"It loved to happen." -Marcus Aurelius

I re-read Catcher In The Rye a few months ago. I loved it even more the second time. So I decided to read some more by J.D. Salinger. Other than Catcher In The Rye, he really only wrote short stories that were usually published in the New Yorker back in the old days. (I think the fifties) His stories are often about the Glass family, which is a fictional family he created. They are unique in that all seven of the kids were child geniuses (or at least very precocious), though his stories deal with them as adults and how they cope in the world and deal with their pasts. I started by reading "9 stories," which believe it or not is just nine short stories. At least three of them that I can think of deal directly with the Glass family. (though I didn't quite realize it at the time) I loved the short stories, they were perfection. I still find myself thinking about them quite often.

Next I read Franny and Zooey, which is about the two youngest Glass children, who at the time of the book are 20 and 25 respectively. The Glass kids, along with Salinger, have very interesting religious beliefs. In Franny and Zooey, Zooey talks about how when he and Franny were just kids, their oldest brothers, Seymour and Buddy, imposed their college-age infatuation with Eastern mysticism and gave them impossibly high standards, turning them into misanthropic "freaks." At one point they are talking about why everything is so phony and nothing is good enough, and Zooey says: "It's us," Zooey repeated, overriding her. "We're freaks, that's all. Those two bastards got us nice and early and made us into freaks with freakish standards, that's all. We're the Tattooed Lady, and we're never going to have a minute's peace, the rest of our lives, till everybody else is tattooed, too." Anyway, he is coming to terms with it while his sister Franny's complaints about how her professors, and every college student Harvard wannabe, and really the whole institution of higher learning is just so fake an unsubstantial, and she can't stand it. While Zooey knows where she's coming from, this kind of thought process worries him. Also she read this book that once belonged to their older (deceased) brother Seymour, about the Jesus Prayer. The idea of the Jesus Prayer is a simple prayer that you are to pray constantly in order to fulfill the command of the Bible to "pray without ceasing." And though at first it may be hard, eventually it will bring peace, understanding, oneness with God, etc. The prayer is "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." It is big in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The book she read is about a Pilgrim who set out say the Jesus Prayer constantly, and in the end found enlightenment, basically. Her treatment of everything and her interest in the Jesus Prayer concerns Zooey for several reasons and he ends up confronting Franny. He's not exactly tender with his words either. Though afterwords he pretty much apologizes for scolding her in what I consider to be a really beautiful make up scene and ending to the book. Ahh I just wish you'd read it! Even though I hardly agree with most of the religion points of view in Salinger's books, they still fascinate me. And in this snipped I've chosen for you (Zooey talking to Franny about the Jesus Prayer) I think he says some really interesting things. Worth reading.

As a side note, I think I've discovered something about my reading preferences. I don't care that much about plot. I don't care to read about some guy who has to do something, then there's a plot twist and he has to do something else, and then there's a girl who gets in his way but they end up falling in love and saving the day or the court case or solving the mystery, etc. And even less specific than that, I'm just not all that interested in people doing things. I like books that are about interesting people. Character interaction and development. People who have ideas, whether crazy and off-path, or genius and something I wish I'd thought of. Any unusual, new, different, or somehow refreshing point of view. Don't know if there's a technical name for that kind of preference, but just to warn you, probably most books I recommend are going to have more to do with intriguing characters and their thoughts and interactions than some crazy plot.

I take some of that back. I do enjoy a good Agatha Christie mystery. But that's more for the thinking it involves, AND I love the investigator character, Hercule Paroit, and his wackiness. And I always look forward to his interactions and thoughts, and getting inside his head a little bit. Get the picture?

Okay, on to Zooey, Franny, and the Jesus Prayer. By the way, this might seem a little long. It's just so hard to edit anything out. I wanted to just type the whole last 20 pages. I'm also a little worried that this snippet will misrepresent the content of the book. Just know the whole thing is not only about religion. (though it does play a big part) I just wanted to share the religion portion because I feel like I, and some of my readers, may be interested in it. And I found it quite enjoyable and refreshing to read Zooey bemoaning the training and teaching that Buddy and Seymour have given him, it's one of the few times Salinger actually speaks against the eastern ideas that he usually advocates.

