also happens to be Lehi's era) the Bedouin people would follow this rule: "any water you may discover, either in your own or in the territory of another tribe, is named after you." This evidence is seen taking place in the Book of Mormon;

(3) Bringing up the old and over-used argument where the Book of Mormon prophesies that Christ will be born in "the land of Jerusalem" when he was born in Bethlehem and pointing out that even Socrates, Sophocles, and Euripides were all Athenian citizens and described themselves as men of Athens even though they were born miles from the actual city. The "land of Jerusalem" is different from the "city of Jerusalem." In fact, "the Book of Mormon refers to the city of Jerusalem plainly and unmistakably over sixty times, it refers over forty times to another and entirely different geographical entity which is always designated as 'the land of Jerusalem.'...The land of Jerusalem is not the city of Jerusalem.";

(4) Pointing out that "the slaying of Laban is no more reprehensible than the beheading of the unconscious Goliath" from the Bible;

(5) Citing this (non-Mormon) archeologist guy who wrote back in 1916 that "in the Babylonian army a platoon contained fifty men" and that it was called a "fifty." This correlates with the incident in the Book of Mormon where Nephi references "Laban and his fifty.";

(6) Showing that the Dead Sea Scrolls are full of Christian terminology and saying that "the one effective argument against the Book of Mormon (i.e., that it introduces New Testament ideas and terminology into a pre-Christian setting) collapses."

(7) Citing another old historian's finding that the early Hebrews "never used the classic hunting weapons of their neighbors, the sword, lance, javelin, and club." This correlates with Nephi's statement that the hunting weapons he used were "bows...arrows...stones, and...slings." That same historian "found that those were indeed the hunting weapons of the early Hebrews."

(8) Further, he points out that according to ancient Arab writers, the only bow-wood obtainable in all Arabia was the nab wood that grew only at Mount Jasum and Mount Azd, which are situated in the very region where the broken bow incident in the Book of Mormon likely occurred.

(9) Pointing out that it is crucial that the language of the Book of Mormon indicates that Lehi's party traveled down the eastern shore of the red sea because, as was discovered only in 1930 (before Joseph Smith's time) this led to "the one place where [they] could find...the materials necessary to prepare for [the] long sea voyage." I like his concluding statement on the matter: "In Nephi's picture of the desert everything checks perfectly. There is not one single slip amid a wealth of detail, the more significant because it is so casually conveyed."

(10) Citing a 1924 historian's finding that Egyptians always referred to bodies of water that don't dry up as "fountains." The Book of Mormon has this language: "the fountain of the Red Sea." If a person were making this book up, they certainly wouldn't call the Red Sea a fountain, but this finding shows another incident that only goes to further verify the Book of Mormon's validity.

(11) Pointing out the formation of Book of Mormon names and the correlation of names from those times and places. E.g. Mor-, Mr- as combinations that are also found in Egyptian names; that "mimation" (names ending with -m) predominated in Jaredite names and that "nunation" (names ending with -n) predominated in Nephite and Lamanite names and showing that mimation was prevalent around 2000 B.C. (the time of the Jaredites) and that nunation succeeded mimation by the time of the Nephites; showing that -iah and -ihah names were very prevalent in Palestinian names of Lehi's time but not so in other times; showing that ancient Semites of the desert would give "pendant names," to their children, i.e. Laman and Lemuel. Coincidence? I think not.

(12) Showing that "men who knew far more about the Hebrew language, customs, and symbols than any modern seminarist ever can, insisted that Ezekiel's 'woods' were writing-tablets or books."

(13) Quoting an early Christian named Origen: "The Ocean is not to be crossed by men, but those worlds which lie on the other side of it are governed by the same ordinances of a guiding and directing God as these." True. Don't see why that is so hard to believe and accept.

(14) Showing that "In Ether the reign and exploits of King Lib exactly parallel the doings of the first kings of Egypt (entirely unknown, of course, in the time of Joseph Smith) even in the oddest particulars."

(15) Citing historian's findings that old Indian and Chinese traditions speak of a wonderful stone that shines in the dark and that "the most celebrated of all its many miraculous powers being a strange capacity for enabling its possessor to pass unharmed through the depths of the waters." Striking correlation with the Jaredite history.

(16) Lots of quotes from Justin Martyr and stating that "[h]is most serious charge against the doctors is, indeed, that they no longer have prophets among them." Strange how inconceivable it is for everyone else to understand the need for prophets, since that is how God always works.

(17) Pointing out that "[p]eople underestimate the capacity of things to disappear, and do not realize that the ancients almost never built of stone. Many a great civilization which has left a notable mark in history and literature has left behind not a single recognizable trace of itself. We must stop looking for the wrong things." Then stating: "An official list of Roman castles from the time of Justinian enumerates 500 imperial strongholds and gives their locations; yet while the stone temples and amphi-theatres built at the same time and places still stand, not a scrap of any of those castles is to be found." Later: "Like the Nephites, the ancients in general built of wood whenever they could."

(18) Quoting an old scholars finding that all apocalyptic writers have revelation in common: 'Christ, who was always from the beginning, has visited the righteous of every generation.'

And now for a few select quotes:

Pointing out the significant timing of the Book of Mormon, "for none knew at the time of its appearance that the saints of the new dispensation would soon be continuing that great tradition of tribulation and triumph in the wilderness. The Book of Mormon was the best preparation and training manual for what was to come."

"In every age the inspired prophets have put down their knowledge in books."

"To produce the Book of Mormon would have required far more than luck and learning of any man."

"Ether was as wholly out of their world as it was removed from the whole world of contemporary science and scholarship, both biblical and profane. So let us have no more nonsense about a perfectly ordinary book that any reasonably clever Yankee could have written."

Citing the brother of Jared story: "Instead of giving him a light on the spot, or at least telling him how to make one, the Lord left it all up to the Jaredites: 'What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels?' If Joseph Smith had written the Book of Mormon, this would have been a stroke of pure genius."

"Hasty pronouncements are typical of much Book of Mormon criticism, building impetuous conclusions on first impressions and never bothering to find out what the Book of Mormon says actually happened."

"The retention of tribal identity throughout the Book of Mormon is a typically desert trait and a remarkably authentic touch."

That's a wrap! Thanks to those who had the stamina and courage to stick with this post to the end.

The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck

7/10

I read this around seven years ago. It is Steinbeck's last novel and it is really good. The title of the book is from the opening line of Shakespeare's Richard III (see the annals of this blog to find my post on Richard III).

The book is about this grocery store clerk and his humble fam. He is an honest guy who works hard for his living while those around him (even his own little family) feel that money can be made in any way, even through dishonesty, and that happiness will result. Soon, he bends to some of this pressure and faces some opportunities to make a quick, dishonest buck, but he does not break. However, he gets pretty down on himself for not being able to instill these ideas on his family and just about loses it in the end. Much of the blow coming from finding out that his son won this huge writing competition but that his essay was plagiarized.

It's a cool book and very well written.

Quotes:

"Piracy is out, but I guess the impulse lingers....Something for nothing. Wealth without effort....It's all dough, no matter how you get it." "I don't believe that. It doesn't hurt the money to get it that way but it hurts the one who gets it."

"A little hope, even hopeless hope, never hurt anybody."

"You who handle poverty badly will handle riches equally badly....In poverty she is envious. In riches she may be a snob. Money does not change the sickness, only the symptoms."

"You know how advice is. You only want it if it agrees with what you wanted to do anyway."

"There's nothing blacker than a wick....It's so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone."

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young

8/10

I read this probably about eight years ago. It was one of the first (if not the first?) of these manuals that the church started putting out there for Elder's quorum/Relief Society. And, I think, it is one of the best. It is loaded with material and is more in depth than most of the manuals (it is one of the few two year manuals, i.e. 48 chapters). Plus, there is no shortage of sweet Brigham Young quotes as he was one to speak his mind with boldness. Case in point: "I wanted to thunder, and roar out the gospel to the nations. It burned in my bones like fire pent up.... Nothing would satisfy me but to cry abroad in the world what the Lord is doing in the latter days."

Quotes:

"It requires all the atonement of Christ, the mercy of the Father, the pity of angels and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to be with us always, and then to do the very best we possibly can, to get rid of this sin within us, so that we may escape from this world into the celestial kingdom."

"It matters not whether you or I feel like praying, when the time comes to pray, pray. If we do not feel like it, we should pray till we do."

"Truth is obeyed when it is loved."

"What are we here for? To learn to enjoy more, and to increase in knowledge and in experience."

"The Book of Mormon...declares that the Bible is true, and it proves it; and the two prove each other true."

"If you let us alone, we will do it a little more leisurely; but if you persecute us, we will sit up nights to preach the Gospel."

Anthem by Ayn Rand

6/10

I finished this book about two months ago. It was a super quick read, only like 105 pages. However, the version I read had an additional 1st edition version of the book with Rand's own handwritten edits in tact. So I of course read that as well. Which was neat because (a) I had a reason to re-read the story (I don't re-read stories too often, even ones that I really like) and it was cool to read it that second time knowing what was actually happening at the beginning; (b) it was cool to see how she edited her work and took out redundant/unnecessary lines/paragraphs. I had planned on reading this book for some time but always opted to read something else because I was aware of the edited version of the same story and didn't want to commit to reading the story twice. But I finally bit the bullet (as evidenced by this post) and it worked out swell and dandy.

The book was cool. I didn't fall in love with it, but it was interesting to read some of Rand's stuff/philosophy (this is my first Ayn Rand book). This dude lives in this society that has pretty much dumbed itself down in the name of unity and helping each other out for the common good. This dude is sort of a rebel and tries to learn stuff on his own (this is forbidden) and comes to the discovery that the individual is capable of great things and a bunch of stuff about how important the self is.

