Saturday, July 31, 2010

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Phillip Pullman

Apparently unsatisfied with the critique of Christianity embedded in his brilliant His Dark Materials trilogy (most famous for The Golden Compass), Phillip Pullman is back for more with The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ. Billed as a “fiercely subversive retelling of the life of Jesus,” it is mostly a platform for Pullman to air his particular biases and grievances regarding the organized religion of Christianity. These complaints fall well short of fierce subversion, as they take the form of a fairly straightforward fictional depiction of the difficult encounter between post-enlightenment secular reason and the mysteries at the core of the gospel stories. Plenty of us struggle every day in managing this encounter, but, unlike Pullman, many of us choose not to simply explain away the mystery. In doing just that Pullman enjoys the satisfaction that comes with saying “case closed,” when all that has really closed is Pullman’s mind to the possibility that some mysteries will always remain unsolved, but that we somehow grow in wisdom as we fail to solve the mystery.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

The Decision

It’s been a couple of weeks now since Lebron James’ infamous “Decision” on ESPN, and I remain transfixed by both the fact of the event (full disclosure: I didn’t watch “The Decision”, since I am of course superior to all those mere mortals who indulge in television while I water my ornamental vegetable garden, but read about it and listened to sports radio about it obsessively) and the public response/backlash. I have read and heard numerous credible theories as to why Lebron James is now a certifiable schmuck, my favorite of which is ESPN “Sportsguy” Bill Simmons’ argument that the NBA has always obeyed the unwritten code of pick-up basketball that requires the two best players on the court to be on separate teams, although last I checked the Lakers and Celtics weren’t playing shirts vs. skins in the Finals. I also don’t seem to recall Simmons suggesting the original Magic-Bird-Jordan Dream Team give back their gold medals, or that they should at least have let Jordan play for Russia to make things fair.

But amidst all of the conspiracy theories and Lebron bashing, which are a huge part of how fantastically entertaining the whole Lebron “Decision” process has been, I have yet to hear a convincing argument as to why Lebron chose to announce his decision on “The Decision.” Many have been quick to label Lebron a narcissist, and while I am certain that Lebron has quite the healthy ego, nothing that came before “The Decision” matches this diagnosis. Narcissists generally have lengthy resumes (see one Terrell Owens). You don’t go from all around good guy, which is how everyone perceived James prior to “The Decision”, to the antichrist in one week of free agency.

The consensus is also that James and his advisors completely misread the public in hatching their plan for announcing “The Decision.” Perhaps they did, as I don’t believe they intended to turn James into a villain as if he were fan favorite Andre the Giant morphing into villain mode to challenge Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania. But our misunderstanding of what actually took place during “The Decision” trumps any of Team Lebron’s missteps. Lebron celebrated “The Decision” because he understood, correctly, that at this moment in time he was at the peak of his powers. We all whiffed on that, and proceeded to pile on with every endorsement of Lebron-as-narcissist, because of how we have always understood the source of the athlete’s power; Michael Jordan sold oceans of Gatorade and countless Nikes precisely because of his on-court game. But Lebron is a different beast. He is a cultural icon who just happens to play basketball.



Some observers have attempted to belittle James for taking a shortcut to greatness by joining Wade in Miami. These observers claim that James can only cement his greatness by winning championships as The Man, and that joining Wade’s heat removes this option from the table. But what “The Decision” clearly tells us is that Lebron does not regard winning NBA championships as the ultimate accomplishment. For Lebron, holding the entire destiny of a sport in his hands, as he so clearly did this summer, was a far grander achievement than winning mere basketball games, championships notwithstanding. It was an achievement worthy of a cultural icon, something beyond the championship athlete, whose ranks include Lebron’s new partner, Dwayne Wade.

And on many levels, Lebron was exactly right. We all obsessed over “The Decision” not because we really cared which team Lebron chose, because really, outside of Ohio, who cares, but because we were enthralled by the mystique of someone who was in complete control. Which made the Lebron backlash inevitable, because under all that cover of rejecting Lebron for his betrayal, his narcissism, his competeitive cowardice, we really resent Lebron because he became exactly what he wanted to be: ubiquitous. With “The Decision”, Lebron transcended basketball and ascended to the heavens. We all now hate him for leaving us down here while his star shines brightly somewhere close to Elvis Presley’s. If Lebron keeps it up, just like the Beatles he too will be able to accurately say that he’s “more popular than Jesus.” Jesus, after all, was but the King of the Jews. Lebron’s moniker “The King” gives him a little more wiggle room as to whom he might rule.
Things We Didn't See Coming by Steve Amsterdam

Steve Amsterdam’s Things We Didn’t See Coming is a remarkable account of a dystopian near future, and it is remarkable for what it leaves out. Amsterdam is deftly sparing with the details of social, political, and environmental rot as he tracks his protagonist from adolescence (during the Y2K scare, natch) into his forties. Each step of the way Amsterdam provides just enough description as to how the earth and the people on it are breaking down, but his narrative leaves open the questions of how and why. In doing so Amsterdam connects his vision of a dystopian near future to our experience of the present, when we too are left to wonder at the how and why of endless war and oil spills, or, if you like, endless spills and oil wars. So while we perhaps can’t see what’s coming, Amsterdam’s novel makes clear how blurry things already are.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Audition by Ryu Murakami

Audition is Ryu Murakami’s contribution to the tradition of the femme fatale. Unfortunately, Murakami’s femme fatale Yamasaki Asami is not up to the task. Other than some vague intuitions from the victim Aoyami’s friend, and some heavy-handed revelations by Murakami that something horrible is waiting to happen, there is little about Asami to worry us that she is capable of the pending grotesqueries. There is just not enough tension here to enjoy the novel’s violent, conclusive release. Look elsewhere for your femme fatale fix.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog eloquently presents two Parisian heroines who would escape the miseries of this world, but finally, and together, reverse their respective retreats and face all that is, with an assist from a Japanese gentleman. They find strength in simple moments of beauty, but what is most beautiful is how strong they become in their connection to one another. Barbery’s two heroines, Madame Michel and Paloma, each penetrate the farcical aspects of modern life, which leaves them each thirsting only for escape. But their friendships, first with newcomer Mr. Ozu, and then with one another, demonstrate that while it is next to impossible to save one’s self, it is truly liberating to save one another. And this is reason enough not only to go on living, but to celebrate life.
I Don’t Care About Your Band by Julie Klausner

If you’ve been through your share of romantic catastrophes, and, like me, I’m sure that you have, then Julie Klausner’s I Don’t Care About Your Band will help you laugh instead of cry about your own intimate disasters. Klausner’s memoirs mine her train wreck of a dating resume to hilarious effect. Klausner seems to have enjoyed her first experience of giving head as much if not more than most of us enjoyed our first time receiving: “I remember thinking the moment I felt Nick’s goth penis in my mouth that I. Was. Home. That this was what I was meant to do.”

Klausner’s comic gifts are as abundant as her libido, as she deftly combines two of life’s greatest pleasures, sex and laughter. I’m just glad that I’m not one of her loser ex-boyfriends, because Klausner’s scathing treatment of her blundering ex’s proves the old adage that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. But this furious New Yorker is also seriously funny, and, at long last, happily paired off. Here’s betting she’ll write an equally funny follow-up about the inevitable follies of successful intimacy.