From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #826 Reply-To: aml-list Sender: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk aml-list-digest Monday, September 9 2002 Volume 01 : Number 826 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 06 Sep 2002 15:28:39 -0600 From: "Todd Petersen" Subject: RE: [AML] BYU Education Week Event Ivan wrote: "But then it isn't as politcally charged to perpetuate sterotypes about atheletes or ignorant mormons. Sure, we can't (and shouldn't) make fun of African-Americans or Muslims, but what's the harm in insulting atheletes or suppossedly clueless Mormons? Plenty, IMHO." We get this line all the time from Sugar Beet readers. My response is always: there is a difference between "insulting" (or satirizing) an individual and doing the same to a group. Just because one pokes fun at smug Elders Quorum Presidents doesn't mean we're bashing all Mormons -- which is how some readers interpret things. It means that we're bashing on smug Elder's Quorum Presidents. Some people -- plenty of people -- equate righteousness with the word of wisdom. In fact, most examples of virtue handed out in Sunday School or from the Pulpit are illustrated by Word of Wisdom adherence, which is nuts. Cathy got it right, it's a matter of measurables, and that's why folks cling to it. The same thing happens when more than a few LDS people judge literary characters. If they are less than virtuous, then they are evil. We're supposed to explore evil and conflict with our literature, but often times we're not allowed to. Writers are judged (by lots of Mormons) by their characters -- What shall we do with Shakespeare then, or Milton (devil lover that he is)? - -- Todd Robert Petersen - --Ivan Wolfe - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 06 Sep 2002 17:42:46 -0400 (EDT) From: "Eric D. Snider" Subject: Re: [AML] BYU Education Week Event Linda Adams: > It's my observation lately that only Mormons do this: we (culturally, as > a > group) have a profound naivete of things going on in the rest of the > world. > I also am sure they would be horrified to know their activity had any > relation to Nazi book burnings. I've got a short, but growing list of > such > things I've put together that "only Mormons" would come up with and not > see > a perverse double meaning. (What does it say about me, that I do? Hm.) > My favorite example of this is from November 2000, during the never-ending presidential election. It came down to Florida, and a very anxious George W. Bush was waiting to know whether he'd actually won. The Deseret News -- of course it was the church paper -- ran this front-page headline: "Florida Teases a Waiting Bush" I honestly believe a headline with such rich, unintended double-entendre would not have appeared in a more worldly paper like the Salt Lake Tribune. Someone would have caught it. Eric D. Snider - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Sep 2002 14:56:51 -0700 From: "Jerry Tyner" Subject: RE: [AML] BYU Education Week Event Ivan Wolfe Wrote: What bothers me about your comments is that they basically play on = stereotypes I find to be only *occasionally* true - not in the blanket way. =20 Ivan, Here is where your and my experience differed as we grew up. I was = raised in Orange County in Southern California. When my parents moved in = to our home in 1961 there were still orange groves and farms near us. It = was a typical Ozzy and Harriet neighborhood. By the time I started high school there were no farms or orange grove = within 30+ miles of us. Not only that but our area went from three high = schools in 1961 serving some 5000 to 6000 kid to 12 high schools by my = senior year and mine had 2000 kids in the sophomore class (950 in my = senior class) when I was a senior (another high school opened the year = after I graduated and half the sophomores were junior at the new high = school). The major theme was "sex, drugs, and rock and roll" in any = order you could find it. Since I was not into any of that I was excluded = from all extracurricular activities. The things I heard about going on = the bus to matches would make every person on this list red! This was = the typical athlete as I grew up. Even at the junior high level as I was = growing up (7th to 9th grades in my days) had the same problem. My first year of coaching wrestling at my old high school almost drove = to distraction. I had a kid at 187 pounds who was ranked number one in = Orange County in the 1980-81 season. He pinned everyone in his weight = class in December in the first period. In January and February he = basically lost every match by pin. I found out later he was smoking pot = and having sex with his girl friend before every match in January and = February. When league finals rolled around he didn't even show up and = gave us a lame excuse about not feeling well. I could go on and list = more but in our area the stereo-typical shoe fit real well in the days = that movie was made and the 1980s when I coached. I agree that in some areas things have changed but from what I saw in = So-Cal and also on my mission in Montana the shoe fit (too well = unfortunately). To get kids attention you had to hit them right between = the eyes. If they doubted you in the least they would look you right in = the eye and tell you they were not doing stuff and then go out and = commit the sins any way. One thing nice about being on this list is we all come from a wide range = of experiences. No ones view point is really wrong since we all see many = areas and people. Not only that but we can agree to disagree. Too give a = more resent example my son's high school team in 1999 was some very good = kids but I would venture to tell you over half of them lived very = different lives outside that room while off campus. It showed on the = mat, too. I think this portion of the discussion can be killed. Whether = athletes are stereo-typical bad boys and girls or not everyone could = tell an interesting story depending on where they grew up and where = their children are growing up now. Jerry Tyner Orange County, CA - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Sep 2002 14:57:25 -0700 (PDT) From: Marie Knowlton Subject: Re: [AML] Kurt Bestor Profile Sue brings up a most valid point, especially for women writers. While Kurt= Bestor had the option to divest himself of the people and situations that= apparently hampered his creativity, most women never have that luxury. We= find ourselves penning ideas while nursing the baby with one arm, coaching= a second-grader through math homework, and simultaneously hoping that= dinner doesn't burn.=20 It's a lot easier to chase one's muse without leaping over Legos and= alphabet blocks. Yet the very obstacles that keep us away from our= keyboards also provide personal growth, perspective, and wisdom that, in= the long run, make us better writers.=20 Anne Morrow Lindbergh, one of my favorite writers, reconciled the conflict= between artistic sensibility and domestic duty by allowing mundane tasks to= provide needed balance and counterpoint to the rhythm of her creative flow.= She expressed it thus: "When I cannot write, I bake biscuits, and feel just= as satisfied."=20 Now I'm not suggesting that we trade our pens for cookie sheets and hot glue= guns. But for every self-possessed "genius" like Kurt Bestor, who tossed = his family life into the proverbial dumpster for the sake of creativity,= there are hosts of extremely talented artists who manage to find meaning= and balance in the fabric of ordinary life. Yes, it's hard to get up at= 4:30 in the morning to engage in artistic endeavors, or to write poetry at= stoplights while chauffering the baseball team, or to draft novels while= burning dinner (my specialty). But we become better people by so doing.=20 For the record, I admire Doug Robinson's candor and honesty in the Bestor= article. He did a great job. Bestor, however, may wake up one day to find= he has sacrificed far more than he has gained.=20 - --Marie Knowlton=20 - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Sep 2002 16:05:02 -0600 From: "Thom Duncan" Subject: Re: [AML] Lousy Movies > > At the top (bottom?) of the list, I have to put "Manos: The Hands of Fate." This > film was made famous by "Mystery Science Theater 3000," and that is the only way > of watching it that is at all bearable. Worse than "The Incredibly Mixed-Up Teenagers Who Grew Up to Become Zombies" also skewered by MST3K? Maybe the only thing that makes Mixed-Up Teenagers not as bad is the funky title. It isn't the original title, iirc, and this one has all the earmarks of some wary producers who had a stinker on their hands and decided to capitalize on it. If so, that would make "Manos" still the worse because NO ONE in that production had the slightest idea they made a stinker. That, to me, is what constitutes a truly bad movie. Not one purposely made that way (like Troma's movies, for instance). But one where everyone from the producer to the key grip actually thought they were involved in something good but were just too dumb to realize it. Thom - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 06 Sep 2002 19:23:10 -0700 From: The Laird Jim Subject: Re: [AML] Brewvies on 9/5/02 4:50 PM, Cathy Wilson at cgileadi@emerytelcom.net wrote: > I often think that we emphasize the WoW so much these days because it's > measurable--like a white shirt and tie. We can know for sure if someone > complies and that is always comforting. The immeasurables--like, uh, > charity--not so easy to quantify. > > Cathy Wilson I think it's a bit more than that. Strong drink has increasing become the focal point of social life all around the world. Not drinking sets one apart obviously and slighty above others. Even those who are proud of their black-out drinking binges show a little awe when the hear that I've never taken a drop. I only wish it were not a commandment for the least of the Saints, because it's the only think I've done perfectly--never even been tempted. I might feel some pride if I'd learned perfect humility--or maybe not. The relative ease with which it can be perfected is an additional reason to exaggerate the importance of the WoW. It is very hard not to feel superior when around people who are drinking or drunk. It is