February 2012
Operation Highjump: The Diary of a Young Sailor by Richard J. (Ric) Miller of West Potsdam

When he was 19 years old, Ric, who taught at Clarkson from 1956 until his retirement in 1993, volunteered to serve at sea on Admiral Byrd's 1946-47 Antarctic Expedition. A few years ago during a visit from his daughter-in-law, Natalie Tucker Miller, founder of Ageless-Sages.com Publishing, Ric revealed to her the diary he kept during the mission. For a few years after that the two worked together to create this book. The result is a rare, delightful, and insightful first-hand look at a world known to few through the eyes, words, and heart of a young man.

In addition to daily entries from November 12, 1946, to April 18, 1947, in which Ric openly shares wonderful stories of his experience during the voyage, there are photographs, maps, newspaper articles, and biographical information that bring a well-researched added dimension to this story.

Though I am not a student of history and ordinarily might not have given my attention to even a peace-time military operation, I was drawn in and delighted as I read this gem of a book. It gives voice to one young sailor’s experience and enriches the reader in a most gentle and joyful manner.

Noel de la Motte

December 2011
I picked up We Can Work It Out by Marshall Rosenberg because it was thin, a pamphlet really, and it had an intriguing subtitle: Resolving Conflicts Peacefully and Powerfully. I hoped by reading this I could discover some secret to human relations. 

The author maintains that two people can begin to find the way to resolution once each can state and understand the needs of the other.  It sounds simple, but in our daily communications people often can’t hear clearly what another is saying without hearing some sort of criticism or rebuke of themselves.  Nor can we always speak clearly to make our needs understood. 

I encourage you to check out this little gem, as well as some of the other ‘skinny’ books in the Coots Library.  You will find some words of wisdom to fit into a busy life. 

Lorraine Olendzenski

November 2011
When I first heard about Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv, my reaction was, “duh, yes, at times children need to experience life in an unstructured, natural environment. Doesn’t everyone get that?” For that reason, reading this book was a difficult experience for me. Let me explain.
 
Most folks who are parenting and teaching in today’s modern society grew up with and in nature. The author recounts in the first chapter, his early life in the suburbs of Missouri where he spent countless hours outside climbing trees and exploring the land. My early childhood, here in northern New York, was spent in much the same way. I remember my mom saying she was going to lock the door till lunchtime, “go out and play!” That directive probably came more from parenting four lively children than from an understanding that children need to use their imaginations and be outside to learn and grow. But I definitely benefited from her moments of exasperation. 

Louv documents countless cases studying the effects of children who are over-scheduled, over-protected, overly conversant with electronics and their language, over-stimulated by television and other visual media, and under-nourished in nature. We are raising a society of unimaginative, bored, uninspired kids -- children who look to adults for entertainment and direction while rebelling against the constraints of adult supervision.

I recommend this book to anyone -- parent, grandparent, or teacher -- who feels the children in their lives may be suffering from Nature Deficit Disorder. You may find the experience uncomfortable at first, but keep reading and then, turn off the TV!


September 2011
You don't have to be as old as I am to fondly remember a book you read 30, 40, or even 50 years ago. Before I reread A Death in the Family by James Agee, I was sure I remembered all about the story – car accident, the story told from the point of view of the young boy, the boy listening in on adult conversations. Well, some of what I remembered was true, but a lot wasn’t. The main difference was that the point of view was not just the boy’s, but also other members of the family. I realize now that, since the book must describe a variety of emotions, from a variety of adults as well as the boy, the viewpoints must change as the characters experience guilt, anger, grief, loss, bewilderment, and eventually resignation. The book was published in 1955, two years after Agee's death. The cover of my paperback edition reports his winning a Pulitzer Prize, but I think even more significant is that the book is still relevant today.

Even though it is fiction, it is being added to the Memorial Collection of books on death and dying. The books in the collection have been accessioned and will soon be weeded to make room for some more current titles. Do you have any suggestions? Fiction or non-fiction? Two more books of fiction to be added to the collection soon are Peter Pouncey's Rules for Old Men Dying and Ernest Gaines’ A Lesson Before Dying. Perhaps a book discussion could grow out of some of these. Interested?

August 2011
The Social Animal by David Brooks
Based on authentic new discoveries in brain research, Brooks believes we are now living in a Revolution of Consciousness. He believes that we are the products of what happens below our level of awareness, and he shows us how, using that knowledge, we can achieve personal success. Also, how we can fail, bounce back, prevail, and ultimately succeed by using not just cognitive knowledge, but the information from our consciousness, which is the role of this “inner mind.”

