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A Brief Review of
No Time to Be Lost
Christopher Yates
Paperback: Wiseblood Books, 2014
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Reviewed by Paul D. Gregory
I taught a section of Social Problems for three years at a regional university in the Midwest. A class targeting freshman and sophomore students, Social Problems focused on various institutional problems that at least some people find undesirable. For example, we read and talked about inequality and how it contributes to poverty, crime, etc. After two years of teaching the class in this general format, I found the class lacking, as it focused too much on the mere understanding and interpretation of social problems and less on the real actions of combating those problems. Thankfully, I was not the only one unhappy with this format of the class. Student evaluations consistently included a similar critique: “I appreciated learning about social problems, but isn’t that only part of the answer? What can we actually do about it?” As a result, I changed the class structure to include an action component. Briefly, students were not only required to research a specific social problem, but also were expected to go out into the local community and work to combat it. In many ways, this is the message No Time to Be Lost by Christopher Yates portrays to the reader. That is Yates seems to be highlighting the failure of the academic world to act on behalf of the theoretical knowledge gained over the years.
Act I begins at an academic conference in Philosophy (Society for Philosophy and Existential Knowledge). We meet the protagonist Avery Meir and her crew who seem genuinely interested in serving the poor and marginalized (“the least of these”). We also meet the screenplay’s antagonist, Simone Marseilles, who seems to represent the current state of the philosophy discipline. Marseilles seemingly represents the establishment with its emphasis on interpretation over action. There’s also the presence of Vidastout Microbrews with owner Elmo Exum and reporter (and old friend of Avery Meir) Stuart MacPherson. The plot thickens with the untimely death of French Philosopher Jean-Luc Baptiste at the opening session of the conference. This death prompts Avery and her crew to put Baptiste’s words into action by engaging in some social action across the pond.
Acts II and III contain the bulk of the author’s story about Avery and her crew’s travels around the globe searching for “the least of these.” Another subplot ripens as the reader follows Homeland Security Agent James Cavell’s investigation of the untimely death of Jean-Luc Baptiste. Simone Marseilles reasserts herself into the plot attempting to take some credit for Avery and her crew’s social action. All of these events culminate (with a huge twist) in a wonderful, funny, and sly story.
Christopher Yates has written a funny, clever, and enjoyable story. However, the reader should know that this book is written as a screenplay. Some readers may find such a unique format awkward, especially if she/he believed they were purchasing a traditional book. Additionally, while many who read this book will appreciate Yates’s humor and use of story; others will appreciate it for its depth. Underneath the humor lies a sober message of the irony found in the academic world. Unfortunately some readers may completely miss some of the subtle messages about poverty, the environment, and big business. For me, the latter message far outweighed the former. As an academic I found Christopher Yates’s use of humor and story a brilliant method by which to critique the unfortunate apathy found in academic world. Yes our need to interpret the world in which we live is important; however, the need for action is equal to if not greater than that interpretation.
C. Christopher Smith is the founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books. He is also author of a number of books, including most recently How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church (Brazos Press, 2019). Connect with him online at: C-Christopher-Smith.com
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