The book though (to me at least) is much more about family, as dysfunctional as it may be. How smart, bossy, loud, egotistical, elitist members of this family stay family despite all that. And like I said, the ending is really beautiful. I want to describe it all or type it all out, but that would really ruin the book. And I'd much rather you read it on your own! Also if you like short stories, you've got to give Nine Stories a shot.

Ooh. I just found a much more concise summary of the book on Amazon. Thought I'd share for some reason. "The stories, originally published in The New Yorker magazine, concern Franny and Zooey Glass, two members of the family that was the subject of most of Salinger's short fiction. Franny is an intellectually precocious late adolescent who tries to attain spiritual purification by obsessively reiterating the "Jesus prayer" as an antidote to the perceived superficiality and corruptness of life. She subsequently suffers a nervous breakdown. In the second story, her next older brother, Zooey, attempts to heal Franny by pointing out that her constant repetition of the "Jesus prayer" is as self-involved and egotistical as the egotism against which she rails."

Okay sorry I got distracted, here it is:

"No matter what I say, I sound as though I'm undermining your Jesus Prayer. And I'm not, God Damn it. All I am is against why and how and where you're using it. I'd like to be convinced--I'd love to be convinced--that you're not using it as a substitute for doing whatever the hell your duty is in life, or just your daily duty. Worse than that, though, I can't see--I swear to God I can't--how you can pray to a Jesus you don't even understand. And what's really inexcusable, considering that you've been funnel-fed on just about the same amount of religious philosophy that I have--what's really inexcusable is that you don't try to understand him. There'd be some excuse for it if you were either a very simple person, like the pilgrim, or a very goddam desperate person--but you're not simple, buddy, and you're not that damned desperate." Just then, for the first time since he had lain down, Zooey, with his eyes still shut, compressed his lips--very much, as a matter of parenthetical fact, in the habitual style of his mother. "God almighty, Franny," he said. "If you're going to say the Jesus Prayer, at least say it to Jesus, and not St. Francis and Seymour and Heidi's grandfather all wrapped up into one. Keep him in mind if you say it, and him only, and him as he was and not as you'd like him to have been. You don't face any facts. This same damned attitude of not facing facts is what got you into this messy state of mind in the first place, and it can't possibly get you out of it."

Zooey abruptly placed his hands over his now quite damp face, left him there for an instant, then removed them. He refolded them. His voice picked up again, almost perfectly conversational in tone. "The part that stumps me, really stumps me, is that I can't see why anybody--unless he was a child, or an angel, or a lucky simpleton like the pilgrim--would even want to say the prayer to a Jesus who was in the least bit different from the way he looks and sounds in the New Testament. My God! He's only the most intelligent man in the Bible, that's all! Who isn't he head and shoulders over? Who? Both Testaments are full of pundits, prophets, disciples, favorite sons, Solomons, Isaiahs, Davids, Pauls--but, my God, who besides Jesus really knew which end was up? Nobody. Not Moses. Don't tell me Moses. He was a nice man, and he kept in beautiful touch with God, and all that--but that's exactly the point. He head to keep in touch. Jesus realized there is no separation from God." Zooey clapped his hands together--only once, and not loud, and very probably in spite of himself. His hands were refolded across his chest almost, as it were, before the clap was out. "Oh, my God, what a mind!" he said. "Who else, for example, would have kept his mouth shut when Pilate asked for an explanation? Not Solomon. Don't say Solomon. Solomon would have had a few pithy words for the occasion. I'm not sure Socrates wouldn't have for that matter. Crito, or somebody, would have managed to pull him aside just long enough to get a couple well-chosen words for the record. But most of all, above everything else, who in the Bible besides Jesus knew--knew--that we're carrying the Kingdom of Heaven around with us, inside, where we're all too goddam stupid and sentimental and unimaginative to look? You have to be a son of God to know that kind of stuff. Why don't you think of these things? I mean it, Franny, I'm being serious. When you don't see Jesus for exactly what he was, you miss the whole point of the Jesus Prayer. If you don't understand Jesus, you can't understand his prayer--you don't get the prayer at all, you just get some kind of organized cant. Jesus was a supreme adept, by God, on a terribly important mission. This was no St. Francis, with enough time to knock out a few canticles, or to preach to the birds, or to do any of the other endearing things so close to Franny Glass's heart. I'm being serious now, God damn it. How can you miss seeing that? If God had wanted somebody with St. Francis's consistently winning personality for the job in the New Testament, he'd've picked him, you can be sure. As it was, he picked the best, the smartest, the most loving, the least sentimental, the most unimitative master he could have possibly picked. And when you miss seeing that, I swear to you, you're missing the whole point of the Jesus Prayer. The Jesus Prayer has one aim, and one aim only. To endow the person who says it with Christ-Consciousness. Not to set up some little cozy, holier-than-thou trysting place with some sticky, adorable divine personage who'll take you in his arms and relieve you of all your duties and make all your nasty Weltschmerzen and Professor Tuppers go away and never come back. And by God, if you have intelligence enough to see that--and you do--and yet you refuse to see it, then you're misusing the prayer, you're using it to ask for a world full of dolls and saints and no Professor Tuppers." He suddenly sat up, shot forward, with an almost calisthenic-like swiftness, to look at Franny. His shirt was, in the familiar phrase, wringing wet. "If Jesus had intended the prayer to be used for--"