such a miserable, pathetic scene. I used to go to "dance" clubs some years ago, because I liked to dance and there were lots of girls to dance with. I quit very soon. I just don't like being around despair. I suppose the desire to drink so heavily is a means to escape an awful life, but I don't see why everyone has to have such awful lives anyway. I also don't see how getting blasted and waking up in a strange place with a stranger is going to help. The main point is that the WoW was designed for our times before our times were. When it was given gin had yet to become famous and distilled spirits were relatively rare. Different types of stronger and stronger drink have become increasingly available to the point of bewilderment. No need to be a wino now--it's cheaper and quicker to get blasted on stronger stuff. The latter half of the 19th century saw prohibition of alcohol as a major thrust of the feminist movement, based on the Victorian ideal of female moral superiority. The propaganda was thick, and once women's sufferage was achieved prohibition followed shortly, and right afterwards the unintended consequence. Americans don't like to be told what to do, and the very act of making it illegal to drink popularized it as nothing else could. All the propaganda and sob stories were forgotten, and drinking became a noble pursuit just like Thoreau said in _On Civil Disobedience_. Fortunately for us Mormon types God already knew what was coming and had prepared for it. Now as drinking claims more and more lives--I know five people who have more than one DUI on their records, for example, and know several more who just haven't been caught--abstinence has become a defensive measure. One of my friends drinks till he blacks out two or three times a year--he doesn't pass out, he just blanks and remembers nothing of several hours of lost time. What could be worse than to wake up some day with blood all over your bumper and not remember what happened? To kill somebody and run away because you've handed self control over to the booze. No thanks. The WoW IS more important today than when it was given. It's more important now than when it was made a requirement for entering the temple. As usual, God knew what He was doing. Jim Wilson aka The Laird Jim - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 07 Sep 2002 02:55:59 -0600 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Neil LaBute Interview in _Salon_ "R.W. Rasband" wrote: > > Today's SALON has an interview with Neil LaBute about "Possesion." He > discusses his Mormonness and says he was disfellowshipped for writing > "Bash." > http://www.salon.com/people/feature/2002/09/04/labute/index.html Here's the actual question and quote: "You're a practicing Mormon?" "Well, yeah. I need more practice, apparently. I'm still a Mormon. I had some difficulty with a play I wrote called 'Bash,'and I was disfellowshipped from the church because of that play, which is not like being excommunicated. One is still in the church, and can go to services, but can't take the sacrament -- there's a certain set of things that come with that. As long as I don't write bad things again, I might get back into their good graces." This disturbs me greatly. This is exactly the sort of thought-police tactics that LDS artists fear, but shouldn't have to. And that I thought had been exaggerated beyond what really happens. To find out that LaBute could be disfellowshipped for writing a play that he believed sent a very moral message, one consistent with his religious beliefs, simply because the authorities over him didn't "get it," casts a frightening pall over the entire LDS artistic community. And now LaBute literally feels censored just so he can be a full-fledged member again. I keep trying to believe that rumors about such things and Gestapo-style Strengthening the Members committees are overblown. This news is not helping my effort. - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 07 Sep 2002 03:20:57 -0600 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] BYU Education Week Event Fred C Pinnegar wrote: > 1. The Golden Calf, a stunning work wrought in pure gold in the great tradition > of the Pharoah School by some skilled artisans in the Israelite rabble, was so > utterly destroyed by that un-decent man, Moses, that he ground the precious > metal into powder and made the throng drink it. > 2. Hardline, Israelite radical right-wing religious fanatics, acting under the > direction of their self-styled prophet, last week destroyed several groves of > old-growth forest and smashed a large number of artistic treasures and religious > artifacts on display there. > 3. Archeological discovery of the century! Magnificent Ancient Art Found! > > Professor Akish recently brought to light certain ancient manuscripts apparently > written by the hand of a poet known to us only as ?Master Mahan.? It > has long been thought that these records were destroyed by that group of deluded > fanatics who style themselves ?Followers of God,? who had taken an oath to ?use > every means in their power to destroy them > 3. Censorship! The Nauvoo Expositor, the region?s most