Ana Drew reviews Jonah: poet in extremis
On 8th November 2011 the Scrimshaw Group was born. I was writing a book on Jonah at the time, and I wanted to make demystify the process by inviting others in as I wrote. I remain very grateful for the encouragement which this provided. In October of last year Jonah: poet in extremis was published on Kindle and in June of this year it came out in print form. One of those whom I invited to review it was Anna Drew, Lead Media Officer at The Methodist Church. Her review follows below.
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There is an awful lot of really bad Christian writing out there – and an awful lot of badly-designed Christian book covers. I review a fair amount of Christian ‘stuff’ (books, CDs, films… once a Christian fitness DVD) for radio and more often than not the material has me groaning in despair.
So it was a huge relief when I received my copy of Jonah: Poet in Extremis, written by the Revd Richard Littledale. Let’s start with the cover (vanity, yes – sorry). The cover, gorgeous in its simplicity, is something I’m proud to have sitting on my bookshelf. But, of course, we all know that it’s what lies betwixt that matters most. Knowing that Littledale is a pastor, preacher and pragmatist I had high hopes. And I wasn’t disappointed.
Littledale guides the reader chapter by chapter, through the story of Jonah, with a good dose of background detail as well as his own reflections on the text.
Jonah’s story is one of those in the Old Testament with which I struggle most. I find it difficult to see past the whale. The first question in my mind when approaching the text is always one of ‘yes, but that’s not actually possible… is it?’ Littledale deals elegantly with this challenge, neither allowing it to dominate this slim volume, nor pitching his tent in one particular camp.
Whatever your take on the literal/ mythical/ allegorical nature of the tail (Ha! Sorry), Littledale gently shows his readers that that is a great deal we can learn from shipmate Jonah if we allow ourselves to see past the fish.
Touching on issues in Jonah’s journey that affect all our lives – fear, self, self-esteem, duty and prejudice, to name but a few – Littledale urges us to sympathy with our protagonist and demonstrates a pastor’s understanding of the real challenges his story presents. He doesn’t shy away from the messiness either of our own lives or of Jonah’s and calls us to live in the unanswered questions posed by this tale.
This slim, accessible volume is undoubtedly a great resource for seasoned preachers and non-theologians alike. A great balance of Biblical scholarship, accessible language, poignant stories and pragmatic faith.
Anna Drew, August 2014