Zooey broke off.

Slaughter Hizzy

I don't know why but I always liked this little snippet from Slaughter-House 5. I've posted this other places before so it may be nothing new.

The visitor from outer space made a serious study of Christianity, to learn, if he could, why Christians found it easy to be cruel. He concluded that at least part of the trouble was slipshod storytelling in the New Testament. He supposed that the intent of the Gospels was to teach people, among other things, to be merciful, even to the lowest of the low.
But the Gospels actually taught this:
Before you kill somebody, make absolutely sure he isn't well connected. So it goes.

The flaw in the Christ stories, said the visitor from outer space, was that Christ, who didn't look like much, was actually the Son of the Most Powerful Being in the Universe. Readers understood that, so, when they came to the crucifixion, they naturally thought:
Oh, boy--they sure picked the wrong guy to lynch that time!
And that thought had a brother: "There are right people to lynch." Who? People not well connected. So it goes.

The visitor from outer space made a gift to Earth of a new Gospel. In it, Jesus really was a nobody, and a pain in the neck to a lot of people with better connections than he had. He still got to say all the lovely and puzzling things he said in the other Gospels.
So the people amused themselves one day by nailing him to a cross and planting the cross in the ground. There couldn't possibly be any repercussions, the lynchers thought. The reader would have to think that, too, since the new Gospel hammered home again and again what a nobody Jesus was.
And then, just before the nobody died, the heavens opened up, and there was thunder and lightning. The voice of God came crashing down. He told the people that he was adopting the bum as his son, giving him the full powers and privileges of The Son of the Creator of the Universe throughout all eternity. God said this: From this moment on, He will punish horribly anybody who torments a bum who has no connections!

-Kilgore Trout in Slaughter-House 5

On that note, I'm out.

some great reads

So I was talking to my friend Claire the other day about books and recommendations and how it is sometimes nice to get and give recommendations on books... which got me thinking. Sometimes it can be hard to know if a book is worth reading and sometimes you don't know what you should read next. And since no one cares about Oprah and her dumb book club, I thought perhaps I would let you know about some books that I would recommend to just about anyone. Move over Oprah.

6. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
This is principally a science-fiction/anti-war satire, but I think it is more than that. It explores the ideas of "fate, free-will, and the illogical nature of humans." This book is both funny and sad, leaving us with the notion not to let our free-will go to waste. War shouldn't be inevitable. The book is centered around the Dresden bombings in Germany and is semi-autobiographical as Vonnegut did actually experience the bombing. (though I doubt he ever knew anyone who got "unstuck in time" and visited other planets) Anyhow the book is a quick read, very entertaining, and gives you a lot to think about.

