From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #555 Reply-To: aml-list Sender: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk aml-list-digest Thursday, December 27 2001 Volume 01 : Number 555 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2001 03:51:35 -0500 From: "Debra Brown" Subject: [AML] Fw: MN Light of the World: A Celebration of Life: LDS Church News Release 19Dec01 US UT SLC A1 Light of the World: A Celebration of Life SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- Light of the World: A Celebration of Life is quite unlike anything that has ever been staged. From the moment guests enter the 21,000-seat Conference Center - the largest religious auditorium in the world - they will be immersed in a lively and colorful celebration of ethnic and cultural diversity from the four corners of the world. As guests enter the auditorium to take their seats for the main performance, they will be greeted by a rich orchestral and choral overture, as the house lights dim to half. In this spacious venue, PANI projection of NASA imagery will transform the Conference Center auditorium into a deep-space environment, surrounding guests with stars, swirling galaxies, nebulae and meteor fields on all sides. At the center, the huge domed stage will be obscured by an 80-foot-by-150-foot white sheer curtain, on which will be projected an impressionistic montage that chronicles the creative periods of Earth. While experiencing these images, guests will hear the words of prominent scientists, artists and humanitarians such as Annie Dillard, Albert Einstein and Dante. The audience will see an international cast of more than 1,500 performers celebrating the birth of children, the joy of childhood discovery, the realization of individual talents, the indomitable spirit of Mormon pioneers and the unparalleled spirit of Olympic competition which encompasses individual achievement and national honor. Complementing these stirring performances and true-life stories will be remarkable special effects that will showcase unique uses of sound, light and horizontal and vertical space, as cast members "fly" as high as 70 feet above the stage. Music is a universal language, and will be a unifying thread woven throughout Light of the World. The rich and melodic original score represents a collaborative effort of five award-winning composers who have donated their time and talents, anonymously, as a gift to the production. Solo vocalists and the world-renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir will enrich the overall production with their musical talents and will help bring to life the collage of human stories that rejoice in the worldwide spirit of the nations. As a prologue to the performance, in the massive lobbies on three levels of the building, the 90-minute pre-show will treat guests to dance groups performing traditional dances including Croatian and Turkish Black Sea, Welsh clog, Hungarian bottle, English rapier, Native American hoop and Maori haka. Musical groups also will play instruments such as the Japanese koto, Bolivian panpipes, Celtic harp, lute, classical guitar and balalaika. Light of the World: A Celebration of Life captures the beauty of the human spirit that is universal to all mankind - the light within each of us which inspires acts, both great and small, of compassion, feats of bravery, and individual triumph. Light - The Central Message Light has intrigued John Featherstone for as long as he can remember. His earliest memories include using flashlights to light small box theaters he made at his home in England. "Light has always fascinated me - not just artificial light but also the wonders of natural light." Featherstone, a resident of Chicago, Ill., followed his passion to become a lighting designer, lighting concert tours for artists like Janet Jackson, the Pretenders and Van Halen. He has provided the lighting design for the NBA All Star Jam Session every year since 1993, and has lighted various attractions at Universal Studios and Walt Disney theme parks. It was a perfect fit, then, for producers of Light of the World to call on John's talent to illuminate a production in which light is the central message. "One of the key elements we're going to try to convey in this show is the light of Jesus Christ reaching down across the world. It is the same light that touches everyone, that lights up our souls and enhances the inner light that is already there," Featherstone said. Light of the World will feature over 5,000 lights. Most fixtures will be standard lights already in the Conference Center, but an additional 400 motorized lights will also be used. "One of the challenges of working in a space as large as the Conference Center," Featherstone says, "is that you need a lot of lighting fixtures to light a stage as big as we're going to be using." Featherstone's crew will examine each fixture individually and assign a position, intensity and color for every cue in the show. That information will then be input into a high-powered computer system that will control the lights during the production. "It will take