Film and book reviews for December

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FILMS
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (R) pushed me beyond my comfort zone. Precious is a struggling teen in Harlem who is pregnant with her second child—both children a result of her father raping her. The scenes of her parents' abuse made me squirm with anxiety and anger. I left wondering how so many bad things can happen to one person yet inspired by Precious' amazing strength.—Anna Groff

The Blind Side (PG-13) tells the true story of Michael Oher, a homeless black teenager, who is taken in by Leigh Anne Tuohy and her husband, Sean. Michael eventually becomes a pro football player. The film confronts some stereotypes re racism but has the potential to reinforce others, such as whites saving poor blacks. It's worth seeing and discussing.—gh


BOOKS
The Roots of Concern: Writings on Anabaptist Renewal 1952-1957, edited by Virgil Vogt (Cascade Books, 2009, $23), includes essays from the Concern pamphlets written by North American Mennonites in Europe in the 1950s. Essays by Paul Peachey, John W. Miller, John Howard Yoder, David A. Shank, Norman Kraus and others call Mennonites to a radical Christianity.

He Flew Too High: A Novel by Ken Yoder Reed (Henry Holt & Company, 2009, $22) uses the Icarus myth as a frame for a cautionary tale from the mid-1950s about Saul McNamara, who leaves his military career, marries a Mennonite bishop's daughter, then leads a charismatic revival movement that tears the community apart and leads to tragedy. Reed's use of detail and suspense strengthens the narrative, though at points the pace slows.—gh

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