Post by Cary Friedman on Nov 26, 2006 11:54:00 GMT -5
See the full article at www.nj.com/news/ledger/uniontowns/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1164260494312610.xml&coll=1
Holy heroics, Batman! To thine own self be true
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Book: "Wisdom from the Batcave – How to Live a Super, Heroic Life" (Compass Books, $13.95, paper)
Author: Rabbi Cary A. Friedman
Jersey ties: Friedman and his wife have lived in various places in New Jersey since they married 21 years ago, including seven years in Linden, where he served Congregation Anshe Chesed, an Orthodox institution. They recently moved to Passaic because schools for their six children are nearby, as is a facility where Friedman freelances. He has worked as a consultant on spiritual matters for the FBI, the New Jersey State Police and a variety of other police agencies across the country. Friedman also is a consultant for New Jersey-based Cop2Cop, which provides peer counseling to police officers, as well as other spiritual and psychological resources.
Overview: Using themes from the Batman comics, along with illustrations and comments by various writers, artists and editors associated with the series over the years, plus spiritual and religious statements from many places, Friedman illuminates moral truths.
How he chose the topic: "I have always been obsessed with Batman." (Friedman still collects Batman memorabilia.) "When I was trying to teach about moral values, I realized I could derive moral lessons from the Batman comics. People in the audience chuckle and listen to what I'm saying."
What he wants readers to take from the book: "Recognition that one can be heroic in one's ordinary life. We can't do heroic deeds like stopping a train or rounding up a bunch of bank robbers, but we can still find many opportunities in ordinary life to do the right thing. It's actually harder to re main true to one's own values, meaning and decency and kindness. I try to describe that kind of heroism."
—Patricia C. Turner
Holy heroics, Batman! To thine own self be true
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Book: "Wisdom from the Batcave – How to Live a Super, Heroic Life" (Compass Books, $13.95, paper)
Author: Rabbi Cary A. Friedman
Jersey ties: Friedman and his wife have lived in various places in New Jersey since they married 21 years ago, including seven years in Linden, where he served Congregation Anshe Chesed, an Orthodox institution. They recently moved to Passaic because schools for their six children are nearby, as is a facility where Friedman freelances. He has worked as a consultant on spiritual matters for the FBI, the New Jersey State Police and a variety of other police agencies across the country. Friedman also is a consultant for New Jersey-based Cop2Cop, which provides peer counseling to police officers, as well as other spiritual and psychological resources.
Overview: Using themes from the Batman comics, along with illustrations and comments by various writers, artists and editors associated with the series over the years, plus spiritual and religious statements from many places, Friedman illuminates moral truths.
How he chose the topic: "I have always been obsessed with Batman." (Friedman still collects Batman memorabilia.) "When I was trying to teach about moral values, I realized I could derive moral lessons from the Batman comics. People in the audience chuckle and listen to what I'm saying."
What he wants readers to take from the book: "Recognition that one can be heroic in one's ordinary life. We can't do heroic deeds like stopping a train or rounding up a bunch of bank robbers, but we can still find many opportunities in ordinary life to do the right thing. It's actually harder to re main true to one's own values, meaning and decency and kindness. I try to describe that kind of heroism."
—Patricia C. Turner