Books That Make Me Think

One of my cousins is a so-called "dumpster" baby. She was left to die, but someone found her and my aunt adopted her, giving her a good life. This is fairly common in India, but I wouldn't expect that here, in such a prosperous country. Yet, all too often, I have read the news of a baby found in the dumpster. So I know it happens.

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AFTER by Amy Efaw weaves a story around a girl, Devon, who does just that. It explores what happens when the new mother is facing charges of attempted murder. It shows Devon's understanding about what she has done as well. This book has been written with tremendous grace. The ending is magnificent.

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The author's note cites a few statistics. One baby is abandoned to a trash can every day in the United States. And the CDC has concluded that "the homicide rate on the first day of life was at least 10 times greater than the rate during any other time of life." There is something disturbing when the CDC makes a statement like this. It implies that life happens when you are born. Not so, folks. Life begins at conception. A new human being is formed and the nine months that the baby is in the womb, he or she is very much alive. Infanticide has been going on throughout history. Even sanctioned in some cultures. But never in the millions. The abortion rate, although falling, is roughly over a million per year in this country. Sanctioned by society. This is the world we live in today. Something to think about.

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Choices by Deborah Lynn Jacobs is a fantastic book about multiple universes. Each time you make a choice, the universe splits. I have been fascinated with this idea for a long time and the author weaves a story about two people who both have the ability to shift between these parallel universes. It's about making choices and realizing that they have consequences. I'm reading another book by her, Powers, that gives plenty of food for thought.

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I thought I had read most of the Grimm's Fairy Tales. But I missed the one that Shannon Hale's Book of a Thousand Days is based on. It's a magnificent story cast in the central Asian steppes. I'm looking forward to reading the original tale this is based on.

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I'm also going through The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. Only a chapter per day. This book has probably given me the most food for thought besides the Bible.

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