From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #782 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, July 25 2002 Volume 01 : Number 782 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2002 16:34:33 -0500 From: "Preston" Subject: [AML] August Movies Mark your calendars. In August over a period of 11 days no fewer than 4 movies by Latter-day Saint directors and/or with Latter-day Stars will premiere. August 12th is the premiere of University of Utah film grad Joseph Osborn's first feature film "No Dogs Allowed." The film, made in Utah, stars Latter-day Saint actor Dalin Christiansen in the top-billed role. Some people will remember Christiansen from his starring role as J. Golden Kimball in the video "J. Golden" (2000), available at LDS bookstores. LDS actor David Stevens has a major supporting role as well. Stevens will gain more exposure as one of four Latter-day Saint brothers who are Adam Sandler's nemesis in the upcoming feature film "Punch Drunk Love." A number of other Utah/LDS actors are in "No Dogs Allowed" in smaller roles, including Lincoln Hoppe, one of the supporting players in "The Singles Ward." K. Joseph Osborn, the director of "No Dogs Allowed", grew up in a small farming town north of Salt Lake City. His mother encouraged him, "So if things turn for the worse, remember this... never forget who you are, and what gifts you've been blessed with." August 16th marks the world premiere of the long-awaited feature film "Possession," directed by Neil LaBute and starring Aaron Eckhart, both of whom are Latter-day Saints and graduates of Brigham Young University. Eckhart stars opposite Academy Award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow. Neil LaBute's fourth feature film his adaptation of A.S. Byatt's popular novel about literary sleuths (Eckhart and Paltrow) discovering evidence of a love affair between the 19th Century English poets that they each study. August 16th ALSO marks the world premiere of another Latter-day Saint director's feature film. Animator Mark Swan worked on a number of Disney and Don Bluth animated films before opening his own studio, Swan Animation, in St. George, Utah. "The Princess and the Pea" is his first feature film, and was a joint production with the folks at Feature Films For Families. The movie was produced by Forrest S. Baker III and Don Judd. Latter-day Saint composer Alan Williams provided the musical score. One of the voice actors in the film is Frank Gerrish, who has been in tons of movies, but may be best known for playing Ralph the construction foreman in Richard Dutcher's "Brigham City" (2001). The following week, on August 23rd, is the nationwide premiere of the Columbia TriStar release "Little Secrets", a live action family film directed by Latter-day Saint (and BYU graduate) Blair Treu. This is Treu's first theatrical release, although he has directed 5 previous feature films that were TV movies or direct-to-video movies. Many of the key cast and crew on "Little Secrets" are Latter-day Saints, including composer Sam Cardon ("Brigham City"), director of photography Brian Sullivan, and supporting actors such as Tayva Patch, Jan Broberg, Rick Macy, and Caitlin E.J. Meyer. ALSO on August 23rd is the world premiere of "Serving Sara", starring Matthew Perry and Elizabeth Hurley. Okay, this one wasn't directed by a Latter-day Saint and doesn't actually feature any members in lead roles, but Latter-day Saint actress Alaina Kalanj has a small role as a receptionist. So if you go see, watch for her! Also in August, but not in theaters: Latter-day Saint novelist Chris Heimerdinger's first film, the documentary "Lehi's Land of First Inheritance" that he scripted and directed, will go on sale. And if you can find it... Look for Christian Vuissa's absolutely stunning short film "Roots and Wings," which is supposed to go on sale in LDS bookstores in August. I haven't seen "No Dogs Allowed," "Possession", "The Princess and the Pea", "Little Secrets" or "Lehi's Land." Maybe they're all great. Maybe they all stink. I don't know. But I HAVE seen "Roots and Wings", and it is amazing. The extremely realistic and beautifully shot story of a Mexican Catholic immigrant who finds his wife and children becoming distant as they assimilate American ways and Latter-day Saint faith, "Roots and Wings" is the work of a filmmaker who is obviously destined for great things. Every shot is thoughtfully and meaningfully framed. The acting is so natural and the emotions so raw that the film often seems like a beautifully shot documentary. Vuissa serves up no easy answers or platitudes, he simply serves up a glimpse into a fascinating and though-provoking story. At only about 25 minutes long, "Roots and Wings" is