The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise by Pico Iyer

The Half Known Life is a slim book with so much between its covers. In some respects it is a travelogue and in others a look into the theology and philosophy that men seek to understand. Iyer was born in Oxford England and has lived in San Francisco and Japan. This book recounts his travels to Iran, North Korea, Northern Ireland, Kashmir, and Sri Lanka. He seeks to discover what Paradise means to the inhabitants of those places in addition to himself.


Central to the book is Iyer's relationship to the Dalai Lama with whom he has been friends for over 40 years. As he has traveled the world with the Dalai Lama, he has become accustomed to the people who search out paradise here on Earth and beyond. In response to that, however, the answer lies more in the experiences on Earth rather than theoretical explanations of eternal life.

Traveling from place to place is illustrative of the human condition where people struggle for a meaningful existence, especially in the midst of chaos and violence. Although Iyer is not a Buddhist, he tends to look at the calmness that is central to that religion and suggests that a reliance on it will provide a quiet that leads to introspection.


He comes to the conclusion "I decided that I would no longer seek out holy places in [a] city of temples I would just let life come to me in all its happy confusion and find the holiness in that.”

Iyers conveys a sense of peace, wanderlust and even some strife as he travels to all the places. It was a book that I probably would not have picked up except that he will be speaking on 29 September 2024. I am anxious to hear him. I do wish that there had been a map within the book that detailed his journeys. 

Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures - 30 September 2024

Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures - 30 September 2024

 

I'll Push You by Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck

An incredible account of a journey shared by two men, Patrick and Justin, who had been boyhood friends. Justin had seen a Rick Steves program on the Carmino Santiago, a pilgrimage route of 500 miles in Spain. It leads to the Cathedral at Campostella where it is said that the bones of the Apostle James are buried. Justin was intrigued and decided that he would like to embark on this journey. There was one issue that proved daunting. Justin had been diagnosed with a neurological disease a number of years earlier that left him without use of his arms or legs. He would have to do the journey in a wheel chair. He asked his Patrick if he would accompany him and he agreed. 

The two planned the trip - ordering a specially made chair for Justin and getting the blessings of their wives and children. The book is a diary of that journey with some flashbacks to the history of their friendship and lives. It was eye-opening to read of their struggles and joys as they hiked the trails, many of which were just rocky paths. They met many other pilgrims along the way who helped them and became friends. 

It was an interesting book, but I wished that it had been more descriptive of the towns along the way. However, it was more devoted to faith, belief and the Christian way. There is a documentary that was produced from the videography that was taken on the journey. It further emphasized the ruggedness of the trails and the tribulations that were encountered. 

A quick read for those who may want to bolster their belief in the human spirit.   

Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce

Miss Benson's Beetle is a curious novel with some very serious themes. It was chosen as the June selection for the book club and met with mixed reviews at the book discussion. Moments of sheer humor and joy were countered with the tragedy of loss and despair. 

As a young child Margery Benson was fascinated as her father shared with her a book on beetles. She was intrigued by the Golden Beetle of New Caledonia, which no one had been able to find. Fast forward 30 years and she is a frumpy spinster domestic science teacher at a private school. She had lost her brothers to World War I, her father to suicide after he learned of their deaths. At that point she was raised by her mother and two aunts, who in 1950, the time of the novel, had all passed away. After an incident in one of her classes where she intercepted a student's note calling her "Virgin Margery." she decides to take matters into her hands and set off in search of the Golden Beetle. She posts an ad for someone to accompany her on the journey and expedition. After meeting the responders, she dismisses them, especially a Mr. Mundic, a former POW, who seems to have some serious issues probably from suffering from PTSD.  In the end she decided on a woman, Enid Pretty, who could not spell and whom she never met. 

The two women begin their journey in a comedic and nearly unbelievable way from the train station outside London to the ocean liner, Orion, to Brisbane and then New Caledonia. It is then on to the quest for the Golden Beetle, referenced by Darwin, but never found by him or other scientists. From the very beginning there is something extremely suspicious about Enid Pretty who is quite protective of a red valise with the initials N.C. on it. Through sea sickness, lost luggage, missing equipment, eels, cyclones, and a spiteful consulate's wife, the two persevere and become better friends than either could have imagined. Enter Mr. Mundic into the equation and the situation becomes more suspenseful and traumatic. 

In the end, the reader is impressed by the growth and resilience of the two women as they survive in the jungles of New Caledonia. The women realize early on that they are on their own and do not owe anything to men, a truly feminist theme throughout. Margery does not want to be that woman who waits hand over foot on men. She is feeling her own worth, as many women started to do in the post-war years. She had a dream and she meant to fulfill it at all costs. Rachel Joyce gives Margery Benson the fortitude to be a "woman who is ready for adventure. I’m not here because I am someone's wife or sister. I am here because this is what I want, and now I have a place for my work." With the strength of writing and development of each of the main characters' personalities, it is not likely that a reader will forget Margery and Enid, almost as a movie goer will not forget Thelma and Louise.