The Unseen Shore: Memories of a Christian Science Childhood

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful and touching memoir
Review: I thought this book was wonderful -- beautifully written, very personal, revealing and deep. Due to its subject matter (the book is critical of the Christian Science church), I could see how it might not be palatable to many "true believers" of this religion. But those with no religious axes to grind will undoubtedly find this book a wonderful read and an eye-opener about the experience of growing up in a Christian Science household. Readers who are able to appreciate the book on more than the theological level will find it a lyrical, poetic, and deeply personal discussion about many things -- growing up, having a family, coming to terms with life and with the past. Give it an open-minded read. You'll be glad you did.

Rating:
Summary: Still too close ....
Review: It is interesting to compare this book to Blue Windows, the
other member of the very small literature of memoirs by
people brought up in Christian Science. I did not like
the Unseen Shore as much for several reasons.

First, the author is still too close to his subject. His
anger is palpable throughout the book and gets tiresome by
the end. It is also a bit unfocused - much of what he blames
on Christian Science seems, from his story, more appropriately
assigned to his parents, who were unable to love him, at least
in a way he could appreciate, and unable to love each other.
His anger gets in the way of telling the story as well. He is
so mad at his parents and at Christian Science that the reader
simply can't understand why he stuck with it. When I got to
the section near the end where he indicates that he seriously
thought about becoming a Christian Science practitioner, I
found myself incredulous. It did not seem possible given
the story of his life related up to that point. Simmons
thinks he has attained prospective and peace, and perhaps
he now has 10 years after writing the book, but the text
belies his belief that he had it at the time he was writing.

Second, Simmons overgeneraliyes his own experience of growing
up in Christian Science. I did too, and although I am no longer
active in the Church, my own experience was completely different
from his. It is still the case that most of the loving, caring,
real people I have met in my life are Christian Scientists.
Yes, I met some people like his parents too, but they are
everywhere. Simmons seems to have an almost mystic view of the
well-being of persons who were not raised in Christian Science
(and, relatedly, of the healing powers of modern medicine).
I recognize both these views, but they are wrong and come from
being an outsider looking in. Simmons should go to Chicago
where the whole cultural atmosphere seems dominated by the, at
some point, very tiring whining of persons lamenting their
working class Catholic upbringings. The overall lesson is that
relying on one data point to make statements about a large
population is pretty much always a bad idea.

To conclude, a positive note. Even though it wasn't done when
he wrote the book, looking in on Simmon's spiritual journey,
even through the light fog of over-intellectualization that
likely comes from being a professor (another characteristic
this reviewer shares with the author), is a moving read, and one
that leads to useful thought for the reader.

Rating:
Summary: Still too close ....
Review: It is interesting to compare this book to Blue Windows, the
other member of the very small literature of memoirs by
people brought up in Christian Science. I did not like
the Unseen Shore as much for several reasons.

First, the author is still too close to his subject. His
anger is palpable throughout the book and gets tiresome by
the end. It is also a bit unfocused - much of what he blames
on Christian Science seems, from his story, more appropriately
assigned to his parents, who were unable to love him, at least
in a way he could appreciate, and unable to love each other.
His anger gets in the way of telling the story as well. He is
so mad at his parents and at Christian Science that the reader
simply can't understand why he stuck with it. When I got to
the section near the end where he indicates that he seriously
thought about becoming a Christian Science practitioner, I
found myself incredulous. It did not seem possible given
the story of his life related up to that point. Simmons
thinks he has attained prospective and peace, and perhaps
he now has 10 years after writing the book, but the text
belies his belief that he had it at the time he was writing.

Second, Simmons overgeneraliyes his own experience of growing
up in Christian Science. I did too, and although I am no longer
active in the Church, my own experience was completely different
from his. It is still the case that most of the loving, caring,
real people I have met in my life are Christian Scientists.
Yes, I met some people like his parents too, but they are
everywhere. Simmons seems to have an almost mystic view of the
well-being of persons who were not raised in Christian Science
(and, relatedly, of the healing powers of modern medicine).
I recognize both these views, but they are wrong and come from
being an outsider looking in. Simmons should go to Chicago
where the whole cultural atmosphere seems dominated by the, at
some point, very tiring whining of persons lamenting their
working class Catholic upbringings. The overall lesson is that
relying on one data point to make statements about a large
population is pretty much always a bad idea.

To conclude, a positive note. Even though it wasn't done when
he wrote the book, looking in on Simmon's spiritual journey,
even through the light fog of over-intellectualization that
likely comes from being a professor (another characteristic
this reviewer shares with the author), is a moving read, and one
that leads to useful thought for the reader.

Rating:
Summary: A well-crafted, but modest memoir
Review: This is a narrowly focused and very personal account of escaping the disembodied ideology/religion of Christian Science, to discover a kind of pesonal authenticity that seems to have left Simmons a sort of "pick and choose" delicatessan theist. So narrow and introsepctive is the approach that the reader is unaware that Simmons' struggle was going on during the denouement of the Vietman War, the turmoil of Watergate, the onset of postmodern culture in the 1970s and its reaction: the 8-year Reagan presidency.

The strengths of this book are his closely observed family dynamics - the parents, especially the mother, were committed Christian Sicentists, and they are revealed as sad and isolated figures in the end. Simmons also is very good at restrospective analysis of significant events in his adolesence and young adulthood. The reader feels compassion for his vulnerability in print and admires his dogged honesty to break out of a system that is neither Christian or scientific.

In addition, the book via its personal insights tracks the onset of serious decline of Christian Science in the 3rd quarter of the 20th century, a time when medical science was making enormous strides in eliminating disease and alleviating human suffering. It seems the only Christian Scientists I meet today are at least over 50 years old. If you want to see a fading American version of the ancient Gnostic heresy, you need look no further than Christian Science.

So why only 3 stars, a "gentleman's grade," for this little well-crafted book? In the end Simmons has written a respectable memoir of his spiritual journey, but within a bit too narrow of a framework. For a real 5-star account where the reader gets the "big picture" of a fully-realized and complex spiritual journey within the protagonist's times, I encourage you to delve into Thomas Merton's masterpiece, THE SEVEN STOREY MOUNTAIN.

In closing, now that THE UNSEEN SHORE is freely found in second-hand book stores, you can also save some $ on his little jewel. It will be a worthwhile read if the subject has piqued your interest.