[ePub] The Art of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children) by Leah Gallo in Arts-Photography

Review

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. A very thoughtful discussionBy RPARKOne of the most thought provoking books I have read and the only one that I know of that addresses culture which is such a big part of the Mormon experience. We spend a lot of time talking about History and Doctrine but we experience culture and so the topic deserves a lot of attention. I think this book goes a long way towards explaining how people can have such a different experience in the church. I read stories of people who feel stifled by their activity in the church and wonder if they are attending a different church than I. I have a sister who is inactive because she experienced one aspect of these paradoxes and not the other and so never experienced the balance. Because she stopped learning; her understanding has never matured beyond that of an 18 year old girl turned off to the "Iron Rod" aspect of obedience.The book mentions paradoxes and I think that they do seem like paradoxes at first blush. However; once you dig in a little more; I think that there is more compatibility than the word paradox implies. A good example is the first chapter: the Iron Rod and the Liahona. An analogy that works for me is to compare life to a football game. The Iron Rod aspect defines what the boundaries of the field of play are and who is on offense and who is on defense along with rules about holding; pass interference. etc. The Liahona aspect is where you get to run any offensive play you want or any defensive alignment you feel is appropriate. Sometimes you are the coach and sometimes you are the player. When you are the coach; you have the responsibility to decide what actions the team should take and when you are the player you have the responsibility to execute your assignment to the best of your ability. With that in mind; is their really a paradox between the rules of the game and your ability to enjoy playing either as a coach or a player? Most who enjoy the game of football would say no. This is the way the game is best enjoyed based on years of experience. Complaining about the rules of the church is a little like complaining about whether or not there should be holding penalties or pass interference penalties. I personally love to watch a football game where the players and the coaches are on the same page; show excellent teamwork and commit few penalties.Perhaps we as a society dont place enough value in the paradoxes that are part of our lives. Perhaps they provide optimal tension that provides a means for struggle and thus progression.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Excellent overviewBy Scooter ReviewsI already read the authors "By the Hand of Mormon" and looked forward to reading this one. I feel that Givens was more focused in this book than he was in that (I gave that book a 4-star review); but his fantastic insights and scholarship show through in both books. There were aspects of Mormon culture than didnt interest me at all (such as architecture and short stories) and some that fascinated me (such as intellectual culture; music and movies); but thats all on a personal level- kudos to Givens for addressing all aspects of Mormon culture.Here are some gems that I picked up from the book-1. To the query about how a strict and somewhat rigid church can be so open to all forms of dancing- "If you cant beat them; supervise them; seems to be the Mormon response."2. (From a study) "Mormons generally have high expectations for their youth and invest a lot in educating them... These investments pay off in producing Mormon teenagers who are; by sociological standards at least; more religiously serious and articulate than most other religious teenagers in the US."3. Mormon theology; in contrast with Evangelicals; is much more open to science. Thats why BYU can have many programs dedicated to evolution/dinosaurs. Dallin Oaks said; as BYU president; "The bones are there and cannot really be ignored by a major university that is almost literally sitting on top of them."4. "One paradox of Mormon culture is its rootedness in a rigidly hierarchical; authoritarian church- and yet this church was established in the context of 2 fantastically individualistic phenomena that converged in antebellum America: Western Romanticism Jacksonian democracy"5. On music- Although there are few adult hymns centered on the Book of Mormon; some of the most popular Primary songs are BoM centric. Givens states that "Book of Mormon Stories" song is for LDS kids what "Old McDonald Had a Farm" is for regular American kids and he foresees a day in the near future when BoM characters such as Nephi and Alma are more known to LDS kids than Bible figures such as Noah and Job.6. Our foundational history; as a people; is a better epic than any fiction could be. We are still waiting for our "Mormon Shakespeare" to come along and really capture it in literature or poetry.And so much more. Fabulous insights with an approach that will appeal to the non-LDS sociologist as well. In my opinion; Givens is among the best LDS scholars writing today along with Richard Bushman and Grant Hardy. I will soon be buying and reading his book on Parley P Pratt and I very much look forward to it.One negative is that there are a few typos and errors on the Kindle version; but thats not the authors fault.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. What an amazing bookBy Justin CoulsonMuch has already been written about the content of this book by other reviewers; so I wont summarise the content in any meaningful way here. Instead Ill make the following points:Givens has written a deeply thought-provoking book that challenges thinking; and points out remarkable insights into the paradoxes of mormon belief. I was absorbed by Part I where the paradoxes were elaborated on and explored. And as a thinker; I found his treatment of intellectualism in the LDS Church outstanding (in Part III).I am not familiar with the fine arts in any way. This book introduced me to a world that I am surrounded by but never knew it. I have become aware of the impact of the arts on a culture that I accept and participate fully in; but had never acknowledged or considered in such a way.The language of the book is dense. It might be a challenging read were it not for the continual insights and thoughtful descriptions of various subjects.I found doctrinal depth; intellectual wisdom; historical a-has; and much more in this excellent book. As I turned the final page I exclaimed out loud; "what an amazing book."