February 2017 Reviews

February 2017:

“Biography of The Bible” by Ernest Sutherland Bates (a library e book from Overdrive)

Buyer Beware: In the beginning of this book a short paragraph disclaims liability for any inaccuracies or misinformation that may be found within the book.

There is a Chapter about the Author. His ancestry, schooling, life works, and study give him a background to write about The bible.

The Bible has been in the making for thousands of years. Two quotes, “Not until the 4th century was it called The Bible.” and “the unity of The Bible is its most compelling feature” from the beginning chapter; are part of the knowledge that will aide the reader in a search for understanding the background of this collection of books which is called The Bible.

The Bible is “inspired by religious view points.” Ernest Bates describes the content as “collective man.”

Some of the chapters within have titles like “General Characters,” “The Authors,” “The Bible under medievalism,” and “The Great Translations.” There are 7 chapters total. They are instructive and informative.

The reader will meet men from many walks of life and different countries. All of them were involved in translating, publishing, and preserving The Bible. Some of them were tortured and died for their efforts to bring this book into a manuscript that could be read by anyone who wished to do so.

So, I will end this review with a quote from the last pages of this book, “The true goods are noncompetitive and self-validating: physical health, creative labor, love and friendship and companionship, intellectual honesty, wisdom and justice, to know these is in itself to value them.”

2. Out of Order By Sandra Day O’Connor (a library e book from Overdrive)

The book contains an over view of the history of the Supreme Court. The author adds illustrations of humor and personalities that have made up the Court throughout its history. These illustrations are especially worthwhile to read.

Sandra Day O’Connor tells us, “few people realize that, for much of the Supreme Court’s first century one of the justices primary duties was to serve as roving trial Judges in the lower federal courts.” Circuit court was one of the hardships the first Supreme Court Judges experienced.

The author does not stop when she expresses how it felt to be the first women Supreme Court Judge. She writes a whole chapter about the many things that were first for the Court as it matured into the system which now presides. jj

O’Connor tells the reader about how customs and traditions started within the Court. She explains how jurisdictions have changed since the Court started, the types of personalities, that have shaped the decisions by the Court, and expresses facts about different types of cases.

Many of our Supreme Court Judges have held other offices within the government at other times in their lives. “...it is worth remembering that a Judge’s personal history and character also matter.”

Something that I personally took away from reading this book was the way Presidents have attempted to turn the Court toward one ruling or another. Will the candidates obey the guiding hand or will they take a path they choose because they try to guide the country in a direction that is better for the citizens? This is a solid book with a lot of informational understanding for the reader.