Perhaps you are not old enough to remember Norman Vincent Peale’s classic. The Power of Positive Thinking, even my grandfather was impressed with it and included bits in it in his Sunday school lessons. Peale and his book are the pre-cursory to motivational speakers like Zig Zigler and also Andy Andrews. The basic message is that the power to change the world exists in every person, if only they make the right choices to act on what they take to be their purpose or raison d’etre in life. The assumption is even ordinary folk can do extraordinary things if they just make the right choices and act upon them. And of course, there is some truth in this.
In this particular novel Andrews focuses on George Washington Carver, Oskar Schindler, Joan of Arc, John Adams, the President of Tuskegee Institute, Alfred Vanderbilt, and others. While the novel is not antithetical to Christianity, indeed one of the central historical characters, Carver and one of the main fictional characters, ‘Mae Mae’ the centenarian are devoted Christians, the question the novel raises is ‘how typical are the historical figures focused on in this novel’, or are they in fact exceptions which prove a very different truth— namely that most people can’t and haven’t changed the world even with the best of intentions and the hardest of efforts to realize their intentions. Inquiring minds want to know.
This novel is a quick read, and in fact a fun read as pleasant beach reading at 250 or so pages. The idea that all these historical figures were somehow connected by a rather magical but fragmented stone (cup?) that empowers people to make right and life changing choices that do indeed change some aspects of human history is far fetched. it stretches credulity past the breaking point. Full marks to Andrews’ descriptive powers as he is able to flesh out a good story line about each of these historical figures especially George Washington Carver and Alfred Vanderbilt. I agree with the reviewers who find the central fictional characters— Mark, Dorry, Abby and Dylan as rather mundane and not very exciting. Indiana Jones these folks are not.
I was once at a Pentecostal worship service in Moscow in which an Israeli Christian had been invited in as a motivational speaker to address these listeners, and his message was another form of Peale’s message— if you only have enough faith, you can name and claim wealth, health, fame for yourself and your loved ones. Alas, the vast majority of the audience had little or no hope of material excess or even high end prosperity because they did not live in a free market, democratic society. Instead they lived in an autocratic society where rags to riches stories go to die. The social setting and culture affect whether even the most gifted of persons can succeed in life or make a difference. Andrews message might work in America or Europe in some cases, but how about in an oppressive country like Afghanistan with its barbaric treatment of women?
In the end, there is only one person who could, did, and can change world regardless of circumstances or cultural settings. That person is Jesus Christ, and he has and is doing just that, if you have eyes to see and ears to hear.
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