more of a film than most anything you'll find in the multiplex this summer. [Preston Hunter] - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2002 17:40:02 -0600 From: Christopher Bigelow Subject: [AML] Irreantum Cutbacks Irreantum's printing costs have recently increased by 75% at BYU, and the AML's finances have reached drought status. As a result, we are now forced to regress the magazine to staple binding, reduce page count, and stop sending out as many free sample copies. We still expect to have the same high quality of content, with the forthcoming summer issue exploring an environmentalism theme and featuring Terry Terry Williams as our cover interview. In the past, Irreantum has drawn upon proceeds from AML events to subsidize subscriptions and dues allocations, which do not amount to enough for book-style binding and other extras. If anyone has any money they could donate to the AML, now would be a particularly good time. The AML is recognized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so donations are fully tax deductible. If we get some donations and/or this November's AML writers' conference is a big success, that would give the AML the extra funds needed to pump Irreantum back up to 100+ pages, perfect bound. By the way, we are still setting aside the grant funds from the Utah Arts Council for next year's Irreantum contest, with prizes totaling about $1,000. If you want to donate anything or otherwise assist, contact us at irreantum2@cs.com. Following are the PayPal links several people have already started using to interface online with us financially via credit card. Full AML membership, $25. This includes 4 issues of Irreantum, a copy of the book-length AML Annual, and discounted preregistration to AML events. Click here: https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=irreantum2%40cs.com&item_name=AML+annual+dues&amount=25.00 Irreantum-only subscription, $16. For those who don't want full AML membership but want to receive 4 issues of Irreantum, click here: https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=irreantum2%40cs.com&item_name=Irreantum+subscription&amount=16.00 Irreantum sample copy, $5. Unless you specify a specific issue, you will receive the current issue. Click here: https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=irreantum2%40cs.com&item_name=Irreantum+sample+copy&amount=5.00 AML donations. Tax deductible! Your donations help us defray the costs of running AML-List and other services. Click here: https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=irreantum2%40cs.com&item_name=AML+donation Chris Bigelow - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2002 21:48:33 -0800 From: rjwillia@uci.edu Subject: Re: [AML] "Choose the Rock" On the one hand, Eric is right. There is absolutely nothing inherently evil about "music" one way or the other. Drums are drums, harps are harps, and an E minor chord is pretty much the same whether it's played by a drugged up psycho killer or your Aunt Nelly--it's all just sound in the air. And this is a fairly easy concept for most (at least most younger) audiences to accept. Of course, when you begin to distinguish between "music" and the lyrics in music, then it becomes a little harder to conflate the "good" and the "bad." But it is, of course, still the same--just sound in the air. Swear words are just more sound in the air (have you ever noticed how non-threatening a cuss word in another language sounds?). But here's the point, our interpretive community, that is, our Mormon interpretive community, has decided (based on certain moral virtues that we all accept) that it's not good to go around shouting certain things like, say, "F---!" (In speech or otherwise). The connotation attached to this word--even though, as a word, it's relationship to the event is necessarily arbitrary--is something we all accept is "bad." This is, of course, what gives the word it's magical power, why certain movies get certain ratings when it shows up. Now, you may feel that those particular letters, strung together like that, have been unjustly ascribed this terrible connotation (well, denotation, really). Maybe your last name is F---. Whatever. But it would be an act of supremely forced innocence to declare that those letters placed together--considering the enormous interpretive power of our language community--are neither "good" nor "bad." (A bit like continuing to use the word "gay" when calling someone happy). One would have to be supremely confident in one's spirituality to begin using the F-word on a regular basis, and not experience at least SOME spiritual backlash, mainly because one NEEDS an interpretive community in order to progress spiritually (if you