The Children of Men

I began book number 6 of the year thinking I knew what to expect. I have seen the movie so I wasn't looking for too many surprises. After about chapter 3, I realized this book is nothing like the movie.

P.D. James' book The Children of Men is so much more than any movie could have been. Now, I don't want you to get me wrong. The movie was great. The book was amazing. I wouldn't even compare the two by saying the book is better than the movie, simply because they are not the same. Other than the name of the main character and the concept of a sterile society, there was very little else in common between the two.

I picked this book because it is the second in the Emmaus Readers collection that I am going through this year. Admittedly, I wouldn't have picked this one off the shelf on my own. I was pleasantly surprised. The book isn't full of warm fuzzy's and happiness but it is real. I could connect with James' idea of a depraved society, one lost of hope. I could see the struggle between faith, god and inevitable end. The characters were real, almost so perfectly detailed you could reach out and touch them.

I would highly recommend this book. It is a suspense but one that is richly built on humanity and all of it's imperfections.

Mariette

For the 4th book into my 75 book challenge I have read Mariette in Ecstasy by Ron Hansen.

I will have to add this to my list of books that everyone should read. It is beautiful. The story follows a young girl, pretty and devout, Mariette, as she joins the Sisters of the Crucifixion.

I love a book that allows me to personally get involved. Throughout the story Hansen leaves it up to me, the reader, to decide my own perspective. Is Mariette truly experiencing ecstasy or is she a young girl in need of attention? If God truly spoke to this young girl, or someone around us, would we recognize it as God or would we do our best to disprove before we choose to believe in the miracle? Do we try so hard to fit people into our experiences and expectations that we miss the power of God that we so desire to see?

"God gives us just enough to seek Him, and never enough to fully find him. to do more would inhibit our freedom, and our freedom is very dear to God." (pg 174)

I didn't know what to expect. I had intentionally not read a review or information about the story before I borrowed it from the library. It is the first book of twelve from The Emmaus Readers: Listening for God in Contemporary Fiction. Each of the twelve books reviewed has a chapter with summary and questions that allow you dive deeper into the stories meaning and purpose. I will be enjoying all twelve of these books this year.