Tag Archives: politics.

The Pope is not Infallible. But preach on, brother!

Posted on June 24, 2015 by readingmater

I love Laudato si, his new cncyclical – letter- to the Catholic church and to the world. I took as long reading this as some of the books I blog about, and it has so much good stuff in it. … Continue reading →

Posted in economics, science, social justice, technology, theology, world religions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

On Rock or Sand.

Posted on May 20, 2015 by readingmater

Do we have “firm foundations for Britain’s future” ? Old people notoriously think the world is going to hell in a hand basket (is that an American idiom?) so I am, typically, wondering whether the golden days were the days … Continue reading →

Posted in social justice, sociology, theology | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Other Side.

Posted on May 6, 2015 by readingmater

I once lived in Oakland, California, in a rather nice parsonage on the edge of the hills. Then we lucked out and got an urban homesteading house of our own- an abandoned house, with boarded up windows and an FBI notice … Continue reading →

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Death of a Tyrant

Posted on March 28, 2015 by readingmater

What did Henry VIII die of? After reading and watching Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies, both by Hilary Mantel, this book, The Last of Days, by Paul Doherty, caught my eye. Did Henry die in bed  after sending so … Continue reading →

Posted in Historical fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The working poor- again.

Posted on March 18, 2015 by readingmater

Breadline Britain was heavily academic and fact/statistic based- but a really worthwhile book. This week I found a library book, At the Coalface, about the sort of family I grew up in- dad at work, but not earning quite enough, … Continue reading →

Posted in memoir, non-fiction, social justice | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Invention of Wings

Posted on March 14, 2015 by readingmater

My church in California had a relationship with a church in Chiapas in southern Mexico.  The church was thriving. Medical teams from the US visit there. Kids are being fed and educated. Some had got as far as college and … Continue reading →

Posted in Historical fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

In the name of God.

Posted on January 9, 2015 by readingmater

I am here in what people refer to as Paradise  reading about a place that is Hell on earth. Here in Hawaii reading about Afghanistan under the Taliban. Muslims do everything “Bismillah al Rahman al Rahim,” in the name of God the … Continue reading →

Posted in Novels | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Manzanar

Posted on December 6, 2014 by readingmater

“She cries in English!” said my youngest daughter, then three years old, about a new friend in her pre-school, who may have “cried in English” but otherwise spoke only Japanese at that stage. Many of the children around us spoke … Continue reading →

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Fields of Blood

Posted on December 5, 2014 by readingmater

We are a violent species. We are a compassionate species. News recently has covered cases of young unarmed black men killed by police. The wars/invasions in Iraq and Afghanistan have led to further hatred and war. Why do we make … Continue reading →

Posted in social justice, theology, world religions | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Forgetting to be Afraid

Posted on October 31, 2014 by readingmater

A staff pick at the Pittsburgh library. I keep seeing the author’s name, Wendy Davis, in the news though I don’t follow politics as closely as my husband. This book, Forgetting to be Afraid, and the web sites I looked … Continue reading →

Posted in memoir | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment