Reviews - July 2005

The Secret Universe of Names
Roy Feinson,
Viking,$59.95

This book is subtitled 'The Dynamic Interplay of Names and Destiny'. Its concern: the subliminal effect of Armani, Bunny and Cleveland etc., through to Zoila. American first names, which subliminally make me giggle. Feinson thinks differently: 'Ignoring the ability of our names to manipulate people's emotions could be a potentially costly mistake for our children's future'. Well if you will call your babies Taurean or Princess, then they'll hate you. But in this book phonetics is determinism. In my case the 'lusty' letter L, the s and the soft C evoke 'unbridled carnality'. My Baptist great-aunt Lucy will love that…

Holy Fire: the Battle for Christ's Tomb
Victoria Clark
Macmillan $59.95

Victoria Clark was a foreign correspondent during the Bosnian and Chechen conflicts. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she has become one of the more interesting writers on contemporary religion. Holy Fire mixes reportage, the lives of modern Christians in Jerusalem, with a history of Christian colonialism in the city. Here is religion at its worst: Crusaders ethnically cleansed the city and the various Christian sects have always tended to "squabblepoison". Now, with Jews and Palestinians at flashpoint over "their" Holy Land, arises a new, dire threat: US fundamentalists, who support the Jewish state as a precondition for Armageddon. Edifying, depressing and alarming.
 

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Last Modified: 14/09/2005