are a Mormon, it's difficult not to accept that point). The point here is that Eric Samuelson's assertion that "there's just music." And that there isn't "anything particularly edifying or spiritual about Mozart or the Tab choir," in contrast to AC/DC et al seems either inanely true or absurdly false. True because, yes, of course, all of it is just *sound* moving through the air, it's meaning assigned in a rather arbitrary fashion; and false because the messages (and people) linked to these sounds are entirely different, sometimes blatantly so. It's like saying there isn't anything especially spiritual or evil about "books." Duh. But this raises a rather interesting point that I have been thinking about lately, namely, my own capacity to overlook or otherwise re-interpret messages that do not square with my own belief system (usually so that I can enjoy the medium of their transmission). There are literally hundreds of songs--lyrics I mean, lyrics!--that I listen to on a regular basis that were undoubtedly written under less-than-Mormon conditions, intended to convey something specifically condemned by our religion. And I have several ways of getting around this: 1) I do what I tell my Mom I used to do: "I'm not listening to the words, just the music!" In a sense, actually, this is very true. It was difficult for my Mom to understand the argument, of course, but it is basically correct. When some lyrics advocate, say, adultery, I ignore it. I don't go commit adultery. Really. So why would I listen to a song like that anyway? Because I don't think the devil should get all the good tunes (this, by the way, was Martin Luther's justification for his using Catholic melodies with Protestant lyrics). 2) I deliberately sing something else OVER the "bad" lyrics. This is hard-core euphemism, I know, but it sure feels a lot better than shouting along to something with which I entirely disagree. 3) I intentionally mis-interpret the lyrics, allowing songs that are obviously about drugs to "mean" something else, like love, or whatever. 4) I really DON'T understand the lyrics, a method that, as I get older, is getting a bit harder to employ, but it works well with bands like The Stone Roses and The Trash Can Sinatras (who you can barely hear what they are saying anyway). Really, growing up I thought Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" song was about as uplifting as you can get. In answer to Eric's earlier question about the advent of the Rockin' General Authorities, my guess is that (in order to remain active members of the church) they will have employed some or all of the above methods of deliberate misreading. Notice, however, that all of the methods accept the idea that certain lyrics, based on the criteria established by my own Mormon interpretive community, are LESS uplifting than others. What else can you do? I look at as the most sophisticated way of being "in" the world but not "of" it (I think that's it, right? "In" but not "of"? I always mess up those prepositions, usually in a church talk--but you know what I mean). - --John Williams UC Irvine - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 07:51:48 -0500 From: "kumiko" Subject: [AML] Box Office Report July 19 Feature Films by LDS/Mormon Filmmakers and Actors Weekend Box Office Report (U.S. Domestic Box Office Gross) Weekend of July 19, 2002 Report compiled by: LDSFilm.com [If table below doesn't line up properly, try looking at them with a mono-spaced font, such as Courier - Ed.] Natl Film Title Weekend Gross Rank LDS/Mormon Filmmaker/Actor Total Gross Theaters Days - --- ----------------------------- ----------- ----- ---- 11 Minority Report 4,457,544 1,672 31 Gerald Molen (producer) 118,061,976 19 The Divine Secrets of the 768,452 572 45 Ya-Ya Sisterhood 66,600,470 36 ESPN's Ultimate X 85,285 40 73 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 3,292,207 55 Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man 23,204 8 808 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 13,567,501 57 China: The Panda Adventure 18,945 7 360 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 2,629,392 67 Galapagos 9,529 4 997 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 13,533,471 69 The Singles Ward 8,261 7 171 Kurt Hale (writer/director) 833,552 John E. Moyer (writer) Dave Hunter (producer) Cody Hale (composer) Ryan Little (cinematographer) Actors: Will Swenson, Connie Young, Daryn Tufts, Kirby Heyborne, Michael Birkeland, Robert Swenson, Wally Joyner, Lincoln Hoppe, Gretchen Whalley, Sedra Santos, etc. 71 The Believer 7,610 10 66 Ryan Gosling (lead actor) 243,634 74 The Other Side of Heaven 6,980 9 220 Mitch Davis (writer/director) 4,649,631 John H. Groberg (author/character) Gerald