From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #947 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 Tuesday, January 21 2003 Volume 01 : Number 947 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2003 21:49:31 -0700 From: Russell Asplund Subject: Re: [AML] What I Did At Deseret Book I worked as an intern in the Utah State legislature in the mid-80's. I remember distinctly a committee hearing considering restrictions on what could be shown on cable television. In a courageous act, the legislator had stayed up all night recording every sex scene on HBO and Showtime, and compiled them all onto a tape to show to the committee. It was the largest public hearing ever, and had to be moved to a larger room. Apparently many people were interested in being shocked, just shocked, to see this stuff. Russell Asplund - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2003 23:38:56 -0600 From: lajackson@juno.com Subject: [AML] Re: Nedra Roney Profile Kim Madsen: "Nedra"? What kind of name is that? I think it must be ... Maybe it was ... I couldn't find it in ... ... could have happened because ... ...(wink, wink...always looking for a story)... ...or maybe ... _______________ I thought it might be Arden, spelled backwards, like that young woman from Utah who was named after her ancestor and who was on Survivor for a few weeks. [grin] Larry Jackson lajackson@juno.com ________________________________________________________________ Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today Only $9.95 per month! Visit www.juno.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2003 23:25:41 -0700 From: "Kim Madsen" Subject: RE: [AML] Poetry and Readings for Romance Skip Hamilton wrote, " What poems, or short essays would you recommend for such a presentation [on romantic poetry to the Relief Society]?" This may seem a little odd, but one of the most touching and romantic things I've ever read is a picture book called FANNY'S DREAM. Published by Dial Books for Young Readers, NY. Written by Carolyn Buehner, pictures by Mark Buehner, who by the way live in SLC. (But I didn't know that when I got this book). I can't even begin to tell you about the delightful story of wish fulfillment because it would spoil the book for you, but it's not only romantic, it's true. Everyone should give a copy to their beloved on Valentine's Day. Kim Madsen - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2003 23:35:49 -0700 From: "Scott Parkin" Subject: [AML] Unity and Community (was: Outstanding Movies of the Last 5 Years) Jacob Proffitt wrote: >>> I *am* truly surprised that someone can elevate health care to the number one issue facing the United States. It's a position I don't understand and it shocks me somewhat as I'd have thought any number of issues come ahead of health care. I felt fairly sure that even people who disagree with me fundamentally politically would have other issues they'd place above health care. <<< So at the risk of tickling an off-topic line, the vastly differing opinions that Preston and Jacob offer on the health care issue begs a more general question for me. A powerful part of Mormon doctrine and culture centers around the idea of unity, community, and "at-one-ment" as a body of Saints. Many have felt stifled or limited by a perception of a sort of oppressive conformity from Church members and institutions. Much of the better literature we've seen from Mormon authors over the years has focused on those who free themselves from this sense of social conformity and depicts characters who find their peace outside the agencies--and sometimes even the macro- and microcommunities--of the Church. What does unity mean in terms of the Mormon community? Does it really equate to essentially similar political or social views as so many Mormons seems to believe? Can our community support a unity of purpose that may be expressed through a very strenuous diversity of approach or even ideals? How might such a unified/diverse community come about? Is there any literary value in writing stories that speculate either that unity or some methods that might lead to it? Just curious. I haven't quite put that "Mormon utopia" project out of my mind yet, and recent social and political events around the world and in my local community have reminded me just how different good and honest people can be in both belief and approach. Scott Parkin - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2003 07:34:58 -0700 From: "" Subject: Re: [AML] What I Did At Deseret Book Kathy Tyner wrote: > My real worry with all of this is how it will affect the ability of > good authors to get published in Mormon circles if they put > anything in a book that the powers at DB deem inappropriate. > The Anita Stansfield books take the cake on this issue. I > cannot think of anything in her books that approaches this > standard. Someone will have to enlighten me on it. Does > this mean even bringing up controversial issues will be unacceptable? > Never mind the way the subject matter will be treated. That's why I've been wondering which ones have been removed from the shelves. When I checked, all of the ones currently offered by Covenant seemed to be available on the DB website. I haven't read all of Stansfield's books, but I have read several. I can think of a couple that push the boundaries (but not the chastity boundaries--her characters are always chaste, or duly suffer the consequences afterwards), but these books also have some potentially uplifting material as well. So I don't know. If anyone knows which Stansfield books are off the shelves, I (and perhaps others on the List) might be able to tell y'all what's in them... - --Katie Parker - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2003 11:15:31 -0800 From: "jana" Subject: [AML] Dew Interview Questions RE: [irr-ed] Theme issuesHi folks: I'm putting together questions for an interview with Sheri Dew that will = run in the Spring issue of Irreantum. I'd love to have the input on the = questions we will ask Sheri.... Here are some from Chris Bigelow that you could use as a springboard for = your ideas: Did the whole Richard Paul Evans media frenzy blindside you? After all, = Evans was the one who broke the story, not Deseret. Tell us more about = what it was like to handle that crisis. Judging by Deseret Book's new = "What matters to you matters to us" ad campaign, a lot of thought and = planning went into how to handle this. What about doing more cooperative publishing with national companies, as = Jana Riess discusses? What would be your advice to LDS authors aiming for publication with = Deseret Book post-Evans? Deseret Book seems to be backing off publishing fiction again. What's = your current attitude about fiction? Margaret Young told AML-List that the third volume in her black pioneer = trilogy Standing on the Promises was accepted by Deseret Book's = editorial board "far more easily than I had anticipated." She continued: = "Every member of the board, I'm told, said this was the hardest book of = the set, yet we didn't have to fight AT ALL to keep the book from = getting sugar coated. Apparently, we had some advocates who insisted, = No, that controversial matter or quote needs to stay. This is history." = What's your response to this characterization of Deseret, and what does = it say about future projects? And also some from Jonathan Langford: * Who makes the decisions about whether a particular book violates core = LDS values? How are those decisions made? * Does DB have a statement of what "core LDS values" are, against which literary works are judged? (If so, please share it.) * What if there's disagreement over whether a particular book violates = core LDS values? Will more weight typically be given to those who feel that = it does violate core values, or those who believe it does not? In other words, which side of the fence is favored? * Many members of the LDS literary community have expressed concern = about DB's new policy, in particular because of DB's strong cultural = authority. The fear has been expressed that DB's sales list will come to be seen (unofficially) as defining what literature faithful LDS ought to be reading. Do you see this as a danger? If not, why not? * Can you think of examples of books that would not be sold at DB, based = on the new policy, but that you personally have found worthwhile to read? = (or: but that you think could be valuable for members of the Church to = read?). Can you share some examples? Thanks!, Jana Remy - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2003 12:43:13 -0700 From: Lynette Jones Subject: Re: [AML] Clay MCCONKIE, _The Ten Lost Tribes_ (Review) Susan wrote: >airplanes being the highway. Is there perhaps a more advanced way that is already called a highway that crosses the ocean already and is already gathering the people of all tribes, preparing them through family history for the gospel? Perhaps they surf an ocean upon a dry highway call ... the internet? Lynette Jones - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2003 13:15:56 -0600 From: Linda Adams Subject: Re: [AML] R-Rated Movies At 12:05 PM 1/15/03, you wrote: >The first presidency >had to correct this reinterpretation by sending out yet another letter saying >that wasn't necessary. Have we lost our ability to think? >Lisa Turner Does anyone have a copy of that letter, or know where I can find it? I'm curious to read it. Linda Linda Adams adamszoo@sprintmail.com http://home.sprintmail.com/~adamszoo/linda - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2003 13:55:55 -0700 From: margaret young Subject: [AML] [Fwd: Darius Gray and Dorothy Anderson Honored] Note from Margaret Young: Nobody deserves this more than Darius Gray. I hope you aml listers will also look for a KUED broadcast of a program called "The Two Jaspers", which tells of a terrible hate crime in Texas from two perspectives--one filmed by a black camera crew and the other by a white one. Darius and a Jewish man were asked to serve as panelists in discussing the film before and after its showing. Also, those of you who live near Provo, Monday night (Jan. 20) is BYU's "Walk of Life", which celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. day. We meet at the Bell Tower (just north of campus) to light candles and begin the march at 5:30 p.m. [MOD: Oops--sorry this didn't get out in time. My bad.] - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 16:42:38 -0800 From: Jeff Needle Subject: [AML] Robert MARCUM, _The Return_ (Review) Review ====== Title: The Return -- House of Israel, Volume 1 Author: Robert Marcum Publisher: Covenant Communications Inc. Year Published: 2002 Number of Pages: 434 Binding: Hardback ISBN: 1-59156-067-5 Price: $22.95 Reviewed by Jeffrey Needle "The Return" is the first of a projected series by Robert Marcum treating the period immediately following World War II. It takes place initially in Europe, as the Allies have defeated Hitler's armies and are now liberating the camps where Jews and others had been imprisoned and exterminated. Hannah Gruen is one of several women recuperating in a hospital for survivors of the war. As with many who lived through the horrors of the camps, Hannah is withdrawn and shy, not much interested in anything beyond mere survival. She is surrounded by other women equally withdrawn. That is, until Hannah is visited by Max Herzog, a friend from her youth and a window of hope for the future. Max and Hannah agree that he will visit often. Accompanying Max on a subsequent visit is Ephraim Daniels, an American soldier and member of the Mormon church. Hannah is smitten with Ephraim, and Ephraim is clearly taken with Hannah. But could such a relationship work? Hannah is devoutly Jewish; Ephraim is a member of some strange religious group. Ephraim leaves a copy of the Book of Mormon for Hannah to read. And thus begins Hannah's journey toward spiritual rebirth. Throughout the story, Hannah continues to read, and contemplate, the message of the Book of Mormon. Circumstances cause the women in the hospital to leave on rather short notice. They vow they will go to Palestine, despite the many circumstances that would make this difficult. But Hannah, awakened from her stupor by her love for Ephraim, proves to be a hardy soul, and through her, the other women come alive and join Hannah in her journey toward Palestine. They encounter many obstacles, of course, including a realization that hatred of Jews, and Nazism itself, is very much alive in Germany. But a spirit of determination keeps them going. Writing books about the Holocaust and its aftermath is always a tricky business. Having grown up among Holocaust survivors, I early became aware that telling the story is more than just a recitation of facts. The immensity of the offense against humanity can hardly be imagined. Marcum tries to capture some of this, and is, to a degree, successful. Through the nightmares of Hannah and her friends, and the ruined innocence of a group of children for whom they assume responsibility, we see evil lived out but never quite destroyed. It's a frightening picture. The Holocaust stands as one of the darkest episodes of human history. But "The Return" tells another story, a story of the permanency of love, the ability of faith to triumph over adversity. It shows how the human spirit can gain victory over the strongest challenge. As much as I enjoyed the story, I thought Marcum lost his way in several places. Happily, he eventually found his way back, but the diversions were a distraction. A good book can be affected by lapses in authorial judgment. Here are some examples. Early in the story, Ephraim has been to visit Hannah in the hospital several times. Clearly a relationship is developing. But note how Marcum portrays Hannah's reaction to Ephraim's leaving: His eyes smiled as he looked into her dark eyes, and she wanted him to take her in his arms and hold her, wanting him to make everything bad in her life disappear like the mist of a fall morning hit by the sun. But, in the same instant, she knew she must step away. Two different worlds, two different directions. She turned and started for the apartment door. She felt his hand touch hers, hold her fingertips, felt the fire shoot through her, the passion, felt the ache melt her heart. It was all she could do to keep going, her fingers slipping from his, the connection broken. (p. 89-90) Now, quite aside from my sense that this is just bad writing, almost boilerplate Harlequin fluff, it makes one wonder how Ephraim, a Christian and, in Hannah's mind, at least partially responsible for the Holocaust, could suddenly turn into some hormone-boiling Prince Charming. I just didn't buy it. Happily, this was the only time Marcum went over the top on *this* topic. Later in the book (p. 326 ff), he has Hannah saying things that sound just like she's been a Mormon forever, when she hasn't yet made a decision to join the Church. Perhaps such writing is considered necessary to appeal to a certain audience. I found it distracting, and it detracted from the credibility of the book. Marcum misses a beat here and there. Page 154 has Hannah eating "sausage." Beef? Not likely, given the shortage of beef and the abundance of pork in Germany. On page 298, a group of Jews is eating ham. No comment about why this was considered acceptable. Later, on page 308, when an even larger group, mostly Jewish, is again eating ham, Marcum finally explains that they set aside the Kosher laws while food was so scarce. I thought Marcum should have clarified this early on. And then there's this: She [Rachel, one of the women who accompanied Hannah] stared at the book [The Book of Mormon] without really seeing it, her mind filled with the memories of being beaten by guards and shunned by Jews while waiting for her Church to come and rescue them; the sight of her mother praying to Christ and saints for relief that never came...(p. 329) Lutherans praying to saints? This was news to me. And finally, the book is plagued with typos and grammatical errors. The most common -- "aide" for "aid." I stopped counting how many times the word was misspelled. And the grammar problems -- for example, on page 40: "...kept my sister and I alive..." I know I'll sound like a broken record, but please, get an editor! And get someone to check that your quotation marks are balanced. Open quotes that never end can cause a bump in the road. These are such simple matters, I often wonder why they aren't addressed as a matter of course. All of these objections do not, in the end, detract seriously from the storyline. Readers will find themselves genuinely caring about Hannah and her friends, about the children who enter the story and need Hannah's capacity for caring. There are plenty of "bad guys" in this story, and they aren't just the Nazis. Marcum is careful to bring out the failings of all the parties, offering the reader a helpful overview of American and British involvement in the end of the war and the eventual resettlement of those left homeless by the devastation. Young people will benefit from this book. To so many, World War II is essentially ancient history. Marcum brings the period alive, reminding us of the dangers of complacency and the need for vigilance in our dealings with our fellow human beings. Be prepared for some vivid scenes, some fairly brutal. Be prepared to strongly dislike some of the characters. Marcum does a good job drawing his characters. And even when they are placed in situations that stretch credulity, you still care about them. I plan to read the next volume in the series. I sincerely hope Marcum will remedy some of the problems encountered in the first book. There's a real story to be told here. Bravo to Robert Marcum for bringing the period to life, reminding us that even in midst of ultimate evil, good survives. - ---------------- Jeff Needle jeff.needle@general.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #947 ******************************