us an hour to program a minute of show," Featherstone says. "That's why it's going to take us most of a month to program the production." The result will be light that steers the audience through a roller coaster of emotions through intensity, color and texture that can simulate various weather conditions as well as feelings of joy, anger and passion. "It's going to be a light that is very alive, very kinetic, very direct and uplifting in a way that it's going to reach out and touch the various members of the cast who represent the stories we're trying to tell." But Featherstone, who is not a member of the Church, emphasizes the lights should enhance the message of the program - not detract from it. He hopes the lights in Light of the World will show the light of Jesus Christ as well as the light within each individual. "One of the most flattering and humbling parts of being involved with this show is being given the awesome responsibility of representing the light of the transcendent," Featherstone says. "To me as a lighting designer, there is no greater honor I think you can have." Featherstone believes the combination of computer technology, video projections and lights will make Light of the World a cutting-edge show equal to any other major production in the world. "It's going to be every bit the size of show that one would see at the kind of spectaculars of the Academy Awards and the Grammys." Bringing "The World" to the Stage The 21,000-seat Conference Center auditorium, known for its worship services and concerts, will be transformed in February 2002 into a state-of-the-art theater staging a multimedia musical production on an unprecedented scale. "The Conference Center is going to be a marvelous place to experience live theater," says Randy Boothe, co-director of Light of the World. "It has a capability unlike any other theater to carry every member of the audience on an intimate, powerful journey they will long remember." The set design for the production uses both technical complexity and visual simplicity. Its central feature is a 130-foot dome that spans the entire length of the auditorium and serves as the stage. The dome, made expressly for the Conference Center, has a painted design that will correspond seamlessly to the aisles of the auditorium, all of which radiate from one central point. Performers will move between the stage and audience, coming down the aisles and up and over the dome. At one point in the program, the audience will see a hundred children dancing, running, skipping and jumping over the dome as they venture across the bridge between the production and reality. Boothe says, "In many ways, the set design will become a canvas on which the audience will view relationships and experiences not unlike their own." This unique set design draws upon universal images to enhance the experience of Light of the World - allowing directors to represent both the earth and the spirit of man in their full magnitude and grandeur. The immense space in the Conference Center will allow producers to project larger-than-life images, some even bigger than IMAX, onto various surfaces of the auditorium and the set. Performers will also use this vertical space in a dramatic way. Specially trained actors will soar through the 70 feet from the top of the grid to the floor of the Conference Center. The flying rigs give performers the capacity to travel from side to side, while moving up and down and rotating a full 360 degrees all at the same time - allowing the actors to travel the distance between earth and the heavens. The actors will fly and dance in the air in a way that uses both the technical precision of gymnastics and the finesse and aesthetics of dance. "At the height of this piece the universe comes into full motion. Figures will be flying and moving through the air," says children's choreographer Pat Debenham, "in a manner that allows not only the earth to become alive, but the space above it - the world above it - comes to life as well. All of the sudden, earth and sky come together." "Everything, from the size of the venue and set, to the themes of the Light of the World," adds set designer Mike Magelby, "begs a level of perspective we don't often experience." Music: The Language of the Spirit They are award winning, renowned and anonymous. The five Latter-day Saint composers commissioned to work as a team to create the score for Light of the World will never have their names on a marquee or receive credit for their accomplishments. They say their reward is being given the opportunity to compose music for an international audience during February 2002. For months they have been plunking out tunes, tweaking lyrics and exploring tempos, trying to get just the right sounds down on paper - sounds they hope will speak to a worldwide audience. "Above all, the music is going to carry the spirit of the show," says one. "I hope the music will transcend language barriers and bring the feeling of the production to the hearts of the audience." "The responsibility is staggering," says another. "But I don't care how many times we have to