The Book Of Samson
David Maine
Read May 2008
Copy borrowed from Ramsey County Public Library, White Bear Lake branch
Essay written Saturnday, June 7th, 2008
Wow. I haven't yet decided if I enjoyed this more or less than The Preservationist by the same author. Or the same as. Both were extraordinary. He brings an amazing sense of astonishment and normalcy to these legendary Biblical tales.
What can be said about Samson? I've puzzled over this since I heard a comment on public radio one time a year ago. The comment was along the lines of: Samson was a suicide bomber without a bomb. He killed thousands of his religious enemies simply because they were his enemies. God told him to do it, so he did. How is that different than what is going on in our world today, where violent sects of Islam encourage the destruction of their enemies for the glory of Allah?
I asked my wife, who is no scholar, but a simple Christian woman. She said the difference is God gave Samson the power to do the remarkable things he did. The suicide bombers have to resort to technology. Well, that was more or less the point she made, although I gussied up the sentiment with more eloquent words here.
Who is right? I don't know. Either was this was a great book, a wonderful thought provoker, an engaging tale, a creative undertaking. I didn't think a whole book without a single comma was possible, but here it is. It made the tone perfect. This is how Samson would write.
My sister-in-law is trying to begin reading more books, and I very much so want to recommend some books to her. Books are my bread and butter. And as much as I really enjoyed The Book Of Samson, I'm not sure she's ready for it. There's a lot of stuff I read that I don't think she'd be ready for. But it's hard, nay, impossible, to make a good recommendation to another person, because there's no telling what will click and what will not. You have to know an awful lot about the recommendee before you can have any degree of success. I don't think I know her that well.
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