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The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew--Three Women Search for Understanding
by Ranya Idliby, Priscilla Warner (Goodreads Author), Suzanne Oliver
by Ranya Idliby, Priscilla Warner (Goodreads Author), Suzanne Oliver
My daughter is out of town for the summer and I am housing her many, many books. Luckily for me, we have similar (but not identical) interests, so the storage fee I am charging is...well, I get to read all her books. The Faith Club is one of hers - a journal of three women (Christian Suzanne, Jewish Priscilla and Muslim Ranya) who form a "faith club" to understand each others' faiths better, and to see if they can discover ways in which those faiths intersect and teach truths that seem universal to all three.
So, I am interested in all things spiritual, and I love the idea of this kind of group - but I was a little bit disappointed in this book. In retrospect, I think I started with some preconceptions of who these women were - I imagined them well-versed in their own faiths, even if they were somewhat ignorant about the others. Nope. Not the case. Throughout the book, they kept bringing up issues that divided them and I kept wanting to yell, "No, stop it! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT." Because seriously - they really didn't. Because I am a Christian (and, full disclosure: Catholic), I was particularly put off by Suzanne's take on her Christian faith, which I found simplistic and concrete.
But I am glad I didn't write this review before finishing the book. Because kudos to them! They started reading! And by the end of the book I felt much more engaged with them, and thought that their insights were far deeper, far more mature. But you know that Suzanne woman? She's a former Catholic and she REALLY needs to stop slapping the Catholics upside the head every chance she gets. Her ignorance of Catholic theology, despite her reported 12 years of Catholic education, is abysmal. In addition to learning about Judaism and Islam, it wouldn't hurt her to confront her own ignorance about her former faith - and do a little bit more reading about it. But I love Ranya! And I'm so glad that they offered a reading list for Islam - I am looking forward to sampling it.
So, I am interested in all things spiritual, and I love the idea of this kind of group - but I was a little bit disappointed in this book. In retrospect, I think I started with some preconceptions of who these women were - I imagined them well-versed in their own faiths, even if they were somewhat ignorant about the others. Nope. Not the case. Throughout the book, they kept bringing up issues that divided them and I kept wanting to yell, "No, stop it! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT." Because seriously - they really didn't. Because I am a Christian (and, full disclosure: Catholic), I was particularly put off by Suzanne's take on her Christian faith, which I found simplistic and concrete.
But I am glad I didn't write this review before finishing the book. Because kudos to them! They started reading! And by the end of the book I felt much more engaged with them, and thought that their insights were far deeper, far more mature. But you know that Suzanne woman? She's a former Catholic and she REALLY needs to stop slapping the Catholics upside the head every chance she gets. Her ignorance of Catholic theology, despite her reported 12 years of Catholic education, is abysmal. In addition to learning about Judaism and Islam, it wouldn't hurt her to confront her own ignorance about her former faith - and do a little bit more reading about it. But I love Ranya! And I'm so glad that they offered a reading list for Islam - I am looking forward to sampling it.
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Reading Progress
| 05/25/2010 | page 197 |
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61.56% |
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Paulineconnects
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May 27, 2010 02:50pm
This sounds like a good book for my mom and I to read.. She is moving in with me Nancy.. Alzheimers!
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I'm so sorry, Pauline. That is a damned hard row to hoe. There is a very good book called "The Thirty-Six Hour Day" which might be good for YOU to read - also, there are some good suggestions in "Talking to Alzheimer's" - although the latter book can get rather silly. As far as books go, I found my Dad had a hard time retaining the first part of the story long enough to get to the end. I'm guessing your mom is not as far down the Alzheimer's road yet; I hope not.
She is and isn't. She's kind of fun in way. She's kind of fun these days. Loves to do laundry and hard to stop her. I worked with some of the more difficult to handle Alzheimers for 5 years. I wanted to do this more Mom. I think will be difficult and already has been. She can be very very stubborn. I just felt I was the best prepared for it and my house is the most like hers.Joanna will be coming in to help. She would be good to but has a little bit of an alcohol challenge. Not a good combination. Did your dad pass away? How are Claire and your mom doing?
Dad did die, of an abdominal aneurysm, a year and a half ago. Mom and Claire keep going - it's been very, very hard on the family, especially my younger brother in Atlanta. It's hard when it's family, I guess. Hang in there - you've got a great attitude.
Hi Nancy and Pauline -I just found out that authors can comment on goodreads. Better late than never...(: I just wanted to offer support, as the daughter of an Alzheimers patient. My mother is in her tenth year of a slow progression, which I wrote about in The Faith Club. It sounds like you have experience in the field, and I am eternally grateful for the competence and compassion of the best caregivers I have met. I wish you and your loved ones peace of mind, and the strength to keep going.
Yikes! Priscilla, how nice of you to stop by, and thank you for your kind words. I re-read my review after seeing your comment, and feel perhaps I did not do justice to the fact that I really did like the book - and also, how much I respect the three of you for what you did. And tell Suzanne I was just feeling cranky that day, and I am sure she is lovely, and that I have a crap-ton of fantastic books on recent Catholic theology, which would address lots of her gripes with Catholicism - the institutional church quite often irritates me, too.
Hi Nancy -No yikes necessary! It only took me two years to figure out that authors could get onto this site and interact with readers...how foolish do I feel? But it is a privilege to read reviews like yours, and the whole point of The Faith Club was to get honest conversations going. If you can't be honest about your thoughts on a book here on goodreads, we're all in trouble! My best to you and Pauline. I am so sympathetic to caregivers of Alzheimers patients. Take care and I will see you elsewhere on this site. Now I'm going to see if I can figure out how to friend you ):
