Conservative Book Talk

When I read Stephen Biller’s review of this book, I knew I had to read it at my first opportunity. Well, that opportunity arose and here we are. Unlike some books that I have read lately (good books, but slow going), I could not put this one down.

If you haven’t read this book, go read it next. It’s not that long and worth your time. The story though straightforward is amazingly creative. A young man receives one million dollars on his twenty-fifth birthday. That would be nice today, but in 1900, this was an astronomical fortune. About two weeks later, Brewster learns that he will inherit around seven million dollars on his twenty-sixth birthday if he can meet the following conditions:

• He must be a pauper
• He cannot have any hope of getting his money back after said birthday (No IRA’s or bonds or friends holding the cash for him)
• He cannot spend frivolously (The understanding is that he will have to spend $1,000,000 so this is subjective)
• He can’t give it away
• He can’t tell anyone about this new inheritance nor why he is getting rid of the current one.

Brewster decides that this can’t be too difficult….

In 1900, the United States did not have a consumerist economy. Nay, the world did not have a consumerist economy anywhere. The best that I can figure, I could probably spend the equivalent in today’s currency (particularly given the current exchange rates), BUT we have societies built on spending money. One amusing point came when Brewster had appendicitis. He tried to overpay the doctor (bought the best care available, hired a private nurse etc…); the bill came to $3,000.

The hardest part was when people began deserting him as his money ran out. He was mocked and scorned. Those people would come to his parties, eat his food and laugh. They wanted simply to get what they could before he ran out of cash. Then they left him like the vultures they were.
Brewster’s amazing year showed him true love and true friendship. He decided that even if he lost the challenge, that much was worth one million dollars.

And no, the story wasn’t without some turns that would catch you off guard.

Definitely worth five stars even with a couple of swear words.

But, before you go, if you lasted this long, I have a question or two. How would you spend the money today? I would assume that it would be worth at least 30-40 million today. If you didn’t have the requirements about giving, who would you give to? I’ve thought about it once or twice. I think that I could do a lot of good for some of my family. Are they needy? No, but I would love to spend on them. That’s the great thing about family. They are people to spoil.

Gutenberg text: here
Librivox audio: here
Amazon purchase: here

Tags: book, Brewster's Millions, conservative, fiction, fun, George Barr McCutcheon, historical, Matt Gardenghi, review, youth

October 31, 1517; Martin Luther nails the 95 theses to the wooden door of the church in Wittenburg. I would like to take this opportunity to make a plug for Reformation Day. Halloween has demonic origins, and our society as a whole is really going for the roots of the holiday with all its grusomeness. “Harvest Parties” are just fine, but what if, instead of just neutralizing the holiday, we as Christians actually sought to reform it? Make it about learning the roots of the Protestant Reformation (which, for any Catholic readers, was also the start of the Catholic Reformation and led to a revival of the Catholic church in many areas of Europe. So pick someone like Erasmus, but its still the same idea). Encourage people to dress up as Biblical/ Christian heroes of the faith; give handouts with a short biography of a Reformer (available online; I wrote ours in one hour after reading this book); have booth attendants dress up in medieval costume; or even ask the pastor to prepare a short talk on the Reformation and its significance. This year, our church is theme-ing our (first ever) Reformation Day party on Martin Luther.

Plot: Martin Luther is famous for starting the Protestant Reformation. A monk of the Augustian Order, he was a diligent scholar whose dedication to the church (and history as a law student with a degree in theology) made him a prime candidate for a professorship at the university of Wittenberg, where he had time to study the scriptures and write. His travails with (and eventual separation from) the Catholic church were published all over Europe, (not always with his consent; the famous 95 theses were written in Latin because they were intended as points for scholarly debate, not public consumption). The former monk eventually married a nun, and they had six children. Far more fascinating than his life, though, were his writings of theology, and the context in which he said them.

Good: Lots of period details, literally and figuratively: there are fun 16th century prints on almost every page, including both famous woodcuts (Luther accused of heresy, the debate at Worms, etc.) and rarer etchings (fancy Reformation-themed capitals kick off each chapter). I confess, I love pictures like these; especially since the Latin names look similar to English, so I could translate who was who for myself! Also, the author takes time to point out the historical setting, including that which made Luther a 16th century celebrity. The printing press was the YouTube of that era: new, exciting, and made “instant” notoriety available to more people than ever before. And Luther utilized it (by the grace of God) while the Pope didn’t. This is only a small example out of a multitude.

Bad: This isn’t really bad, but worth considering if your child is reading this. I should note that the author explains many various doctrines of the era, and while good to know, the author is not shy about his opinion. Infant baptism is good, transubstantiation is wrong, etc. I am old enough to understand that what a book says doesn’t necessarily reflect my personal beliefs; not all teenagers, even, may have gone over these points of doctrine for themselves. Personally, I loved it, because Bainton’s view dovetails with most people in the 1500s, and he explained a lot of things I hadn’t quite understood, “how can anyone think that?” Younger minds might simply absorb the opinions, though, and not catch the disclaimers that bracket the ideas the author disagrees with (the existence of elves, for example, was a common belief among German peasants like Luther’s parents).

Overall: I loved this book. It made Luther seem more human than others I have read. His faults are mentioned, but so are his graces. Roland Bainton incorporates the rich tapestry of Renaissance life into his narrative of Luther’s life. Highly recommended for all ages.

My apologies for not posting this last week when it was more timely. Matt

Tags: , biography, book, History, Martin Luther, Reformation, review, Roland Bainton, Sincerelyornot

Have you ever tried to lose weight? More than a few pounds? It takes more than a special diet as Irvin Cobb discovered. Cobb thought that he was just “big boned” and that his size was genetic. His family always filled out in their thirties….

Cobb recounts the true and humorous story of his attempts to reign in his weight. Cobb wasn’t a lazy glutton. He just had a sedentary lifestyle and a special relationship with his food. He and his food had a special bond he told himself. (The bond was more obvious to everyone else.) Interestingly, Cobb describes the various self-delusions that he went through to convince himself that he wasn’t overweight.

• The suit didn’t fit anymore cause it was cheap and shrunk.
• The weight gain was a family trait.
• He wasn’t fat, just well developed.

But, lest you think that this short work was boring, it was anything but that. Cobb eventually went to several doctors who were apparently quacks. Only a quack would call him obese. Cobb went to the gym and the steam room. He tried running. He tried everything but changing his eating habits.

His mealtimes were sacred.

It wasn’t until an obviously obese friend and he both got on scales together that his self-delusion started to crack. When Cobb realized that he was only a couple of pounds shy of the man he always viewed as obese, reality struck.

Eventually, Cobb owned up to his obesity and decided to solve the problem. He read every book on the subject and found that each generation of doctors and dieticians had a different philosophy. Some said that meat was evil. Other that you should avoid starch. Still others said to eat starch and meat to excess. In the end, they only agreed on one point: boiled spinach was acceptable.

You will empathize with Cobb, well I did anyway. Let’s just be perfectly clear: I have never EVER had to take One Third Off, but I have to be careful. I have also found that Cobb’s solution is correct. The only solution to drop 10lbs or 1/3 your body weight is the same regardless of who you are: eat less, eat healthy and exercise. Gag. None of it is fun, but then life isn’t about having fun.

You can hit the above picture and buy it from Amazon (and support the site) or you can do like me: free audio or free text.

Tags: book, diets, fat, Irvin Cobb, Matt Gardenghi, obese, Personal Development, weight, weight loss