rewrite it to get it there. I just hope that when we're done it's right." To get it "right," the team has been meeting for hours each week, alternating home studios and nailing down concepts. Ideas, born as scribbles on white paper, are often short lived. During a typical session, a composer perches at the keyboard while another strums on his guitar. Three others hover over sheets of music - singing, humming and exploring new harmonies. Then, like musical chairs, the five switch roles and continue. They say it's hard work. Music composition requires constant rewriting and patient rehashing as it is - but the process is magnified fivefold when five artists, with their own styles and opinions, are added to the mix. But this challenge, the composers say, also has proved to be the strength of the group. "As we come together, especially as the songs start to take shape, we have each tried to focus on a different aspect or a different portion of each musical piece. We've been able to individually write about things we feel passionate about." Countless melodies have been tossed in the trash during this unique collaborative process, but the best ideas surface and stick, ultimately becoming pieces such as the Light of the World Anthem, which is sung by the world-renowned Tabernacle Choir accompanied by an 80-piece orchestra. These composers, accustomed to winning Emmys, and Pearl awards, will be silently sitting in the Conference Center during February 2002, watching as their words and music wash over visitors from all around the world. They will be looking for that intimate connection that sometimes only music can bring as it speaks to the hearts of those of other cultures, countries and experiences - and when they see it - they say that will be reward enough. Costuming "The World" Behind the massive stage in the Conference Center lies a small room filled with sewing machines, dozens of fabric bolts and thousands of pins. Crammed in this tiny room, costume designer Janet Swenson and her team of eight seamstresses work side by side, their efforts unknown to many. But come February 2002, visitors from all over the world will see the result as an international cast of more than 1,500 dazzles audiences in colorful costumes as they twirl, flip and even fly through the air in Light of the World. Because of the enormity of the Conference Center auditorium and the numerous performers, Swenson says "the costumes' bright colors and detailed patterns will be essential in communicating the program's message to a multicultural, multilingual audience." The key factor in creating the costumes for Light of the World was research. While most of her team has been involved with the project for only nine months, Swenson began the legwork over two years ago. "I have lots of research that I've gone through and colors and textiles and masks and headdresses," she explains. "Once you've done the research and you have it in your head, you just put it away and sit down and start your sketching and see if it all comes together." That's what happened when Swenson began work on the100 pioneer costumes for the production. The unique design of the pioneer dresses was modified several times before the final product was approved. Originally, the dresses were patterned after the pioneer dresses of the 1850s. But in order for the dresses to flow with the choreography, the pattern was altered from a straight skirt to a "circle skirt" with authentic bodices. Bands of dark material were incorporated into the dresses which, when worn with hats, will give the illusion of wagon wheels spinning as the dancers twirl across the stage. Each of the dresses includes a unique pioneer quilt pattern square with a name sewn into it, and a honeybee, representing the industry of the early pioneers. Visitors might just see a reflection of themselves and their native lands in the impressive "Parade of Nations" featuring over a hundred different countries. Swenson and her team canvassed Utah looking for international costumes, and what they couldn't find, they created, with an eye fixed on authenticity. While Swenson has worked for many years in the costume design industry and has outfitted performers in countless productions, she has never experienced anything quite like this before. "I'm sure this will be the biggest thing I ever do in my life, " she said. "You may as well enjoy the ride. That's the one thing that I tell myself every morning: Enjoy the ride!" Fact sheet The brain-storming sessions for Light of the World began almost three years ago, with a team of proven professionals. COSTUMING "The World" * Between 1,500 and 2,000 costumes will be created for Light of the World, including 450 new costumes for the Tabernacle Choir, 100 costumes for the pioneer sequence and approximately 300 international costumes for the "Parade of Nations." * Each of 50 pioneer dresses is decorated with an original handsewn pioneer quilt pattern. The dresses also feature dark bars down the skirts and on the edges which, when seen from above, give the impression of wagon wheels spinning. MUSIC: The Language of the Spirit * The score for Light of the World is being composed by a collaboration of five award-winning Latter-day Saint musicians. The five, who meet together in home studios, are anonymously volunteering their time and talents to compose the score. * Music for Light of the World will be prerecorded with the 80-piece Temple Square Orchestra and the Tabernacle Choir. Most of the show will be set to music - either songs or underscoring. SOUND * Each sound on the soundtrack must be synchronized with the lighting and scenery computer systems. Virtually all of the assemblage, manipulation, recording, editing and mixing is done by computer. LIGHT: The Central Message * Over 5,000 conventional lights already installed in the Conference Center will be used in Light of the World, in concert with 400 automated lights added for the show. High-powered computer systems control each light's intensity, color and beam characteristic during every minute of the show. * John Featherstone, a resident of Chicago, Ill., is the lighting designer for the production. His impressive resume includes lighting concert tours for prominent musical groups. He has also provided the lighting design for the NBA All Star Jam Session every year since 1993, and has lighted various attractions at Universal Studios and Walt Disney theme parks. * Together with his team of assistants and programmers, Featherstone can program one minute of Light of the World lighting in about an hour's time. Approximately one month will be spent programming, rehearsing and coordinating cues for the show. SET * Although an entire team of designers is working to create the set for Light of the World, two general designers - one located in Provo, Utah, and the other in Chicago - are heading the task. Because of the physical distance between designers, venue and directors, a private Web site has been established to allow designers can post ideas and discuss possibilities. In addition, a computerized rendition of the Conference Center was created to make communication and proper design of elements easier. * The set for Light of the World measures 130 feet wide and 100 feet deep - about one-third the size of a football field - and is being built at various locations in Utah. The set resembles the dome of a globe, and is specifically designed to encourage thought about relationships between people, the earth and heaven. VENUE * The Conference Center is the largest religious auditorium in the world, seating 21,000 in an auditorium large enough to house a Boeing 747 jet. However, no audience member is farther than 270 feet from the stage, providing every viewer of Light of the World with a spectacular view as the Center becomes a huge canvas with image projections larger than IMAX, light effects, flying performers and a 1,000-member cast. * Before Light of the World begins each night, the lobbies of the Conference Center will be filled with pre-show activities. International people representing their own culture and dressed in native costume will perform music and greet visitors. INTERNATIONAL CAST * In addition to the International Children's Choir, several Brigham Young University groups will be involved in the production, including Young Ambassadors, Living Legends, Folk Dancers, Dancer's Company and BYU Children's Dance. Production managers, desiring to do more than simply dress American performers in costume, are seeking out international people living in the Salt Lake area to appear in their native dress - children, young adults, middle-aged adults and seniors. FLYING * Branam Enterprises, Inc., a California-based company that has flown actors for music tours, television, and movies, will be brought in to fly actors up to 70 feet in the air above the Conference Center stage. Because performers will move up and down and rotate 360 degrees in midair, those involved in flying will generally have a background in dance or gymnastics. # # # Sources: Light of the World: A Celebration of Life LDS Church News Release 19Dec01 A1 http://www.lds.org/news/article/0,5422,116-7613,00.html Light of the World: Light -- The Central Message LDS Church News Release 19Dec01 A1 http://www.lds.org/media/newsrelease/extra/display/0,6025,317-1-474-2,00.htm l Light of the World: Bringing "The World" to the Stage LDS Church News Release 19Dec01 A1 http://www.lds.org/media/newsrelease/extra/display/0,6025,317-1-474-3,00.htm l Light of the World: Music -- The Language of the Spirit LDS Church News Release 19Dec01 A1 http://www.lds.org/media/newsrelease/extra/display/0,6025,317-1-474-4,00.htm l Light of the World: Costuming "The World" LDS Church News Release 19Dec01 A1 http://www.lds.org/media/newsrelease/extra/display/0,6025,317-1-474-5,00.htm l Light of the World: Fact Sheet LDS Church News Release 19Dec01 A1 http://www.lds.org/media/newsrelease/extra/display/0,6025,317-1-474-7,00.htm l >From Mormon-News: Mormon News and Events Forwarding is permitted as long as this footer is included Mormon News items may not be posted to the World Wide Web sites without permission. Please link to our pages instead. For more information see http://www.MormonsToday.com/ - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2001 12:54:29 -0500 From: "Debra Brown" Subject: [AML] Fw: MN Women of Genesis Series Continues with "Rebekah": Deseret Book Press Release 20Dec01 US UT SLC A2 Women of Genesis Series Continues with "Rebekah" SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- New York Times bestselling author Orson Scott Card continues his look at the notable women from the Old Testament with "Rebekah: Women of Genesis" (Shadow Mountain, $22.95), the second book in his Women of Genesis series. Card uses his fertile imagination and uncanny insight into human nature to tell the story of a unique woman who is beautiful, smart and resourceful in an era when women had little power, and are scarce in the historical records of the period. As in the first novel in the series, "Sarah: Women of Genesis," card has created a riveting story exploring the relationships, the settings, and the stories of the Old Testament. In this volume, Rebekah leaves her father's house to marry Isaac, the studious young son of the storied Sarah and Abraham, only to find herself caught up in a series of painful rivalries, first between her husband and his brother Ishmael, and later between her sons Jacob and Esau. Through it all she finds her own relationship with God and does her best to serve His cause in the lives of those she loves. As in "Sarah," we find the title character learning of the motivations of her people, and how those motivations shaped the biblical account of the times. She is tested spiritually, physically, and emotionally, forced to lean on her faith to help her persevere during times of heartache and sorrow. Card's "Sarah" was embraced nationwide by Christian and Jewish audiences alike, who recognized the groundbreaking nature of his subject matter--discussing the women of the Old Testament, something seldom done before. Anticipation for this second novel in the series has been high since its introduction as a short reading excerpt at last May's Book Expo America in Chicago. About the Author Orson Scott Card is one of science fiction's most acclaimed and bestselling authors. "The West Coast Review of Books" has called him "one of the premier science fiction writers of our age." He is the first science fiction writer to receive both the Hugo and the Nebula awards in consecutive years. He is also a recipient of four Locus Awards, and a World Fantasy Award. He has authored more than 20 novels, including "Ender's Game," "Speaker for the Dead," the "Tales of Alvin Macker," "Enchantment," "Stone Tables," "Saints," and "Homebody." His novel "Sarah: Women of Genesis," was the first of a trilogy about women of the Bible. Mr. Card's works have been translated into many languages, including Catalan, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovakian, Spanish, and Swedish. In addition to writing science fiction and fantasy novels, Mr. Card has written plays, short stories and nonfiction works, including two books on writing. Born in Riceland, Washington, he grew up in California, Arizona and Utah. He lived in Brazil for two years as an unpaid missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He received degrees from Brigham Young University and the University of Utah. He currently lives with his wife Kristine and family in Greensboro, North Carolina. Each of their children is named after a famous writer. Source: Women of Genesis Series Continues with "Rebekah" Deseret Book Press Release 20Dec01 A2 >From Mormon-News: Mormon News and Events Forwarding is permitted as long as this footer is included Mormon News items may not be posted to the World Wide Web sites without permission. Please link to our pages instead. For more information see http://www.MormonsToday.com/ - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2001 15:25:57 -0700 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Fw: MN Film: Mulholland Drive's LDS Connection, The Other Side of Heaven Starts Strong: Mormon News Film Editor 19Dec01 US TX Dal A2 One of the interesting things I see on your discussion of films is the repetition of the name REED SMOOT, who is our product here from BYU! And a good Mormon. (At least I haven't heard otherwise!) Marilyn Brown - ----- Original Message ----- > Mulholland Drive's LDS Connection, The Other Side of Heaven Starts Strong > [snip] - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2001 14:25:44 -0700 From: luannstaheli Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon Authors in Nat. Market Barnes & Noble in Orem had three copies of Carol Lynch William's Carolina Autumn on the YA sheleves this week. [LuAnn Staheli] jltyner@postoffice.pacbell.net wrote: > I took a stroll through the children's sections of a couple of book stores > while out and about the last couple of days, very interesting themes. I > glanced to see if I could find anything by Dean Hughes or Carol Lynch > Williams in the YA section, but no luck. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2001 16:45:48 -0600 From: Jonathan Langford Subject: Re: [AML] Magic and Christianity in Rowling and Tolkien (comp) [MOD: This is a compilation post.] >From amyc@xmission.com Fri Dec 21 14:42:14 2001 A good article, but I have to point out one line where the author went seriously wrong: "The Lord of the Rings trilogy nonetheless turns the debris of Arthurian romance and English fairy tales into a compelling moral vision by reshaping those elements into an allegory of England's struggle against Hitler." Um, no. Tolkien HATED the "a" word. [Amy Chamberlain] - ------------------------------------- >From dmichael@wwno.com Wed Dec 26 05:56:45 2001 "R.W. Rasband" wrote: > > "National Review Online" has published an excellent review by Peter Wood on > the relationship between magic and Christianity in the works of J.K. Rowling > and J.R.R. Tolkien. > http://www.nationalreview.com/weekend/culture/culture-wood122201.shtml Peter Wood wrote: > Tolkien, by contrast, plays out his magnificent imagining in > "Middle Earth," a place with no acknowledged connection to > our world. The Lord of the Rings trilogy nonetheless turns > the debris of Arthurian romance and English fairy tales into a > compelling moral vision by reshaping those elements into an > allegory of England's struggle against Hitler. JRR Tolkien is rolling over in his grave right now. Someone needs to tell columnist Peter Wood that his interpretation of LOTR being an allegory of WW2 is an old interpretation that was flatly denied by Tolkien. In fact, Tolkien despised allegory altogether. D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2001 16:52:49 -0600 From: Jonathan Langford Subject: [AML] De-Christianizing of C.S. Lewis? (was: Acceptance of Christian Lit) Folks, Ivan Wolfe posted a reference to a rumor that _The Chronicles of Narnia_, by C.S. Lewis, was "going to be released - edited to remove all that pesky christian symbolism." I had hear that rumor also, but didn't know whether there was any substance to it. So I checked on the Internet, and found this statement, from the Q&A section of Into the Wardrobe, http://cslewis.drzeus.net Please Read: For those concerned about the rumor regarding the "republishing of the Narnia books without the Christian symbolism," please note that this is emphatically false. Here is an official statement from the publishers: "The goal of HarperCollins Publishers and the owners and managers of the C.S. Lewis Estate is to publish the works of C.S.Lewis to the broadest possible audience, and to leave any interpretation of the works to the reader. The works of C.S. Lewis will continue to be published by HarperCollins and Zondervan as written by the author, with no alteration. Zondervan's editorial standards and Christian mission has not changed in any way." Jonathan Langford AML-List Moderator - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2001 16:04:47 -0800 From: "Jeff Needle" Subject: [AML] Becky PAGET, _Romancing the Nephites_ (Review) Review ====== Becky Paget, "Romancing the Nephites" 1993, Covenant Communications, Inc. Paperback, $7.95 Reviewed by Jeffrey Needle Well, at last I know the whole story of Lehi's sons and Ishmael's daughters. I know their names, their frailties, their likes and dislikes. "Romancing the Nephites" takes us into the dark world of Nephite hormonal disorder. It's hard to think of any of them as particularly romantic, as little detail is given in the Book of Mormon. Instead, the details are left to our imaginations. Paget has taken the broad outline of the story and developed an unlikely love story, one that unites Arie'l, Ishmael's youngest daughter, with her cousin, and hero, Nephi. As the story develops, characters found nowhere in the Book of Mormon appear. This is okay; we are, after all, talking about fiction. One may take great liberties with history when one is developing a genre piece. But Paget's book just didn't come off as one building on an historical account. Instead, in my opinion, Paget, a good writer, weaves the sparse details of the Book of Mormon account into a love story with a life all its own. Imagine Nephi and Arie'l passing messages written in Egyptian engraved on a bone. Imagine Ishmael falling victim to an elaborate blackmail plot, an officer who wants Arie'l as his own, and is willing to press his future father-in-law into compliance. "Romancing the Nephites" comes off as a nice romance novel. Young readers will see in the characters behaviors that are well emulated. But it does, after all, go astray of the real story. But, as I say, maybe that's okay. Maybe that's what historical fiction is all about. - ----- Jeff Needle jeff.needle@general.