BOOK REVIEWS

Very worthwhile collections

  • And Jesus Will Be Born by Adrian Plass (Zondervan, 202 pages, £9.99) ISBN 0-007-13051-1
  • The Heart of the Family by Adrian Plass (Zondervan, 298 pages, £9.99) ISBN 0-007-13047-3

Good and bad news for Plass fans. The good news is that the Sacred Diarist has not one but two compilations out at the moment. The bad news is that those hungry for fresh material will recognise much of the content from previous years - though there's also enough new insights here to satisfy all but the hardest of hearts.

And Jesus Will be Born - a mixture of stories, poems and reflections relating to Christmas - sees Adrian wrestle with the "season to be jolly", its expectations, obligations, disappointments and joys. The book should also carry a health warning - you may weep with both happiness and sadness as Adrian unwraps the extravagance of God and the injustices of humanity, while placing the surreal with the serious in a sometimes uncomfortable juxtaposition.

The highlight for me was Adrian's poetic Christmas "wish-list" to God, which beautifully expresses what are possibly the desires of us all: to be valued, protected, appreciated and loved unconditionally.

This is a book about hope. It encourages us to believe that whatever regrets, fears, guilt, sorrow or joy are tumbled together in our hearts to comprise Christmas, God will not be thwarted And Jesus Will be Born.

In The Heart of the Family, Adrian takes a sideways glance at family life in all its manifestations. Deliciously irreverent and often very funny, this is the equivalent of a "best of" album in terms of material - though it would be a good introduction to Plass first-timers.

Sometimes Adrian's accused of glorifying failure, but I prefer to put his writing style in the category of refreshing realism as he has the courage to say the things that most of the rest of us are thinking, and for which we probably feel guilty.

The Heart of the Family includes bite-sized slices of wisdom for married couples, parents, teenagers and children, presented in a way that brings the Christian faith down-to-earth and helps the reader to face those times when it just doesn't seem to work. As ever, his observation of human nature is searingly accurate.

Adrian describes one of the sketches in the book as a "benevolent grenade" - I think that just about sums up the whole thing.

  • Martin Collins has been involved in church leadership for 25 years, and is Print Services Manager for CPO

Wise like Dumbledore - stings like Snape

In the introduction to her analysis of the biblical themes in JK Rowling's popular children's series, Lisa Cherrett confesses both her passion for the Harry Potter books and the "grief, shame and anger" she felt at the criticism some Christians levied against them.

After quickly rebutting claims that the magical tales about Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry could encourage an interest in the occult, the book provides an overview of several biblical themes, including truth, grace and authority, discussing how each appears in Harry Potter.

Her look at the books' 'sub-Christian' elements (a term coined by CS Lewis) is quite interesting, and there are many good insights which both fans and critics could find useful.

However, the book would have been much stronger if the author modified her "negative feelings" about those who have raised concerns about Harry Potter. At times the tone feels dismissive, as when describing views as "very easily rebutted" (pg 17), or claiming some "critics have missed the point quite spectacularly" (pg 108), which can make even an ardent Harry Potter fan feel the author might be overstating her point.

Which is a shame really, especially since she so clearly outlines the books' underlying themes of mercy, humility and unity, as well admiring the gentle grace that Professor Dumbledore shows his critics.

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