A scholarly treatise on the Virgin, written from a solely  Roman Catholic point of view. When I first ordered this tomb, I was hoping for a more general discussion of what it is in human nature and religious history before Christ that would elevate Mary so extremely in the Christian hierarchy of deities. Especially since so little is said about Mary in the gospels.

Rubin explains that in Spain Christian, Muslim and Jews had been living side by side for years but when the last Moorish city was defeated the Christian monarch started the Spanish Inquisition to force conversion and  rid the country not Christian belief. This was done in Spain under the banner of the Virgin. Ironic that the Christian symbol of compassion, think of La Pieta, was used to start the Inquisition. When the Spanish were conquering the New World soon after the religion that they were exporting was basically  a Mary Cult.

I enjoyed skimming the book despite its limitations. Recommended for Catholic readers.

Set in Ireland at the time Christianity was starting to take hold, and over power the old ways of the pagan Druids. Gwynneve learned the ways of a healer gathering herbs and fungi deep in the forest from her mother. Her mother frequently was called upon to help and to heal. Gwyn was also known to take sustenance to families in need. Her husband was also a Druid but he was taken way by the monks, the tonsured ones, who burned their simple home and all their medicines and belongings. Eventually she joined a community of nuns but that life spoiled when a group of brothers joined them and the abbot took control. Fascinating reading about an irresolute time.

“I had thought that the love of Christ would make us kinder and less likely to smash skulls. But now I see that we will be asked to smash skulls for Christ.

A young brain scientist has a devastating stroke but decides to use that stroke as an opportunity to learn more about how the brain learns and heals. She describes the event and her subsequent lengthy recovery from a clinical and very personal point of view. What surprised me the most was the spiritual nature of the book. Her stroke damage the left side of the brain leaving the right side of the brain to flourish which left her in a state of spiritual bliss.
Jill Taylor credits her mother for her complete recovery, which took eight years, noting that stroke recovery can take much longer than we used to think was the case.

Quote:I have heard doctors say, “If you don’t have your abilities back by six months after your stroke, then you won’t get them back!” Believe me, this is not true. I noticed significant improvement in my brain’s ability to learn and function for eight full years post-stroke, at which point I decided my mind and body were totally recovered. Scientists are well aware that the brain has tremendous ability to change its connections based upon its incoming stimulation. This “plasticity” of the brain underlies its ability to recover lost function.

Very interesting, yet a light read. Highly recommended.

HARRY FREUND

Was it chance or was it ordained that these five souls, quite the motley crew, would end up at the pearly gates at the same time? As they compare stories they are amazed at the many intersecting lines that intersect their lives. How could this be? One character is an angry survivor of Nazi concentration camps as a boy. A young gay man who couldn’t make it as interior decorator earned an excellent living husseling his body. A rich philanderer actually believed that his wife didn’t know about all his dalliances. A woman had a lot of fun and earned money as a professional shopper. The last was a poor born again Christian who sacrificed her own children to take care of the wealth woman’s child. They all have their secrets that must be brought out into the open.

At times touching, other times hillarious. They nearly drove the care taking angels crazy! After the child soldier book I was in the mood for something light. Worth the read.

For people who do yoga and have an interest in Eastern spirituality this is a hilarious spoof. Amanda running away from her life in San Francisco is researching a book on enlightenment for the “Idiots” Series. Her travels take her to caves in the Himalayas, tantric sex parties, yoga ashrams, a cave where Buddha used to meditate and more. And the author is an editor of both Yoga Journal and a Buddhist Review and she had written a seeker’s guide to spiritual India. It would have been better with 100 fewer pages but it was still alright. Brought back lots of memories for me.

 Imagine your child having visions of God, healing people and developing stigmata. All of this in response to the family breaking up. Mom and daughter caught Dad in bed with another woman. A good read. 

Otto, a cook book editor, has to dispose of his parents estate. The description of Otto trying to talk his family to accompany him on this road trip is hilarious. He is to go with his flaky, like the crust on a perfectly done spanikopita, sister. But she cons him into taking her spiritual teacher on this road instead of her. Her plan is to give her guru her share of the land to build a retreat centre. Needless to say Otto has more than breakfast with this delightful laughing buddha. A great light read.

 Brown Girl is a fascinating combination of Caribbean voodoo and speculative fiction. It takes place in inner city Toronto after the wealthy have given up on and fled the inner city.  The core has no government, law enforcement, sewage or services of any kind. Survivors have gone back to bartering and surviving the best they can. The top dogs of human society prey on those less fortunate. 

Mamie is a healer who uses both herbs and spirits to heal. She is desperately instructing her grand-daughter Ti-Jeanne so she can take over when Mamie is no longer able to continue with her healing work.

This was one of the books for CBC’s Canada Reads 08. Well worth the time. 

 M G VASSANJI

Karsan is raised to inherit the spiritual lineage that has been past down the generations founded by a Sufi (muslim) mystic in the middle ages. Their path is unusual; it balances between muslim and hinduism. But this is India, near the boarder of Pakistan, race riots of murder, rape and destruction do flare up. So far the avatars of the shrine have been able to keep the rioters from destroying their shrine.

I loved the book. At the time (60’s) many young people in the west were turning to the east to find themselves. Ironic that Karsan in India turns to the west to find out who he is.    

 Canadian author Sobat usually writes books for young adults but this provocative and irreverent book is definitely not for kids but for questioners and feminists. Sobat uses modern voices for humour. Mary often uses Yiddish words. As a teen Mary was wild and self-centered. With child by a man who she was certain would marry her she was devastated when she found out that he was already married. Mary wove an elaborate tale to cover her sins (adultery is punished by stoning). But how does lying ever stop once one is started. It takes on a life of its own. Readers watch Mary grow into a strong proud woman with a fierce sense of social justice and women’s rights. Definitely this is not a passive Madonna. After Jesus’ death when Paul is doing his writing and leading of the church she tries to visit him to tell him about how Jesus truly felt about some of these issues. An interesting read. How unfortunate it is fiction.