In this week's blog I am going to compare a best-selling non-fiction book and a children's picture book. They are both about making meaning in the midst of fear, sadness, blackness and despair. They are both about looking for hope in the midst of confusion and weariness. They are both about the signs that renewal exists beyond ourselves.
Black Saturday is a bestseller since its release in April. It consists of "stories of love, loss and courage from the Victorian bushfires." It is quite stunning how quickly these stories have been made available in book form, since it is only three months since a firestorm ravaged country Victoria, killing 200 people and destroying 1800 homes.
These stories are a compilation of the articles, photographs and interviews that captured the drama and tragedy in the days and weeks that followed the fires. It is a compelling book, with eyewitness accounts, town by town, a historical record of events.
Some of the stories have never been told before, like Edna Oakley, 15, who wrote via email of the sky turning orange and black, and watching the mountains catch fire one by one.
As well as recording the impact on townspeople, there are interviews with emergency services, firefighters, and those who went to help.
There are occasional glimpses of the divine…both in the terror of the forces of nature, and in the stories of bravery, sacrifice and survival. Ray Keating says, "I'm not a believer, but I owe my life to someone up there."
Vicki Ruhr says, "I'm not religious at all but I've never prayed so hard in my life."
There are also stories from Christians: chaplains, the Salvation Army, and ordinary people.
I liked Jacqueline Pascarle who started up Operation Angel to supply clothing, toiletries, toys and luggage. She writes about the woman who arrived with pallid face, set jaw and clenched fists. Her mission was to find suitable clothing for five nephews and nieces to attend the funeral of their mother who had succumbed to horrific burns. "To be able to load her car-boot with garments of dignity was one of the biggest privileges I have ever encountered."
In the face of such loss and devastation there is a massive reordering of priorities, a clinging to relationships, a search for hope.
Shaun Tan's The Red Tree is also a story of meaning-making. It is about a little girl who feels lost and vulnerable and misunderstood. She is confronted with a world that feels dark and deaf and without reason. She is waiting… but nothing happens; the terrible seems inevitable; and she doesn't even know what she is meant to be…
BUT, suddenly… there it is, right in front of her (of all of us), bright and vivid, just as she imagined it would be: a red tree, a symbol of new life.
It is a profound book, pointing to something which is outside of us, as well as the mess we have made of this world… pointing to the possibility of renewal, inspiration, creativity, faithfulness, new life, new beginnings… All the true things, worth hoping for, have been planted in our hearts by the one who has all our stories written in his book.
News Limited and Harper Collins have combined to ensure that all proceeds from the sale of Black Saturday will be donated to the Salvation Army Bushfire Appeal to assist them to care for those impacted, and to help promote hope, meaning and a new start.
What is your story of finding hope, inspiration or renewal in the midst of disappointment or loss?
