Wednesday, January 28, 2009

John Updike

I just hear on the news over lunch that author John Updike passed away after a battle with lung cancer. Updike is probably best known for the Rabbit series (which if you have never read you should), but I remember him best for a little known book that was assigned by a Church History Professor at Duke (Bob Gregg) called A Month of Sunday's. I am not sure if we were actually assigned the book, or if we were told to put it on our summer reading list (which 25 years later I have not finished all the books on . . .). I learned more about what I was getting into from Bob Gregg's Church history class than all of my other classes combined. THANKS!

Last year I read what may have been Updike's last novel, The Terrorist. This is a powerful story of how a young man can get caught up and enrolled in terrorist activity. A wonderful and thought provoking story.

Sex, religion, science and culture always seemed to be the currents in Updike's stories and none may be as provocative as Roger's Version about a young computer geeks attempt to prove God. As we remember the death of this great American author, I encourage you to take some time and go back and read some of his classic works.

No comments: