Frank Schaeffer's Baby Jack might teach you something you didn't know...

I don't usually lead off my reviews with explanations, but I feel that one is necessary before I review Baby Jack. There are some things about Frank Schaeffer's personal history that I feel readers should know before they read this book. Skip this part if you don't agree with me.

First, the explanation...

Over the past few years, I've become very familiar with Frank Schaeffer's work. I've read most of his books and discovered that like many good writers, Schaeffer weaves stories based on what he knows. What he doesn't know, he either learns or borrows from other sources. I discovered Schaeffer in an unorthodox way. Somehow, I found myself on a message board for a fundamentalist Christian college. Someone had started a thread about fundamentalist Christians as they are portrayed in literature. One poster mentioned that the author Frank Schaeffer, who grew up the son of Christian missionary parents in Europe, had really gotten the portrayal of fundamentalist Christians "right". The poster recommended Schaeffer's trilogy of humorous novels about Calvin Becker, an entertaining, imaginative character who was based on Frank Schaeffer's upbringing as the son of Christian missionaries.

Not long after I finished reading Schaeffer's Becker trilogy, Schaeffer published several non-fiction books about the military. His youngest son, John, had joined the Marines against Schaeffer's wishes. Suddenly, Frank Schaeffer became a military family member. It was a world that was totally foreign to him and not one that he had ever wished to explore. The non-fiction books turned out to be wonderful and they were just what so many of us who are military family members needed to read.

John Schaeffer, who shares his father's talent for writing, was an enlisted Marine from 1999-2004 and he served overseas several times during his military career. Though John Schaeffer is out of the Marines, his tenure has left an indelible mark on Frank Schaeffer, who recently published his latest novel Baby Jack (2006). Having just finished Baby Jack, I see many parallels to Frank Schaeffer's life, both as the father of a Marine and the son of fundamentalist Christian missionaries. I'm left with the idea that despite their parents' best intentions, children often don't turn out the way their parents hope they will. However, I don't necessarily think that's always a bad thing.

Now, the review...

Todd Ogden is a successful artist living in Massachusetts with his wife, Sarah, a lawyer. Todd and Sarah live a sweet life. They are the proud parents of Amanda and Jack, young adult children they have nourished by exposing them to culture and fancy private schools.

When Amanda came of age, she did what her parents expected her to do. She went to college and got herself a career at The New York Times. Todd and Sarah expected the same for Jack, but Jack chooses the Marines over college. Todd is furious with his son for choosing the military over a so-called formal education. His anger is further exacerbated by the fact that Todd dislikes Jack's steady girlfriend, Jessica. Anger and hurt leads Todd to turn his back on his son. Jack goes off to basic training on Parris Island without his father's approval or acknowledgement.

Jack graduates from basic training and, not long after the start of Gulf War II, is deployed to Iraq. He's killed in action a week after his arrival. Despite the fact that Jack is a lowly private, he dies under heroic circumstances. It's too late for Todd Ogden and his son to kiss and make up; yet Todd stays angry. For a solid year after his son's death, he and his family fall apart. And because Todd never approved of Jessica and therefore doesn't speak to her, they don't know that she's given birth to Jack's son, Baby Jack.

The format

Frank Schaeffer was wise to divide this book into four parts. The first part introduces readers to the characters and establishes that Todd Ogden is a passionate but temperamental man who loves his son fiercely, but is hampered by pride and ignorance. It also sets up Jack's relationship with Jessica. Once again, Frank Schaeffer writes what he knows. I can easily see that Todd is just like his author, but if you haven't read Schaeffer's other books, you might not know that. The first part is written entirely from Todd's point of view.

In the second part, the perspective shifts to Jack's point of view. I got the chance to see Jack's side of the story and vicariously experience his training to become a Marine. I got to understand, on some level, Jack's pain over being rejected by his father because he chose to chart his own course in life.

In part three, I learned that Jack had been killed in action. The perspective changes again, this time to Jessica's as she talks to Baby Jack, the son that Jack Ogden helped create but never got a chance to know while he was alive. Jessica had never told Jack that she was pregnant.

Unexpectedly, the focus shifts again to Amanda's point of view. At first, I was confused by this sudden switch. It took me a minute to figure it out. Good thing I did, because at this point, the perspective changes with each new chapter and the chapters tend to be very short, one page in some cases. I had to pay close attention.

In part four, Todd Ogden pays a visit to Parris Island. It's a year after Jack's death and he's seeking closure. His marriage is on the skids and he's realizing just how much he's lost. At this point, Jack is a spirit who observes everything from Heaven. And it's in this part that I can see Frank Schaeffer's background as the son of Christian missionaries emerge. He introduces readers to his concept of God and what comes after death. This aspect of Baby Jack may be very offensive to some readers.

According to Schaeffer's novel, God is nothing at all like He's described in the great religious books. He's wise and all knowing, but he actually couldn't care less about what people do or don't do. God cusses a lot, has a wry sense of humor, and is entertained by the crazy things people do to please Him. God is also entertained by the antics of people like Hitler, Mao, and bin Laden. I'm sure Frank Schaeffer's devout Christian parents would be disappointed in their son's apparent cynicism when it comes to religion... as disappointed as Schaeffer initially was when his son decided to join the Marines instead of going to college. Looking deeper, I see that Schaeffer does have a healthy respect for God. And Schaeffer uses God to heal Todd Ogden in a most unconventional way.

My thoughts...

When I first started reading Baby Jack, I wasn't that impressed. At first, it just seemed like a fictionalized accounting of Schaeffer's own real life experiences, which I had read about in his non fiction books. Initially, I also didn't like all the shifts in perspective. I found them confusing and some of the characters' voices didn't seem to vary enough to make it easy for me to immediately figure out who they were. Schaeffer's writing is very creative and often funny, but again, the subject matter and language may offend conservative readers.

It wasn't until I got to part four that I finally started to see the point behind Baby Jack. In fact, I actually learned some things from this novel. Those of you who read my reviews on a regular basis may know that my husband is currently deployed to Iraq. His children no longer speak to him, partly because of choices that he made and partly because of the toxic influences of their mother. In many ways, I saw our situation in this story. I've come to understand that everyone has a different perspective and in most disagreements, each party lacks vital information about the other person's viewpoint. They also never know how their actions affect other people. It's not until Todd Ogden goes to Parris Island that he finally starts to understand his son. It's not until God "speaks" to Todd through a drill instructor that Todd realizes that Jack had a different perspective and his perspective was the right one for his life. But Todd Ogden had to go through craziness to understand that his son did not die in vain. Jack's legacy lives on in Baby Jack.

I think Baby Jack is a very profound book, but I also believe that a lot of readers will miss the point because they will either be confused or offended by the content. It really helps to know something about Frank Schaeffer's life before reading this book. If you're not able to read any of his earlier books before you pick up Baby Jack, do yourself a favor and read Schaeffer's acknowledgements at the back of the book before you start the novel. Schaeffer briefly explains some of his history there. My edition of Baby Jack includes some discussion questions for book clubs as well as an invitation for readers to contact Schaeffer. I have written to the author myself and have found him to be very responsive.

After reading Baby Jack, I'm definitely left with a lot of food for thought. This book is unexpectedly challenging and brilliant, and I'm sure I'll be thinking about it for some time. I'm afraid that a lot of folks will either give up before they get the point or they will miss the point entirely. But I, for one, am glad I hung in there.

Frank Schaeffer's Web site: http://frankschaeffer.net/