Molen, John Garbett (producers) 86 Mark Twain's America 3D 4,033 2 1480 Alan Williams (composer) 2,252,399 DONNY'S NEW SHOW: The Deseret News ran an article about Donny Osmond's new gig as the host of Pyramid, a syndicated revival of the game show popular during the 1970s and '80s. The article is at: http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,405019382,00.html? ANXIOUSLY DELAYED: Movie producer Cary Derbidge ("Out of Step") has re-scheduled the release of his upcoming movie "Anxiously Engaged" from January to April 2003 -- not because of any production delays, but simply so that the release of Latter-day Saint-themed films will be better spaced out. Kurt Hale's "The R.M." is scheduled to open in January 2003, and Nathan Smith Jones' "The Work and the Story" should open in early 2003 as well. A few weeks ago Kels Goodman announced that the release of "Handcart" would be moved from July 24th to October 11th, 2002. (It's also highly possible that some of these delays facilitate the creation of larger numbers of prints and the arrangement of wider openings...) TRIVIA ABOUT BRIGHAM CITY: None of the actors or crew knew whom the real murderer was prior to the last scene being filmed. The actors and crew filming the scene had to sign a contract saying they would not reveal which one of them played the murderer, until after the movie was officially released. (Source: Amazon.com) MORE MOVIE TUNES FROM SEN. HATCH: Utah's Senator Orrin Hatch simply ROCKS, doesn't he? This week saw the premiere of the hit family film "Stuart Little 2." The soundtrack album features a song by Sen. Hatch, a lullaby titled "Little Angel of Mine." Sadly, the song isn't in this movie. But Hatch has songs actually in two recent movies: "Joshua" and "Rat Race." And of course he was in Soderberg's "Traffic," and, even better, will be appearing in Kurt Hale's "The R.M." next year. DANSIE: The production of Salt Lake City-based Latter-day Saint auteur filmaker Tucker T. Dansie's latest comedy short "The Dougs" has been postponed because 2 of the three female leads are pregnant. Their husbands are male leads in the prodution, but it was decided to wait until delivery rather than replace the expectant mothers with other actresses. However, work on Dansie's upcoming "Quarters & Rocks", the second in "The Lesson" series of films about little life lessons, continues. EMMYS FOR SAINTS: A 20 July 2002 Deseret News editorial (http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,405018921,00.html) noted with pride that the 2002 Winter Olympics ceremony received 8 Emmy nominations. The ceremony which was replete with references both overt and otherwise to Church history, Latter-day Saint culture and belief, and Mormon pioneers, and featured a predominantly Latter-day Saint cast. The editorial notes: [QUOTE] Winner: Kudos to the organizers of the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics for pulling in eight Emmy nominations this week. And what a tribute to the great talent that exists along the Wasatch Front. Thousands of volunteers, including performers, helped it all come about. Maybe President Bush should get some kind of award, as well, for his impromptu decision to accept a cell phone from skater Sasha Cohen and speak to her parents while he was mingling with the athletes in the stadium. Hey, it was more entertaining that just about anything else that's been on television lately. [END QUOTE] PRINCESS AND THE PEA FINALLY OPENING: The long-awaited animated feature film by Mark Swan and his Swan Animation studio is finally scheduled to premiere. Here's the press release, and there is more info about it below: Princess and the Pea Newsletter, July 2002 Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2002 From: Swan Animation [ swananimation@yahoo.com ] July 23, 2002 Swan Animation is proud to announce the premiere theatrical showing of it's first animated feature, Princess and the Pea. Gateway Megaplex 12 165 South Rio Grande Street Salt Lake City, Utah (801) 304-4636 www.megaplextheatres.com Friday, August 16th Premiere Gala & Showing 7:00 P.M., Tickets $25.000 Saturday, August 17th 5:00 P.M., Tickets $5.00 Sunday, August 18th 7:00 P.M. Tickets $5.00 Monday, August 19th 5:00 P.M., Tickets $5.00 All proceeds from these showings will benefit the Children's Justice Center. BRIGHAM YOUNG ON THE BIG SCREEN: A number of news articles, including one in the Daily Herald (http://www.harktheherald.com/article.php?sid=54272&mode=thread&order=0) noted the screening of "Brigham Young: Frontiersman", starring Dean Jagger (Academy Award-winning actor who later became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). "The 1940 film 'Brigham Young,' starring Tyrone Power