The Fight of Our Lives (book review)

The Fight of Our Lives: Knowing the Enemy, Speaking the Truth, and Choosing to Win the War Against Radical Islam

by William J. Bennett, Seth Leibsohn
© 2011 by William J. Bennett, Seth Leibsohn
Published by Thomas Nelson

This short book (208 pages, approximately 150 of which are reading material) outlines the events surrounding the wars currently being waged in Iraq, Afghanistan, and in defense of our own country.  It is both a history lesson and a call to action.  The premise is, as the subtitle suggests, that we are both in a war and, as a country, we have softened our approach to winning it.  As this review is being written on the tenth anniversary of the attack of September 11^th, it is fitting to review the challenges we face in a country that has changed dramatically since 2001.

Bennett and Liebsohn certainly represent the more conservative end of the social and political spectrum in the United States.  Yet, despite this bias, they are objective in their presentation of the criticism and correction they offer.  The complacency regarding the struggle of political, religious, and social segments of American society is criticized regardless of which administration is in office – and this, in the context of Bennett having served in both the Regan and Bush administrations.  This summary of events leading up to September 11^th 2001 and the subsequent acts that have left people dead and wounded need to stay fresh in our minds.  The parallels of how, as a country, we react to those around us are striking as we look back in history.  Bennett and Liebsohn take us there.

Yet the book is also a call to change that is beyond the scope of where influence in religious and civil affairs will typically end.  At what point do we, as individuals, compromise what we believe and how we practice that belief?  The authors call for reformation in Islam, for the ending of what is termed “radical Islam”, also termed as fundamental or doctrinal Islam.  Indeed, just as polygamy in some doctrines is against the laws of the country and against what is believed to the be the good of the people, so must killing “infidels” in the name of a false god be punished according to the laws of the land.  Can it be eradicated?  It cannot.  Should it be reformed?  Perhaps it should or, better yet, abandoned.  However, is it the place for non-Muslims to dictate the need for reformation or abandonment?  It is not, if change is to come from within – from the heart.

The book is both an alert and a reference piece.  Twenty pages of notes and ten pages of index demonstrate the work that went into supporting the premise of the authors.  Of note, two quotes from the book that are not from the authors are particularly worth citing.  The first is from Tony Blair from the autobiography of his political life where he said: “In the mind-set that is modern Islam, there is one spectrum, not several.  At the furthest end of the spectrum are the extremists who advocate terrorism to further their goal of an Islamic state.” He goes on to identify others along the breadth of this spectrum that “in a curious and dangerous way buy into bits of their world view.   This group stretches uncomfortably far into the middle of the spectrum.”  It is this fact, that a broad group of adherents agree with those who resort to violence, that Bennett and Liebsohn find disturbing.

The second quote is from another era, from one who saw the impact of a different group of extremists: the National Socialists of 20^th century Germany.  C.S. Lewis, in The Abolition of Man, wrote: “We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.  We castrate and bid the geldings to be fruitful.”  The compromise and accommodation we see for those who follow doctrines that hurt others and rend society is disturbing.  Where do we, as a country, draw the line?  This book proposes a course.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection:  This book was received for free from the publisher but a positive review was not required.  The opinions expressed are my own.  This disclosure is in accordance with the United States Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Defiant Joy (book review)

Defiant Joy:  The Remarkable Life & Impact of G.K. Chesterton

Kevin Belmonte
© 2011 by Kevin Belmonte
Published by Thomas Nelson

Belmonte’s book is, as he introduces it, a study similar to the one that Chesterton himself wrote about Thomas Aquinas: “This book makes no pretense to be anything but a popular sketch of a great historical character …”  This is a sketch and not an exhaustive work but tells the story of Chesterton’s life in much the same way he would have it told, with wit and sincerity.

