Our Book Club guest for October is local author Geoffrey Wood. Read about his book here....
Leaper
By Geoffrey Wood
(WaterBrook Press,2007)
James suddenly finds he can leap through space. He has been chosen, given a great gift. Like the prophets, he passes through confusion and fear, denial and rejection-- “Not me, God” -- until ultimately, he trusts and embraces his calling. It gets him into all kinds of trouble, most of it funny. But along the way, he understands something very serious. Just as we see with Harry Potter (or Spiderman for that matter), it’s not so much magic (or a super power) that triumphs in the end, but character. So it is with James, who learns that his capacity for doing good deeds depends upon his ability to get outside himself, to leap out of his own preoccupations, worries and suspicions. He meets ordinary people––a priest, a co-worker at the coffee shop–who show him exactly what doing this looks like. They do it in simple, every day ways. At his worst moment, when he utterly fails as a super hero, James recognizes his real failing and it’s simple; he’s been too busy, too self-absorbed to listen. How does that adage go? “The urgent things are seldom important, and the important things are seldom urgent.”
James is thoroughly modern: divorced, over-caffeinated, talking fast and rushing everywhere. His verbal exchanges are a constant flow of snappy one-liners. He tolerates the off-beat. But he’s also a throwback. He thinks a lot about the serious consequences of divorce. He believes in God. He ponders the meaning of Jesus’s death on a cross. In many respects, James is the quintessential modern Memphian.
More a soliloquy than a novel, this book is meant to be read aloud. And, there couldn’t be anyone better to read it out loud and discuss it with you than the author himself. He is a member of Voices of the South, a local acting company, and his one-person story telling performances are a real treat. Please join us Wednesday, October 31, at 12:15.
Elizabeth Wirls
By Geoffrey Wood
(WaterBrook Press,2007)
James suddenly finds he can leap through space. He has been chosen, given a great gift. Like the prophets, he passes through confusion and fear, denial and rejection-- “Not me, God” -- until ultimately, he trusts and embraces his calling. It gets him into all kinds of trouble, most of it funny. But along the way, he understands something very serious. Just as we see with Harry Potter (or Spiderman for that matter), it’s not so much magic (or a super power) that triumphs in the end, but character. So it is with James, who learns that his capacity for doing good deeds depends upon his ability to get outside himself, to leap out of his own preoccupations, worries and suspicions. He meets ordinary people––a priest, a co-worker at the coffee shop–who show him exactly what doing this looks like. They do it in simple, every day ways. At his worst moment, when he utterly fails as a super hero, James recognizes his real failing and it’s simple; he’s been too busy, too self-absorbed to listen. How does that adage go? “The urgent things are seldom important, and the important things are seldom urgent.”
James is thoroughly modern: divorced, over-caffeinated, talking fast and rushing everywhere. His verbal exchanges are a constant flow of snappy one-liners. He tolerates the off-beat. But he’s also a throwback. He thinks a lot about the serious consequences of divorce. He believes in God. He ponders the meaning of Jesus’s death on a cross. In many respects, James is the quintessential modern Memphian.
More a soliloquy than a novel, this book is meant to be read aloud. And, there couldn’t be anyone better to read it out loud and discuss it with you than the author himself. He is a member of Voices of the South, a local acting company, and his one-person story telling performances are a real treat. Please join us Wednesday, October 31, at 12:15.
Elizabeth Wirls
1 comment:
I just finished it and I loved it! James (the main character) is such a non-linear thinker that you want to slap him. But I can totally relate to the insecurity he feels when he finds out there really is a God that works in the world and changes people without asking their permission! When he says, "You are a risky, risky God. I didn't sign up to be Amazing Trust Boy, and I did not sign up for Danger God",that really nails it for me.
James reminds me of Julie Powell, the author of the memoir, Julie and Julia. Like James, this author is a clever, cynical, directionless slacker. She leaps (steps out in faith, we might say) into a huge project that ultimately changes her life in amazing ways. This book is not the least bit religious, but ends up with a great spiritual message in spite of itself.
And if you like irreverent, try Lamb,the Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, by Chris Moore. It's screamingly funny, and ends up being pretty conservative, theologically; but watch out if the F word (and plenty more!) offends you.
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