and Linda Darnell, with Dean Jagger as Brigham Young and Vincent Price as Joseph Smith, will be shown at BYU's Harold B. Lee Library Auditorium at 7 p.m. Thursday." James D'Arc, curator of the library's Special Collections Motion Picture Archives noted that "Brigham Young: Frontiersman" was "the first positive portrayal of Latter-day Saints following more than two decades of stereotypical depictions in movies of Mormons as misfits in America." Articles also noted that audiences were aware of how the film was also about Nazi aggression against Jews, as it depicted early Latter-day Saints/Mormons receiving the same type of mistreatment from anti-Mormons that European Jews received from Nazis. See also: http://www.byu.edu/news/releases/archive02/Jul/Brighammovie.htm LEILANI LAND: Latter-day Saint filmmaker and playwright Melissa Leilani Larson is getting rave reviews for her play "Wake Me When it's Over", now playing at Thom Duncan's new Center Steet Theatre. It features chronic fatigue syndrome, chat rooms and us "well written, well cast and well directed", according to am AML-Lister. REG: Latter-day Saint novelist and online journalist has written an article about award-winning British Latter-day Saint photographer Reg Wilkins, who had a cameo appearance in the 1966 British movie "Blowup." The article is at: http://www.meridianmagazine.com/missionaryjournal/020722reg.html - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 11:35:02 EDT From: gkeystone@aol.com Subject: Re: [AML] Linda ADAMS, _Prodigal Journey_ (Review) Glen Sudbury writes: I enjoyed the remarks under the AML topic of Prodigal Journey by Kathy=20 Fowkes. Her remarks and summary of the scriptural support and well as= Gerald=20 Lund's book The Coming of the Lord about the literal building of Zion were= =20 first rate. I read Lund's book when it was first published and it is still= =20 one of my favorites on the topic. =20 Throughout the Church literature, and non-church, there has been a running= =20 debate between those who believe in cataclysmic, apocalyptic events, and= even=20 "dialogic revelations" for themselves and gradualists or naturalists. As=20 with the far right and far left on most issues, there is some truth in each= =20 camp and each group would benefit from rational dialogue without the using= of=20 testimony to try and prove of disprove past or future truths. As the 2nd=20 coming nears we see an intensifying of the debate, as in the Book of Mormon= =20 prior to the birth and resurrection of Christ and his visit to Mesoamerica. = =20 This debate itself over the "reasonableness" of past and future great events= =20 predicted by prophets is core to an understanding of history, scripture and= =20 even fiction. More naturalistic explanations always are there for those who= =20 do not want to have faith, hope in the good news (or the bad) in a real God= =20 as well as real angels who do really live here among us. =20 I have been reading and engaging others in conversation for 40 years on the= =20 events that will proceed the 2nd Coming, including the building of Zion (or= =20 the preparing for others to build it depending on ones bent on this action).= =20 Elder Bruce R. McConkie suggested that the entire difference of being=20 prepared or not is this looking with expectation for the signs and even=20 praying for them. =20 (I listened online, at LDS.org the other day to the birth of Christ, Book of= =20 Mormon account, As I listened to this surprising, literal, and very= dramatic=20 event I thought of the shock unbelievers in personal revelation and dramatic= =20 events in our day will feel when again the light comes into the world.) Hugh Nibley has clearly spoken for years, though with too many big words for= =20 some, on the building of Zion and the part we can and must do and the part= we=20 cannot do. =20 But the question remains, will these events, including the building of the= =20 Center Stake of Zion in Jackson County be literally accomplished or will= this=20 and other predicted events be only vaguely recognized as even being=20 fulfilled? It seems much of the difficulty arises with trying to make it one= =20 way or the other when often, as with the parables of Christ, events will=20 generally be both literal as well as symbolic. =20 For example we still debate in the Church were the lost tribes are lost and= =20 how and when they will be gathered and how dramatically or naturally. =20 Actually even one convert is grand miracle but this does not necessarily=20 eliminate the possibility of a the great highway being a literal possibility= =20 also. =20 One of the keys to understanding the manner of prophesying of the Jews, is= to=20 recognize both the natural and more dramatic levels in their writings. =20 A position statement from Neal A. Maxwell when he was working at bringing= all=20 to the round table of dialogue at the University of Utah, both believers and= =20 Humanists, may be helpful in the debate between the cataclysmic and=20 gradualists camps. He suggested that with rational dialogue we can learn=20 much from both. It is when we appeal to testimony as a club to beat others= =20 into submission that contention rears its ugly head and all become the= poorer=20 for it. =20 In the early history of the Church the very "keystone of our religion" was a= =20 thorn in the side of those who saw God as more a myth than a reality in our= =20 lives. Many then and today, both in and out of the Church, struggle with=20 what to with both its content and the stories of its coming forth. It would= =20 be easier for the masses to accept if Joseph Smith and we would quit=20 insisting that it came from an angel. Many, in and out of the Church, are= =20 increasingly recognizing the value of its doctrine, precepts, and discourse= =20 to the Christian world in our day. But we cannot be true to the Church,=20 Joseph, or the book itself and turn its origin into a mythical story. =20 The best book I have read on this larger issue of "dialogic revelation" even= =20 for "the common member" or nonmember is a recent publication written by=20 Terryl. L. Givens, By the Hand of Mormon-The American Scripture that= Launched=20 a New World Religion. This book was published not by a traditional LDS=20 publisher but by Oxford University Press. This by itself shows a dramatic= =20 shift in the thinking of many in the world about the content of the Book of= =20 Mormon and a continual struggle with the big questions the manner of its=20 origin raise about the signs of the times we are living through. This book by Brother Givens ends with another prophecy about the last days= =20 that we await a fuller understanding of how it will unfold to the world, the= =20 church, and to each of us. Speaking of the coming forth of the 2/3rds portion of the Book of Mormon we= =20 do not yet have, the last sentence of Brother Givens book: "When the people= =20 of the Lord are prepared, and found worthy," wrote Joseph's scribe Oliver=20 Cowdery, "then it will be unfolded unto them." Will this be to unfolding be to individual members as they become worthy and= =20 prepared? Or will it be through English and other "literal" translations so= =20 all may read it if they want to? Or both? And which method would be a= greater=20 miracle? Glen Sudbury - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 23:38:05 -0500 From: "Jerry Tyner" (by way of Jonathan Langford ) Subject: [AML] S. Hudson OWEN, _Happiness Pursued_ (Review) Tahoma TITLE: Happiness Pursued SUB-TITLE: Time-tested tools to turn anxiety into happiness AUTHOR: S. Hudson OwenArial0000,0000,ffff=20 PUBLISHER: Bonneville Books (Imprint of Cedar Fort Inc.) ISBN: 1-55517-598-8, Trade paperback PRICE: $8.95 =20 Reviewed by: Jerry Tyner =20 With the subtitle of the book being "Time-tested tools to turn anxiety into happiness" I had some preconceived ideas as to what this book would be about. What it turned out to be was one person's definition of happiness (anticipating the achievement of goals in life) and joy (completing the goals) which did not mesh with my way of thinking. With this said I will be as objective as possible. =20 For those who see their life in terms of a series of goals being set and achieved this is an excellent book. It is structured in such a way as to give a definition of what "Happiness" is and is not; what "Unhappiness" is; how goal setting effects happiness in life; and adjustment of those goals - timeframe or actual goal changing. It also points you toward what steps you need to take when you have achieved the goal and are ready for more challenges. It doesn't, however, tell you what goals you should set. An adult could use this book to assess where they are and work to reset their life goals but a youth would find this confusing. It would need to be used by a parent or mentor of some kind in order to get things in their proper perspective. Since Missions are very much about setting and achieving goals this would be a good book for a mission president to review and then boil the information down to the basics for his missionaries to use. Many missionaries do not know how to properly set achievable goals and many leaders in the mission field do not know how to help the Elders and Sisters properly set achievable goals so they feel the sense of achievement that can be felt when goals are met. Too many goals are set way out of reach and this can lead to the type of anxiety and depression this book is referring