Friedman, Cary A. Wisdom from the Batcave: How to Live a Super, Heroic Life. Linden, NJ: Compass, 2006.
Rabbi Friedman finds serious ethics taught in stories delivered through a medium that is not always taken seriously: comic books. Friedman’s hero of choice is Batman.
After the introduction, each chapter is a short essay on some ethical subject; the author is a teacher of ethics and the Torah. To illustrate his points, he draws on stories from the Batman comics.
Most chapters have a literal illustration drawn from a comic featuring Batman. These are directly related to the text.
The author finds no irony in using the Batman as an example. He says that as he studied ethics, in both secular and religious settings, he found many of the concepts he was studying were already familiar from the comics he had read as kid. He sees value in such stories where ethical lessons can be taught by slipping past the defensive wall people put up when they sense a lecture coming.
The subjects covered in the book are wide ranging. A selection includes family, the role of adversity, hard work, inspiration, moral principles, forethought, and the little ways we can fight evil every day.
The author’s style is sometimes tongue-in-cheek, as one might expect from someone dealing with such serious subjects by referring to popular entertainment. However, his incites are informed by his work as a rabbi and his consultation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on ways to help law enforcement officer cope with the stress of their jobs.
The book is short, less than 100 pages, but not light on material. In fact, one of the chapters deals with not saying to much, but valuing speech and making the words one uses count. To close, here is what the author says about his purpose, “I hope this book serves as a reminder that there are countless opportunities around us—opportunities that we encounter in our everyday lives—to be heroic.”
No comments:
Post a Comment