Greg Van Eekhout. Cog. Harper, 2019.

If you are fan of Gordon Korman, as we are, you will get a kick out of Cog. The main character, such as “he” is, of Cog is Cog, a cognitive development robot made to resemble a twelve-year-old boy. He tells the story.

Cog is programmed to learn from observation and experience. He is told that humans learn from experience, and often learn the most from bad experiences. The humor of Cog can be summed up by what he repeats in various ways:

Together we will exercise poor judgment and have bad experiences and learn things. (51)

And that is just what they do…

“They” are Cog and four other robotic entities manufactured by the uniMIND Corporation. There are Proto, the dog robot; Trashbot, the programmable and mobile janitor and trash compactor; Car, the self-driving automobile; and ADA, the weaponized military robot whose name could stand for a number of different things such as Advanced Destructive Apparatus or Assault Deployment Array.

This is indeed a robotic buddy tale for young adults. Yes, they do exercise poor judgment and have bad experiences. But there are bad guys, too, especially Nathan, the uniMIND scientist who is trying to duplicate Cog’s cognitive abilities for questionable purposes.

Cog’s creator, Gina, who is a kind of mother figure or mentor for Cog, has been transferred to a secret uniMIND facility to do Nathan’s bidding or else. That operation is isolated, literally, on an island in Lake Erie. The five robot friends have to cross the country from California to Ohio—so, yes, this tale has a road trip/Odyssey component as well. The Fellowship of the Trashbot perhaps?

How can they get enough biofuel (i.e., food) or gasoline to make the trip when they only have sixty-three cents among them?

After one of his learning experiences, Cog says: “I wish learning would stop now.” (16)

It doesn’t. And readers will not stop, either—that is, they won’t stop either reading or laughing.

Fruit to Harvest. Edited by Gene Daniels et al. William Carey P, 2019.

Fruit to Harvest goes along with two other books we have reviewed recently: Bhojpuri Breakthrough and 24:14. This contains powerful testimonies and examples of how God is using ordinary “nameless” people to bring the Gospel to many unreached and “unengaged” people in the second and third world.

The book’s purpose is to share with the first world church what is working. As with the Bhojpuri revival, the most effective ministry is performed by people in the same or proximate people group. The late Bob Finley and K. P. Yohannan promoted this idea for years. Yes, there is definitely a place for workers who move longer distances, either because they can provide physical support or a needed expertise or because they also have connections. Each chapter is an article or essay written by different men and women writing from experience.

Perhaps most striking is that these modern Christian workers usually have a regular occupation and do not generally imitate a Western church model. For example, a group filmed a life of Jesus film with Jesus sitting in a circle sharing his teaching in discussions with His disciples. This actually is likely the way many teachings from the Gospels happened, rather than Jesus proclaiming or declaiming the way He is often shown by Hollywood and the West. This is the way, after all, many cultures study their scriptures, so this portrayal is something many audiences instinctively understand.

Even filming Jesus to look more Middle Eastern or Asian helps audiences connect. Years ago, Christians in India made a film of the life of Jesus using professional actors from that country. None of the actors were Christians at the time, but in a few years most of them had come to the Lord because of the character they saw portrayed in the film.

This reviewer found chapters 13 and 17 most fascinating. Chapter thirteen was written by two men who have ministered to refugees in Africa. A lot of what they share could be applied to ministries that share with refugees from the Muslim world in other places as well. I believe some of the things they share are already being used elsewhere.

Chapter 17 helps Western readers understand the role of shame and honor in most Muslim cultures. I believe much of this could be applied to other Asian shame-based cultures as well. When Adam and Eve fell, there were three immediate responses: they were afraid, they were ashamed, and they felt guilty. Now in the Western culture imbued with Greek philosophy and Roman law, the emphasis has been on guilt. The Gospel deals with that, yes, but that means little to a group culture based on shame.

However, the Gospel also does deal with the question of shame. Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves, just as most people would today out of embarrassment. They were ashamed—prior to their sin we are told they were naked but not ashamed. They, too, were kicked out of God’s garden the way that a shamed person is humiliated and shunned. Chapter 17 shares some dramatic examples that illustrate shaming and how the Gospel can “clothe” people in God’s righteousness. A Biblical example is the woman at the well in John 4. She was shamed by the people in her town, but Jesus restored her.

