The Reverend Dr James Woodward

The Revd Dr James W Woodward

Books reviewed by James Woodward

Holiday Books 2002

My main summer holiday came rather later this year and took me in a slightly different direction. Rather than my usual trip to France, I decided to head to wards the Mediterranean for some late summer sunshine. So it was to the Ionian Islands and a wonderfully well-situated house on Paxos. Set amidst olive groves with a sun balcony overlooking the sea. It was a perfect spot to relax. For those of you who know the island - there isn't a great deal to do and so it was wonderful to soak up lots of different sorts of books as well as the warm summer sun. Here are my favourites.

Politics from a different perspective
Many of you will know that I have a great passion and interest in post - war political biography and autobiography. (I've just finished reading Edward Pearce's magnificent biography of Denis Healey). From this perspective, it is intriguing, therefore, that a number of media commentators over the last couple of years have produced their own account of politics and the events of the last two or three decades. 'Give me ten seconds' by John Sergeant (Pan 2002 £7.99) is a really interesting book by the chief political editor of ITN.

Most of you will remember him as the political editor for the BBC where he worked for 30 years until he was "moved on". Sergeant is famous perhaps for being "handbagged" by Mrs Thatcher on the steps of the Paris Embassy following her failure to retain the leadership of the Conservative party. The interesting thing about this memoir is that it is the story of a man who was on the spot during many of the major political news stories of the last 20 years.

It is witty, well crafted, self- reflective and genuinely interesting. Born into a clerical family, Sergeant is fascinating on religion and clergy - and his parent's unhappiness leading to separation and then divorce are of genuine pain to him. It's a reminder perhaps that despite the social acceptability of divorce, children often live with the scars for the rest of their lives.

Sergeant in particularly insightful about the culture of the BBC and what it is like to work in large organisations. He is especially critical of management and its distance from the grass roots reality of the work: "There was a strong body of people who made programmes and a distinct and quite separate line of managers who were contented to lead interesting lives without ever having to connect directly with the stressful business of broadcasting" (Page 205).

Sergeant articulates a mistrust of management of the BBC which he argues did not produce efficiency or fairness. I think that hose of us working in large organisations have much to learn from the intuitive feel that Sergeant articulates here and the importance that structures and managers ought to be directed towards supporting the core work of its business.

Sergeant expresses his deep admiration for Mrs Thatcher; and articulates appreciation of the Blair revolution. In most situations he brings a perspective and distance to his judgments. This is a rare quality in the media. The quality humanised through Sergeant's humour and the values that he expresses throughout the book.

It's a good read and has an admirable end. Sergeant challenges his reader to chart their own course through life and to try, above all to be themselves in what they do.

Historical perspective
There's always something very satisfying about grasping an overview- attempting to gain some measure of perspective and judgment. Kenneth Morgan has edited a collection 10 essays (The Oxford History of Britain OUP 2001 £9.99) which tells the story of Britain and her people over 2000 years from the Roman legions to the Blair Third-way. It is not a book for the faint-hearted, with nearly 1,000 pages and the 10 authors deal with their area of specialism in varied ways. Each period has a fascinating mixture of details as each historian reflects upon Government, society and religion.

Such a volume gives an amazing impression of the sheer pace of change over the past 2000 years and for those looking for evidence to understand the nature of human beings in society, there's much here to reflect upon. Part of the impression given is how thoroughly unkind we have all been to one another and much of the history is taken up with an account of conflict and war.

Unfortunately, from my perspective there isn't an over-optimistic picture of the role religion has played within British society. There is much to suggest that the Church has been rather decadent and complacent - and - has more often or not failed to adapt to the changes in society. In the latter essays there is a real impression of the overall decline of the influence of religion in British society, and one is left wondering what will be said of religion when the first chapter of twenty first century history in written.

It's a readable book and well worth the effort!

What is art?
Again, it's wonderful to read a book by an author with an extraordinarily masterly overview of his subject. Sir Herbert Read takes an overview of British painting and sculpture concentrating especially on Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson, Graham Sutherland and Barbara Hepworth (Contemporary British Art, Pelican 1951 - I picked this up in a second -hand book shop - I'm not sure it is now available!)

Read reflects on the diversity of the painters and painter's task. In many ways this is a spiritual book as Read struggles with what artists are trying to give birth to. Here is a powerful statement about harmony and vitality: "There is no unity in the modern movement, but rather a diversity that reflects the fragmented nature of our society. I see two predominant tendencies that may in the end prove to be complementary rather than contradictory - the search for formal harmony, for an equilibrium that compensates for our spiritual chaos: and the desire to express that chaos itself in images of uncompromising vitality" (page 20).

I note that this was written in the late forties, in the shadow of the Second World War and it gives us much food for further thought and reflection. Who is it in British society today who gives expression to who and what we are? Is there is "spiritual chaos" that we need to engage with and express? Perhaps the picture has always the power to speak beyond the limitations of our words?

Near the Edge
My final choice of my holiday books is by Nick Hornby (How to be good, Penguin, 2002). I enjoyed this because it is simply very, very funny. Katie, a woman doctor is near the edge. Many of her patients are "heartsinks", people who make her heart sink when they come into the surgery, because she knows she can do nothing for them. She is married to David, who writes a column for the local newspaper and is angry and sardonic.

In her hopelessness, Katie drifts into a passionless affair that she doesn't truly want. At the same time, her husband comes across a Guru and he begins to have a wonderfully beneficial effect on some of Katie's patients. Then the Guru works his miracle on David! He becomes gentle and caring, and wants to put the world to rights. He gives away one of his children's computers and some of their toys. He calls the street together to persuade everyone with a spare room to take in a homeless stranger. He becomes understanding and positive.

But if Katie found him difficult before, she finds him even more appalling now. The family goes even closer to the edge. So desperate are they that Katie's reduced to going to Church, and the vicar, nearly as hopeless and hapless and she is, tells her to stay in her marriage.

I'd better not spoil the story, by revealing much more - I promise you it will have you laughing and will make you think about our human motives and the sheer difficulty of being good. Hornby is quite brilliant - it's a novel written through the eyes of a woman, and he offers perspectives which might be very challenging to the reader. It's not altogether a rosy picture of the Church - the description of the Church service in the middle of the book, is sad, true and great fun! Do buy this one - it would make a very good Christmas present!

James Woodward