The Book of Longings

The Book of Longings This month two of my book clubs read and discussed Sue Monk Kidd’s latest historical fiction novel, The Book of Longings, the imagined story of Ana, a scribe who became the wife of Jesus. Here’s an excerpt from the beginning of the book: I am Ana. I was the wife of Jesus ben Joseph of Nazareth. I called him Beloved and he, laughing, called me Little Thunder. He said he heard rumblings inside me while I slept, a sound like thunder from far over the Nahal Zippori valley or even farther beyond the Jordan. I don’t doubt he heard something. All my life, longings lived inside me, rising up like nocturnes to wail and sing through the night. That my husband bent his heart to mine on our thin straw mat and listened was the kindness I most loved in him. What he heard was my life begging to be born. Ana, the only daughter in a wealthy family has been allowed to learn to read and write. Bold and rebellious, she aspires to do and be more than the conventional women of her times, where women are often ignored, enslaved, or silenced. She writes women’s stories so they are not forgotten, in hopes her words will live on after she’s gone. A constant in Ana’s life is her Aunt Yaltha, a companion and protector who encourages and sustains her. In her first encounters with Jesus, he shows her great kindness and even saves her from a terrible fate. She falls in love with him, and he with her. They marry, each knowing the other longs to do extraordinary things and follow the calling of their perceived purpose, their deepest longing. Kidd is a magnificent writer who diligently researched the era. With her skillful use of language and timely settings and events, I felt transported to the 1st Century. She takes us on a journey of adventures and brushes with societal and political issues as well as the horrors Ana must face and navigate in this time of turmoil during Israel’s occupation by Rome. One of the takeaways for me from the book is that we all have longings and desires—as did each character in Kidd’s book. Sometimes these emerge in our childhood or youth. For others, it may take some living, experiences, and introspection before our deep longings, or as my niece Juli Greenwald calls it, our heartfelt desires, becomes clear. When they do, though, I think it’s important to ask ourselves whether we’re on a course to satisfy those longings. We may also discover our desire has shifted with time. We do have the opportunity to change our actions and approaches to fulfillment, a chance to create something new, no matter our age or position. I think about my longings at different stages of my life. When I was younger, a girl growing up in Detroit in the 1950s, I had a great desire to travel the world. That yearning continued over the years and is still with me. It pleases me to know I have accomplished this and hope to continue when we’re able to travel again. In my adult years, I realized my longing, my calling, is to encourage and to connect people and ideas. Teaching, coaching, and writing have been the vehicles to fulfill this desire. And I am grateful for all the experiences that have allowed me to do this. If we had our own Book of Longings, what might you inscribe on your page? If you do read, or have already read, Sue Monk Kidd’s The Book of Longings, I’d love for you to share your takeaways and opinions. ~ xoA ~