Steeped in Stories

Timeless Children's Novels to Refresh Our Tired Souls

By: Mitali Perkins

Narrated by: Siiri Scott

Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Award-winning children's author Mitali Perkins grew up steeped in stories - escaping into her books on the fire escape of a Flushing apartment building and, later, finding solace in them as she navigated between the cultures of her suburban California school and her Bengali heritage at home. Now Perkins invites us to explore the promise of seven timeless children's novels for adults living in uncertain times: stories that provide mirrors to our innermost selves and open windows to other worlds.

Blending personal narrative, accessible literary criticism, and spiritual and moral formation, Perkins delves into novels by Louisa May Alcott, C. S. Lewis, L. M. Montgomery, Frances Hodgson Burnett, and other literary "uncles" and "aunts" that illuminate the virtuous, abundant life we still desire. These novels are not perfect, and Perkins honestly assesses their critical frailties and flaws related to race, culture, and power. Yet examining these books as adults can help us build virtue, unmask our vices, and restore our hope.

Reconnecting with these stories from childhood isn't merely nostalgia. In an era of uncertainty and despair, they lighten our load and bring us much-needed hope.

©2021 Mitali Perkins (P)2021 Tantor

Looking for problems

As I listened to this book I felt the author breaking apart pieces of literature that didn’t deserve breaking apart. Comparing Ogres to “dark skinned” peoples and the good people in books as always being “light skinned” is a stretch. Ogres are ogres I don’t think any child or adult reads about an ogre and takes the characteristics as their own. Ogres are dark because they live in dark places.
The Narnia series being the “most bigoted” was unsettling as well. For the author to proclaim Christianity and yet tear down this literary gem is heartbreaking. I don’t read Greek mythology and compare myself to Hera because she is the female character and is obviously evil, thus saying all women are portrayed as evil. It’s a stretch to dissect books so far and force out these constructs that people find offensive.
I would not recommend this book, but I would recommend the books within it that are clearly classics and were and still are noteworthy. They were written for the time they were in and we can simply appreciate that without having pretend conversations with authors who have long passed. That part of this book also bothered me greatly, for Matali to put words in the mouths of these literary geniuses as though she KNOWS how they would react to her line of questioning. Despicable.