Joe Leaphorn, retired, solves a cold case

Tony Hillerman. The Fallen Man (1996) A skeleton found high up a nearly unclimbable mesa closes a missing persons case, but loose threads prompt a search for a truth that’s inconvenient for many people. One group retains Joe Leaphorn, now retired and a “civilian”, to investigate. A murder and an attempted murder complicate matters, the resolution raises the issue of law versus justice, and throughout the Navajo desire to restore harmony controls both Leaphorn’s attitude and our understanding of the story. Jim Chee, now acting lieutenant, has relationship problems, and must mentor a new recruit who is all gung-ho to catch a cattle rustler.
    
The parts make a satisfying whole that’s more than their sum. The narrative pace is relaxed, but relentless. Hillerman is careful and fair with the clues. We discover new information at the same pace as Leaphorn and Chee. For me, the Four Corners became real not only as a desert landscape, but as a community. Navajo culture is attractive. ****

Latest Monty Python Skit: Brexit: Britain 'will not be aligning with EU rules' - Raab

The UK will not be aligning itself with EU rules, according to Dominic Raab.

It's become impossible to satirise the delusions of the Brexiteers. You just can't make this stuff up.

Update Wednesday, 5th February 2020: Here's a link to The Toronto Star's Michael de Adder. (Published Monday, Feb 20.) I think it captures the delusions of the Brexiteers perfectly.

Happiness? Maybe.

     Lapham’s Quarterly XII/3: Happiness. ... is over-rated, makes life worth living, is a side effect, can’t be caught when you pursue it, surprises you, and requires sorrow.
As always, a good collection. ****

Sending Children into Safety? Maybe not. Evacuees during World War 2

     Ben Wicks.  No Time to Say Goodbye (1988) In 1939, Ben Wicks was sent into the country when the UK authorities worried about the expected bombing of London and other major cities. Reading about WW2, he noticed that there was little available about his and other children’s experience. So he put out a few adverts asking for reports of personal experience. He received hundreds of letters. This book is the result of sorting, editing, and selecting from them. Many people welcomed the chance to tell their stories, many told those stories for the first time ever, all were changed, for better or for worse, by being uprooted and having to cope with being strangers among strangers. Most had a relatively good experience, but some suffered physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. One referred to a sister whom she never saw again after being separated from her.
      Read the book. If you’re of a certain age, you will be reminded of your own experiences, whether or not you were an evacuee. If you didn’t live through that time, the book may help you understand why your parents and other older relatives are the way they are. The war changed us all, one way or another. ****

Canadian Quotes

Lisa Wojna. Bathroom Book of Canadian Quotes. (2005) Well done collection of quotes, organised by theme and subject. An author index would have been helpful. A few samples:
     Speak up, gentlemen. I’m not opposed to male participants in government. (Charlotte Whitton, mayor of Ottawa)
     Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you a car. (Laurence J. Peter, educator)
     Why don’t you all go back where you came from? We own this land; we’re your landlords. And the rent is due. (Kahn-Tineta Horn, Mohawk)
     We need spring. We need it desperately, and, usually, we need it before God is willing to give it to us. (Peter Gzowski, radio host)
     A proof is a proof. What kind of a proof? It’s a proof. And when you have a good proof, it’s because it’s proven. (Jean Chretien, Prime Minister)
     Diaper spelled backwards spells repaid. Think about it. (Marshall McLuhan, Professor of English)
    A keeper. ****
   

Murderous Christmases

Cynthia Manson, ed. Merry Murder (1994) A collection of crime fictions set in Christmastime, an example of a book constructed for a specified market. I enjoyed it. Several selections are classics worth re-reading (eg, Doyle’s “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle”), but most were new to me (e.g., Boucher’s “Mystery for Christmas”). I bought the book many years ago as a possible Christmas gift, and finally arranged to receive it myself. Worth the wait. **½ to ****

A rational Faith: Tom Harpur's Would You Believe?

     Tom Harpur. Would You Believe? “Finding God without Losing Your Mind” (1996) Harpur suffered a crisis of faith when he realised that a literalist theology doesn’t work. He eventually developed a mystical belief in a loving God that created this universe and has used evolution to create humankind, which will evolve a cosmic consciousness of some kind. That is the best I can do in interpreting this wide-ranging and frequently muddled account of Harpur’s journey towards and justification for a rational faith.
     Like many theists who harbour or began with a literalist theology, he wants scientific support for his beliefs. This desire in part explains his misunderstanding of evolution and other sciences. He refers to the symbolisms and metaphors of the sacred texts, but he stops short of asserting that symbolism and metaphor is the only possible language for the kinds of meaning that religions provide. “Whereof one cannot speak, one must be silent”, said Wittgenstein. Metaphor is an attempt to break the silence. It will always be personal and limited. But it’s all we have to assuage our hunger for meaning and purpose.
    Harpur’s intends his book to help those who’ve jettisoned religionism and literalism. It’s easy to read. But for many readers, it will be a temporary resting place on the journey. I suspect that Harpur saw it that way himself, but the tone of certainty bothers me. **½