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2001 18:47:51 -0500 From: "Tracie Laulusa" Subject: [AML] Must-Read Lists I am putting together my "I want to read this in 2002" list. So I was wondering, what book(s) would you not want to have gone through life without reading? Fiction or non-fiction. Tracie Laulusa - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2001 12:17:27 -0700 From: "Sharlee Glenn" Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon Authors in Nat. Market Marilyn Brown wrote: > Even Brady Udall's Mormon RELATIVES are absolutely chagrined at his > presentation of life which is so different from what they see and feel. I > know this "embarrassment is a fact." He is a FABULOUS writer, but he is not > MORMON in the cultural sense. Marilyn, I guess I'm not sure what you mean when you say that Brady is "not Mormon in the cultural sense." He is married to my cousin, and I believe he is as Mormon as any of us. Do you mean that his *writing* isn't Mormon? Sharlee Glenn Pleasant Grove, Utah - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2001 12:38:10 -0700 From: "Sharlee Glenn" Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon Authors in Nat. Market Marilyn Brown wrote: . My point was that Mormons must LEAVE the > Mormon culture to be successful on the national market. And I'll stand by > that supposition till the cows come home. NOT in children's literature or > youth literature or sci fi. I'm talking about REAL experience. And does children's literature not involve REAL experience? Clarify, please. (Feeling feisty, Marilyn, but loving you still! :-) Seriously, (and this is a question for all of you) why do you think that LDS writers of children's/YA fiction have been so much more successful in the national market? (And, no, it's *not* because it's easier to get published in these genres. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Nevertheless, there are over 37 LDS writers and/or illustrators publishing picture books on the national market. And that number doesn't include our very successful writers of middle-grade and YA fiction--Carol Lynch Williams, Louise Plummer, A.E. Cannon, Michael Tunnell, etc.). So what's going on here? I think it's a fascinating question. I wish I knew the answer. Anyone? Sharlee Glenn glennsj@inet-1.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2001 15:28:15 -0800 (PST) From: Darlene Young Subject: [AML] Marilyn BROWN, _House on the Sound_ (Review) _House on the Sound_ by Marilyn Brown. Salt Press, 2001. Hardcover: 235 pages. ISBN: 1-55517-584-8. Suggested Retail Price: $22.50 (US) Since this new war began, many of us have become more interested than ever before in people who are very different from us. We're reading the paper, watching news magazines and specials on how people in "all those -stan countries" live, learning with fascination about a mindset and lifestyle completely foreign to us. I think that it's a natural response to being at war for people to pay more attention to what's different--sometimes because of fear, and sometimes just because of an increased sensitivity and awareness. Marilyn Brown's new novel, _House on the Sound_, takes place during World War II, and it is about dealing with the Other--in many ways and on many levels. The subtitle is "Remembering Pearl Harbor." Obviously it is about how some Americans react to the Japanese during the time just before and after the Pearl Harbor attack. But this book is about other relationships as well--how two very different families relate to each other as neighbors, how people relate within those families, and how one young girl reacts to her first contact with evil. Generally and specifically, characters struggle, in a strange dance of attraction and repulsion, to understand and deal with what is different. The McKinsey family lives on Puget Sound and is intimately involved with the war because of Mr. McKinsey's work designing gun supports for American battleships. When he is not at work, Mr. McKinsey uses every spare minute to work on the house he is building for his family. (A house he hopes will be "sound," protecting his little family from the evils out there.) The narrator of the story is his ten-year-old daughter, Lindy. As the story begins, she catches sight of a beautiful young woman walking along the road and is immediately drawn to her, almost to the point of obsession. She soon discovers that the young woman, Sarah Barbar, lives near the new McKinsey home. Lindy's parents--and especially her grandfather--suspect that things are not all as they should be within the Barbar family and forbid her to go there to play with the younger Barbar children. (The Barbars are aptly named, being strange and somewhat outside of the cultural mores of the community.) Ironically, the Barbar family is simultaneously symbolic of the ominous nature of the Other _and_ the negative effects of avoiding all contact with the Other (they are obviously suffering from the negative effects of inbreeding). Over the course of the book Lindy defies her parents several times to go over to the Barbar home in hopes of catching sight of Sarah. The story of the McKinseys' involvement with the Barbars makes up the basic framework of the book. The subplots are variations on its theme of attraction/repulsion with the unfamiliar. An example of a subplot with this theme is Mr. McKinsey's search for a church to believe in. As he explores religion, we get different views of religion from his wife and from his father, Grandpa McKinsey. Because of my interest in Mormon Letters, I paid close attention to how Brown weaves the father's search for religion into the narrative. Since the story starts and