The Compatibility of Science and Religion: Rev. Dr. John Polkinghorne

Recently I attended a speech given by the Rev. Dr. John Polkinghorne, a world-renowned English particle physicist and Anglican priest. It was a great experience and I'm posting my notes here, typed in paragraph form.

( The Compatibility of Science and Religion )

And my personal opinion: I really enjoyed Dr. Polkinghorne's speech and the ensuing discussion, although I don't agree with many of his views. Though in my opinion he sidestepped the thrust of several audience questions, I'm very glad that I attended the seminar because it was an eminently worthwhile experience.

Reading Lolita in Tehran, by Azar Nafisi

Reading Lolita in Tehran
by Azar Nafisi
347 pages (trade paperback)
Genre: Nonfiction/Memoir

A memoir about living in Iran as a woman during the Islamic revolution, and about as depressing as it sounds. I really wanted to like this book, but it failed to meet my expectations. It is a better-than-mediocre memoir, but I've read some much more engaging ones (i.e. All the Fishes Come Home to Roost, by the lovely rachelmanija) and Reading Lolita in Tehran is a typical bestseller in being overrated. The narrative is oddly disjointed, jumping randomly in setting and chronology within each section. Nafisi's story is heartwarming but becomes rather tedious as the book progresses. I did enjoy the gems of literary analysis, which appealed to my English geekiness; comparing Pride and Prejudice to an eighteenth-century dance is aptly appropriate. I liked the themes and concepts of Reading Lolita in Tehran (I even read Lolita as preparation for it, though I'm disappointed that I didn't read Gatsby and Joyce as well for background). However, it feels too much like cathartic writing--too personal. At some inevitable point, its haphazard recollections and persistently wistful tone will bore the reader.

I believe that I would truly enjoy Nafisi's literary analyses, as they were by far my favorite aspect of her memoir. Alas, much as I wish otherwise, I cannot recommend this book.