Must-reads and a must-watch for regenerates

I’ve got a running list on the sidebar of what I consider “musts” for regenerates.  Thought I’d go ahead and point those out.

The two pieces of writing on the list make it simply because they are two of the best pieces of writing I have ever read.  The Grand Inquisitor episode from Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov is absolutely fantastic and very thought-provoking.  A couple years back I managed to obtain a script version of the book and hope to some day memorize the Grand Inquisitor story and use it as a monologue.

“Letter to My Children” is Whittaker Chamber’s introduction to his book Witness.  Back in the day Chambers accused the much esteemed Alger Hiss (he had two Supreme Court justices as character witnesses) of being a Communist spy.  Witness tells Chambers’ story, complete with the very sensational (at the time) story of the evidence he’d hidden in a pumpkin on his farm.  The introduction to the book is a letter Chambers addressed to his children explaining why he did it, how he turned away from communism and atheism, and of the inherent conflict between Communism and Faith.

Both of these are available online so you should read them right now.

The must-watch, on the other hand, requires you to go to a website and order it, but it’s well worth it.  “Most” is a Czech-language film (“most” means “bridge” in Czech) that’s about a half hour in length (don’t worry, it includes subtitles).  It’s an extraordinary example of regenerate art and a very powerful film.  I’d say more, but I’m not sure how to without giving the storyline away, so I’ll just leave it at that.  Go order yourself a copy (and a couple to give away).  You won’t regret it.