important venue for > alternative poetry and stories by serious writers, was recently dumped in the > Mississippi River by the ?Prophet,? Joe Smith and his followers in an act of > outright censorship. That guy ought to be shot! > > These are a few items my quick research turned up, but Strong?s Bible > Concordance has a long list of art (images, pictures, high places, trees, human > beings, cities, etc ) which God himself says he will destroy and which he > commands to be destroyed. The first three examples are strictly from the Old Testament (or the P of GP equivalent), which also commanded the death of adulterers and blasphemers and even victims of rape who didn't cry out. We don't do that anymore either, because we're supposed to be living under a more merciful, forgiving law. The fourth example was not God at work at all, but Joseph Smith probably making the greatest blunder of his life. - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 07 Sep 2002 03:32:11 -0600 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Brewvies Todd Petersen wrote: > So here I am teaching primary and we get to a discussion of wine and > drinking wine and all the kids are like, "it's okay that these people in > the bible drank wine becuase it was like grape juice back then." This "grape juice" thing is one dumb rationalization. Even if it were true, it would still sound dumb. I remember the day I realized just how dumb it sounded. It was during my lunch break while working at National Semiconductor slinging acids around so computer geeks could have their memory chips. There was a Mormon there who got deep into a religious debate with some nonmembers. The subject of the Word of Wisdom vs. Jesus drinking wine came up, and sure enough, he invoked the "but it was just grape juice" argument. And even though I had invoked that argument myself in my youth, I found myself feeling embarrassed, because I suddenly realized, as I listened in along with the nonmembers, just how totally stupid and ad hoc that argument sounded. "Oh, the wine in the New Testament was really grape juice." Sometimes Mormons just don't realize how incredibly dumb they sound to others. - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 07 Sep 2002 03:44:14 -0600 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Brewvies Cathy Wilson wrote: > I often think that we emphasize the WoW so much these days because it's > measurable--like a white shirt and tie. We can know for sure if someone > complies and that is always comforting. The immeasurables--like, uh, > charity--not so easy to quantify. Bean-counting morality. Which seems to me to be the antithesis of the Gospel as Jesus taught it (but would have fit in well with the Law of Moses). Bean-counting morality is the premier tactic among Mormons for judging books and films. Actual morality of the message in the work of art is never even considered. - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 07 Sep 2002 10:04:51 -0600 (MDT) From: Ivan Angus Wolfe Subject: Re: [AML] Brewvies > Ivan asked the purpose in saying that Joseph Smith drank beer. > > My purpose is this: what is a Mormon? I know and am friends with a number = > of Mormons who drink beer occasionally. > > Eric Samuelsen So then my question would be: Where do we draw the line on "being Mormon?" It seems Eric wants to use the definition I think is too vauge: "ANyone who calls themsleves Mormon are." On the flip side, It would be too restrictive to say "Only those who are currently worthy to attend the temple are." However, those friends whodrink beer and don't hold church callings and rarely go to church and are unapologetic about it - I personally would think they've gone a bit too far off the track to truly be called Mormons. IMHO, that is. So where is the cut off? - --Ivan Wolfe - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Sep 2002 13:00:46 -0400 From: "Debra Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Brewvies Thanks Eric! And as soon as I get this darn tune out of my head and on paper, you can have it. It won't leave me alone!!!!!!!!!! Debbie Brown > Re: Debbie Brown's song Beer Drinking Mormons. > Two comments: Wow! >And where can I get the sheet music? >Eric Samuelsen - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 07 Sep 2002 13:53:20 -0600 (MDT) From: Ivan Angus Wolfe Subject: [AML] Re: Kurt Bestor Profile [MOD: I'm uneasy with public discussion of someone's life and views based on private information that can't be shared. There's a certain safety in confining one's remarks to the publicly stated facts and quotes in a news article. However, this post forwarded by Ivan does provide an important caveat regarding our assumptions of accuracy about news reports themselves...] After reading all teh Bestor bashing on the list, I recieved permission to forward this email from the ldsmusicians email list. I think it has some bearing on not just Kurt Bestor, but Media handling of Mormon isssues (event the DN isn't a saint in this area) - --ivan wolfe. - --- Forbes Bruce wrote: > To: LDSMusicians > Someone in our group appears to know Kurt > Bestor, > because they forworded the initial