Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible – E Randolph Richards and Brandon J O’Brien

From Storygraph: Biblical scholars Brandon O’Brien and Randy Richards shed light on the ways that Western readers often misunderstand the cultural dynamics of the Bible. They identify nine key areas where modern Westerners have significantly different assumptions about what might be going on in a text. Drawing on their own crosscultural experience in global mission, O’Brien and Richards show how better self-awareness and understanding of cultural differences in language, time and social mores allow us to see the Bible in fresh and unexpected ways.

My Thoughts: This is a really good book at an accessible level to make a start understanding some of the cultural differences between our modern western cultures and the ancient cultures of the bible. For people who want to let the bible speak to them on its terms, not theirs, this will be a great help. While I did not agree with absolutely everything I still highly recommend. 4.5-stars.

The Latecomer – Jean Hanff Korelitz

From Storygraph: The Latecomer follows the story of the wealthy New York City–based Oppenheimer family, from the first meeting of parents Salo and Johanna, under tragic circumstances, to their triplets born during the early days of IVF. As children, the three siblings—Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally—feel no strong familial bond and cannot wait to go their separate ways, even as their father becomes more distant and their mother more desperate. When the triplets leave for college, Johanna, faced with being truly alone, makes the decision to add a fourth child to the family. What role will the “latecomer” play in this fractured family?

My Thoughts: I put this on my list to read thanks to Nicole’s post about it. I did not see the plot twist coming either. The characters in this book have serious issues and there is one particular event that is seriously WTF event by almost all the characters. Train wreck is putting it mildly. It was satisfying seeing the growth in the characters as the story progressed. A 5-star read.

The Journey Cycles of the Boonwurrung: Stories with Boonwurrung Language – Carolyn Briggs

From Storygraph: The significance of these stories is that they constitute maintaining and reclaiming heritage. They were given to the author over many years. They are a legacy of her people, and it is her responsibility to pass them on.

My Thoughts: I read this as part of my efforts to learn more about the Aboriginal people of the local area. It’s quite fascinating. Some of the stories have been handed down from when the Yarra spilled into the sea at Port Phillip Heads and Port Phillip Bay was all land, between 7,000 – 10,000 years ago, which is pretty amazing.

More Than I Love My Life – David Grossman

From Storygraph: On a kibbutz in Israel in 2008, Gili, along with the entire community, is celebrating the 90th birthday of her grandmother Vera, the adored matriarch of a sprawling and tight-knit family. Onto the scene enters Nina- the iron-willed daughter who rejected Vera’s care; and the absent mother who abandoned Gili when she was still a baby.

Nina’s return to the family after years of silence precipitates the gripping, heart-wrenching story that unfolds, in which mother, daughter and grandmother are forced to confront the past head-on. Together with Rafael – father to Gili, lover to Nina and step-son to Vera – the three women embark on an epic journey to the desolate island of Goli Otok, formerly part of Yugoslavia. It was here, five decades earlier, that Vera was held and tortured as a political prisoner. And it is here that the three women will finally come to terms with the terrible moral dilemma that Vera faced, and that permanently altered the course of their lives.

My Thoughts: This was a good read. I like the way you got little teasers of the story before it all unfolded towards the end of the book. I did not understand the choice Vera made though. I read this for my entry for Israel in the Read Around the World Challenge. 4.5 star read.