Crime and Punishment

Title: Crime and Punishment

Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky

Pages: 542

Genre: Russian Classic

Grade: B

Synopsis: Originally published in 1866, the story is about the law-student Raskolnikov who devises a theory about how great men may sometimes be above the law as the benefits they provide to society far outweigh any of their misdeeds. Raskolnikov, who is very poor, murders an old pawnbroker and her kinder sister. The remainder of the book focuses on the penetrating psychological analysis that Raskolnikov undertakes to try and clear his conscience.

My Review: While not exactly a page-turner, the book turns out to be a fascinating look inside the head of the young criminal. The entire story is extremely believable as we follow Raskonikov as he interacts with his family, friends and the police investigators. Can we ever find redemption of our own missteps through personal suffering?

From the Book: "(p. 288) We always imagine eternity as something beyond our conception, something vast, vast! But why must it be vast? Instead of all that, what if it's one little room, like a bath house in the country, black and grimy and spiders in every corner. and that's all eternity is? I sometimes fancy it like that."

"(p. 327) "That is all about the raising of Lazarus," she whispered severely and abruptly, and turning away she stood motionless, not daring to raise her eyes to him. She still trembled feverishly. The candle-end was flickering out in the battered candle-stick, dimly lighting up the poverty-stricken room the murderer and the harlot who had so strangely been reading together the eternal book. Five minutes or more passed."

To the Rescue

Title: To the Rescue - The Biography of Thomas S. Monson

Author: Heidi S. Swinton

Pages: 588

Genre: Biography

Grade: A-

Synopsis: President Monson is the President and Prophet of the 14 million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He grew up in Salt Lake City and was called to serve as Bishop of the ward he grew up in his early 20s. Before he was called as an apostle at 36, he had served in a Stake Presidency and as a mission president in Toronto, Canada. For almost the last 50-years he has served as a Special Witness of Jesus Christ, traveling the world uplifting the Saints, dedicating lands and temples and extending callings. President Monson played a critical role in the Church gaining permission to build a temple in East Germany, behind the Iron Curtain, where the communist government still generally rejected all religion.

My Review: This biography was very well-written in a way that exemplified the life of President Monson. The book is a collection of stories, many of which focus on the individual in need and the ways that President Monson has spent his life in the service of each and every one of us. The book was spiritually uplifting, motivating and instilled a desire for me to be a better person. I have no doubt that President Monson was prepared to lead the Lord's Church in this day of age. As always, it was a special treat to hear President Monson speak at conference the last couple of days.

From the Book: "(p. 473) At the Veracruz Mexico Temple dedication six weeks later, he spoke of the temple helping the members there. "We all have certain talents, and the Lord knows what they are," he said. "We all have limitations and the Lord knows what they are. Whatever our limitations may be, the Lord said this: 'Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,' [Matthew 5:48.] He would not give us commandments we could not fulfill. We can become perfect in our love of God. We can become perfect in our love of our fellow men. We can become perfect in the payment of our tithing. We can become perfect in living the Word of Wisdom. We can become perfect in our home teaching. In other words, all of those degrees of perfection are within our reach... We know what we must do."

Rachel & Leah

Title: Rachel & Leah

Author: Orson Scott Card

Pages: 9 discs

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Rachel and her tender-eyed older sister Leah are the daughters of Lord Laban, brother of Rebecca (who married Isaac, the son of Abraham). Rachel dreams of meeting a man at a well as a young teenager. He kisses her and asks Laban if he may serve 7 years for her hand in marriage. The young man was Jacob, the brother of Esau. For those who recall the story from Genesis, Jacob becomes the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, but the situation surrounding his marriage makes a great story.

My Review: Orson Scott Card is an author that has churned out books at an amazing pace throughout his career. Everything from fantasy (Ender's Game), thrillers (The Abyss), to religious based (Sarah, Rachel & Leah). Amazingly, his books based on the Women of Genesis are just as good as his more well-known other books. As very-little information is given in the Bible about the specifics of the relationships between Rachel and Leah and their handmaidens Zilpah and Bilhah, Card must use his imagination to fill in the gaps. He weaves a story that is very believable and structured around the specifics given in the Bible. I was very disappointed that the story ended right at Jacob's wedding, but the author's epilogue indicated that the book would have to be completed in a trilogy and not one book as he had originally planned. Unfortunately, that was 5 years ago and he has not yet completed the next book and Card had a stroke a few months ago that may or may not inhibit his ability to complete the series at all.

A Clockwork Orange

Title: A Clockwork Orange

Author: Anthony Burgess

Pages: 6 discs

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The book takes place sometime in the future when sadistic gangs of youth roam the streets raping, and beating people mercilessly. Alex is a 15-year-old teenager in one of these gangs who loves ultraviolence and Beethoven before becoming a special project of the state where they attempt to brainwash him against this violence.

My Review: The whole first cd of this book I had no clue what was going on. Half of the slovos (words) of the book are gibberish words that actually happen to be English-ized Russian words (which meant that I could understand them - if you could make it through the ridiculous declension and pronunciation). Once I was able to wrap my head around the strange text, I found that I really enjoyed the book. It was a strange, unexpected and uniquely written story that really got you thinking about the powers that the government holds - much like Orwell's 1984.

Disclaimer: While the language is generally clean, rape, beatings and even murder is explained using slang and gibberish words.

Don't Throw Rocks at His Window

Title: Don't Throw Rocks at His Window: Real Advice to Mend a Broken Heart

Author: Julie C. Donaldson

Pages: 97

Genre: Young Adult, Religion

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Broken hearts are a crucial part of growing up. This book is chock-full of advice and stories to help teenagers deal with their broken hearts and to rely on the Savior for support and strength.

My Review: Full disclosure - This book was written by a friend in our ward and the cover design was done by a neighbor from when I was growing up. Obviously I'm not in the target audience for the book, but I found that I quite enjoyed the book. The personal experiences were relevant and funny and the advice (if followed) would certainly help mend a newly dumped (or broken-up) ex-girlfriend's heart. If I ever find myself having to comfort a young lady in this circumstance, this book would make a great gift.