Brooks has written a sociology book in the concrete rather than the abstract, and it reads like a novel. Written as the personal stories of an appealing young couple and a handful of characters as we follow their ups and downs throughout life, we learn how they prevail and ultimately succeed.

With compelling insight and using impeccable source material from the latest in neural biology, Brooks shows us how the unconscious mind is the place where most of their (our) brainwork gets done. Because the unconscious mind is creative, mystical, intuitive, emotional, and full of longings, he says, it’s where character is formed and most of our important life decisions are made – often without our awareness.

It is also where the “deeply social aspect” of our mind is formed. “We’re not just rational animals or laboring animals,” he claims. “We’re social animals and we emerge out of relationships and live to touch one another and connect to large ideas like love, decency, compassion, self-discipline and responsibility.”

It must be said, however, that Brooks does not answer how those who are poor, handicapped, come from dysfunctional families, or are not part of “the good life” and therefore have nothing to enlarge their thinking can fit this paradigm of fulfillment.
Still, reading this book is like getting the best Sociology 101 course available. That’s because it’s realistic and fits into today’s Quantum Age – often called the Age of Communion because it values not only rational thought but our intuitions and emotions, too. It’s also the Age of Energy where all is probability until we the observers show our intention and choose the outcome. I highly recommend this book.

July 2011
Swan: Poems and Prose Poems by Mary Oliver
I recently accepted, once again, Mary Oliver’s invitation to go into the woods. She likes to say in public that she prefers to go alone but I know for a fact that, whenever she can, she invites her readers to accompany her. Each tree, each animal, each being she met and spoke to felt like a fresh poem to me. She led me to believe in meeting others like I would like to meet and talk to myself each morning, each day, as a child, in wonder, once again.

After our long walk, this is what I wrote about her Swan: The poet, who welcomes joy with open arms and nurtures it, refuses to give in to desperation, and finds in her connection to nature, in a long and sustained poetic meditation, fertile ground to keep on embracing life as mystery, mystery as life. Here and there one finds an explicit reference to what Oliver sees as her own task. For instance, at the end of the first poem titled “Evidence” she includes the following line, “Okay, I confess to wanting to make a literature of praise.” Who is making the poet write this confession? Has she been accused of writing “a literature of praise”? Oliver may be responding to a few of her critics, and she does it with a conversational sense of humor. She will not deny herself the right to write the poetry that she loves, and she will thrive in affirmation and celebration. The swan will keep singing its “shrill dark music.”

April 2011
Sadako and the 1,000 Paper Cranes
This is a truly unbelievable story that expresses op-timism even in desperate times.  It is a true story.  The story has you joyful at one part and then you'll have tears in your eyes in the next part. 

It has a bit of almost all the elements of a good book: culture, a good plot, and you will wish you were there.  The sad parts just add to the story and make it impossible to stop. I recommend this book to everyone who is looking for a book with all of the above. Enjoy!

March 2011
Stories, stories, and more stories are the source of Jane Isay’s wisdom in Walking on Eggshells: Navigating the Delicate Relationship Between Adult Children and Parents. Ms. Isay traveled throughout the United States to meet with 75 parents and adult children age 35 to 75. Although each story is unique, both parents and adult children share feelings of vulnerability and find communication challenging much like “walking on eggshells.”

Parents eagerly share stories of their struggles with young children and teenagers. But adult children – unless professionally successful and/or the bearers of delightful grandchildren – seldom come up in casual conversations. As one parent says, “When things are not the way we dreamed, we blame our-selves just as we always did.” At this stage of life, parents are powerless to change much; there are few positive incentives or negative punishments at hand.

As Ms. Isay notes, parents need to find new ways to express what they think and what they want without pushing adult children away. Careful listening and avoiding judgments are essential. Giving up control and modifying expectations are primary. Advice is the first thing to go. Not only does it breed resentment, but the better the advice, the more damage it can do – hitting too close to the bone, as it were. As Sheila, mother of seven, puts it, “keep your mouth shut and your door open.” Simple, but not easy!

Adult children are remarkably resilient. Even in the cases of abusive and controlling parenting, they still feel a deep love for their parents and hope for a healthy relationship. But they need to see real change and growth in their parents before they can feel hopeful.

Walking on Eggshells, despite the many stories of struggle and heartbreak along the way, presents an encouraging outlook for the parent/adult child relationship. Both parents and adult children need to come to terms with one another as people, flaws and all. Both sides need to exercise patience and forgiveness. What Ms. Isay stresses above all is that no matter how dire the circumstances may appear, a deep love always exists between parents and their adult children.

February 2011
In Logs of the Dead Pirates Society, author and captain Randall Peffer takes an introspective look at his home waters of Buzzard’s Bay and finds new discoveries in familiar waters while sailing on a 55-foot Grand Banks fishing schooner, the Sarah Abbot.  Peffer is a professor of English at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA.  The Sarah Abbot is an ocean-going marine lab for high school students. The usual participants of this program are students from Phillips Academy, however the cruise that Captain Peffer describes consists of a collection of students from all over the country, from a variety of economic backgrounds.  He not only explores the marine life and geology, but also provides a generous look at the historical background of the area from colonial times through the Industrial Revolution.  Each chapter is devoted to a specific area of the Buzzard’s Bay, Elizabeth Islands, and Martha’s Vineyard regions. 

Many of the students aboard have never been challenged in this type of environment before; they start out as naive landlubbers and turn into ready ship’s hands over the course of the voyage.  The students finally become full-fledged members of “The Dead Pirates Society,” a group whose articles of faith include “sucking the marrow out of the sea” and “continue the traditions of self-reliance and adventure.”

 I enjoyed this book because as a sailor familiar with the area, it brought back fond memories of the region.  I am wishing I were one of the students on board.  These students follow the motto Stir it Up (after the Bob Marley song), which is their version of carpe diem.  This story was nice mixture of history, geology, and marine science as well as a story of camaraderie among students coming of age who bond through the harrowing challenges of sailing the vessel through all types of weather and sea conditions.  This book is perfect for an armchair adventurer; it will allow you to escape to the thoughts of a warm summer sail in the depths of winter!
January 2011
The Death of Josseline: Immigration Stories from the Arizona Borderlands by Margaret Regan. Josseline didn’t make it. A lot of people haven’t made it. The borderland between Mexico and the United States is fraught with all kinds of dangers. But the need to feed families and secure a better life tempts many from Mexico and Latin American countries to at-tempt the often perilous journey. The author movingly documents many instances to give us a realistic picture of what immigrants are up against. As well, she shows us what the Border Patrol is doing to halt undocumented workers at the border. Author Margaret Regan’s depiction of people like 14-year-old Josseline trying to cross a rugged border will give dimension to a problem occurring thousands of miles from the North Country and debated passionately in the halls of Congress.

UU congregations are encouraged to read and discuss Margaret Regan’s stories. Perhaps we should do so. I found them informative and moving.


December 2010
Making Sense: The Meaning of a Life by Joseph B. Fabry is a deeply insightful book with meaning for anyone, regardless of his or her background. The book begins with a long personal history of the author as he survived the Holocaust. Because these experiences shaped his entire life and became the foundation for his religious belief system, this somewhat extended narrative is essential to our understanding of his subsequent journey to religious identity. When he retraces his search for a religious identity, we are prepared with a fuller insight into his personal needs and understanding of life.

Fabry’s writing style is engaging and the narrative flows smoothly. I found the emotional impact of his persona strong and would heartily recommend this book to those who are interested in seeing how life experiences guide our search for truth.

November 2010
Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman is a story about the marriage of Charles Darwin to Emma Wedgewood, his cousin.  It is a story of their lives and, of course, about the development of his ideas for the Origin of the Species. Darwin kept a journal always on his person to record observations of other people’s behavior as well as scientific observations.  Since letter writing was the only source of communication during this time, Heiligman has used these sources well to weave her simple but interesting story of the love and life that Darwin shared with Emma.  Theirs was a mature love based on respect as well as a deep attraction for each other. The greatest challenge to their marriage was Darwin’s skepticism of Creationism and Emma’s very strong belief in the literal word of the Bible.

We get a good picture of the era not only from Charles’s letters but also Emma’s to and from family and friends.  This was an exciting time in history, socially as well as scientifically.  Dickens, Huxley, George Eliot, and Gregor Mandel (whom Darwin did not know) were contemporaries of the Darwins.  This is an interesting story of the life and times of Charles and Emma.  Thank goodness there were no computers in those times.  We would not have all these personal documents that tell their story!

October 2010
Last year we celebrated Charles Darwin's 200th birthday. This inspired me to ask my reading group to take on The Origin of the Species. One Sunday Darwin's Sacred Cause by Adrian Desmond and James Moore appeared on the church library table. I took it home, expecting to scan it for ideas to be used in the book discussion. It didn't scan well. There was so much to ponder about Darwin the man, his family connections and beliefs, details of the far-ranging experiments he conducted, religious beliefs, and the political environment of his era.

The sacred cause?  Abolition of slavery. I expected the answer to be about something scientific! 

Charles Darwin was raised by his father and four sisters who taught him respect for all of God's creatures. While it was expected that Darwin would enter the ministry, he took natural history classes, read Currier's Essay on the Theory of the Earth, and became acquainted with phrenology. To his family's dismay, he became a botanist. His mentor was an abolitionist. The Rev. Peter Peckard taught that black and white people were just different sorts of the same kind.
 
We remember Darwin's discoveries in geology and biology from this journey, but in visiting places where blacks were in control of their own destiny or suffering under missionary care, or living as radically different lives as did the Fuegians, he concluded we are all humans and traveled a long way over a long time to attain that status.

July 2010
If you’re like me, you are on the verge of tears every day as you hear more news of the environmental impacts that continue to mount in the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.  With this event in mind, I found a small source of hope for the future in reading Our Choice: How We Can Solve the Climate Crisis by Al Gore. Thanks to a generous gift from one of our library committee members (thanks, Joan!) our library has acquired the Young Reader Edition of this book, intended for ages 8-14.

Although intended for a younger audience, I found myself getting a lot out of this book (as I do most YA books!). This book is good for someone who doesn’t have a lot of free time to spend reading and wants to get a lot in a short sitting. Throughout the book, the language is straight forward and bright; engaging photographs illustrate each concept.
   
Al Gore has a very encouraging, hopeful, and inspirational message for youth: We can change the future if we are willing to make the choice. From this book, I learned about how turbines make electricity, how photovoltaic cells work, what a smart grid is, the possibility of “space electricity” from banks of photovoltaic cells and what “biochar” is. Gore presents examples of innovative technologies and simple methods that are being used around the world to create energy and reduce current carbon emissions.
   
Beyond technology, he also talks about the politics and social justice issues tied to climate change. In one very eye-opening section, he shows examples of ad campaigns created by political front groups for the oil and coal industry, which actively denounce scientific evidence for global climate change.  He also emphasizes the importance of addressing global population growth and the notion of making plans for the long term future rather than just a single budgetary year or election cycle. I can see how this book might anger those who are most concerned with maximizing the “bottom line” and keeping government out of business, but I found this book to contain a lot of valuable information for the young person (or anyone) who values truth over political or economic ideology.
   
“Because we don’t see global warming in front of us, we don’t go into high alert. We don’t act,” writes Gore.  Perhaps if any good comes out of the oil spill in the Gulf, it may be to provide a very visual reminder of how our deep dependence on fossil fuels has the ability to not only change the climate, but to damage our environment in other ways for a long time. I hope this event will provide the necessary impetus to prompt more people to choose to work toward a carbon-free future. In Our Choice, Al Gore has provided us a map of how to take the necessary steps. This may be a good time to check it out for yourself, or share it with your favorite young person!

June 2010
This is not really a book review. It’s a recommendation that you take advantage of the two resources the Coots Library has for you to become acquainted with David S. Blanchard before he formally becomes our minister on August 1.

One is the packet that David prepared as part of the search process, a way of introducing himself to the Search Committee. I think you’ll find, as did the Search Committee, that its contents – sermons, meditations, letters to the editor, newsletter columns, cartoons, photos, poetry – leave you eagerly anticipating his ministry with us.  The packet is on the library table to be read there and left for others to peruse.

The second resource is on our library shelves. We have three copies of David’s UU meditation manual, A Temporary State of Grace, published in 1997. Like other books in this annual series, it’s small and short (5” X 7”, 68 pages), but rich with wisdom and observation.  Other people far more agile with words than I am have reflected on the power of this little book. I can tell you, though, that I have read it many times, that everybody in my family has unwrapped it as a Christmas present from me, and that several friends thanked me for giving it to them for some occasion in their lives. My son and daughter-in-law used parts of “A Letter from Life” at the dedication of my grandson Ethan at the Buffalo UU Church.  I like this meditation manual!

What did “other people” say about the book?  Forrest Church: “It lightened my heart and touched my soul.” A St. Lawrence alum liked that “Blanchard…uses the stuff of his everyday life – experiencing winter in central New York (not fun!), his love of writing letters, the struggle he has experienced as a gay man in claiming himself and his life, the way his children touch his heart and point him toward the future – and uses these everyday occurrences as glimpses into where holiness touches and transforms human life.” Keith Kron noted that “one of David Blanchard’s greatest gifts is his ability to pay attention to the world around him... Through insight and humor, through detail and metaphor, through gentleness and conviction, these meditations called to me. I wanted to read them again as soon as I finished.”

So will you.

April 2010
I read The Growing Church--Keys to Congregational Vitality, edited by Thom Belote. The book is a collection of essays written by Unitarian Universalist ministers from congregations of varying sizes and dynamics. I found this book especially interesting given our transition and search for a new settled minister.

The essays were written and published following a series of meetings held to discuss successful growth in congregations. Often we think of congregational growth as meaning an increase in numbers of members. Many of the essays are written by ministers whose congregations did grow in numbers, but equally as important they grew in spirituality and mission.
   
Two essays caught my interest in particular in light of our transition. They discuss mission and innovation/change. Thom Belote writes about mission. He states that a mission statement that is well constructed, catchy, and powerful brings the work of the congregation into focus. He asks the question: can you, your minister, your leaders, your staff, the members of the congregation, or even someone who visits the church once tell you what your mission statement is? If not, he suggests that what you have is a paragraph, rather than a mission statement. He discusses what makes a well-constructed mission statement.
   
A second essay of interest to me, Innovation, is written by Christine Robinson. She states that most people spell the word change l-o-s-s. She shares her thoughts about ways to help manage change in congregations so that creative ideas from new ministers and leaders succeed.
   
Other essay topics include transformation, devotion, worship, buzz, welcoming, power and love. This collection of essays may be of interest to members of Church Council, Worship Committee, Membership Committee, Transition Team, as well as others. It can be found in the Coots Library.


February 2010
I Just Watched…
I borrowed the Velveteen Rabbit movie from church. The movie is very good. I learned that loving makes things become alive. It changed the grandmother’s mind and actions. It changed the father’s too. It involved one swan, one horse, one rabbit. Toys came to life in a little boy’s imagination. A lesson I learned from the story is loving makes a difference. Please watch it. I loved it. It is sad and then happy.


January 2010
"God has died many times. And yet God still lives." This idea is found on the book jacket of God, A Brief History, by John Bowker, and forms the basis for this exploration of how human understanding of God is constantly changing.  I am not qualified to give you a history of God, but John Bowker is. A professor of religious studies, he has written many books on world religions, including one on why human brains may be hard wired for belief in God. God, A Brief History is a beautiful, compact presentation of the different ways that humans have come to interpret God, throughout time and across cultures.  My children have been drawn many times to this hefty book while browsing in our library, thumbing through the pages to enjoy the hundreds of photographs, drawings, paintings, and sculptures that illustrate each page. Bowker uses many literary references to show us human conceptions of God and his writing is accompanied by excerpts from sacred books, poetry, and works of philosophy, praise and devotion, often translated from other languages. 
   
The book begins with a background to belief in God, including discussion of the death of God and arguments for atheism.  The author then goes on to illustrate the many human imaginations of God, starting with images of the Goddess and the natural world.  The bulk of the book is composed of chapters that explore the ways belief in God began and have developed and is divided into sections on India, the religions of Asia and the religions of Abraham (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). Bowker seems to have a very biological, organic view of why human imagination is drawn to God.  He uses an example of people experiencing the awe of the Grand Canyon unexpectedly, for the first time, to try to illustrate this point.  He maintains "Experiencing the world leads to the recognition of God.  The way that human bodies and brains are built leads us to see and experience the world (and our own inner nature) in both emotional and rational ways.  Fundamentally, therefore, we see and experience God directly through the occasions of the world because our brains and bodies are built in the way they are.  We can no more not feel God than we can not feel fear." Bowker sees no conflict between the worlds of science and human belief in God.  Both are ways of understanding human experience.
   
You may not agree with all the perspectives of the author, but this book offers lots of food for thought, entertainment, and literary enrichment. This is not a book that needs to be read cover to cover. The topics are organized in one to a few pages, inviting dipping and skimming in small doses.  This is a wonderful diversion for contemplation on cold winter nights.  Check it out for yourself!