The One with The Book of Lies

162. Title & Author: The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer (435 pages)*

Genre: Fiction—Thriller

Completed: 23 October 2010

Summary & Review:

For centuries secret groups have been battling to find the Book of Lies, the mark of Cain given to him after he committed the world’s first murder. Now, Cal and his father, a man he hasn’t seen for 19 years, must find the legendary item before the killer on their tail finds them.

The plot of this book was kind of all over the place, from Cain and Able to Nazis to Superman comics. It felt like Meltzer’s attempt at really tying all these various happenings together was pretty tenuous and not quite believable. It was just such a weird amalgam of stories and themes that I couldn’t decide what this book really was.

Rating: 5.5

The One with Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball

161. Title & Author: Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (270 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Religion & LDS

Completed: 10 October 2010

Summary & Review:

The teachings of President Spencer W. Kimball, the twelfth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are presented in this manual alongside stories of his life illustrating his teachings in action. Some of the topics covered include forgiveness, provident living, integrity, and his personal testimony of Jesus Christ.

I always enjoy entries from this series. Being able to read the prophet's words without a lot of commentary is wonderful. Plus, reading about events in President Kimball’s life that exemplify what he taught show just what an excellent example he was.

Rating: 8.5

The One with The Grand Jihad

160. Title & Author: The Grand Jihad: How Islam and the Left Sabotage America by Andrew C. McCarthy (376 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Politics, Religion, & Current Events

Completed: 8 October 2010

Summary & Review:

While most in the media and the general public are fixated on the threat of terrorism, Andrew McCarthy argues that we should be even more concerned with the quieter branch of jihad: Islamism. In this book, McCarthy identifies the groups who are stealthily, rather than violently, subverting American laws and values to impose sharia, the Islamic legal code, and how their aims and ideals make the far Left excellent bedfellows.

This was an incredibly interesting and well-argued book. McCarthy did an excellent job of juxtaposing the incompatible principles of the American tradition and sharia law. He pointed out, “To begin with, Islam is not merely a religion. It is a comprehensive socio-economic and political system, which believers take to be ordained by Allah.” He continues, “Allah’s law happens to be antithetical to bedrock American principles: It establishes a state religion, rejects the freedom of citizens to govern themselves irrespective of a religious code, proscribes freedom of conscience, nullifies economic freedom, destroys the principle of equality under the law, subjugates non-Muslims in the humiliation of dhimmitude, and calls for the execution of apostates.”

Thus, the book brings up an unsettling dilemma. As McCarthy points out, while of course the vast majority of Muslims are not terrorists, many, if not most, believe that sharia is in fact Allah’s law. The problem there is that sharia is simply not compatible with American law or traditions but if we try to fight sharia, many will argue that we are discriminating against people’s religious beliefs. Hence, the dilemma: how do we fight against sharia? The key, I think, is that “Islam is not merely a religion,” but a political system as well, much like Soviet Communism was more than just an economic system but an all-encompassing and totalitarian societal structure. Therefore, it is not prudent or even justifiable to allow Islamists to impose sharia in this society under the guise of religious freedom.

I recommend this book.

Rating: 9.5