revolves around Lindy's attraction to the Barbar family, Mr. McKinsey's religious struggles are so unobtrusive as to be hardly noticeable until towards the end when he finds what he is looking for and encourages his family to join the church with him. I like the subtle way his conversion takes place. In contrast, the mother's conversion, summed up in just one paragraph, is a little jolting: "So reluctantly she read the book the missionaries gave to her and surprised herself by discovering it was true." I much preferred the gradual and understated way that the first conversion was handled; saying matter-of-factly that "it was true" makes me wary of propaganda. The reactions of Americans to what's foreign--particularly, the Japanese--is an undercurrent throughout the book. The war-preparation scenes are vivid and believable as told through Lindy's point of view. I won't soon forget the scene of Lindy's parents taping tar paper to the windows, or of the entire McKinsey family gathering in a small closet under the stairs. (The closet functions as a symbolic microcosm of the larger world in which the characters struggle with the unfamiliar. It will later play a big part in another conflict involving the Barbar family.) I like the irony of a community highly suspicious of all Japanese and yet who are obviously consumers of Japanese products (one character has a Japanese robe; another has a Japanese jewelry box). In a way, this is a coming-of-age book because we see Lindy discover what kinds of evil can go on within a family and within a community. Near the beginning of the book Lindy climbs a tree with one of the Barbar girls and gets a broad view of the neighborhood and the woods. Her new aerial view is symbolic of the broadening of her experience with life and its darker elements, a broadening which comes about as a result of her acquaintance with the Barbars. By the end of the book she will leave her naivete behind as she discovers that even her hero, Sarah, is guilty as well as a victim. The biggest strength of this book is its vivid scenes told through the eyes of a child, and we discover the truth about things slowly in the way that a ten-year-old might. As I read, I was sometimes irritated to be distracted from the action by all of the physical descriptions, but perhaps these interruptions are intrusive on purpose; it seems realistic that a child might be distracted from the ominous nature of what is happening, for example, by noticing "ears as big as mug handles and as convoluted and scarred as mushrooms." The many physical details made the action hard to follow sometimes--leaving my brain feeling foggy--but the fogginess seemed to fit the mood of the book, as if mists from the sound were drifting across me as I tried to concentrate on the action. And perhaps I felt as vague about what was going on as a ten-year-old might. Unfortunately, the ten-year-old's point of view is not always convincing, however. I find it hard to believe that a ten-year-old would make some of the observations Lindy makes: "My mother was in control, almost as though she were defying the familial, the economic status of the world at war, " or "He devoured her with mild eyes." Occasionally the pacing and physical staging are a little sloppy, such as having a character who is already leaning back in her chair do it again in the next paragraph, or Lindy saying "I bumped into Elaine. I said I was sorry but she fell over" and "Regi emerged, frowsier than he was." The book could benefit from tighter editing throughout. Though I feel that the physical details are too plentiful, I must say that many times the descriptive language fairly sings. It reads in many places like poetry. I love such images as "my palms fell in whiskery dust" and "his body a black tower with buttress thighs." In addition to interesting language, there are many memorable, colorful scenes. I especially like the very beginning in which Lindy, who wants her father to stop the car so she can get a closer look at Sarah, pretends to be carsick and then vomit at the side of the road. There's also a beautiful scene in which Lindy and her grandmother watch a breathtaking white bird soar which reminds us of Sarah. And my favorite sentence: "He plastered the big piece of hair out of his eyes with soup." I was grinning with delight at some of the scenes and descriptions. It's refreshing to see a story about characters who just happen to be Mormon (by the end) dealing with the larger world and heavy issues that do not have to do with being Mormon. I think that it is through this kind of story that we are going to break into national markets. I'd like to see more of us try this kind of thing. Brown's work is a good example of one way it can be done. I'll be interested to see how _House on the Sound_ does among non-Mormon audiences (if, that is, it is marketed and distributed to such audiences). ===== Darlene Young __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send your FREE holiday greetings online! http://greetings.yahoo.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #555 ******************************