Soul Mountain - Gao

Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjiang -5/5

"Soul Mountain" is a panoramic mosaic of a quickly vanishing China. A nostalgic search for an inferred Mountain leads the author into a search of reality, of who he is and what has shaped his country. It's a jagged tale of startling incoherence that binds one to it until the last page. Along the road "you", "I" and "she" meet interesting people and examine interesting themes, which consistently diverge from one another. It starts with "you" in a dirty bus stop and ends with "I" comprehending and understanding nothing. A truly fascinating tale of humanity and the forces that shape people and their times, a worthy winner of the Nobel and a wonderful read for the brave at heart.

The novel is a nostalgic monument to ancient themes in a modern time. He paints verbal pictures of ancient traditions and places that rest on the mind and leave a warm, comforting feeling within the depths of the reader. His portrayal of ancient and unforgotten traditions and practices that survived the cultural revolution resonate through the mind and leave a trace of envy and a sense of "I wish I could see it too" attitude. It's a novel in which the author tries not to forget his roots nor from where he came but also tries to grasp reality and the meaning of life, love and theology.

Gao takes on the task of examining reality leaving the reader unsure of what is and isn't real. The author asserts that "it is impossible to disentangle imagination from experience" and elsewhere asks "where is the boundary between memory and wishful thinking? How can the two be separated? Which of the two is more real and how can this be determined?" Even the main characters in the plot are not real but mere reflections of each other "you" is the reflection "I" created, and "she" was created by "you" and "he" is the back of "you".

Other expressions of reality are found throughout the narrative. The author talks about "reality existing through experience" and emphasizes "personal experience" but then infers that "reality cannot be verified and does not need to be." The author makes a startling conclusion that "reality is myself, and that reality is the perception of this instant and it can't be related to another person." In the end any reality that is portrayed is "distorted" since the author "had been unable to portray real life." The reader is never sure where they are or what is true or false yet certain that they are hearing something.

But the novel, as I assume the author did, loses love. "She" says "love is an illusion which people conjure up to delude themselves. You don't believe in the existence of something called love; it is either the man possessing the woman or the woman possessing the man."

A novel of such magnitude cannot leave out an examination of religion and God. "Soul Mountain" attempts to trace religion from the "a vestige of early human civilization; the worship of fire" through to the authors conclusion when "I" sees a "small green frog" and "knows this is God." But "I" honestly admits that he doesn't "know if God, and the Devil in fact exist but both were invoked by you who are the embodiment of both my good fortune and my misfortune." Gao admits later on (in reference to folk songs) that "what should be revered isn't revered and instead all sorts of things are worshipped."

In this examination of faith he confronts the reality that the Chinese "government doesn't allow of superstitious practices." In spite of these inhibitions he takes his reader into the realm of ancient religious traditions that are still invisible to the western eye.

This is a monumental search for the self, humanity, history, culture and identity. It is cast against the morass of the vast expanse of China. Eventually "the act of searching itself turns into a sort of goal, and the object of the search is irrelevant" and the "true traveler is without goal, it is the absence of goals which creates the ultimate traveler." Gao is the ultimate traveler but I am left to think that Gao's own search has led him to the vacuous belief that "life is joyous, death is joyous, it is nothing more than your memories." If this is what life is, then I too would "wail" with Gao and (in the words of the author) it would be the "wail of accumulated sadness being released."

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Jesus and the Religions of Man - Marshall

Jesus and the Religions of Man by David Marshall - 4/5

Jesus and the Religions of Man (JATROM) is a wonderful apologetic that examines the core of our humanity in the context of our modern society. The major intellectual, political and social revolutions of the 20th century, that has formed the basis of our society in the 3rd millennium, are critically examined in the light of history. The author¡¦s reflective insights of the problems of Marxism, sexuality and eastern mysticism are drawn from a deep intellectual well that never runs dry. He is constantly comparing thought forms and ways of life to the life, thoughts and ways of Christ. He compellingly concludes that all (including the Church) fall short of the glory and the abundance of life that is offered in Christ. Anecdotal references to the authors own experiences travelling through Asia adds character and personality to a book that is filled with arguments that defends the Gospel of Christ in a new, appealing and refreshing way.