questions I asked > about balancing music, family, and church to him; > the > questions I asked based on a reading of that news > article we've been discussing. (A huge thank-you to > whomever forwarded this to him!) He has replied to > me > directly, giving me his personal answers. I asked > him > for permission to post his letter to the group, but > he > replied that the letter was for me and he did not > wish > it to be posted further and I will respect that. > However - I can tell you in no uncertain terms that > his replies to my initial questions were "right on" > the gospel mark. I will take this at face value as > I > have no reason to do otherwise. > He also reminded me that we cannot beleive > everything we read in newspapers - I know from other > experiences that the reporter's slant on a story and > making it a sellable story is often more important > than getting the story right. His letter left me > with > the impression that the reporter put the > "spirituality > vs music" slant on the article to sell the article. > (And those who still beleive the Deseret News is > "God's Newspaper" just because it's owned by the > Church... come talk to me.) > He also expressed the truth that we cannot > completely understand any divorce from a few > sentences > in any newspaper. > I know this is a teaser to tell you I received > this e-mail and then not share it with you... but I > feel it very important to make these points public > to > a group that has discussed him as we have the past > week. From his letter to me I am convinced that we > as > a group did not pause long enough to question the > accuracy of the article and the person who wrote it. > > We all just jumped to conlusions based on a single > news article. Maybe next time we will judge a bit > more wisely. Maybe next time we will let the Lord > do > the judging. > So those who feel they have a fallen hero - > make > Jesus the #1 hero in your life, and let everyone > else > just be secodnary. That's what I do and so far it's > been working out pretty good. > > Bruceman ===== - ---Ivan Wolfe, bandleader ORGANIC GREENS - Celtic, American, Jewish and Mormon Folk Music http://organicgreens.freeyellow.com/ organicgreensband@yahoo.com We're available for shows, weddings, parties, bar/bat mitzvahs, whatever. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance - Get real-time stock quotes http://finance.yahoo.com - ------------ end of forwarded message ------------ - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Sep 2002 13:48:45 -0700 From: "Katrina Duvalois" Subject: [AML] Accuracy in Published Sources (was: Daniel Rector Dies) [MOD: And here, interestingly, is another post related to the accuracy of published sources. (See Ivan's forwarded post on the Kurt Bestor thread.) Good reminders/cautions about making too-quick assumptions based on published reports.] I was sad when I read this news also. Not because I know either man, except, of course, Bro. Rector Sr. as a General Authority, but because I am familiar with loss. I experienced a tragedy about ten years ago when two of my five brothers were killed in a freak ocean accident. Thus I am often dismayed and repelled by the lack of compassion by news people. I remember actually asking the reporter that came to our house to interview my family how he could do a job where he intruded on mourning families. I remember being very put out because every report was wrong. The TV news would get ages or other details wrong (they kept saying that they were FROM Utah when in reality they were merely attending school in Utah, that sort of thing). The newspapers were worse. Not only would they get details wrong, like their ages, but they consistently spelled my younger brother's name incorrectly. I actually spoke with one newspaper on the phone and repeated the correct spelling a number of times and they STILL got it wrong. In reflection I realize that these petty mistakes merely ignited me because I was so deeply mourning already. In relation to Mormon letters, I tend to be articulate in my attention to details. I am appalled when I find typos or other grammar mistakes in PUBLISHED books or magazine articles. I recently read a novel (non-LDS) where the heroine's name was printed wrong. Not just misspelled, but actually the WRONG name. One instance was the name of the heroine was mistakenly printed as the name of a character that had been killed earlier in the book, and the other instance was an entirely different name altogether. I find these mistakes very sloppy. I have read a couple of LDS books with this kind of sloppiness as well. One that comes to mind was a self-published auto-biography. I find that kind of embarrassing, especially since the person intends for the book to be helpful to those who read it. I am distracted and annoyed by sloppy editing mistakes. I am such a stickler for facts, etc. to be correct, and yet, I did have a poem published once with a typo that still annoys me (tress instead of trees). I notified the publisher of the mistake, but they didn't correct it. Needless to say, I rarely show or disclose my _published_ work because the mistake is embarrassing to me. Are not others concerned about the quality of the final work? My experience with the TV News and Newspaper reporters makes me think that _professionals_ are less concerned then they should be. It's bad enough to bother people at a traumatic time, (whether it be a death or loss by fire, or some other tragedy) wouldn't it behoove them to get the information RIGHT? Well, I'm sure some of you will find some punctuation or grammatical errors in this rant so we all must be fallible. Is there a way around it? Katrina D. