Saturday, February 27, 2010

Blankets by Craig Thompson

Blankets is a graphic novel by Craig Thompson that is marketed to young adults and is in the Young Adult section of our library, but I decided not to put this review on the Young Adult Book Reviews blog, because I do not think it is really appropriate for teens. It is about a young man who grew up in a fundamental Christian home and how he dealt with worldly influences and personal decisions. It is a well-written story, and I found that I could identify with much of what the protagonist was going through. Unfortunately, he ultimately made the wrong decision, but every individual must decide for himself/herself, so it is a very real story. I would say the reader must use great discretion because the book is perhaps too real in places (i.e., there are some drawings of naked people), but it does address some good things to think about, so I thought it was still a valuable read. I was 29 when I read it, and I don’t think I would have been ready for it when I was any younger, so be warned. However, be careful not to dismiss everything because of certain elements you find inappropriate. In other words, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Young people, let your parents censor what you read, because they are your parents!

Review by David Dunkerton

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Heroes 2.1.10 "The Wall"

I've been a fan of Heroes ever since the show began a few years ago. I don't like it as much as Smallville or Chuck, but it's about people with superpowers, so how could I ignore that? I liked how Pastor Trent Kirkland introduced his overview of Revelation on Sunday with comments about why people like superheroes. Whether it's the Greek gods or the Justice League, people like imagining heroes who are kind of like them, but more powerful. Superheroes are flawed individuals, and even though they defeat the supervillains one day, the supervillains always come back to pose another threat. From the beginning people have tried to make God into their own image, but God is Holy, without fault and totally different from us. Jesus is the only Hero who will completely and finally defeat the enemy, and that is what Revelation is about.
Last night's episode of Heroes, "The Wall," stood out to me as having a great message. Peter had gotten a glimpse of a future in which Sylar, a super-powered killer who had murdered Peter's brother Nathan, had a part in saving thousands of people. The story itself is complicated, but Peter and Sylar were trapped in Sylar's mind and couldn't get out. There was a brick wall that they knew they needed to break through, but no matter how many times they hit it with sledgehammers, nothing happened. Through this we see that Sylar had repented and didn't want to be a killer anymore, but Peter felt he could not forgive him for killing his brother. In time Peter admitted that Sylar was no longer a killer, and it was implied that he had forgiven him. The next time Peter hit that wall it started to break apart! That was a clear message that it was his unforgiving spirit that kept him trapped, but after he forgave Sylar the wall was broken.