This reviewer notes that a third kind of culture that Western missionaries have had more success in penetrating are the fear-based cultures. Most animistic and totemic cultures are like that. They are aware of the spiritual dimension of life and are trying to placate demanding spirits. The Gospel demonstrates God’s greater power through Jesus and peace with God through faith (see Romans 5:1).

There is much else here. Again, the Western church can learn a lot from this. Yes, we can perhaps learn how to share better with visitors and immigrants who come from these cultures. Perhaps we can also rethink how we go about with our witness to others even in our own setting. Are we meeting their felt needs? Are Western churches putting on a show more than sharing?

Years ago, I recall listening to a tape shared by a men’s discipleship group I have attended for years saying that the spiritual army God would be raising up would be a nameless and faceless army. Paul criticizes the early Corinthian church for noting personalities:

Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” (I Corinthians 1:12)

Many of our brothers and sisters in modest home meetings just look to Jesus and His Word. Please do not misunderstand me, men like Jonathan Edwards and Billy Graham had very fruitful lives, and we are thankful for their legacy in North America. But much of God’s work is done literally on the streets where, like the memorial to the unknown soldiers, their names are known only to God.

Among wealthy Muslims such as many in Arabia and Persian Gulf, third-world Christians come for work, often service jobs that the local people will not do. These “dhimmis” are sometimes not treated much better than slaves, but they can have an effective witness. We are reminded of the slave girl who told the general Namaan about the prophet Elisha. That high-ranking gentile official would come to worship God through her modest advice. Such servants are truly nameless.

There is much more, of course. And the illustrations are very striking. Their wavy, impressionistic effect reminds me of the promise that “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9) Even so, keep coming, Lord Jesus (see Revelation 22:20).

Jim Mathis and Louise Mathis. The Fourth Quarter. Mathis, 2018.

The Fourth Quarter is a tract or essay that could provide some background for people thinking of retiring. It is a light and easy read. The title comes from the idea that the last quarter of a person’s life refers to the senior years.

Using some basic examples, The Fourth Quarter presents or suggests questions people need to ask themselves. Do I keep working? Do I make a new career? Do I retire for leisure? Do I retire for service? Do I move or stay where I am? These are good questions the authors ask from observation and experience.

This is not the book if one is looking for specifics, for example, about Social Security, Medicare, annuities, insurance, and similar considerations. While finances play into decisions about the golden years, this is more about the readers’ motivation and challenging the reader to aim for the “life well lived” (quoting Aristotle).

As is often sadly true of self-published works, this does have a few typographical errors, but nothing that would interfere with understanding.

24:14—A Testimony to All Peoples. Ed. Dave Coles and Stan Parks. 24:14, 2019.

24:14—A Testimony to All Peoples is a collection of nearly fifty brief notes, descriptions, or essays describing a way (if not the way) the Holy Spirit is causing His church to multiply. The term the book uses is CPM or church planting movement.

This contains various testimonies and analyses of church growth, especially in Africa and Asia and other parts of the 40-20 Window (from 40° N. to 20° S. latitude). Some are anonymous or do not even name the country described for security reasons. The focus is on Matthew 24:14—That the end of the the present age and Christ’s return will not happen until everyone in the world knows about the Gospel. Even if Jesus did not explicitly say so, it is only the fair way to judge the earth.

We have noted this verse in other books describing coming revivals and God’s plan for the end times. As in these books, there is little speculation about Israel or world powers, but there is much about successful attempts to spread the Gospel.

Most of the church planting comes from native people in the same or similar culture they are ministering to. We reviewed in some detail the CPM in Northeast India in Bhojpuri Breakthrough. These things are happening in many other places in the world as well.