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Sep 2002 15:23:52 -0600 From: Clark Goble Subject: [AML] Neil LaBute Interview in _Salon_ ___ R. W. ___ | Today's SALON has an interview with Neil LaBute about "Possesion." He | discusses his Mormonness and says he was disfellowshipped for writing | "Bash." ___ What was more surprising for me was that they gave him $25 million for the film - before distribution and advertising costs. Yet they are marketing it in a real half hearted way. I don't think it has even made $8 million yet. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 04 Sep 2002 19:50:52 -0700 From: Jeff Needle Subject: [AML] MARTINDALE, _Brother Brigham_ (Review) [MOD: AML-List policy (as I'm defining it right now) is that unpublished manuscripts can be reviewed for AML-List, but only with the permission of the author. (After all, until it's actually published, it's not really "out there" for people to see, and may in fact still be a work in progress, quite different from the ultimate published version.) If you want to submit a review of a not-yet-published work, please make sure to contact the author in advance for permission, and then include a note to me saying that you have done so. Note that I am not saying that the author should have the right to review the *content* of your review, but only whether a review should be posted at all.] Review ====== Title: Brother Brigham Author: D. Michael Martindale Publisher: not published Year Published: n/a Number of Pages: 186 (99,000 words) Binding: n/a (laser-printed manuscript) ISBN: n/a Price: n/a Reviewed by Jeffrey Needle And now here is yet another unpublished manuscript, sent my way for my enjoyment and edification. When Martindale's manuscript arrived in the mail, I opened the heavy package (99,000 words can weigh quite a bit!) with anticipation. What could this possibly be about? My first hint came on page 1, as we are introduced to the protagonist of "Brother Brigham," Cory Horace (C.H.) Young, a great-great-grandson of Brigham Young. He remembers when, as a lad, his father once took him past the statue of Brigham that stands behind the admin building at BYU. He asks his son: "Want to see Brigham Young do the funky chicken?" "What?" "Here, get on my back." His father hefted him up into piggy-back position. "Now I'll run past, and you watch the statue's legs. It will look like Brigham Young is dancing." His father took off, running past the front of the statue about a hundred feet away. C.H. loved how playful his father could be. He couldn't imagine the fathers of some of his friends doing anything like this. C.H. twisted his neck sideways to look at the statue. The light from the windows of the administration building flashed between Brigham's slightly parted legs, and it looked like he was wiggling them back and forth, bending at the knees. Doing the funky chicken. Such beginnings signal one of two things -- either a (perhaps funny) spoof of Mormon life and culture, or a mean-spirited vision of what being a Mormon is all about. Or, perhaps, a third option -- an amusing look at how religion, and Mormonism in particular, can saturate your life and affect the decisions you make. Take C.H. for example. Not particularly fond of his name, he early on decided that C.H. should stand for "Cain Hell." And so he is known from that day on by his wife and others in on the joke. "Cain" is a manager at a local bookstore, barely earning enough to support his wife and two children. To all appearances, this is the typical Mormon family, wholesome, happy and pure. And then one day C.H. has a vision -- his great-great-grandfather, Brigham Young, appears to him, with an astounding announcement! The President of the Church is going to be taken, and the Presidency given to C.H.! But first he must re-institute the practice of plural marriage. And so starts an astounding journey, taking C.H. from the comforts of normalcy to a maddening and unbelievable trek toward madness. As the story develops, Martindale explores what I can only describe as the outer limits of human behavior, the propensity of mortals to crave acceptance and deliverance, no matter what the cost. In C.H.'s desire to obey "Brother Brigham," his life is so utterly changed, his family so radically affected, that one wonders how anyone could make such an adjustment with a sound mind. But Martindale writes between the lines, subtly asking questions: is this *really* crazy? Is this how Brigham first felt when *he* was called upon to practice Plural Marriage? How did the pioneers feel when they were asked -- no, commanded -- to pick up their homes