The Talented Miss Highsmith

WP's review of the book differs widely from that of the NY Times and its pre-review, so much so that I thought I was reading about two different biographies.

I look for more meat on the review plate and read the LA Times.

The Woman Who Named God

Poet and scholar, Charlotte Gordon, undoubtedly did massive research to bring, "The Woman Who Named God," to print. With so little narrative in the Old Testament about Hagar, one is left more with interpretation than fact. However, conjuncture about the role of Hagar to Abram (Abraham) and Sarai (Sarah), and later to Islam, couldn't come at a better historical cross-roads as Islam, Christianity and Judaism all continue to spar for their special place as God's Chosen.

One could postulate or fantasize about how the Middle East would have been a different landscape, with other issues, if Hagar and Ismael had remained with Abram and Sarai, or conversely, how Islam might have never emerged if Abram had followed his first instruction's from Yahweh.

It appears more women are entering the biblical writing arena, each exploring either other female biblical figures like Gordon, or exploring biblical implications, like Elaine Pagels and Karen Armstrong. Each bring a unique vision to what has been traditionally the purview of men. I welcome their perspective and applaud their academic resourcefulness.

The last of the three movies I rented and saw as Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore's documentary or docudrama, can't recall how this is classified.

A bitter disappointment to this New Yorker. I probably should have read reviews before, or listened more or less closely to those who saw the film. While it started out exactly as I had imagined, it quickly turned to an anti-war tirade and one that didn't seem to hold together thematically.

While a strong anti-War activist (loud-mouth) something about Moore's presentation seemed like a chunk of undigested food in a bad tooth--it hurt.

I'll say no more.

Rating: 6