We Have a Book Title!
Sharing my book title and quick thoughts on The Green Knight
Friends, it’s been a minute.
This newsletter thing will be in your inbox on the regular going forward because *insert trap drum roll* my book manuscript is officially submitted!
It feels so good to type those words. I’m thrilled, excited, nervous, proud, grateful, and so on. The editorial process is next, but the initial heavy lifting is complete.
I now have a bit more energy to point in this direction. Thanks for being patient with me. Let me know if there’s anything you’d like to see me cover here.
As a tangible thank you for sharing your sacred inbox space with me, I want to share the title of my forthcoming book with Brazos:
Reading Black Books: How African-American Literature Can Make Our Faith More Whole and Just
In the book, I discuss the theological themes in ten classic Af-Am works and how these texts can push us to sharper theological thinking and more faithful living.
Think close reading meets theological reflection to make us better readers and better disciples. For non-religious and/or spiritually curious readers, I think the book will be a stimulating exploration of important texts and an interesting look at the coherence of the Christian faith.
I can’t wait to share more about the book in the coming weeks and months. I’m especially hyped about the cover. Targeted release is Summer 2022.
Heroism & Virtue in The Green Knight
I recently made my return to the Think Christian podcast to discuss The Green Knight, the new A24 film, with the one and only Josh Larsen.
The film is a re-telling on the Arthurian story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, so naturally virtue and honor feature prominently. Even with that expectation, I was struck by the exploration of virtue in terms of physical restraint vs. excess, and the fascinating distinction between goodness (internal character) and greatness (public prestige).
It’s an eerie, dream-like film that demands you simply go along for the journey with Gawain, so don’t try to make sense of everything until the end. Consequently, it’s a film that demands discussion afterward, so plan on that if you decide to see it. Or hit me up and share your thoughts. Note that Gawain is a brothel patron and there are a few decapitation moments (a few is too much for me), but as a meditation on virtue and honor, I found The Green Knight deeply fascinating.
Books To Consider
In a continued effort to luxuriate in the goodness of books and free us all from the confines of “a book budget,” here are some recommendations worth a look.
Ronald Rohlheiser, Domestic Monastery (2019)
Parenting is akin to a monastic vocation because the principle at the heart of raising humans and being in a monastery is shared. Both demand a withdrawal from the world and an entrance into a form of desert life for contemplation and transformation. Parenting is therefore sacred, saintly work. I think parents can find some refreshment and encouragement from this artful little book and its monastic paradigm.
Ruth Haley Barton, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership (2018)
Surely at this point it is obvious that so many of the national and ecclesial crises all around us are due to a failure of leadership. Not in simply terms of leadership competence, but character (and leadership culture). Barton’s work speaks directly to the character problem for spiritual leaders by exploring what happens when leaders lose their soul and how to keep it and be a whole and soulful leader. Be prepared to highlight most of the book.
Richard Wright, The Man Who Lived Underground (2021)
Wright’s newly restored novel, originally written in 1942, has finally seen the light of day. The story follows Fred Daniels, an ordinary churchgoing Black man, who is beaten and falsely accused of murder by the police and turns to life in the underground. Police brutality is central to the story but Wright uses that injustice to reach for much deeper and troubling ideas. A shorter version of the story appeared in his collection Eight Men (1961). This is one of the novels I cover in my book, in case that’s extra reading incentive.
Thanks for reading. I’ll back this month with more.
Claude