Bill Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 First off, Hello! I am new, I am Bill and this looks like a lovely place to be posting. I am searching for a book to benefit a friend of mine and was wondering if somebody here could help me out. The friend is English, female and aged eighteen. She has had a somewhat awkward upbringing, receiving abuse from her mother and from the age of six, her father removed from her life (divorce). Her main interests are philosophy, ethics and religion and also teaching. I realise this is a long shot in the dark, but can anyone think of a book which entails as many of these themes and which is also presented in fiction? She feels a little lost and can't really relate to many people about how she feels. Do you think a book could help her? Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 Hi Bill, and welcome to the forum. I'm afraid I can't think of any books that combine all those themes off the top of my head, but I shall have a think about it and see if I can come up with anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 Hello Bill welcome to the forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 Hi and welcome Which themes? Her life experiences and her interests? Or just her interests? In the meantime how about the diary of Anne Frank. Anne is a Jew and reflects on her faith through the midst of the crisis she faces as well as talking frankly about her experience of adolescence under very difficult circumstances. She is an inspirational figure IMO and her writing is very intelligent, touching on many of the themes you mention. Hope that helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 Welcome Bill! Sorry I don't have any suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ii Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 Welcome to the forum! That sounds like a difficult book to find, off the top of our heads like this at least. However, I'm sure we'll all keep our eyes open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Child.of.God.1989 Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 Hi there, Bill! You seem like you'll fit in wonderfully. The friend is English, female and aged eighteen. She has had a somewhat awkward upbringing, receiving abuse from her mother and from the age of six, her father removed from her life (divorce). I'm sorry about the things your friend has gone through. I am her age, and I can only vaguely imagine the heartache I'd feel if I went through the same things she did. Having someone there for her must be the best thing! Her main interests are philosophy, ethics and religion and also teaching. I realise this is a long shot in the dark, but can anyone think of a book which entails as many of these themes and which is also presented in fiction? She feels a little lost and can't really relate to many people about how she feels. Do you think a book could help her? Bill Maybe at least one of these will do the trick. First I'll do a condensed list. My descriptions will follow. - The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis with The Keys to the Chronicles: Unlocking the Symbols of Narnia by Marvin D. Hinten - The Lord of the Rings series with Walking with Frodo by Sarah Arthur - Blankets by Craig Thompson - Seinlanguage by Jerry Seinfeld - Running the Race: A Graduate's Guide to Life by R.C. Sproul - So What's the Difference? by Fritz Ridenour - Thr33 by Ted Dekker - Nightmare Academy by Frank Peretti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteffieB Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 I think three books come to mind right away for me, and I'm not sure they're perfect for your purposes, but for some reason you've caused me to ponder on them -- She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb, who is just excellent at getting into the mind of a teenager, and a girl at that. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, a brilliant writer who makes you think from another point of view in Nazi Germany. The Center of Everything, by Laura Moriarty, about a teenage girl in the middle of Kansas who has a lot on her plate. When it comes to ethics, I loved Complications, by Atul Gawande, who is amazing, but it's a medical book written by a surgeon here at Harvard (not sure it's what you're looking for). And for philosophy, that's just a tough one, period. What about Sophie's World, by Jostein Gaarder? It's an oldie, but a goody!! You should be able to find all of these on Amazon:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ii Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 And for philosophy, that's just a tough one, period. What about Sophie's World, by Jostein Gaarder? It's an oldie, but a goody!! Sophie's World is a really good one for entertaining read on philosophy, but personally I think it is, especially if the book is your first contact to philosophical thinking, more about asking questions, than providing answers. And if I got it right from Bill, answers would be nice. I'd suggest Tolstoy's Anna Karenina for the philosophical/ethical/religious thought, but the whole jumping-under-a-train -ending of Anna together with the no-matter-what-that-still-seemed-like-the-best-idea -logic behind it might not be the best thing to read about for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Child.of.God.1989 Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 Okay, here are the descriptions to aid your decision. - The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis with The Keys to the Chronicles: Unlocking the Symbols of Narnia by Marvin D. Hinten This is a classic series with a companion book looking at the philosophy behind it. I thought her teaching side would come into play since it's a children's series, and her ethics side would also be satisfied since there are such good heroes in it. Maybe you're talking about the discussion of ethics, though... - The Lord of the Rings series with Walking with Frodo by Sarah Arthur (Same reason I chose the first two, although Lord of the Rings isn't really for young children:mrgreen:. I really liked the commentary book, even though I've only read The Hobbit and watched the other three.) - Blankets by Craig Thompson I found this one from our Graphic Novels and Comics thread. You should