to. =20 One of the good things about this book was it is written generically so it can be applied to anyone who looks at life in this way. It claimed that through the use of these tools you can avoid frustration and anxiety in life. I would not say this would work for Social Anxiety or even Generalized Anxiety but anxiousness over not reaching the goals you have set for yourself or your family this book would help in breaking things down to more focused goals or even abandoning and then resetting goals. =20 Personal opinion of the book: =20 Met expectations? * (One Star - the title was misleading to me; subtitle needs to be changed or title modified) Achieved goal set by the author? *** (Three stars - If happiness in life is making and achieving goals this is a good book for you) Would I recommend the book? Yes, for those who see life as making and achieving series of goals. For any other purpose, no. Easy to read and follow? Yes. =20 However, I did feel that the introduction, preface, and rear leaf summary did not properly introduce the book and many will find this disturbing. It should be very clear this is written for those who feel they are unhappy due to not achieving goals. There are many people I know who would have thrown the book across the room because they are not suffering from lack of goal achievement. =20 =20 - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 11:54:17 -0600 From: Christopher Bigelow Subject: [AML] New Sugar Beet In honor of Pioneer Day today, we dug deep into our archives and found an issue from 1860 that we trust will edify and uplift today's readers. It's guaranteed 20-percent anachronism free! http://thesugarbeet.com/ Clean-Shaven BYA Student Expelled One-Wife Families Struggle to Feel Accepted Don't Give Up Hope on the Sugar Beet Outhouse Is "Only Place a Body Can Get a Little Peace And Quiet" Unmarried 18-Year-Old Men Are a Menace to Society The Blessings of Being a Woman in Zion Latter-Day Saints Offended by "Mormon Crickets" Moniker Stiff-Necked Gentiles Almost Claimed This Valley Before We Did Catching Up with Our Long-Lost Sister, Emma Smith Latter-Day Saints Help Reverse America's Position on the Ignorant Heathen Red Man Plus the following departments: Views from the Trail Corrections and Retractions Ask Molly Mormon Ask a Gleaner Girl http://thesugarbeet.com/ Next regular issue: August 16 - ----- Read about the Sugar Beet in the Ogden [Utah] Standard-Examiner: http://www.standard.net/standard/news/news_story.html?sid=000207192215222456 24 Make a donation to help with Sugar Beet web-hosting fees, currently paid by the volunteer editors: https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=chris%40thesugarbeet.com&item_name=Th e+Sugar+Beet Want to try your hand at Sugar Beet reporting? Send your story to chris@thesugarbeet.com. Do you draw superhero comics? The Sugar Beet needs your help. Click here: http://www.xmission.com/~thebeet/business/jobs.html OPT OUT: To stop receiving Sugar Beet updates, reply to this message with REMOVE in the subject header. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 14:40:51 -0700 From: "Jeff Needle" Subject: [AML] Marilyn BROWN, _Ghosts of the Oquirrhs_ (Review) Review ====== Title: Ghosts of the Oquirrhs Author: Marilyn Brown Publisher: Salt Press (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc.) Year Published: 2002 Number of Pages: 208 Binding: Paperback ISBN: 1-55517-658-5 Price: $14.95 Reviewed by Jeffrey Needle Here in San Diego we have a section of the city called Old Town, where visitors can see a bit of how the settlers lived. The old printing house, some adobe homes, the Mormon Battalion Visitors Center, and other reminders of old San Diego can be seen here. One of the most popular stops is the Whaley House, a famous "haunted house," where tourists can walk through a structure fabled to be haunted by ghosts of its infamous past. Naturally, I've gone through the house several times with guests. I have not, as of yet, encountered any ghosts, other than those I've been able to conjure up all on my own. "Ghosts of the Oquirrhs" tells the story of the McKinsey family, an early non-Mormon Utah family. As the book opens, a descendant inherits a charred, but still readable, diary of sorts, telling a fascinating story of how one town, Camp Floyd (but known to everyone as Sweet Pie), was reduced to ashes in a great fire. The events leading up to the fire make for fascinating reading. Cecily McKinsey is the young daughter of the local banker, a staid, serious man devoted to the building of his businesses and the advancement of his interests. The McKinsey family is populated by children so different from each other, one wonders that they were raised in the same