In Episode 3 of the podcast on cultivating creative compassion, I referenced two books that I sort of loved, but also sort of didn't. Here are the book reviews that didn't fit into the episode, with both my reserved cons and enthusiastic pros.
This is the first prose book written by the late Irish poet and philosopher John O'Donohue, offering inspiration on living a satisfying and spiritually or ethically grounded life. It was a huge bestseller when it was published in the '90s and continues to be beloved today—a special 25th anniversary edition just came out last year.
Reserved cons!
Calling this text "a book of Celtic wisdom" is sort of like if I subtitled my podcast "a collection of American values." Technically correct, since I'm American and I mention my values, but somewhat false advertising. While some Irish stories and mythological themes are mentioned in passing in Anam Cara, O'Donohue references Hegel and Meister Eckhardt far more than he does Irish culture (present-day or historical).
O'Donohue often refers to universal life experiences that are... not universal. Sometimes this just makes his point feel oversimplified, but at other times it's a more serious stumble. As one example, there are multiple sections about taking inspiration from the senses that 1) overtly assume all his readers are able-bodied, and then 2) use sensory disabilities as cliché metaphors for ignoring the deeper aspects of your life (yikes).
Continuing the issue of whose experiences get to be called universal: The book quotes dozens of philosophers, writers, and mystics, and the vast majority are white men. I counted fewer than five women or people of color—a major oversight since the book doesn't actually focus on historical Celtic sources.
Anam Cara speaks a lot about the beauty and wisdom of landscapes and animals, but it also often displays a very anthropocentric view of nature. This unacknowledged contraditcion/tension may be grating for some.
Enthusiastic pros!
O'Donohue was a poet, and there's some really lovely and evocative language in this book. The passage I quote in the episode is a good taste of his style—poetic and inspiring without becoming too opaque for prose writing. Here's another excerpt: "The world rests in the night. Trees, mountains, fields, and faces are released from the prison of shape and the burden of exposure. Each thing creeps back into its own nature within the shelter of the dark."
Since he was a writer, much of his philosophy is very applicable to the creative process, even when the topic at hand seems unrelated on the surface.
Each larger chapter is structured into brief sections that can either stand alone or be read as a whole. This makes the book really well-suited to both in-depth reading and shorter daily reflections (and for coming back to the bits that speak to you for quick shots of inspiration).
tl;dr: There are a lot of evocative nuggets to take away from this book, as long as you go in expecting that for each thing you want to take away, there's likely gonna be something else you don't.
Another prose debut from a poet, Sophie Strand's essay collection explores ways to rework stale narratives and identities to adapt to a changing world. It's a multi-faceted look at the cultural tropes underlying modern masculinity, with an eye to unearthing deeper and older themes that could form the basis of healthier, "more magical modes of the masculine."
Reserved cons!
Strand draws from a lot of disciplines in her work—ecology, anthropology, literary criticism, mythological studies. This is very cool... except that she ocassionally references theories that aren't considered factually sound among scholars specializing in those fields. One example is referring to a pan-European, pre-classical matriarchal society, which is not a theory supported by current anthropological research.
The essays in this book were originally written as online posts, and I think they're an awkward length for a print collection. Most are slightly too long and dense to be pithy, but too short to fully unpack the concepts Strand references. In a blog post, I'm expecting a highlights version. In a book, I want the writer to take advantage of the space to show their full thought process (and to reference/quote their sources more expansively).
Enthusiastic pros!
The positive side of Strand's multidiciplinary approach is that she draws some really interesting and unexpected connections—the kind of creative thinking that gets you inspired to think about your own work and life in fresh, interconnected, and generative ways.
Like O'Donohue, Strand is also a poet with a real knack for bringing her poetic sensibility into her prose style without it turning into word soup. Here's a taste: "The imperative in the Anthropocene is not to long for our own happy ending but to try, day after day, in small ways, to give that joyful rescue to someone else. It's not about saving the world. This is the eagle swoop of radical interrelatedness."
Although the book is about cultural constructions of masulinity, Strand's proposed philosophy in this book is relevant to people of any gender. If you're interested in how mythology and narrative shape society, this is written for you, regardless of your own identity.
tl;dr: Come to this book for an inspiring vision of how reimagining our narratives about gender can open up new ways of relating to the world—but be prepared to do your own research on Strand's scholarly sources.
Hope these quick reviews were helpful! Head back to the episode show notes for more resources and your monthly writing praxis tips.