24:14—A Testimony to All Peoples is compiled partly for a Western audience. In a few places outsiders might be able to give some financial or material support. But more than that, it may be that we in the West can learn from our third world brothers and sisters. As one chapter suggests, “Passion for God, Compassion for People.” One writer said, “This is a battle for the souls of people.” No, it is not a physical war between nations or political alliances, but a spiritual conflict for the minds and wills of precious people. (See II Corinthians 10:3-5)

It seems that most of the “cultured despisers” of religion (to use Schliermacher’s term) are indifferent, but God’s kingdom continues to grow. As Isaiah 9:7 says, “Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end,” or as G. K. Chesterton put it in The Everlasting Man:

At least five times, therefore, with the Arian and the Albigensian, with the Humanist sceptic, after Voltaire and after Darwin, the Faith has to all appearance gone to the dogs. In each of these five cases it was the dog that died.

Jesus rules!

Jack Stern. Ending Back Pain. Avery, 2014.

Ending Back Pain was written for everyone struggling with lower back pain. This book is thorough. At the same time, it reminds us there may not be easy answers.

Unlike pain in other parts of the body, lower back pain can be hard to diagnose. Even if we know exactly that a certain injury caused the pain, solutions may be hard to find. The pain that does not come from an injury might be caused by sciatica, by discs, or maybe even a kidney.

Because I am not a medical professional, there are things in Ending Back Pain I am not qualified to judge. The book, however, is written for the layperson and there a couple of things that make this book stand out.

First, the author is an experienced back surgeon. He tells many stories about people with sore backs. He also warns that many times surgery does not help. Many times diagnoses, even if correct, do not tell the whole story. For example, even when a bad disc shows up on an x-ray, disc surgery may not solve the problem of the pain.

Second, Dr. Stern detail many things the patient should do to become his own advocate, or the advocate of a friend or relative. Ask questions. Try less complicated solutions first. Because back pain can affect our ability to work or to do things we used to do, there may be a psychological element—not the the pain is merely “in your head,” but that frustration or chronic pain can be depressing.

This book describes in everyday language most of the likely causes of back pain. It discusses various therapies, surgeries, and medications. Dr. Stern expressed skepticism over a few techniques, but he notes that even exotic techniques work for some people. His overall perspective could be summed up by “Whatever works.” The challenge is finding that “whatever.”

He also shares some helpful exercises that can help relieve back pain and strengthen the core muscles.

I have been pretty fortunate. Dr. Stern notes that most back problems, especially those caused by injuries or strains, heal or resolve themselves after about six week. I am no longer especially young, but my experience has been similar. However, I have a friend who is contemplating back surgery. She is unsure about it because of the invasive nature of the surgery. I will be passing this book onto her. Any reader in a position like hers should get this book and read it. It is honest, not sanguine. It provides encouragement but does not promise miracles. It is the real deal.

David Rosenfelt. Dachshund Through the Snow. St. Martin’s, 2019.

David Rosenfelt has developed a cottage industry writing lawyer stories with titles suggesting dogs and Christmas. Dachshund Through the Snow is the twentieth in the series featuring lawyer Andy Carpenter. His wife Laurie is a retired police detective. Carpenter inherited a lot of money so he does not have to work for a living, but he takes cases that appeal to him.

Laurie, meanwhile, loves Christmas and begins her countdown to Christmas November 1 and keeps the decorations up and Christmas music playing till February 1. The first person narrator, though, is Andy, who seems to enjoy the holidays mostly because of the sports on TV. In other words, the actual celebration of the holiday is peripheral to the story. So are dogs, but not entirely so.

The story begins with a moving dog story. A K-9 cop is retiring and wants his dog companion to retire also because of arthritis, something typical of older German Shepherds. Department policy says that Simon the Shepherd has another year to go, which could be bad for his health and shorten his life. Andy goes to court on behalf of the cop to retire Simon and take him home.

The main story involves a curious twist from the usual news stories we hear these days. Three years ago I heard the testimony of a man who spent eighteen years in prison for a crime he did not commit. He was exonerated when a DNA test proved he was not the rapist. He admits, though, he was in the area doing a drug deal, so he was not exactly innocent of a crime. In recent years we have heard many such stories. There are even a couple of foundations specializing in doing DNA tests on older evidence that will sometimes set prisoners free.

In Dachshund Through the Snow, an apparently innocent man is suddenly arrested for a fourteen-year-old murder because a online genealogy DNA test came close to matching DNA found at the site of the murder. His skin was even found under the fingernails of the female victim. Both he and the victim were teens at the time.

It is an open and shut case for the prosecution until Carpenter realizes that he is being followed. Soon after he discovers this, the two men following him are murdered. This case which at first seemed to be teenage tryst gone wrong ends up involving someone wanted by Interpol in multiple countries. What is going on? And why?

Though the title may be a little misleading because it has little to do with Christmas or dachshunds, this novel has a very clever plot. The story telling is funny; some of the humor is at the expense of the New York Giants. (What can I say? It came out this year.) But the crime is serious, and it reminds us that those who are good at what they do, like Attorney Carpenter, have to have good people working for them.

Alexander McCall Smith. To the Land of Long Lost Friends. Pantheon, 2019. No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.

We are big fans of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency stories. To the Land of Long Lost Friends is the twentieth in the series. If you are reading this novel for the mystery, this book is weaker than most of the others. This is not the book to read to be introduced to the series. The main characters of Precious, Grace, and Charlie are well established in previous books in this series. Having said that, if you already know the characters, you will enjoy the tale.

Precious Ramotswe does a favor for a friend—a long lost friend. Her partner in the agency Grace Makutsi is doing a follow-up for a case they have already solved. Their assistant detective Charlie is getting really involved with his girlfriend Queenie-Queenie whose family is very wealthy. Charlie, on the other hand, only owns two sets of clothes.

Precious runs into an old friend she thought was late, i.e. deceased. It turns out that the newspapers misidentified her as the victim of a car accident. Her friend asks her to help to find out why her adult daughter has nothing to do with her any more. Her daughter works at a diamond exchange, drives a fancy car, and apparently has two houses. Although diamond exchanges are strictly regulated, some criminals have in the past skimmed money or stolen diamonds from such places.

Previously the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency was hired by a woman who was suspicious that her husband was seeing another woman. It turned out that he was taking an evening tutoring session in mathematics. Although this seems to settle the matter, Grace keeps nosing around because she wonders why a man would not tell his wife about going back to school.

Charlie and Queenie-Queenie have fallen for each other, but it will take years before he can afford her bride price. Her body-builder brother Hercules offers Charlie some part time work to help him out, but it sounds illegal. Should Charlie take the offer? Does that mean that Queenie-Queenie’s father’s fortune was gained by criminal actions?

As always, there are some satisfying endings with this story, and, as always, we see the author’s delight in people and in the continent of Africa.

Richard Phillips and Stephen Talty. A Captain’s Duty. Harper, 2010.

Richard Phillips captained the Maersk Alabama, the American flag container ship hijacked by Somali pirates ten years ago. This is his story. It is a good one that, thankfully, had a happy ending—well. except for the pirates.

Phillips was truly able to do what the title suggests, his captain’s duty. He willingly gave himself up for the safety of his cargo and crew. Unlike traditional pirates of bygone eras, the pirates operating out of the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula are not interested in looting. They take ships and crewmen or passengers as hostages for ransom. Some shipping companies have forked over millions of dollars at a time. The four heavily armed pirates that climbed aboard the Maersk Alabama thought they had hit the jackpot: a ship owned by rich Americans. They could get millions!

Phillips tells how his pirate drills actually worked. Most of his crew were never discovered by the pirates. He willingly surrendered to the hijackers as a hostage to let his ship go. He was taken by the four intruders onto one of the Maersk Alabama‘s lifeboats, trussed up for most of five days while the U. S. Navy tracked him and eventually freed him.

The lifeboats on this modern merchant ship are not like the open rowboats of the Titanic movie. They are covered power boats capable of rolling over and righting themselves. Much of the time Captain Phillips could very little outside because he was tied up in a sheltered space on the lifeboat. And the Indian Ocean near the Equator in April is very hot.

Phillips’ strategy ultimately worked. He was uncomfortable and could not move most of the time. He was occasionally struck in anger but never tortured. The raiders wanted to keep him alive for the ransom. Experience had shown that when the ransom was paid, hostages and ships were freed. Their plan was to get the hundred miles or so back to Somalia and disappear until the ransom was paid and the prisoner released.

