Redeeming the workplace
Joy at Work
by Dennis Bakke
What would corporate America look like turned on its head? In Joy at Work, Dennis Bakke helps to answer that question with the story of how he and his company broke all the rules of management theory
— and had fun doing it. In 1981, Bakke co-founded AES Corporation as a power company that he eventually grew into an $8 billion global giant. He recounts the implementation of his radical management approaches with the goal of creating "the most fun workplace ever." Bakke instilled fun, not with after-work "Happy Hours," but by giving each employee nearly limitless decision-making responsibility and then holding them accountable.
As a business school graduate working in a Fortune 500 company, I found this book to be a refreshing respite from the mind-numbing mantra that maximizing shareholder value is the "be all, end all" of business. Bakke reminds us that the purpose of business is to serve society, and that is truly a noble calling for Christians.
— David Cummins '94, who majored in political science, works on mergers and acquisitions for ACS, Inc., Washington, D.C.
Traipsing through the countryside of Tuscany
Under the Tuscan Sun
by Frances Mayes
In the summertime, I crave books that transport me to a place that is distinctly "else," a destination that could never be mistaken for my everyday world. Under the Tuscan Sun satiates my need for escape, completely and wonderfully. In her book, Mayes relates the tale of her love affair with an ancient Italian villa and the surrounding countryside, evoking such sumptuous images that I want to book a flight immediately. Using her penchant for poetics, she makes even the most mundane experiences seem exotic. Among humorous stories about the renovation of her villa and interactions with the villagers, Mayes weaves delectable descriptions of simple Italian meals. She even provides the recipes so that the reader can indulge in a taste at home. Each time I read Mayes' memoir, I come away feeling relaxed and rejuvenated from taking another vicarious vacation to Tuscany.
— Aleisha Wildon '92, who majored in behavioral science (now human development and family science), is the assistant manager of the Messiah College Bookstore.
Venturing into 'Middle Earth'
The Lord of the Rings trilogy
by J. R. R. Tolkien
Tolkien's magnum opus, The Lord of the Rings, is first and foremost a magnificent story
— the standard against which all modern epic fantasy literature is compared. The compelling narrative, evocative descriptions, and Tolkien's deep love and mastery of words and language combine to produce a unique and unforgettable world. It is a story with wide applicability to many themes: the nature of good and evil, existence in time and change, death, redemption, loyalty, and more.
C. S. Lewis wrote of a deep and poignant (almost inexpressible) longing that dwells deep within each human soul. The Lord of the Rings awoke that longing in me when I first traveled to Middle Earth in the seventh grade. I invite you, as well, to venture into a place and time "when there was less noise and more green, and hobbits were still numerous and prosperous."
— Rick Schaeffer '83, who majored in chemistry, is an assistant professor of chemistry at Messiah College.
An exploration of beauty's many faces
Beauty: The Invisible Embrace
by John O'Donohue
This past winter, I became aware of Beauty: The Invisible Embrace by hearing O'Donohue talk on National Public Radio about the subject of "beauty." I was moved and stirred by his contemplative insights and the ringing truth of his subject matter. As a sculptor, I continually seek the invisible things of life and translate them into visible form. We dwell in the interior life, and this book uses beauty as a pathway to this place. One is enriched by the many residences where beauty lives and the senses heightened by its unexpected forms
— even in our own brokenness. It is a thought-provoking book, which is profound in many ways. I can only read several pages at a time as I am embraced by its penetrating truths.
— Shelly Bradbury '95, who majored in studio art, is a sculptor in Rockport, Mass.
Mere space travel
The Space Trilogy
by C. S. Lewis
After I graduated from Messiah, I came across The Space Trilogy by C. S. Lewis, which includes Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength. On reading it, I found it rich in imagery and allegory. I had come to expect this from Lewis after reading many of his other books. The first two books in the trilogy, Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra, deal directly with space and interplanetary travel. The final book, That Hideous Strength, is set in England, but ties in characters and events from the first two. Each of the books could stand on its own, but, together, they make for a wonderful reading experience. Families with children in junior high or older who enjoy science fiction books may even wish to read the books together and discuss the deeper meaning Lewis weaves throughout.
— Sam Wilcock '96, who majored in mathematical sciences, is an assistant professor of mathematics and statistics at Messiah College.
— Lawrie Merz, librarian and reference coordinator at Murray Library
Girl Meets God
by Lauren Winner
Lauren Winner tells the story of her conversion from her southern Jewish roots to Orthodox Judaism to passionate Christianity. She is delightful and sassy, observant and petulant, intellectually mature and occasionally just plain girlish
— at times I wanted to stop reading and just go have coffee with her! I found the seamlessness of her Judaism and her Christianity particularly satisfying. The great scholarly tradition of Judaism enriches her knowledge (and the knowledge of those who read her story) of God and of Christ.
Stones from the River
by Ursula Hegi
In Stones from the River, readers follow the lives of Trudi Montag (a Zwerg, or dwarf) and her neighbors, experiencing the subtle changes to a small German town and its ordinary people over the decades from Hitler's first rise to prominence to the end of the war. A postwar child herself, author Ursula Hegi knew little about the events of the war until she moved to the United States. In writing the story of this one small town and its people, she tries to understand how her own people could have kept silent about the indignities and, eventually, the atrocities of the Holocaust.
Unless
by Carol Shields
A successful novelist and her family lead a "blessed" life until their beloved oldest daughter Nora runs away, inexplicably moving to a Toronto street corner where she stands day after day holding a placard that reads only "Goodness." The depths of feeling in this book
— layers of grief and pain and loss intermingled with rich love and beauty
— give insight into the struggles and victories of the author herself, who wrote this, her last book, when she was in the final stages of cancer.
Cane River
by Lalita Tademy
When Tademy hired a genealogist to help trace her family tree, she started a journey back to the early 1800s, to a slave couple on a Cane River plantation in Louisiana. Using this family tree as a factual outline, she weaves a fictional tale about each generation of her family, from slavery until the 1930s. While reading, I became so engrossed in the story that it was startling to turn a page and find a photograph or a document unearthed during Tademy's research, reminding me once again that the "bones" of this story were real.
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