Interdisciplinary Book and Film Reviews

  Assessing Spirituality & Religiosity: A Handbook Beliefs, Practices, Values, & Experiences The Assessment of Spirituality and Religiosity is a handbook for clinicians and researchers who explore this importance dimension of self-identity. More than 7 billion people express their spirituality as members of one of the world’s great religions. In recent decades, the assessment of religiosity and spirituality has filled journals with informative studies. This handbook aims to provide clinicians and researchers with a way to organize hundreds of these instruments. Reviews There are very, very few psychologists I admire as much as my long-time friend, Geoff Sutton. I emphasize long-time because I’ve had the opportunity to know Geoff and learn from him for almost 50 years. He’s a person of deep faith, psychotherapist, teacher, and independent scholar par excellence.  Assessing Spirituality & Religiosity: A Handbook , Geoff’s latest work, is near the pinnacle of his...

  The Miracle of Dunkirk is a gripping tale of the well-known rescue of British and French troops from the French town of Dunkirk who were pushed to the beaches by the powerful advance of Hitler’s blitzkrieg in May 1940. Unable to retreat any farther, the Allied soldiers set up defense positions and prayed for deliverance. Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered an evacuation on May 26, expecting to save no more than a handful of his men. But Britain did not let its soldiers down. Hundreds of fishing boats, pleasure yachts, and commercial vessels streamed into the Channel to back up the Royal Navy. Between May 26 and June 4, 1940, a stunned and joyful nation welcomed about 198,000 British and 140,000 French and Belgian troops. The film was impressive but this highly readable narrative by Walter Lord offers a glimpse into the minds of the ordinary young men and the odds they faced as they hoped to survive long enough to traverse dangerous waters. I recommend The Miracle of D...

  State of Terror   is a political thriller. The star is the Secretary of State Ellen Adams. Ellen was the head of a leading newspaper before running against the newly elected President, Doug Williams. He appointed her as Secretary of State but for nefarious motives, which add to the unfolding drama. We are soon captivated by a series of tragic world events that evoke fear amongst world leaders along with distrust. But these crises appear to be a prelude to a major catastrophe. To make matters worse, no one knows what might happen next or who they can trust. This page-turner takes us around the world to discover the evil network and their intentions. Can Ellen and her team prevent an earth-shattering threat to America’s survival?    The story is well-written and well-edited. The characters appear authentic as they deal with personal challenges, family struggles, and the cutthroat culture at the highest level of government. It’s the kind of story that would make a...

  A Child Without a Shadow: A Story of Resilience The story is  a memoir of the life of Shaul Harel. He was a Jewish boy named Charlie Hilsberg. As a child in 1930s Belgium he enjoyed a brief early experience with a loving and closely knit family until the Nazi invasion robbed him of his parents and an older brother and robbed them of their lives. Shaul survived. The shadow he lost was his early identity along with early memories of what happened in those early years as he was moved from home to home by caring Belgians who risked their lives to save so many Jewish children. Following the war, we learn of a different kind of survival. Shaul goes to Israel where he gets an education but adapting to the new culture is not easy.   Eventually Shaul is able to connect with other family members and other  hidden children .    We learn of his fierce loyalty to his new country and strong desire to become a physician. His drive to survive appears to motivate...

  Doubting Brian Faith After Doubt: Why Your Beliefs Stopped Working and What to Do About It By   Brian D. McLaren Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton Faith After Doubt reads like a spiritual memoir and, no doubt, many will find Brain’s ideas helpful. He writes well, and judging by various reviews online, he has met the needs of a lot of followers. For young thoughtful Christians doubt can be an unwelcome guest who stays too long and keeps returning as if doubt were oblivious to the not so subtle rejection of a hostile host. McLaren embraces doubt as a catalyst to spiritual growth. His welcoming attitude toward doubt may help those struggling to close the door. Some readers appear to have appreciated his four-stages of faith, which are frequently referred to in the book. Here’s a quick look. 1. Simplicity- Christians accept the simple faith they have been taught and many remain in that stage their entire life. 2. Complexity- Christians are learning abo...

  Shadows of the Workhouse By    By    Jennifer Worth Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton Yesterday I finished reading the vivid tale, Shadows of the Workhouse by Jennifer Worth. Jennifer tells the heart wrenching stories of the denizens inhabiting the pest-infected slums of the Isle of Dogs. It’s these colourful East Enders who spent early years in London’s workhouses who tell their tales as they live out their lives in the shadows of the workhouse. Although it seemed the workhouses were originally meant to provide basic sustenance for the poor and unemployed, the harsh discipline and separation of family members meant that these poor Londoners were stripped of the nurturance that comes from human warmth found in a mother’s arms or the familiar voice of a brother or sister. One boy found employment, set up his own business, and rescued his younger sister from their workhouse, but learned his mother, who was shunted off to another location, had died. One ...

Call The Midwife   A True Story of the East End    in the 1950s By    Jennifer Worth Reviewed by   Geoffrey Sutton / suttong.com I read Call the Midwife because I liked the TV show, and my wife recommended the book. I’m a child of 1950s London and grew up with stories from the old days.  Both of my parents are from large London families who survived both World Wars in the city. They lived in small 19 th century dwellings and other relatives lived in multi-storey tenements built in the 1800s.  So, for me, reading this tragic tale is a sort of time travel. I’m from Islington and though I’ve walked the streets of Poplar, experienced the blinding London smog, and wandered about the docklands on the Isle of Dogs, I did not realise the extent of the poverty in the 1950s.   I also appreciated the snapshot of history—the time it took to repair bombed out London. What a difference birth control has made! How many opportunities are now open to ...