 

This is a chronological account as one would expect from a biography.  However, the book is salted – indeed liberally seasoned – with quotes from Chesterton’s works and critiques others had of his work.  While we start with Chesterton’s birth and early childhood and end with his death, we walk the course of his life by the works that he produced.  He was prodigious in his writing, both in the numbers of works and in the variety.  The novels and detective stories may seem frivolous for such a renowned man of letters but Chesterton always had a higher purpose in his writing.  Belmonte never lets us forget that.  Then there are the “higher” works such as the apologetic volumes that Chesterton left us as well as the literary biographies of greats such as Chaucer, Dickens, and Shaw.  His writing included character studies of others – in addition to the authors he admired –  that Chesterton admired and for whom he provided great insight.  Belmonte provides a glimpse into all of them, just enough to tell us of the man’s works and influences but not so much that we are satisfied in not reading these great works for ourselves.

Acknowledging the biographies of others, including Chesterton’s autobiography, Belmonte has added much to the study of the man.  Chesterton’s Catholicism is always prominent, along with the mysticism that accompanies it.  However, his genuine faith in a risen Christ and the assurance of Chesterton’s own salvation is not diluted by that religious structure.  The contrast with those who did not share his faith – famously George Bernard Shaw – is sharp yet there is never an alienation that Chesterton allowed to taint the agreeable presentation of his faith.

This book is recommended for those who have never heard of Chesterton, those who have read all his works, those who have been influenced by authors whom Chesterton influenced (notably C.S. Lewis), and those who might disagree with him.  In short, this is valuable reading for anyone.


Disclosure of Material Connection: This book was received for free from the publisher but a positive review was not required. The opinions expressed are those of the reviewer. This disclosure is in accordance with the United States Federal Trade Commission’s “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” 16 CFR, Part 255.

Blink (book review)

Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking
by Malcolm Gladwell

Published by Little, Brown and Company; 2005; 288 pp.

 

There is a risk that this book could be taken as just another pop-psychology fad.  That would be a serious error.  All of us have had the sense that we knew the right answer to a complex problem as soon as we were faced with it.  Gladwell takes that thought and provides scientific and common-sense insight as to why and how we can make snap decisions with confidence.  This book is not, however, simply a scientific review of a psychological approach to problem solving.  It is an intelligent and engaging series of stories that keep the reader captivated.  Going into this book one might think it will be stuffy.  However, Gladwell’s style and assembly of information makes this closer to a mystery that needs to be solved than a scientific summary.  He has written a true page-turner.

The book also has some warnings, especially for those in positions to make critical decisions.  The lead story, presented in the introduction, shows how an aggressive institution seeking to make a name for itself fell into a trap of believing what they wanted to believe.  The so-called experts supported conventional wisdom which was probably not so wise.  Experienced observers who were not consulted for their expertise, provided a dissenting view.  The result was that the Getty Museum paid $100 million for a statue that it was compelled to date at “about 530 B.C., or modern forgery”.

In the business world, sometimes there are those in power who got there by – what Gladwell calls – the Warren Harding Error.  This phenomenon is manifested by raising up those to whom we look up; tall men (and, yes, it’s often men) who have an air of distinction are elevated to leadership roles.  This is often how presidents are elected, including Warren Harding.  Everyone in business has witnessed this phenomenon.  Of course, there are some exceptional examples of great business leaders – Jack Welch and Lou Gerstner come to mind – who were not large in stature.  However, there are many with whom we come in contact that have more height than brains.  We’ve all seen it and know individuals who qualify.

Other examples in this book present us with how decisions are made in war settings, how marketing the “right” idea to the right audience can be elusive, how assumptions and interpretation of people’s thinking can result in a tragic response or brilliant insight.  Anyone who wants to think smarter should read this book.  Anyone who wants to gain insight into how people react to each other (that is also to say, how others react to each of us) should read this book.  Anyone involved in critical decisions – from waging war to determining compatibility in marriage – should read this book.  It is as easy to recommend this book as it is to read it; in fact, recommending it is made easy by its ease of reading.