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Pulitzer PrizeΒwinning New York Times journalist Chris Hedges describes the experiences of ordinary people who struggle with the ancient imperatives of the Ten Commandments in the modern world. Each chapter pairs a biblical commandment and a contemporary person. A provocative treatment of an ever-timely topic.
Publishers Weekly
Hedges, a correspondent at the New York Times, first made a name in the book world with his remarkable study War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning. Now Hedges, the son of a Presbyterian minister, brings together ruminations on the 10 Commandments. Inspired by Krzysztof Kieslowski's The Decalogue (a series of 10 films, each based on one of the commandments) each of these pieces profiles someone who has "struggled on a deep and visceral level with one of the commandments." Some of the chapters-like Hedges's meditation on how consumerism becomes a way of taking the Lord's name in vain-are quite profound. And some of the connections he makes are refreshingly creative; his chapter on idolatry, for example, tells the story of a young woman who makes an idol out of the rock band Phish. But sometimes, he's banal ("Time is short. Life is brief"), and sometimes Hedges's very creativity drains his profiles of impact. The chapter on greed, for example, portrays a woman named Karen Adey, who dreams about becoming a multimillionaire and has hemorrhaged thousands of dollars attending self-help seminars in an effort to make her dream come true. This chapter could have resonated more if he had written about someone whose covetousness was just as pervasive, but a little more run-of-the-mill, like the college kid who goes into credit card debt buying clothes and CDs he doesn't need. Although this exploration of the 10 Commandments is uneven, much of it is provocative. (June 7) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
The Ten Commandments of the Hebrew Bible-often viewed as basic rules for living-are frequently violated in American life, argues New York Times reporter Hedges, whose War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. Based on his own experiences or stories he has previously written, the book is really a critical indictment of American culture-a wake-up call for those who are morally ruined by narcissism. Hedges's writing is engaging, but his reports are often brutally violent. From the horrors of living in a Boston ghetto to the battlefields of Vietnam, the reader is exposed to one tragedy after another. In the chapter on the Fifth Commandment, he tells the touching story of his father's stormy life as a Presbyterian minister-a vocation he could not follow even though he has a master's from Harvard Divinity School. Hedges has no love for religion or the church, but he shows a great deal of courage here: in 2003, he was shouted off the stage at Rockford College, IL, for giving an antiwar commencement address. His book is bound to make many readers uncomfortable, but perhaps the message needs to be heard. Recommended for all libraries.-James A. Overbeck, Atlanta-Fulton Cty. Lib. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
A melodramatic, overwritten examination of present-day virtue-or the lack of it. This investigation of the Ten Commandments and how far Americans have fallen from their standard began as a series that staff correspondent Hedges (War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, 2002, etc.) wrote for the New York Times. He now devotes a chapter to each commandment and chronicles the stories of quirky individuals whose lives intersect with each. The chapter on the Sabbath, for example, describes the outre Friday-night rituals of pediatricians Stephen Arpadi and Terry Marx, who drink Shabbat vodka gimlets and allow their kids to watch a video, Shabbat TV. He also tells us that letting go is an integral part of parenthood; that "all love hurts"; and that love "is difficult and hard" and "filled with a transformative power." Self-help pabulum of this kind might be expected from a Hallmark Hall of Fame special, but not from a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. The most engaging section is the transcript of a controversial antiwar commencement speech Hedges gave in 2003 at Rockford College. He was practically booed off the stage, and he transcribes every heckle the audience hurled at him. It's a revealing slice of Americana, though perhaps only tenuously connected to Hedges's putative theme of honoring one's parents. Another failing is Hedges's grandly capacious interpretation of the commandments: ironically, this roominess may even allow ordinary readers to wiggle out of the commandments' range. Take the chapter on adultery, for instance. Hedges profiles a man named H.R. Vargas, whose father left his mother and took up with another woman while Vargas was in utero. Vargas, now a father himself, is stillbattling the emotional consequences of this early abandonment. The story is powerful-but abstract: one wonders whether the tale of an ordinary, white-collar office affair might have cut a little closer to home for most readers. In the main, uninspired and trite.
