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Please use this topic to discuss your overall opinion of the June 2015 book of the month, The Message? by Avam Hale.

First of all, do not forget to add your rating for the book on the Bookshelves page for The Message!

How do you like the story? What do you like most about it? Do you recommend the book to others? Why or why not?

I guess I already made my opinion and rating known! Now to sit back and see what others have to say!

I started reading this book a few days ago and am up to Chapter 7. It's a unique and interesting story so far. I really like the main character, Leah, and her sister who is very protective of her. Dr. Marcus, the attending physician, is the perfect blend of science and religion in a person. I will post my overall opinion once I've finished. I just wanted to get the ball rolling with my first impressions after reading the first 1/3 of the book.

bookowlie wrote:I started reading this book a few days ago and am up to Chapter 7. It's a unique and interesting story so far. I really like the main character, Leah, and her sister who is very protective of her. Dr. Marcus, the attending physician, is the perfect blend of science and religion in a person. I will post my overall opinion once I've finished. I just wanted to get the ball rolling with my first impressions after reading the first 1/3 of the book.

I loved Dr. Marcus!!! He kid of reminds me of a professor I had in grad school... only way cooler (that particular professor was notorious for being horrible strict and demanding with what he expected from his students). But he was a devout follower of Orthodox Judaism AND a doctor.

Alynn, I got much further in the book last night after I posted my initial comment. Dr. Marcus is such a great character. He is thoughtful and measured in his conversations, and doesn't have an agenda like many of the people that swoop down into Leah's orbit. The only thing I don't like about him so far is that he recommended bringing Vaughan into the picture.

After finishing this book, I realized how much I really liked this book. I ended up putting "The Message?" on my 3 out of 4 stars bookshelf mainly because I am not a big fan of books with religious messages. One of the reasons I found myself moving past the religious references and deciding to keep reading was the philosophical take on the book. I am a major Socrates fan, and I really liked how researched Avam Hale seemed. Other than my ridiculous dislike of religion, the book was seriously entertaining. I agree with the common favorite of Dr. Marcus. I wish I knew a doctor like Dr. Marcus.

kstockard wrote:After finishing this book, I realized how much I really liked this book. I ended up putting "The Message?" on my 3 out of 4 stars bookshelf mainly because I am not a big fan of books with religious messages. One of the reasons I found myself moving past the religious references and deciding to keep reading was the philosophical take on the book. I am a major Socrates fan, and I really liked how researched Avam Hale seemed. Other than my ridiculous dislike of religion, the book was seriously entertaining. I agree with the common favorite of Dr. Marcus. I wish I knew a doctor like Dr. Marcus.

What's great about these BOTM discussions are the varied opinions about the same book. That's interesting that you liked the sections about Socrates. That's the part of the book I didn't like as much. In the beginning, I thought some of the Socrates references were interesting, but I thought those long-winded side chapters felt like I was in a college philosophy class. I thought those sections became distracting to the main story after a while.

Most of my friends hate philosophy and think books with philosophical ramblings are extremely boring. I also shared those same opinions until I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig (an amazing book) which I find the philosophy sections to be similar to The Message. I found that philosophy in books can be entertaining if well researched and not over done. I agree that at times the philosophy in The Message may have been borderline dull, especially to those who don't like it. I am honestly just weird to like this stuff so much.

kstockard wrote:Most of my friends hate philosophy and think books with philosophical ramblings are extremely boring. I also shared those same opinions until I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig (an amazing book) which I find the philosophy sections to be similar to The Message. I found that philosophy in books can be entertaining if well researched and not over done. I agree that at times the philosophy in The Message may have been borderline dull, especially to those who don't like it. I am honestly just weird to like this stuff so much.

I can't comment on The Message because I'm STILL waiting for it to come in the mail. (Don't worry--I'll have plenty to say, once it comes!) In the meantime, I'd like to observe that you may like The Mark by Jen Nadol. It was a fictional YA book that had a paranormal bent but really delved into the ethics of it. The heroine took a summer philosophy course during the story. I finished it thinking that every college student should read it. You'd also love the movie Waking Life.

Would this be a good read for someone who doesn't typically read religious or philosophical books? Would it be a good example to test the genre out with? I know many books are amazing no matter the readers normal type of book preference. I am curious if this book would fit that, or if it's mostly for people read similar books.

I am only a few pages into it but already I have a few favorite characters (Leah, Dr. Marcus and Professor Bradshaw)! I love books that make me think so I am really hoping that this book lives up to it's expectations and doesn't disappoint.

I enjoyed this book and found it to be a good read

zanderlyrose wrote:Would this be a good read for someone who doesn't typically read religious or philosophical books? Would it be a good example to test the genre out with? I know many books are amazing no matter the readers normal type of book preference. I am curious if this book would fit that, or if it's mostly for people read similar books.

I think The Message is a great book to read no matter your personal preferences. Like I said earlier, I don't usually read religious books, but the book is not solely focused on religion, instead the book combines two schools of thought to make the reader think. For a reader with absolutely no background in religion or philosophy, Avam Hale is well researched and writes these sections clearly so that they can be understood. Honestly, The Message is incredibly entertaining no matter the background.

bookowlie wrote:

kstockard wrote:After finishing this book, I realized how much I really liked this book. I ended up putting "The Message?" on my 3 out of 4 stars bookshelf mainly because I am not a big fan of books with religious messages. One of the reasons I found myself moving past the religious references and deciding to keep reading was the philosophical take on the book. I am a major Socrates fan, and I really liked how researched Avam Hale seemed. Other than my ridiculous dislike of religion, the book was seriously entertaining. I agree with the common favorite of Dr. Marcus. I wish I knew a doctor like Dr. Marcus.

What's great about these BOTM discussions are the varied opinions about the same book. That's interesting that you liked the sections about Socrates. That's the part of the book I didn't like as much. In the beginning, I thought some of the Socrates references were interesting, but I thought those long-winded side chapters felt like I was in a college philosophy class. I thought those sections became distracting to the main story after a while.

That's interesting because I was the exact opposite. I could have read the philosophy sections for a full 400 pages. Yet, I was disappointed with the main story and found myself wondering when was professor Bradshaw going to return.

I finally got the book today, and I'm only on page 22, but so far I enjoy being back in college. I miss college, where you learn something new every day in the classroom. I recall that I took three philosophy classes, but I don't remember a lot of this stuff! (Late nineties.) I did remember about Socrates' "Socratic method," and about how he drank hemlock when sentenced to death for corrupting the youth. Everything else, not so much, assuming I ever was taught it! (I'm not making my alma mater proud here, am I?) GO BELLARMINE!! Yeah. Anyways, I'm still reading, so these are initial thoughts. This book reminds me of a movie I saw while a college student called Waking Life. It was mind-bending and all about philosophy. My brother majored in philosophy (I in psychology). I'm not too far into the Leah storyline yet...