This is a great book. I especially enjoyed the chapter on how Jesus has changed the world. Marshall does not shy away from the crusades and the ¡§bad¡¨ things done in the ¡§name¡¨ of Christianity. Instead he shows that the world was not changed by the ¡§ecumenical authority of the Church¡¨ but rather the every day man and woman who accepted Christ into their lives. The people on the ground who allowed the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to work through them, conform them to Christ and allowed them to change the world. Marshall constantly appeals to the humanity of man and persuasively shows how man has tried to set himself up as a god. He calls us to a life of worship and submission to God for, as he shows by examining modern psychological evidence, the inward looking man will implode.

If you are an atheist, read this book and try to refute it¡¦s research and claims. If you are a seeker, JATROM will answer many of the questions that you are probably asking. If you are Christian, read this book and be inspired to continue to seeking the will of God, for as David Marshall repeats constantly, Jesus came to give us abundant life. If you are a Buddhist, Hindu or eastern Mystic, confront this apologetic on it¡¦s own terms. I am sure it will shed new light on your beliefs and who you are. Written with astounding clarity, occasional wit, amazing insight and compassionate persuasiveness, JATROM is certainly worthy enough to find a place next to Moreland, Schaeffer, and McDowell on any bookshelf.

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Archives by Title - Reviews

REVIEWS - Alphabetical list of books reviewed by title

• Change Accross Culture by Bruce Bradshaw


• Innovator's Dilemma, The by Clayton M. Christensen


• Hidden Sorrow, Lasting Joy by Anneke Companjen


• J. Hudson Taylor: A Man in Christ by Roger Steer


• Jesus and the Religions of Man by David Marshall


• Life of Pi by Yann Martel


• Lords of Finance, The - Liquat Ahamed


• Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by John Gray


• Night by Elie Wiesel


• On a Chinese Screen by Somerset Maugham


• Rogue Trader by Nick Leeson


• Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, The by S.C.M. Paine


• Soul Mountain by Gao Xinjiang


• Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943 by Anthony Beevor


• Taliban by Ahmed Rashid


• Their Blood Cries Out by Paul Marshall


• Why Globalization Works by Martin Wolf

Archives of Miscellaneous Items

OTHER - Alphabetical list of books

• Cycling Home from Siberia by Rob Lilwall - [author speech]


• Formosa Betrayed by George Kerr - [download]


• From Asian to Global Financial Crisis by Andrew Sheng - [new purchase]


• Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China, The by Jay Taylor - [interview]


• Holy Grail of Macroeconomics: Lessons from Japans Great Recession, The by Richard Koo - [author speech]


• Making of Modern Japan, The by Marius Jansen - [current reading]


• Why Globalization Works by Martin Wolf - [author speech]

Archives by Author - Reviews

Alphabetical list of books reviewed by Author

• Ahamed, L - Lords of Finance, The


• Beevor, A - Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943


• Bradshaw, B - Change Accross Culture


• Christiansen, C. M - Innovator's Dilemma, The


• Companjen, A - Hidden Sorrow, Lasting Joy


• Gao, X - Soul Mountain


• Gray, J - Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus


• Leeson, N - Rogue Trader


• Marshall, D - Jesus and the Religions of Man


• Marshall, P - Their Blood Cries Out


• Martel, Y - Life of Pi


• Maugham, S - On a Chinese Screen


• Paine, S.C.M - Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, The


• Rashid, A - Taliban


• Steer, R - Hudson Taylor: A Man in Christ


• Wiesel, E - Night


• Wolf, M - Why Globalization Works

Author Pages

Here are links to the websites of some of the many authors I have enjoyed reading over these many years.

• Beevor, Antony


• Christensen, Clayton


• Davies, Norman


• Leeson, Nick


• Murakami, Haruki


• Pettis, Michael


• Rashid, Ahmed


• Sheng, Andrew


• Steer, Roger