and families and move to a wilderness where they would have to begin their house-building anew? How did the non-Mormon world view these events that Latter-day Saints consider examples of heroism and radical obedience? Martindale spins a pretty wild story, with something of a surprise ending -- not so much in content, but in tone. I left the reading sobered by the experience. One fault with this book is the author's tendency to overstate the introspective incidents of its characters. Yes, given the circumstances, it is understandable that they will ask themselves questions. But they tend to ask the same questions, again and again, at length, until the reader finds himself skipping over those sections. They are wordy and unnecessary. And I thought the mood change toward the end of the book was a bit too abrupt. I had visualized one ending, picking up on the mood of all but the last ten pages or so. I was wrong. The ending was jarring, and the reader, I think, would have been better served by some preparatory thoughts. I hope this book somehow finds its way into print. It needs some editing, as mentioned above, and will likely not be approved by Deseret Book -- such ruminations as the following would likely not pass the editorial board: ...to C.H.'s surprise, the spirit of Brigham Young sat down on the couch and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. A spirit sitting and relaxing on some furniture? He had never imagined such a thing. What did a spirit have to rest from? He had no body. Maybe Brigham was doing it as a gesture to put C.H. at ease, to make this moment more intimate. C.H. wanted to stare at his butt and see if it made a depression in the cushion, but couldn't bring himself to do it. Somehow, Brigham Young's butt was not something to trifle with. (p. 101) One can view the above as the meanderings of a mean-spirited writer (which Martindale is manifestly not!). Or, rather, a reflection of C.H.'s own mental state, the wanderings of a mind confused by glory. Despite the tone set in such words, the book, as a whole, is a serious study of supernatural phenomena, radical behavior and personal responsibility. I really liked the book, and hope to see it published soon. - ---------------- Jeff Needle jeff.needle@general.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 09 Sep 2002 06:37:09 +0000 From: "Andrew Hall" Subject: [AML] MARCUM, _House of Isreal, v. 1: The Return_ (Deseret News) Deseret News Friday, September 6, 2002 Leisure reading 'House of Israel, Vol. 1: The Return' By Robert Marcum Covenant, $22.95 (hardback). The author, a religious studies professor at BYU, has traveled extensively the past 30 years. In the process, he has gained a plethora of information for his writing. This book is the first volume of a proposed "epic." The main character is Hannah Gruen, a young Jewish woman in post-war Germany, who emerges from a concentration camp to find she has no home or family. She falls in love with Ephraim Daniels, an LDS American pilot. Eventually, she sees that the logical place where she and other Jews will find freedom and safety is faraway Palestine. It's an odd premise, considering the explosive nature of the Mideast today. It's too early to tell whether this slow-paced book, filled as it is with pedestrian writing and cliches, will attract enough readers to= =20 turn it into a multivolume work, but the publisher is banking on it. =97=20 Dennis Lythgoe Copyright 2002 Deseret News Publishing Company (This same issue also included short reviews by Lythgoe of two non-fiction= =20 books, 'The Boy Who Invented Television' by Paul Schatzkin, about Philo=20 Farnsworth, and 'Uranium Frenzy' by Raye C. Ringholz, about the atomic=20 testing in the West. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,405028327,00.html) _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 09 Sep 2002 06:45:48 +0000 From: "Andrew Hall" Subject: [AML] LABUTE, _Possession_ (Deseret News) Deseret News Saturday, September 7, 2002 'Possession' a significant shift for LaBute By Evan Henerson Los Angeles Daily News Film director Blair Treu recalls running into his former Brigham Young University classmate Neil LaBute at the 1997 Sundance Film festival. LaBute had his debut film, "In the Company of Men," in competition; Treu was at Sundance simply as an observer. Treu recalls LaBute's nervousness over the reception of "In the Company. . . ." After sitting through the film, he knew where LaBute's anxiousness came from. "(The movie) made me squirm, and from what I've read, that was one of his goals," says Treu, whose films =97 like the recently released "Little Secrets" =97 are geared more toward family audiences. "I would definitely say that Neil did not fit the typical BYU mold. I probably did a little more, which, depending on= =20 your point of view, may be to my discredit." Unquestionably, "In the Company of Men" was a squirmer. A fiercely ironic and majorly cruel tale about a couple of junior executives who get back at the female sex via a sick practical joke on a hearing-impaired employee, "In the Company of Men" outraged critics and audiences alike. It also drew