Big Books of 2026
Gemma asked this question about The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1):
I've read a lot of reviews on this book, and some people say it's very christian, then other people say the author was an atheist. What would you say?
Annette The comments in this thread are fascinating. There has always been metaphor, allegory, preaching (obvious or otherwise), influence-peddling, etc in li…moreThe comments in this thread are fascinating. There has always been metaphor, allegory, preaching (obvious or otherwise), influence-peddling, etc in literature, including children's literature. There has been sexism, racism, anti/pro/other-religion/church/government. This is part of the value of a liberal education; we are prepared to deal with diversity, complexity, and the rapidly evolving challenges of our times. Choosing authors for their beliefs is one approach, I suppose. But I hope everyone reads everything with an open mind and filters, learns, and hones their own truth. This book is a gift to children, young and old. It helps us play and it makes us think.(less)
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The Golden Compass
by Philip Pullman
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