check it out; there's a link to look at the first few pages! It hooked me. Blankets is a story written by a popular comics artist about falling in love and parental abuse. - Seinlanguage by Jerry Seinfeld Just a bit of lighthearted reading. She might like Seinfeld's observational comedy. It's his popular comedy bits from the early 1990s set to paper. - Running the Race: A Graduate's Guide to Life by R.C. Sproul There is some good stuff about philosophy in here, based on the fact that going into college and the world (like I will, and she probably will) will present lots of new ideas. - So What's the Difference? by Fritz Ridenour Compares Christianity with world religions - Thr33 by Ted Dekker Thr33 is a fast-paced thriller - I read it in three days, only because I made myself eat meals and help around the house! Interesting look at what would happen when someone gets confused about human nature and morality. - Nightmare Academy by Frank Peretti This "horror" (more like suspense-y-thriller-y) writer targeted this book for teens. She'll be intersted by the way the minor characters are sucked into a destructive form of moral relativism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted December 19, 2007 Author Share Posted December 19, 2007 Wow!!! So many responses, this place is great! I am sorry I haven't got back to anyone of you until now, Christmas has been rather hectic. But seriously... thank you so much for all these suggestions! I am going to do some research Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted December 19, 2007 Author Share Posted December 19, 2007 Okay, here are the descriptions to aid your decision. - The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis with The Keys to the Chronicles: Unlocking the Symbols of Narnia by Marvin D. Hinten This is a classic series with a companion book looking at the philosophy behind it. I thought her teaching side would come into play since it's a children's series, and her ethics side would also be satisfied since there are such good heroes in it. Maybe you're talking about the discussion of ethics, though... - The Lord of the Rings series with Walking with Frodo by Sarah Arthur (Same reason I chose the first two, although Lord of the Rings isn't really for young children:mrgreen:. I really liked the commentary book, even though I've only read The Hobbit and watched the other three.) - Blankets by Craig Thompson I found this one from our Graphic Novels and Comics thread. You should check it out; there's a link to look at the first few pages! It hooked me. Blankets is a story written by a popular comics artist about falling in love and parental abuse. - Seinlanguage by Jerry Seinfeld Just a bit of lighthearted reading. She might like Seinfeld's observational comedy. It's his popular comedy bits from the early 1990s set to paper. - Running the Race: A Graduate's Guide to Life by R.C. Sproul There is some good stuff about philosophy in here, based on the fact that going into college and the world (like I will, and she probably will) will present lots of new ideas. - So What's the Difference? by Fritz Ridenour Compares Christianity with world religions - Thr33 by Ted Dekker Thr33 is a fast-paced thriller - I read it in three days, only because I made myself eat meals and help around the house! Interesting look at what would happen when someone gets confused about human nature and morality. - Nightmare Academy by Frank Peretti This "horror" (more like suspense-y-thriller-y) writer targeted this book for teens. She'll be intersted by the way the minor characters are sucked into a destructive form of moral relativism. They all sound good, I'm going to go up my local Waterstones and see what they have. I wouldn't mind the Chronicles of Narnia, I have them on VHS Sophie's World is a really good one for entertaining read on philosophy, but personally I think it is, especially if the book is your first contact to philosophical thinking, more about asking questions, than providing answers. And if I got it right from Bill, answers would be nice. I'd suggest Tolstoy's Anna Karenina for the philosophical/ethical/religious thought, but the whole jumping-under-a-train -ending of Anna together with the no-matter-what-that-still-seemed-like-the-best-idea -logic behind it might not be the best thing to read about for her. We recently read Sophie's World together, it is a great book, mostly for my benefit. Anna Karenina looks interesting. I'll try have a read and get back to you. Thanks I think three books come to mind right away for me, and I'm not sure they're perfect for your purposes, but for some reason you've caused me to ponder on them -- She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb, who is just excellent at getting into the mind of a teenager, and a girl at that. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, a brilliant writer who makes you think from another point of view in Nazi Germany. The Center of Everything, by Laura Moriarty, about a teenage girl in the middle of Kansas who has a lot on her plate. When it comes to ethics, I loved Complications, by Atul Gawande, who is amazing, but it's a medical book written by a surgeon here at Harvard (not sure it's what you're looking for). And for philosophy, that's just a tough one, period. What about Sophie's World, by Jostein Gaarder? It's an oldie, but a goody!! You should be able to find all of these on Amazon:) Thanks, it does take a lot or something special to actually been seen and taken in by my friend so maybe She's Come Undone would help. Again, I need to find some of these in the stores and have a quick read. Hi and welcome Which themes? Her life experiences and her interests? Or just her interests? In the meantime how about the diary of Anne Frank. Anne is a Jew and reflects on her faith through the midst of the crisis she faces as well as talking frankly about her experience of adolescence under very difficult circumstances. She is an inspirational figure IMO and her writing is very intelligent, touching on many of the themes you mention. Hope that helps I remember studying this in school, hehe. I may just loan a cop from the library and accidently leave it at her house;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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