Margaret Peifer writes weekly book reviews for the Lincoln Daily Courier. She reviewed Finding My Way 2016 last week (http://www.lincolncourier.com/news/20171125/peifers-picks).
Margaret was a 36-year Franciscan sister, who is now married to a longtime Lincoln farmer. She’s written her own memoir (Nice To Meet Your Husband, Sister Martha). In addition to teaching she has spent years working with inmates in Lincoln’s two state correctional centers.
When Margaret learned that famous black poet Langston Hughes was a Lincoln resident during several of his junior high and high school years (1915-1920), she claimed him as a Lincoln hero and celebrated his life and poetry in every way she could.
Margaret does wonderful things like that. She’s still dancing to rock music at age 80-something. She has big smiles for everyone. Thank you, Margaret, for your review. Here is her column from November 25, 2017, or you can read it with pictures here:
Margaret Peifer is an 80 something retired educator who once again is an avid reader. She has a Master’s in English from the University of Illinois at Champaign, is a former religious sister and is married to life-long Lincoln farmer Jack Peifer. Her most recent teaching position was at Heartland Community College in Lincoln.
“Finding my Way” by David Sandel
I knew that my former neighbor David used daily scripture to meditate on- and share commentary online. And when I use my computer more, I used to make use of it frequently. But when I saw his new book at his mother’s house, I was pleasantly surprised. It is wonderful. And very complete. It starts with Ash Wednesday and ends with the Epiphany.
Each day starts with scripture and then a personal reflection from David’s life and then an original prayer.
In his personal reflections, he moves from Thomas Merton to Amy Grant, from his mother to his son, and from T.S. Eliot to John Lennon.
As Neal Windham of Lincoln Christian University stated, “Time spent with Dave Sandel is never wasted. While you may not agree with everything he writes here, I encourage you to drink deeply. He is a wise and sympathetic tutor.”
I believe anyone who loves and shares scriptures would be inspired by David. I encourage other neighbors to stop by Prairie Years and take a peek at this book.
“The Choice: Embrace the Possible, a Memoir” by Dr. Edith Eva Eger
When Desmond Tutu says that a book is a gift to humanity- one better listen. This memoir of a holocaust victim is not a sad story. I’m not sure why.
Dr. Edith’s writing is so clever. Somehow the story gets told but always with something more. Today, at age 90, she is still alive, and still has a clinical practice in La Jolla, California.
On a scale of 1-10, this book is a 10+.
“Building a Bridge” by James Martin, SJ
Is James Martin a writer who happens to be a Jesuit or Jesuit who happens to be a writer? Either way- he is doing the Church a great service in his latest book Building a Bridge.
He is giving us, I believe, a simple, logical approach to this most important subject. He states that with the killing in 2016 in Orlando Florida, where a gunman stormed into a gay nightclub and killed 49 people, something was lacking in the outcry. At the time, it was the largest mass shooting in U.S. history. Out of the 250 Catholic Bishops, only five used the word “gay” or “LGBT” when expressing the horror of this event.
Father Martin fears that the “LGBT” community is “invisible” to the Church. Therefore, the title of this book is – “Building a Bridge.”
His approach is filled with examples from his ministry. He is close friends with many Bishops and members of the “LGBT” community. He doesn’t pose easy answers, he asks for respect, compassion, and sensitivity on all sides. The book is 150 pages long. Again, I have asked Prairie Years to have a couple of copies on hand so that you can peruse them.