"Billy and the rest wandered out onto the shady street. The trees were leafing out. There was nothing going on out there, no traffic of any kind. There was only one vehicle, an abandoned wagon drawn by two horses. The wagon was green and coffin shaped. Birds were talking. One bird said to Billy Pilgrim. 'Poo-tee-weet'?"

5. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
This is a classic children's story that I love for the illustrations (by Silverstein) almost as much as the story. I am always surprised when I find that there are people who have never read it, so for that reason I had to put it on the list. It's a (somewhat controversial) story about a loving relationship between a tree and a boy. It's a story of selflessness, sacrifice, unconditional love, and growing up. If you're ever feeling nostalgic and want to read a book that you should have read as a kid... pick it up!

4. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
This book was written right before the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s, and chronicles "the travels of its narrator, a young, nameless black man, as he moves through the hellish levels of American intolerance and cultural blindness." It is about race, identity, life in America, and most importantly the search for truth. I read this in high school and it has stuck with me ever since. It's a powerful story, insightful, and quite captivating. It's one of those books that you will be pondering for a while.

"I am an invisible man. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination--indeed, everything and anything except me."

3. Mere Christianity by CS Lewis
This book has been the most influential book as far as my faith is concerned (not counting the Bible). I love almost all books by CS Lewis but this one is my favorite. He is so smart, thoughtful, eloquent, and often brutally honest. Mere Christianity takes a logical look at Christianity and provides a kind of Christian common ground for anyone from atheists to theologians. It takes a profound and compelling look at what makes Christianity what it is and I guarantee you will have a new respect for Lewis' intellect. He has an amazing ability to depict complex themes and major elements of Christian thought in simple and accessible terms. The book was originally a series of lectures he gave in the 1940's, so it is also a great book on tape since it was originally meant to be heard instead of read.

"All that we call human history--money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery--[is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy."

2. The Catcher In The Rye by JD Salinger
This is one of my favorite all time books. This follows a couple days in the life of 16 year old Holden Caulfield as he deals with all his frustrations from everything from phonies to teachers to graffiti. While this book is typically considered an insightful examination of teenage alienation, I think it can be appreciated at many different levels. You certainly don't need to be a teenager to appreciate the themes of alienation and needing someone to "catch" you. It's a fresh and unique look at America, relationships, death, and loneliness. And like any good book there is a good dose of teenage profanity, smoking, drinking and sexuality, and written in a slang that still sounds edgy today. It's the most banned book of all time but also one of the most taught books of all time so clearly it's pretty polarizing, but very good and rewarding, and definitely a great read. (As long as you like the main character)

"I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It's awful. If I'm on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I'm going, I'm liable to say I'm going to the opera. It's terrible."

1. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
My favorite book! It's so funny, I've never laughed out loud more than I have during this book. The main character, Ignatius, is so absurdly ridiculous, egotistical, and cynical he causes a riot every time he's in a scene. The book follows his quest to get a job, end war, and deal with all the people in his life, especially his mother and ex-girlfriend. If your sense of humor is anything like mine this book is a gold mine of laughs. When I start reading this book I can't really put it down until I finish it.

"I could only imagine how many haggard and depraved eyes were regarding me hungrily from behind the closed shutters; I tried not to think about it. Already I was beginning to feel like an especially toothsome steak in a meat market. However, no one called enticingly from the shutters; those devious mentalities throbbing away in their dark apartments were apparently more subtle seducers. I thought that a note, at least, might flutter down. A frozen orange juice can came flying out of one of the windows and barely missed me. I stooped over and picked it up in order to inspect the empty tin cylinder for a communication of some sort, but only a viscous residue on concentrated juice trickled out on my hand. Was this some obscene message? While I was pondering the matter and staring up at the window from which the can had been hurled, an old vagrant approached the wagon and pleaded for a frankfurter. Grudgingly I sold him one, ruefully concluding that, as always, work was interfering at a crucial moment."

. . .

"I dust a bit...in addition, I am at the moment writing a lengthy indictment against our century. When my brain begins to reel from my literary labors, I make an occasional cheese dip."