Book Review: Real People
At the pinnacle with Irmis Pop off and the Second Basic Course at Sherborne House with J. G. Bennett. A memoir by Roberta J. Chromey
I selected Real People on a whim because I like a good memoir and thought this seemed like an interesting one. I was not disappointed. I knew absolutely nothing about the Gurdjieff work and the Second Basic Course at Sherborne House. I thought maybe the book would teach me about some of that, but it did not really deliver on that.
Normally, this is something I would acknowledge as a negative point about a book, but as I read more and more, I came to realize that she was not writing about her experience but rather writing about what she was experiencing. She was writing about the feelings and thoughts behind her time at Sherborne House. So when she would describe something like a Gurdjieff movement, I would have no idea what she was talking about, but would have a strong sense that these were things that could change someone.
As she quotes from various lectures given by J. G, Bennett, who was the teacher leading the course, it struck me how simple the message was. It felt so very basic. And yet, in the context of a year spent largely secluded from the outside world, the simplicity seems to have given way to the profoundness of simple things like gratitude and hard work for the sake of others.
Even though I knew it was a true story, it all still seemed to be kind of far-fetched to me. Then I came across a short documentary called “One Pair of Eyes” about what happened to have been this exact time in which the book was written. And in the film, there was a brief moment when, based on the photographs in the book, I saw, in color, Roberta as a young person in action. Then everything started to come together and make sense.
This is a great book overall. If you are interested in spiritual formation and memoirs, you will get a lot out of her story. If you are just curious about religious or spiritual movements in gneeral, you might be disappointed since, as I stated above, she doesn’t do a lot of describing of the course or the tenants of the Gurdjieff work. But when encountering someone’s story of how something changed them, often that change is more important anyway.
*******
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR,Part 255.