comparisons to the works of David Mamet and won LaBute the Filmmakers Trophy at Sundance. LaBute's next feature, the equally sour bed-hopping relationship drama "Your Friends and Neighbors," was even harsher. And lest you think LaBute goes soft in his other mediums, a look at plays "The Shape of Things" and "Bash: Latterday Plays" =97 which played the Canon Theatre in 1999 =97 will disabuse you of that notion in a nanosecond. Murder, gay bashing, psychological punishment anybody? "If people really feel put off, I say, 'Hey, sorry,' " says LaBute. "But I'd really rather shock somebody or move somebody or whatever it is than have them feel nothing at all. I don't think it's such a bad thing to feel a little sense of being provoked." So what's a squirm master like LaBute doing behind the camera of the period literary romance "Possession"? Defying expectations, of= =20 course. "People are skittish of making an openly unabashedly romantic movie =97 or even going to them," says LaBute. "People in this kind of postmodern ironic age =97 and I'm a flag waver for that age =97 always try to come at it like, 'Oh this is some kind of romantic comedy or mystery.' At its heart, ('Possession') is just two love stories. Going into it, I said, 'I'm not going to try to make this any darker or hipper than it already is. I want to tell that story." Fans of the A.S. Byatt novel on which "Possession" is based are, no doubt, breathing sighs of relief . . . even as they scratch their heads that someone like LaBute would come to this project =97= or=20 vice versa. In "Possession," a pair of present-day literary scholars (played by Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart) come across evidence that Randolph Ash (Jeremy Northam), the morally steady poet laureate to Queen Victoria, may have had a secret affair with Victorian poet Christabel LaMotte (Jennifer Ehle). The action bounces between the two stories with the present-day couple fighting their own attraction as they track the mystery. This may seem a far cry from the territory of "In the Company of Men" or even LaBute's 2000 film, "Nurse Betty," but LaBute maintains it's not such a stretch. An interesting story is an interesting story, he says, whether it's a period bodice ripper or a dark comedy about a delusional housewife and the love-struck hit man on her trail. "A lot of my writing for film and the theater focuses on the relationships between people," says LaBute, whose next film is an adaptation of his four-character play, "The Shape of Things." "And=20 while I hadn't done a period piece of any particular scope, there are people who can help you realize those elements. Getting the right emotional resonance is a different thing. "That's what I sold myself on, and that's what the studio invested in." Even as his films have grown in scope, budget and size, LaBute has tried to keep things familiar. "Possession" co- producer Stephen Pevner has produced all of LaBute's movies and several of his plays. Director of photography Jean Yves Escoffier worked on= =20 "Nurse Betty." Eckhart, like Treu a BYU classmate, is the closest thing to a LaBute constant. The actor has appeared in all of LaBute's films and is mulling an offer to act opposite Sigourney Weaver in LaBute's upcoming play, "The Mercy Seat." "Possession" has Eckhart in full leading-man mode as an ambitious but romantically cautious Roland Michell, who matches wits and romantic repartee with Paltrow's icy Maud Bailey. Roland, who is British in the Byatt's novel, becomes an American in the film, the adaptation's most significant change. Bringing=20 Eckhart aboard was something of a battle, but one that LaBute was prepared to wage. "He was interested in playing the part, but he couldn't be called a romantic lead at that point," LaBute said of Eckhart, who is probably best-known for his work as Julia Roberts' biker boyfriend in= =20 "Erin Brockovich." "With Gwyneth on board, all the green lights started going off, and we were able to cast him, and we could find the chemistry between them." For his part, Eckhart says he doesn't take his relationship with LaBute for granted. "I still have to fight to be in these movies," he says. "It's not always an easy sell to get me in as these movies get bigger." Eckhart recalls meeting and acting with LaBute in a small drama scene study class at BYU. As LaBute started pursuing a writing track =97 developing "In the Company of Men" in a play- writing class =97 Eckhart became the beneficiary of several meaty LaBute-penned roles. And yes, even during his school days, LaBute wasn't churning out work that people would label mainstream or conventional. "We just would do very sparse, minimalistic theater that kind of horrified the audiences," says Eckhart. "People would say, 'Oh man, this is like an exhalation of horror.' But these are great parts. I don't know any actor friends who would have turned down 'In the Company of Men.' Well, on moral grounds maybe." Copyright 2002 Deseret News Publishing Company _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos:=20 http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #826 ******************************