I recommend this book because (1) It is good to read at least one of Rand's books; (2) this is her shortest book and a good choice if you don't want to commit to her other massively large books and it gives a taste for her philosophy that she covers in her other books (so I've heard, remember: I haven't read her other books); and (3) it wasn't half bad and is certainly different/unique.

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

10/10

I finished this book a little over a week ago. It had been on my to-read list for years. Years. It was a dandy. A royal dandy.

Let us make this one quick (Spoilers abound). Tess is raped by this Alec fellow, has a baby that dies, goes to work at this farm as a milkmaid, meets Angel, falls in love but resists his requests for marriage due to her past, finally concedes, gets married, tells him of her impure past on their wedding night, he freaks, abandons her for over a year, she suffers tremendously, eventually submits to Alec the rapist's badgering due to a lack of any other viable options, Angel finally comes back and realizes how poorly he treated Tess, finds her, she refuses to go with him, she then goes and murders Alec by stabbing him in the heart, runs back to Angel and tells him that she can now be his now that Alec is no longer living, they go on the lam for like a week until she is finally apprehended and put to death for her crime.

The book was awesome. This was my first ever Thomas Hardy book and I am now a fully converted Hardy Boy, as it were. His writing was magnificent and captivating and heartbreaking. The book was written in the late 1800's and went against the then societal views of sexual misconduct in females and the double standard that is involved. A woman who is raped (against her will) is considered impure and becomes an outcast. Some sad stuff. In the end, old Tessie was broken and had lost all sense of what was right and what was wrong and what would please her Angel. I like the full title to the book, which is "Tess of the D'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented." I recommend this book, but seeing as I gave everything away, I probably ruined all the fun for the rest.

I leave you with the final paragraph written by Thomas Hardy in his Explanatory Note to the book: "I will just add that the story is sent out in all sincerity of purpose, as an attempt to give artistic form to a true sequence of things; and in respect of the book's opinions I would ask any too genteel reader who cannot endure to have said what everybody nowadays thinks and feels, to remember a well-worn sentence of St. Jerome's. 'If an offence come out of the truth, better is it that the offence come than that the truth be concealed.'"

Nathaniel Hawthorne's Tales

7/10

I finished this book a couple of weeks ago at long last. I read several of the stories back in 2009. Finished the rest of the stories and most of the critical essays in 2010. I seriously only had like 40 pages left because I got so burned out on the essays. The essays are so smartsy-fartsy and just very boring to read, for me.

But the Tales, for the most part, are enjoyable and well done (obviously, since it's Hawthorne we're talking about here). I will now commence with listing some of my fav's:

-Roger Malvin's Burial: Two guys are struggling through a forest after having survived a bloody battle with some Indians, but the men are wounded. Roger Malvin can go no further and convinces Reuben to go on and not bury him so that Reuben can make it back alive (if he would have stayed and buried him then he would not have had the strength to make it the rest of the way home). But Reuben commits to return and bury him once he regains enough strength. He goes home, marries Malvin's daughter, life goes on and he just never gets around to it. He feels extreme guilt and never tells anybody and people consider him a hero, making it all the worse, guilt-wise, for Reuben. Later, Reuben and his wife and son go to find a new place to live and journey through the forest. Reuben and his son are hunting for food, Reuben hears a noise, turns and fires and shoots and kills his own son. He then realizes that it is the very place where he left Roger Malvin many years ago. Epic.

-Wakefield: Just a cool little story about this guy who one morning walks out of the house and leaves his wife behind and lives in a house across the street, unbeknownst to his wife, for 20 years. He doesn't really have a reason why either. Pretty interesting.

-The Minister's Black Veil: A minister randomly starts wearing a black veil over his face and doesn't say why. People react differently to this but mostly everyone judges him negatively for it. Although he does gain a following from those who have lived sinful lives and feel like this minister knows them and how to help them. He keeps wearing it all the way until he dies. It is a cool story. I actually read this one out loud to Matt as we drove to Zion's to go canyoneering. I also wrote a paper on this story in college and got an "A" on the paper. Boo-yah!

-The Birthmark: This guy is married to this beautiful woman who is considered perfectly flawless except for this little birthmark that she has on her face. Her husband becomes obsessed with the birthmark and focuses on it so much and determines to figure out a way to get rid of it. He works endlessly in his lab and finally comes up with this medicine that he believes will get rid of the birthmark. His poor wife just wants him to accept her and feels like she has to drink the medicine that he gives her. She drinks it and dies. The dude should have appreciated what he had, duh.

I am a Hawthorne fan. He has a unique writing style that, I think, can turn some people off. But you just got to stick with it and he writes some cool stories with some cool underlying themes.

A quote from 'The Birthmark':

"Yet, had Aylmer reached a profounder wisdom, he need not thus have flung away the happiness which would have woven his mortal life of the selfsame texture with the celestial. The momentary circumstance was too strong for him; he failed to look beyond the shadowy scope of time, and, living once for all in eternity, to find the perfect future in the present."