For Phillips the most difficult part of the captivity was the way the leader of the pirate band tried to convince Phillips that he worked for the U. S. Navy and this was part of a training exercise. At times Phillips half believed him. The pirate leader seemed to know the Somali translator the Navy was using to speak to him, and he even carried a U. S. Navy pistol.

A Captain’s Duty also tells about how Mrs. Phillips, his family, and his neighbors coped. He lives in rural Vermont, not far from Mt. Mansfield, the highest peak in the state. (Coincidentally in the same town where the crime in The Double Bind takes place.) For a week, though, the house was surrounded by the media. One well-known reporter acted surprised when Mrs. Phillips told him all the reporters were a nuisance. Imagine that!

We also read a little of the Phillips family’s faith. They had rediscovered their Catholic faith a few years before. Now both Captain and Mrs. Phillips knew that many people were praying for them. It is no coincidence that Captain Phillips was released on Easter morning—Resurrection Day!

We learn the positive part that President Obama played in this drama. After all, he was trying to withdraw American troops and influence out of the Middle East. It became clear, too, that the Navy and especially the SEALs knew what they were doing. Somali pirates have learned to steer clear of American vessels.

Although the ships, lifeboats, and methods of the pirates were different from the days of Blackbeard and Captain Kidd, one thing about the lives of pirates noted in Matthew West’s The Pirates has remained the same. Their careers were were short and usually ended in death.

Jack Alexander. The God Guarantee. Baker, 2017.

I am thankful that I read this book. I have to confess that there was not much new to me in it, but I needed to be reminded of the things the book shares.

The God Guarantee is subtitled Finding Freedom from the Fear of Not Having Enough. This book addresses that problem. For this reviewer, it brought me back to my first love (see Revelation 2:4), so to speak. I felt I knew these things and tried to live out these things when I was younger. I have never forgotten them, but perhaps I am not embracing them the way I once did. The very last two pages have the header “A Lifetime Journey.” That is it. Like many other things in life, as our journey continues we may need to be reminded of things we had learned before.

The author notes that the fear of not having enough could be material or it could be emotional. The point is very simple—he breaks down things into four parts which he relates to many Bible teachings but focuses on Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand.

The first thing is capacity. God has the capacity to do things. We trust Him with what He gives us, and He can do more for us. So in the miraculous feeding, the boy gave his lunch to Jesus. He had something to give. He had the capacity to give it. God had the capacity to increase what the boy started with.

Second is consecration. The boy gave the lunch to the Lord and the Lord, in turn, prayed over it and blessed it. It was given for God’s purposes and to help others.

Third come the challenges. We are fighting temptation and doubt. Even the disciples did not think there was enough to work with. Some had seen the wine miracle at Cana (John 2:1-11), but that was a while ago. Jesus told the disciples how to seat the people and how to distribute the loaves and fish. They needed order to handle such a crowd, and Jesus’ disciples, though questioning, did what he asked them to do. They had to take action, too.

Finally, there is community. Jesus used the disciples to help. He used what the boy contributed. So we are called to be part of a community of God, to serve, to give, and to share God’s blessings.

This encourages us to trust the Lord, to give generously, and to be part of a Christian community—both for help and to help others. It sounds like the Christian life.

N.B. The God Guarantee has a little quiz to tell us how well we participate in each of these four things. However, the web page that is supposed to evaluate the reader’s answers has been taken down. That was a minor disappointment.

Richard Russo. Empire Falls. 2001; Knopf, 2010.

I picked up Empire Falls because I read somewhere that it had a connection with The Great Gatsby. Well, it does contain the famous quotation about “boats against the current,” from that novel—other than that, no so much.

Having said that, Russo does suggest as Fitzgerald did elsewhere that “the very rich… are different from you and me.” Perhaps they were. If anything, Russo suggests that they are less different now than they used to be.

We see most of the story through the eyes of Miles Roby. Miles is a native of Empire Falls, Maine. Like most industrial towns in New England, it had peaked about a hundred years before. The Empire Textile mills prospered for a long time, and then gradually lost business and eventually closed. The Whiting family, the owners of the business, are still well off and control much of the town’s real estate, including the Empire Grill. Miles has worked in the grill since he dropped out of college to support his family and now manages it.