home. One gets a hint of the eccentric nature of this book when, in the opening scene, Lottie Pickard, a resident of the town, dies, and we get to visit her funeral. Her dying wish was to be buried in a sitting-up position, so that she might be able to see the Lord when He returns, and be ready to go! The grave, however, is not sufficiently deep to bury her in this way; most of her body makes it into the ground, but her head doesn't make it all the way. Off in the distance, Cecily spies an approaching figure, a fiddle-carrying desert crosser approaching their town. How odd - -- seeing someone cross the desert on foot was so rare in those days. Who is this man? Turns out his name is Brooker Rose. He's looking for a mine to work. When he learns that one of the local townspeople, Abraham Sawyer, had disappeared after working a mine unsuccessfully, he states his intention to continue digging, paying the owner his share should be ever return. The town comes to believe that Abraham Sawyer is dead, that his body is at the bottom of a dry well, and that Brooker Rose killed him. Evidence? None. Just one assumption building upon another, ultimately fed by the appearance of a stranger who doesn't fit the mold. In a series of curious events, Brooker becomes the focus of the town's suspicions about the fate of Sawyer. An entire criminal case is built against Brooker without a hint of evidence. And the effort to build a case against Brooker transforms this small town into a place of emerging evil. I wondered about the Lottie Pickard incident, but ultimately saw it as symbolic of what I saw as the central theme of the book -- the reality of human evil, and the inability of even a good (if odd) people to completely bury it in the ground of everyday life. Just when we think we've buried our depravity, a bit of it emerges and consumes us. As the story progresses, Brooker emerges as something of a Christ character. I struggled with how to express this without giving away the entire storyline, but ultimately could find no way to do this. He appears out of nowhere, utters unbelievable prophecies (as if they were comments on ordinary things), finds gold where there was none, etc. The symbolism is powerful and finely crafted. Brown wants us to know that Brooker is an extraordinary character. And yet this imagery never overpowers the story itself. This is the story of a town, a town that burns to the ground as the afterword to a remarkable journey. The relationship between Brooker and Cecily grows and matures as the town continues to drown in its own muck of self-interest and mistrust. Cecily comes in contact with everyone -- including the local madam, the lady who tells fortunes, and, of course, Brooker. We experience the fall of this town through Cecily's eyes. This book is the first in a projected series titled "Utah Witness," described on the back cover as "the first in a collection of both new and previously published novels offering Marilyn Brown's unique witness of Utah history." "Ghosts of the Oquirrhs," however, didn't seem to fit this category. While set in early Utah, I didn't find much of the story to be *unique* to Utah. I may be mistaken, but the story could have been told in nearly any setting in that period of America's history. Indeed, evil exists everywhere. Sometimes it lies just beneath the surface, and needs only a convenient catalyst to bring it bubbling up, wreaking havoc, ruining lives and spoiling families. Brown characterizes Brooker Rose as the innocent hero, the one to bear the burden of the accumulated frustration of an entire town. But "Ghosts of the Oquirrhs" is not so much a tale of darkness, but rather a dark comedy, a spooky morality tale that kept me reading into the night. Several times during my reading, I genuinely wondered if I really understood what this book was all about. Was it a real ghost story? Would I find spooks and spirits guiding me through this slice of history, or would I need to summon my own ghosts, my own connection with the supernatural, to fully comprehend the moral behind the story? In the end, the "ghosts" are mere shadows of our own inadequacies. Here we have a town filled with people with their own agendas, their own concerns in life, and their own very private sins. It seems that they were just waiting for the right person, a scapegoat, to come along. And this was Brooker Rose. But in Rose we find something of a hero, and the one through whom the redemption of an entire town might be brought to pass, even if by fire. This is a very good book. I look forward to the next installment. - ----------------------- Jeff Needle jeff.needle@general.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #782 ******************************