Best this month Lincoln
By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Dressed in black and wearing a stovepipe hat, there is the president and leader of the Union during the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln’s shoulders are hunched, no doubt, from the many burdens he had to bear during those chaotic years. This well-done biopic covers the period from his re-election in 1864 through his assassination in 1865. The film has been adapted by screenplay writer Tony Kushner from a book on the political genius of Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Daniel Day-Lewis (right) puts in a stellar performance as the
besieged and exhausted president who is trying to bring the war to an end and pass the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery. Lincoln faces fierce opposition by bigoted Democrats in the House of Representatives as well as conservative Republicans of his own party. Equally draining are his personal problems with his troubled wife Mary (Sally Fields) and his alienated older son (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Thanks to Steven Spielberg’s skillful
direction, we find ourselves drawn into the political maneuvers of those times. It’s fascinating to see what it really took to secure Lincoln’s legacy as the “Great Emancipator” (Universal, PG-13—intense scene of war vio- lence, brief strong language).
Oliver
Oliver is an oddball kid who spends most of his time with his toy friends—stuffed animals and puppets. He is a master of solitude who is able to tap into his imagina- tion and create adventures in the desert, the oceans and the other side of the world.
The Brussats pub- lish the website www. SpiritualityandPractice. com where you can find more information about the items reviewed in this column.
Oliver feels uncomfortable when he has to do things on his own. Birgitta Sif makes her writing and illustrating debut with this praiseworthy picture book designed for chil- dren ages 4 and up. She shows the miracle that takes place when Oliver moves beyond his fantasy friends and meets a female friend who can share his world. The author sums up: “Oliver was a bit different. But it didn’t matter. Olivia was a bit different too” (Candlewick Press,
www.Candlewick. com).
42 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
Soul Unfinished: Finding Happiness, Taking Risks, and Trusting God as We Grow Older
Here is a top-drawer examination of some of the chal- lenges and rewards of the last quarter of life by a Chris- tian who has been a college chaplain, a monk and a par- ish minister. Author Robert Atwell shares the wisdom that has come with spiritual maturity and his yearning to go deeper into his experiences of God. Atwell sees our “Third Age” as a time of free- dom, abundance, many choices, and a renaissance of creativity and wonder. He dismisses boredom as “the great disease of the Western world” and salutes memory as “the matrix of our identity.” The author is convinced that recounting the stories of our lives is one of the major pleasures of this period of life. Contentment should be the aim of elders, but for many it isn’t. Atwood suggests we feed it with gratitude, joy, the providence of God and the power of prayer (Paraclete Press,
www.paracletepress.
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