Now in his forties, Miles’ wife is leaving him for a sexier man who calls himself the Silver Fox. Miles’ teenage daughter Tick struggles to negotiate both the administration and social pecking order at the Empire Falls High School. Sociologists have said that a woman who is living with a man not her husband and who has a daughter has put her daughter in danger. While we never are privy to any details, Tick (given name Christina) most assiduously avoids Walt Comeau, the Silver Fox.

Fitzgerald in his novels implies that the rich are able to get away with things that “you and I” cannot. In Empire Falls, set in the nineties, the amorality has flowed down the social ladder, and it has consequences. We see plenty of irony—some sad, some funny, some simply saying “I told you so.” No one seems to really succeed in this town. It is all anyone can do to stay afloat. (Also because it is set in the nineties, baseball fans here look at the Red Sox as a fatalistically as they view anything else in life.)

To Miles, there is a place of escape and freedom—Martha’s Vineyard. He has successful college friends whom he visits there every year, but the Massachusetts resort island would be too expensive to move to. As the story progresses, we understand that the Vineyard is a refuge but maybe an Eden with its own species of serpent.

Nearly everyone in Empire Falls seems to be unlucky in marriage. Miles’ wife divorces him, but it turns out that Walt Comeau has a lot to hide. Miles, in turn, has carried a crush on Charlene, a waitress at the grill who has been married and divorced four times herself. And, in turn, Cindy Whiting, daughter and heiress to whatever us left of the Whiting fortune, has carried a torch for Miles most of her life. She and Miles were born on the same day—she sees them as kind of soul mates—though now she shaves a few years off her age when she talks to people. Cindy is a paraplegic, having been run over by a car when she was a child.

There is a lot of low-key, real-life drama in the story. It builds. The characters come alive. Having lived in New England most of my adult life, I can vouch at least for the economic struggles in many small towns and cities with abandoned mills. By the time the tale ends, we have become invested in the town ourselves.

Because it is a small town that people move out of but not into, everyone knows everyone else. Even matriarch Mrs. Whiting knows about Miles’s crush on Charlene as well as the details of his parents’ relationship. His father is an alcoholic and a ne’er-do-well who survives by mooching, Social Security, and doing house painting of marginal quality. Miles’ father believes the Robys are a branch of the Robideauxs, a wealthy family from upriver. Mrs. Whiting was a Robideaux. It was not uncommon for French Canadian families in New England to anglicize their names, but to Miles, his father’s assertion is mere wishful thinking and a personal rationalization saying, “I am as good as they are.”

Mrs. Whiting is the eminence grise of the story. As owner of the grill, she keeps Miles under her thumb. When he was a boy Miles’ late mother lost her job at the mill when it closed. She began working as a kind of aide to Mrs. Whiting and Cindy. Mr. Whiting had moved to Mexico where he lived for years with a second wife and family, returning to Empire Falls only to die by suicide shortly after arriving.

The one person of character is Miles’ mother, Grace Roby. Others are often flawed and not really that likeable. The crooked cop Jimmy Minty and Miles have been at odds most of their lives. His son Zach Minty is the on-again off-again boyfriend of Tick. Tick does pretty much see things as they are but sees little hope out of her situation. She becomes friendly with Candace who lives in the poorest part of town. The high school principal, an old friend of her father’s, compels her to attend during a free period to John Voss, a strange, solitary kid who rarely talks.

All these characters, plus a few more like the two priests at the local Catholic Church, come together in Miles’ life to a rising climax. The final image might recall “boats against the current,” but it is really a lot closer to the final frames of Dr. Strangelove.

Mr. Whiting had tried to change the flow of the river that goes through the town so that debris from upriver does not wash onto his property. In doing so, he has business dealings with the Robideaux family, and that is how he met his wife. The river becomes a symbol. There are things in life, like the course of rivers, that people only have so much control over. The rest is left to “time and chance,” which happen to us all (see Ecclesiastes 9:11).

Though never fast-paced until the end, there are many surprises that keep us reading. So much so, the reader might hope for a sequel. There is a note of hope for both Miles and Tick at the end, but can either of them rise above their circumstances?